After cleaning up in Mackay, I went to the Craters of the Moon National Monument to wait out the weather.  It was cold and rainy.  Dogs aren’t allowed on the trails there, but they are allowed on the road.  Razzy and I walked the road with my wool cap and raincoat on. The plants stood out against the black volcanic rock.

Itching to explore, I cautiously ventured off to see the Fish Creek Reservoir dam.  It seemed unique to me and worth a visit.  What I learned on the internet about the dam, is that it was constructed in 1919 and is a multi-arch design.  It was listed on the National Historic Register in 1978.  In 2007, it was identified as one of the four highest-hazard dams in Idaho, having significant threat to human lives if it were to fail.  Sometime after 2007 the dam was breached and it no longer holds water.

Driving the road to the dam site, I saw I had to be careful about driving any wet/muddy back county roads.  But I was bored at the Craters of the Moon.  Staring at my map, I decided to give up on seeing more of east central Idaho this trip.  It was too cold and many roads were probably muddy.  The cold weather was giving me too much opportunity to learn about the capabilities of my van heater.  I headed south to visit friends by Twin Falls.   

Then the weather forecasts warmed up so I headed back north through Idaho Falls and found myself at the failed Teton Dam site.