Above: The next morning, we drove out to see the Shoshone Indian Ice Caves. No, that is not one of our boys riding a dinosaur, it is a statue of a Shoshone Indian. :)
Above: They did have little statues that the kids could get on and pose for pictures though.
Above: I sure have handsome guys!
Above: It wasn't a cold day, but we brought our coats because the caves are around 32 degrees.
Above: This part of Idaho has some really cool lava rock formations.
Above: Heading down into the Shoshone Indian Ice Cave. We had a really knowledgeable, interesting, and informative tour guide who told us a lot about the lava rock formations, the history of the cave, etc.
Above: The ice cave isn't a cave like Timpanogas Cave at home. There are no stalactites or stalagmites or calcite formations like that. It is a cave formed from a volcanic lava air pocket so all the surrounding rock came from lava. However, the water that seeps into the cave melts and forms a layer of ice on the bottom (if I remember correctly, up to 40 feet thick or more). The cave stays cold throughout the spring and summer, so the ice remains.
Above: Peter posing next to some rocks that naturally glow in the dark.
Above: The view as you head back out of the cave.
Above: Heading back to the car. It isn't a bad hike in or out of the cave. Nothing like going to Timpanogas Caves.
Above: An exposed volcanic lava air pocket.
Above: Really cool and pretty views.
Above: The little gift shop before you go into the ice cave.
Above: On our way to the Shoshone Indian Ice Cave, we saw a sign for the Mammoth Ice Cave. So, on our way back, we decided to check that out too. It is a privately owned place off the beaten path. You follow a pretty long dirt road to get there and for awhile, we thought we had taken a wrong turn...but we got there in the end. The cave is a self-guided tour and they give you lanterns to use in the cave because it isn't wired for electric lights. I think it made it that much more of an adventure for our boys. The outside buildings are really random and they are flanked by some eclectic stone carvings reminiscent of Easter Island.
Above: The entrance to the Mammoth Cave.
Above: The view down into the cave from the entrance.
Above: Why is this crazy man wearing sunglasses?
Above: Without the lanterns, it is pitch dark inside the cave.
Above: This guy loves adventures.
Above: The guide of our self-guided tour. You get one lantern per adult. Jeremiah held my lantern as well as his so I could take pictures.
Above: Mammoth Cave was slightly warmer than the Shoshone Indian Ice Caves.
Above: "Come on, it's this way."
Above: Oooh, spooky.
Above: Using our laser pointers to check out the ceiling of the cave.
Above: The view of the entrance from the inside heading back out.
Above: Outside the cave, there is a huge collection of antique pioneer objects.
Above: There is a little museum at the Mammoth Cave that is a random and eclectic personal collection of fossils, taxidermied animals, antique objects, etc. Pretty fascinating.
Above: After we got back into town, we took the boys to McDonald's for lunch. They were excited to collect some Hexbugs toys.
Above: After everyone was done eating lunch, we went to see Shoshone Falls.
Above: Beautiful view of Snake River.
Above: The spray from the falls created a beautiful rainbow.
Above: Since we went in September, the falls were at low capacity. During the spring after a heavy winter, the falls can have as much output or more than Niagra Falls. Even though it was at low capacity, it was a beautiful sight.
Above: Pete was pretty tuckered out. It had been a busy day.
Above: These two pictures are pretty similar, but Johnny looks slightly different...so cute! I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I posted both of them.
Above: I took a picture of this because we wanted to hike on this trail, but the boys were too tired. So, it is a reminder for me so that the next time we are in Twin Falls, we need to hike this trail. There was a lot more to see at Shoshone Falls than we actually got to see because the boys were too tired.
Above: After we got back from Shoshone Falls, we went back to the hotel and the boys went swimming for quite a bit while I ran to the store to pick up a birthday cake and a few small gifts for Jeremiah (since it was his birthday that day).
Above: Look at all the fun we had by bringing our tubes to the hotel. :) Thank you, Dollar Tree! The boys love the hot tub and the pool! It's hard to drag them away!
After swimming, we went to The Herrett Center for Arts & Science which is at The College of Southern Idaho.
Above: We saw a cool documentary about monarchs in the dome theater of the Herrett Center. The boys thought the dome screen was pretty cool. It reminded me of the old days at the Hansen's Planetarium.
Above: The Herrett Center had a cool little museum. It was small, but a lot of fun. Among other things, we got to see how big elephant droppings were compared to that of other African animals. :)
Above: Checking out a cool lizard. There was also a really big snake that the boys thought was awesome too. After this, it was time to grab some dinner and head back to the hotel where we watched a little TV and then hit the hay.
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