After I was done with laundry, it was time for the KOA to kick us out, so we drove to the visitor center in Twin Falls. We happened to time our arrival with a half-dozen people in need of an adrenaline rush. These BASE jumpers carried their parachutes to the middle of the Perrine Bridge, then launched themselves into the air, to land in a clear spot on the south side of the Snake River below. It was fun to watch them, and you could hear the parachute when it opened, even over the constant bridge traffic noise. We have absolutely no desire to join them, but the visitors center will put us in touch with instructors if we change our minds.

in 1903, you could cross the river here on the I. B. Perrine ferry. A rim-to-rim bridge was first built in 1927 and the current bridge was opened in 1976 after three years of construction at $9.7 million. It is 486 feet above the river and is 0.28miles long—we checked it with our watches. It also happens to be the only man-made structure in the US that allows BASE jumping without a permit.

After watching the BASE jumpers, we traveled on to Lava Hot Springs for a two-night stay at the KOA there. This is a beautful little town that is famous for its soaking pools. We walked down to Eruption Brewery and Bistro for supper. Tony’s Hawaiian pizza came with edible orchids which was a really pretty presentation. I had a creamy and delicious mushroom mac-and-cheese.

This KOA is on the east end of town, but has a walking path so we will not need to drive anywhere. It is very nicely laid out with large sites and the Portneuf River runs right by the backside of the campground. This river is very popular for tubing in warmer weather, with several businesses in town to support that activity.