Grand American Tour Day 20: Drive to Yellowstone

The drive to Yellowstone is a long one, but took us through some unexpected landscapes and towns.





Driving out of Boise was predictable. Farmlands as well as deserts, but something along the way created a different out look. The craters of the moon monument. It’s basically a huge area of lava rocks, inhabitable, but took over the landscape like god crumpled Oreo Cookie crust all over the land. It’s just black rough rock that goes on and on. I wonder how it was to carve a road to cut across it.







Well, that aside, there was the town of Arco. Arco is just outside of the lava rock area. It’s really in the middle of nowhere, but it’s a functioning town. I decided to stop for an oil change since it’s due, that when we hear about the story of Arco.

Arco has been around for quite some time. However what put it on the map was quite something else. Nuclear technology. So I was told that Arco was the first town to be powered by Nuclear power, for one hour, as an experiment. Outside of Arco is Atomic City. This is a government establishment by the department of energy where they research on Nuclear energy and dispose Nuclear waste. Highly secured place. It’s a town of its own as well except that outsiders aren’t allowed to get anywhere near it. Driving along the lone freeway, it was miles of miles of restricted zone signs. It reminds me of Area 51 where the entire area of nothing is fenced off.


Each highshool graduating class of Arco will climb up there and paint the year which they were graduating.


Getting an oil change.




World's first nuclear power generator.







Atomic City is between Arco and Idaho Falls. Driving pass Atomic city at around 5pm, the previously deserted highway suddenly is populated with cars from no where. It’s like they all just suddenly climbed out of the desert rocks heading home. It was weird, but it’s their unique way of life working in the desert restricted zone.

Past Idaho Falls, we headed towards West Yellowstone. The sky was getting dark. There were pockets of clouds and rain mixed with the setting sun. Soon, we arrived at the hotel, getting ready to store up energy for the anticipated Yellowstone Nation Park.










Rain and sunset at the same time.