Exploring the American Wilderness and Other Adventures

Shoshone Falls Observation Deck Trail and Dierkes Lake Trail, Shoshone Falls Park, near Twin Falls, Idaho, and Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Walking Trail, Willard Bay Upward Game Recreation Area, Brigham City, Utah

Boise, Idaho -> Farmington, Utah: 330 miles

Listening to: Alt J Radio on Pandora

Hike: Shoshone Falls Observation Deck Trail and Dierkes Lake Trail, Shoshone Falls Park, near Twin Falls, Idaho, and Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Walking Trail, Willard Bay Upward Game Recreation Area, Brigham City, Utah 

Lodging: Stayed with friends, CHX2

Dinner: homemade Filipino noodle dish and almond torte

I admit I did not love the yurt airbnb – the post on airbnb did say that you can hear traffic, but it did not state that the airbnb is literally on the side of a main road. I have stayed in many yurts, and the vibe is always a bohemian theme, which makes sense, but this yurt was not furnished or decorated that way. The vibe was simply that they had extra space on their property where they put extra furniture and then put up a yurt to make a profit. Anyway, with that said, I got on the road to head to Utah before the sun was up. 

The drive between Boise and Utah is beautiful. I first stopped near Twin Falls, Idaho, to visit Shoshone Falls. I had been here before on a road trip to the Las Vegas area in 2018 to run a Spartan Race. That was in November, and now it is February, so the water flow is low on my trips here. Someday I will get here to see the falls full. Maybe. 

On the way to the falls is the Twin Falls temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has been a minute since I laid eyes on a temple. Seeing it pushed my mind back to a dark place, and I find it incredulous that there was a large period of my life where I believed I loved someone so much that I allowed that particular organized religion to traumatize me. There is a reason why support groups for those who managed to escape that church are growing. 

Shoshone Falls and Dierkes Lake are great stopping points on any trip through southern Idaho. Shoshone Falls is a beautiful waterfall called the “Niagara of the West.” The directions are easy to follow. The winding road is moderately maintained. Shoshone Falls parking is at the end of the road, with the parking for Dierks Lake being a right turn just before. Both parking lots are big, with bathrooms and ample space to spread out. Shoshone Falls is not a hike at all, with the viewpoints of the falls being right at the parking lot. There is a little path that goes along the viewpoint, but still, it is not really a hike. Dierkes Lake does have a short trail that goes around it, though, and it is pretty fun! It is an easy hike when it is not covered in ice, but not a flat hike. There are steps built over and around the rocks surrounding the little lake, with constant viewpoints. Again, I have only been here during the winter, but it does appear to be a wonderful place to have adventures when the water is not frozen – there are swimming beaches with a long dock, plenty of open spaces, and picnic tables. My guess is that it gets really busy, so if you plan on exploring down here, my suggestion (I always suggest this!) is to have an alternative plan so your trip is fun and fulfilling, even if this location is overwhelmed with people. 

The rest of my drive to Utah was beautiful. Everything about the Utah landscape is beautiful. Because it was on the route and I was looking for more to see without taxing myself before I got to Kanab, I stopped at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Brigham City, Utah. It was SO PRETTY. The refuge includes a beautiful museum which appears also to be a workspace for US Fish and Wildlife Service workers. There is an easy trail system through the wetlands, partly paved and partly gravel – all frozen and icy. The view was incredible, with snow-covered mountains surrounding you in every direction you looked. 

I still had some time before I needed to be at CHX2’s house, so I stopped in Ogden to find a brewery. I have been to Ogden before, only to take my kids to visit the temple because is that not what all good Mormon parents do? So, this time it felt good to go there and see the temple for what it is – a money-making propaganda machine intended to keep their church-goers motivated to remain dependent and enslaved to their systems. And have a beer! Except, it was a cocktail because they had no gluten-free beer. My drinking history is not extensive, and I certainly never considered drinking when I was last in Ogden, and there is a sweet little brewery right by the temple. The manager visited with me while I had a drink and a salad, and she told me about their rooftop patio that is open spring-fall where you can drink while viewing the temple, and something about that sits right with me. After a lengthy visit with them, they paid for my lunch and sent me home with a gift/souvenir for Barbarian Scientist – what?! Wow. 

The rest of my day was spent with my friends, CHX2 (both of their initials are CH), in their home. They are incredibly special people. She is a medical professional, and I met her several years ago when she was training to backpack Havasupai Falls with a mutual friend. Since then, she has moved from North Idaho to near Ogden. We have had shared experiences this last year because her husband also has blood cancer that is difficult to treat. His is almost the exact opposite of mine – what I am massively over-producing, he has none. My treatment is complicated and not curable, and his treatment is aggressive and traumatizing in a very different and complicated way. 

I am convinced that if the world could be baked into being a better place, CHX2 would be the movement’s pioneer couple. Before he was so sick, he was the baker in their relationship. As they navigated learning how to cope with their new lives and the changing dynamics of their relationship, she decided to step into his shoes and learn what he does. I think her primary motivation was to ensure she would still have ways to connect with him when he is gone. She likened it to the scene in Ghost, where she was at the pottery wheel and connecting with her lover in ghost form. Hilarious, but also… I get it. CHX2 bakes something at least every weekend, working off a growing wish list of goodies to learn and perfect. There is no way that two people can eat all they create, so they give away their products. While they nourish one another and their shared memories through this ongoing project, they also nourish the world around them by sharing so much of what they make, which is beautiful. 

It was good for me to be loved by them while they told their stories, both happy and very sad. My time with them helped me see how this process I am experiencing might be for my children and Barbarian Scientist. Spending time, in person, with the loving caregiver spouse of someone who is also being beaten up by cancer helped expand my care and concern for my own caregiver(s). Although I am a resentful and often in-denial recipient of routine caregiving, those who are lovingly taking care of me are also profoundly affected by this disease. CHX2 described this process as “The Long Goodbye,” and the accuracy shook me. The Long Goodbye. All the feelings.