What in the world is EBR-1??

Well, today I found out.  On December 20, 1951, EBR-1 became the first power plant to produce usable electricity using atomic energy.  And it did just that until 1964 when it was decommissioned.  By the way, EBR stands for Experimental Breeder Reactor and the 1 is because it was the first one in the world.  I was able to join in for the second half of a guided tour of the plant.
All of the other participants were members of a Boy Scout Troop, so I was the Granny in the bunch.  :)  I must say that they were all pretty good about not standing in front of me, since they were just about all taller than me.  The fellow on the right even posed for me and showed me how to use the “hands on” mechanical arm that he was practicing on.  It would take quite a bit of practice to become proficient with this tool, and all the boys were giving the two arms their undivided attention. 
Just before the boys were let loose to try their hands at the manipulators, the guide gave a demonstration of a Geiger counter.  It was interesting to see how much radiation is present in things like Fiesta ware, and Coleman lantern mantles.  While the boys monopolized the manipulators, I headed back to do the self guided first half of the tour.
Steam created by the reactor’s heat rotated this turbine, which turned the generator to make electricity.    That really bright spot is four light bulbs just like the original ones that were strung here for that historic day in 1951.
EBR-1 staff members chalked their names on the wall in back of the turbine on that day to commemorate their achievement.

All in all, it was a very interesting tour.  Everything is explained well in the tour pamphlet, and there are quite a few places to listen to short videos of interviews with the men who had worked here.  In, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson came and participated in the dedication ceremony designating EBR-1 as a Registered National Historic Landmark.  So, you can get your National Parks Passport stamped here.  :)  It is open to the public from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and is free!  There are also two huge aircraft nuclear engine prototypes next to the parking lot, but I’m not into looking at big engines.  :(  The only issue is getting here.
It is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, a short distance off of US 20 about 20 miles east of Arco.  Could it be that they wanted it in the middle of nowhere in those days in case something went wrong?  Hmm, guess I should have asked about that.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho

I had to leave Emma at home today as I headed out for Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, as I knew I would be doing a little hiking, and the temps would probably be too high to leave her in the car.  Once again, no dogs are allowed on the trails.  I really don’t have a problem with this rule since many folks don’t seem to pick up after their pets.

What an unusual place this is.  It’s also very hard to convey, with pictures, the magnitude of the lava flows in this huge area.  My first stop was the visitor’s center where I was one of the first to arrive.  I had to wait about 45 minutes to view the film on the monument.  It was time well spent, however, going through the displays in the center that explained the evolution of the volcanic activity along the Snake River Valley so long ago.  Volcanic and rift hotspots have moved from west to east over thousands of years, and the present hotspot is in Yellowstone.  That means that at some time in next couple of thousand years, Yellowstone will erupt, and who knows what will happen.  Too bad I won’t be here to learn about that!  :)

Due to “Your recovery dollars at work”, about half of the areas to stop and hike at the monument along the auto tour route are closed.  :(  In the long run, this is a good thing, as it’s obvious that all the roads are being re-paved.  Much of the road work has already been done, so it’s a very smooth ride around the loop.
It’s a crazy landscape, and the designs of the long ago lava flows are interesting.
All of the trails are paved, which is a good thing.  Walking on the lava would just rip your shoes to shreds! 
One of the trails I took led to Indian Tunnel.  This was the only trail in the Cave Area that didn’t require a flashlight and hard hat.  The caves in this area are the result of lava tubes.  The picture on the right shows the natural environment of rock pigeons, which are more than abundant in urban areas.  Violet green swallows were also nesting in the lava tubes.
After walking down those stairs and looking at the cave, I decided to not hike through this lava tunnel.  I’m just not as agile as I used to be, the monument discourages doing these caves alone, and the thought of climbing over all those rocks was more than I felt capable of.  I guess I should have come here several years ago.  :( (you can click to enlarge to get a better feeling of this tunnel)
As I said before, it’s hard to get a real feeling for the magnitude of this place without being here.  You can just imagine the lava flowing and rolling over as it progressed along.
I stopped for lunch at a secluded picnic table and enjoyed some non lava items as I ate.
This is a harsh environment, but some plants and insects have adapted to it.
I’ve always been fascinated by pine cones, and these cones from the pine tree shading my picnic table caught my fancy…
as did this flowering plant.
I bet you didn’t know that NASA’s Apollo Astronauts Alan Shephard, Edgar Mitchell, Eugene Cernan, and Joe Engle learned basic volcanic geology here in 1969 as they prepared for their moon missions.  Yep, they did, and I didn’t know that either.  :)  It was a rather ‘out of this world’ experience today.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

A back roads trip

Since I slept in a little bit today, and wasn’t feeling terribly ambitious, I just kind of lazed about the rig today.  Couldn’t sit outside much because of all the flies, so I waited until early evening to head out for a trip on some of the back roads in the area.  I checked out several of the National forest campgrounds in the area, and they were all quite nice.  Some of them even had sites with electricity.
I also stopped back at the Island Lake Reservoir to see if I could get some better pictures of the Western grebe family.  They were no where to be seen, but a pair of white pelicans were paddling around the dam area.
                                     Mrs. and Mr. Pelican were just loafing.
And doing a little feather maintenance.
A ring-billed gull was also taking a break from food finding on the rocks of the dam.

We left the dam and headed down another back road…
…and met this fellow in the middle of the woods.  I’m not quite sure what he was doing there.  :)

I was hoping to see maybe a moose or a bear as we turned down a rustic National forest road, but it was not to be. 
However, there were some new flowers blooming along the way.  These little beauties have just started arriving.
I think this might be among the first of the Indian paintbrushes.  They are just beginning to show up.  What a marvelous wild flower display there has been in the mountains this year.

After moving the satellite dish the other day, it appears that I have parked the car too close to the rig and interfered with the signal.  So, I’d better go move the car so I can watch a little TV before I head off to bed.  :(

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy