"You want me to live where?"

The Snake River in Idaho Falls with the Mormon Temple in the background

There comes a time in every marriage when you think "What have I gotten myself into?" My moment came when my darling husband informed me that we were to spend the summer (almost three months) in IDAHO FALLS (I didn't even know there was a town by that name). So I opened up my trusted 'Rough Guide to the U.S.A', turned to the chapter on Idaho and read: "Only state capital Boise provides any urban interest, as Idaho Falls and Pocotello are both drab" ... uh oh ... Boise is a 5 hour drive away! It also didn't help that the flight from State College to Idaho Falls is about the same price as a flight from State College to Barcelona, Paris or Athens but all the same, I packed my bags and my sunny disposition and headed to the Pacific Northwest.

The reason for this temporary relocation to the opposite side of the country is that Ivor was offered a summer internship at the Idaho National Laboratory "a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's missions in nuclear and energy research, science, and national defense" (www.inl.gov). It was here that the world's first nuclear reactor was built and more than 50 nuclear reactors have been built here for testing over the last 60 years. Since this is the biggest concentration of nuclear reactors on the planet it makes sense that the area is somewhat remote and that the town of Idaho Falls might be of negligible 'urban' interest.

The gorgeous Snake River

Luckily for me, Idaho Falls is not nearly as 'drab' as I expected. For starters, the town is instantly beautified by the Snake River running past down town. The chilly river flows west into Idaho from Wyoming and there are ample water activities available including excellent rafting , fishing and boating. The name of the town refers to the white water falls occurring  below the first bridge built across the river. Now that the river diverts into numerous irrigation canals most of the falls run over concrete blocks but it is still really pretty. The area on each side of the river is known as the Green Belt and it's a great place for biking, jogging (no, I don't do this) and inline skating. In the summer they have numerous weekend festivals here where stalls are set up to sell arts and crafts as well as all types of [greasy American] food, accompanied by live entertainment. On any day of the week you will find kids feeding the ducks or locals having picnics on the banks of the river. I was pleased to noticed that many people take full advantage of the Green Belt in the summer and they love to be outdoors enjoying the glorious weather.

The wall of International Reds

Within the first 2 days of being in Idaho Falls I was taken to, and immediately fell in love with, Vino Rosso. This wine bar/ live music venue/ cafe/ shop is not something you would expect to find in a city described as 'drab' so I instantly felt much better about the prospect of residing there. Vino Rosso is a beautiful wine shop that sells a comprehensive selection (around a thousand bottles) of wines from all over the world. I even found some of my South African favourites. They have wine tastings every Wednesday and I was there (almost) every Wednesday, savouring their selection of 5 wines per week, from a specific region or interesting varietal. My palate retains fond memories of the Rhine Valley Rieslings and the California Zinfandels. For Ivor they had an ever changing selection of interesting beers on tap and they always offered delicious appetizers.

10 steps from my front door

We rented a house in the South East of Town right opposite a canal. It is remarkable how the system of canals distribute the water of the Snake River in the area of Idaho Falls, turning what used to be a desert into fertile agricultural land. This area is one of the most productive agricultural  regions of the country producing beets, peas, onions and of course ... the Famous Idaho Potatoes. The town is fairly small and surrounding it are the numerous agricultural and well as horse farms. I did see a lot of potatoes growing and was surprised by the lovely flowers they produced (apparently Marie Antoinette insisted on growing potatoes in her garden so she could use the flowers in her hair.) Beyond the farms are mountains in almost every direction, some topped with snow even in the middle of July. A magnificent backdrop.

Girls Day Out

What more can a girl need - a beautiful environment, an endless supply of wine and potatoes? Well I was blessed even further by meeting 3 young woman all of whom have recently moved to Idaho Falls because their spouses also work for INL. We became thick and fast friends and arranged delightful, and sometimes (OK, most of the time) wine fuelled adventures. Some of these included a trip to the Potato Museum (...when in Idaho...), photographic excursions to an Arabian horse farm, picnics in the park, a visit to the zoo, road trips, rafting, lunches and a fuzzy karaoke adventure at Ford's Bar.

The Harley Dealership on Broadway Avenue

Idaho Falls has all the usual American town traits; the stock standard mall complete with Macy's and Barnes and Noble, the Walmarts on either side of town, the strip malls, the same cluster of fast food joints - Wendy's, McD's, Arby's, Taco Bell, etc. The streets look the same as any town, in any State, in America but the thing that tells you, that you are now in the West, is the size of the vehicles. There are more SUV's and bakkies (trucks) than regular cars, and here bigger (and louder) apparently is better. It is also the land of Harley Davidson. The open roads and big skies seem to be a biker's paradise. What I like is the immense sense of space. Although you can see snow capped mountains in the distance, the town itself and surrounding farms are completely flat and you can see for miles. Plus if you do indeed take to the road, magnificent scenery awaits you in every direction, whether into Idaho itself or the surrounding States of Utah, Wyoming, Montana or Oregon. Idaho Falls is the gateway to the majestic West and we took some amazing trips which you'll have to wait to read about.

Now we are are back in State College, but next summer, when the INL internship rolls around again and my darling husband informs me he wants me to live in IDAHO FALLS for another 3 months my reaction will be ... "I can't wait!"

The Official Highlights Package

A week and a half ago we celebrated the first anniversary of our moving to America. It's incredible how quickly the first year has gone, but its appalling to see how little I've blogged about our experiences here. I keep thinking about things I want to write about and then feel b[l]ogged down by how far behind I am. Hence I've decided to do a quick catch-up in a 'highlights package'. The idea is to list the places we've been to and then to include one photo and one sentence based on the highlight of that place.  

State College, PA 
After living in the same city for the first 30 years of my life, moving to a new town is exciting, having that town in a different country, continent and hemisphere is an adventure and living somewhere where it SNOWS is, to me (an African), a highlight.

Our footprints in the first evening snow (in October 2009) outside our apartment

New York City, NY
To choose only one highlight from this awesome city is tricky but having the opportunity to play in the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in March 2010 takes this one.

The Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall

Sugarbush, VT
There is lots of good skiing on the East Coast, and being high up on a snowy mountain is always stunning, but the view from Sugarbush beats all the places I have skied before.

Clouds settling between the mountain peaks at Sugarbush Ski Resort

San Diego, CA
Awesome town with so many highlights but sunset on the Pacific Ocean is hard to beat.

My silhouette next to Crystal Pier at Pacific Beach

Los Angeles, CA
L.A. is a huge city with lots to see and do but the highlight of this trip was seeing an old friend a week before her wedding.

Cheese and wine with the girls

Pittsburgh, PA
I totally love Pittsburgh but without a doubt the highlight is Phipps Conservatory.
http://phipps.conservatory.org/

A flower on the awesomely named Passion Vine

Denver, CO
A flight delay caused us a surprise overnight stay in this fabulous city and, thanks to some insider info, the highlight of this stay was having a few at the Falling Rock Taphouse where they have a selection of over 75 beers on tap and more than 130 bottled varieties.
http://www.fallingrocktaphouse.com/

The best place to have a beer in America

Idaho Falls, ID
A 10 week stay, over the summer, made this town our temporary home and it was the first time in my life that I've had the opportunity to live in a place that has a river running through it.

The Snake river as it runs through down town Idaho Falls

Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID
Walking over the 2000 year old lava of a gigantic volcano is quite an experience but climbing through the caves and tunnels that the lava has formed is certainly a highlight of this strange landscape.

Halfway through Indian Tunnel, made completely of molten lava

Swan Valley, ID
The highlight of visiting Swan Valley, as the Snake River cuts through it, is proving my ignorant self wrong. I had automatically assumed that Idaho was going to be a dull place of no interest and what a joy to discover that it is indeed a gorgeous place to visit and live.

The South Fork of the Snake river in Swan Valley

Jackson, WY
I said a few mean things about Jackson before going there but this was a very surprising town and it's certainly the quaintest American town I've come across. The highlight is seeing the creative use of elk horns in the 4 arches at each corner of the central park (consisting of about 5000 elk horns each). Normally I'm not a fan of animal horns but since these fall off the animals naturally in late winter I'm not opposed to their use.

Ivor admiring the massive arches made of elk horns

Grand Teton National Park, WY
The Teton Mountains are possibly the most magnificent I've seen but I guess the highlight (although at the time it was a lowlight) was hiking here in mid-summer in shorts and sandals not expecting there to be SO much snow (I'm from Africa people.)

Ivor pushing on through the snow nearing the top of Table Mountain

 
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Every moment of Yellowstone is a highlight but doing a short hike along the Yellowstone Grand Canyon takes you away from the 90 000 summer visitors and it's like having the whole area to yourself.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone as seen from the hike to Sublime Point

Salmon, ID
The drive to Salmon is so lovely and the mountains there are pretty nice too but the highlight was not only discovering Williams Lake, a little lake tucked away behind the mountains but being given a free boat tour by a generous, friendly and somewhat intoxicated (at 11am) local.

Williams Lake from the boat jetty

Moab - Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, UT
Like Yellowstone every moment is so spectacular but I'll give this highlight to the 4X4 excursion down the canyon in Canyonlands, it was thrilling and terrifying at the same time and the views down the sheer cliff faces were unforgettable

The switchbacks down Shafer Canyon

Well that's it in a nutshell. I have plans to write in depth about each place and, of course, I have plans for many new trips so keep reading...

Our home town State College

Ols Main, Penn State University

State College is the very original name given to the town that contained the Pennsylvania State College, which in 1953 became known as Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State), which is where Ivor is doing his PHD. When they changed the name of the school from Pennsylvania State College to Pennsylvania State University it was suggested that the name of the town change from State College to State University. I must say I'm glad this name change did not happen because it's odd enough telling people that I live in State College, having to say I live in State University just sounds silly!

State College is right in the centre of Pennsylvania, situated equally inconveniently from every major city in the North East. So while its not exactly close to, it is possible to drive within 4 or 5 hours to New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washing DC, and Baltimore.

This small University town is a world apart from Joburg which has 3,2 million inhabitants. With a population of only 40 000, most of which are students, State College is a happy place, not surprisingly it has the nickname of Happy Valley (although that nickname originated in the Great Depression it is still valid today). And not to go on and on with the crime issue but State College ranked as the safest metropolitan area in the United States in 2009.
http://www.statecollege.com/news/psu-news/state-college-ranked-no1-safest-metropolitan-area,281209. Seems we're out of the frying pan and under the duck down duvet.

The Nittany Lion in winter

The town basically consists of the university campus, downtown, and the outer suburbs. The campus is the largest and main campus of Penn State and is called University Park. The campus is extensive but beautiful with lush green lawns (when they are not under a foot of snow obviously), many old trees and ubiquitous squirrels. Old Main, the administrative centre, is one of the famous landmarks of the University, another being the famed Lion Shrine. The facilities are excellent; from libraries and lecture theatres, to sports fields and auditoriums, this University had it all.

Allen Street

Downtown is where you'll find most of the
restaurants, bars and shops. It consists of 2 main streets and their cross streets. There are some great places to eat and drink - I've been to almost every one already. I'm most partial to Zeno's Pub ('located directly above the centre of the earth in Pennsylvania' is their slogan), which has an impressive selection of beers and the best wings in town.

State Patty's

Most of the students live in the streets that follow the downtown shops. These areas are renowned for parties and wild student behaviour - Penn State was voted the number one party school in America last year and if you walk in these neighbourhoods on a weekend evening you can see why. Add to that student holidays like State Patty's Day (a week or so before St Patrick's Day, this day is dedicated to getting wasted and wearing green) and Halloween, which is a massive party event here, you'll realise that all those college flicks are based on what really goes on in American Universities ... scary!

The view from our bedroom window

We live a couple of miles north-west of campus next to an area called Green Leaf Manor. Its a quiet neighbourhood and we are really happy here. This way we can head down town if we want to party but we can stay home in our mature, stable, peaceful environment if we prefer (and most nights we do prefer the quiet night in - sad but unfortunately true). There is a forest on the opposite side of the street with a bike path running through it and we are a couple of miles away from the state gamelands where you have to wear orange to avoid being shot by hunters.

Ivor and I at the Blue and White Weekend

Besides drinking, the main activity of the town is football, or for clarification purposes American football; the game where they throw the ball to each not the one where they kick the ball to each other with their feet, although to be fair they do occasionally kick the ball towards the goal in American football. Although there is no alcohol allowed at the games, there is a tradition known as Tailgating, which involves a lot of drinking and a bit of a braai outside the stadium before kick-off. The stadium at Penn State, Beaver Stadium, is the largest in the Western hemisphere and the third largest in the World. It can seat over 113000 people almost triple the population of the town, yet, on football weekends, every seat is sold out! They certainly love their football and our team - the Penn State Nittany Lions. The football coach Joe Paterno, fondly referred to as JoePa is a living legend and arguably the most famous man in town. He has coached the Nittany Lions since 1966 and is still going strong!

JoPa's bronze statue, outside Beaver Stadium












Well that's it in a nutshell ... oh yes ... there are also 2 Walmarts, 1 Shopping Mall and 3 Trailer Parks.
Ah, small town America!