Two Miles and Four Feet from Home: Craters of the Moon

So we woke up from our hotel totally refreshed and ready to go. We ate a complementary breakfast and were on our way by 8:00 AM. We were headed to Craters of the moon. We had never heard of this but saw it on a map as we looked for a place to stay on the way to Yellowstone! I did some quick research the night before and decided it was way worthy of at least a one night stop. It was about 7.5 hours away and you could not reserve a site, you just had to show up and try to snag one. We would not be getting there until 4 so we had no idea if we could pull it off. The campground had just been redone and had about 42 sites total. We drove through some beautiful country and Lyn actually made lunch while we are driving down the highway. We always take our time on these trips but this time we really wanted a site so we pushed through to increase our chances. After a few pit stops we arrived the Craters of the Moon sign and with no one around to take our picture. We did the best we could but could not get a group shot. After about 10 more minutes we pulled into the campground and the ranger said they had sites still available. They told us to go in pick a site leave something at the site to claim it and then come back down and pay. We drove in and there were many sites available! We were totally excited because the next campground was 20 more miles down the road. The sites were very unique. They were close together yet do to the big volcanic rocks you had privacy as well. There were so many to choose from and they were so unique that it was actually hard to choose. We ended up with a big site and we set up camp. This has to be one of our favorite campgrounds so far. It is virtually new since it has been redone and has a very laid back vibe. After we set up we went to the visitor center and learned that there would be a show at the amphitheater at 9:30. When we arrived it was about 88 but was already in the high 70's by dinner time. In other words perfect. When we set up camp we put all of ours signs up and the camp host said that it looked like we planned to stay awhile. The host was a husband and wife who had been living in their RV for 4 years and had hosted at many of the campgrounds. They loved it and said that this one was one of the best. They got to camp for free in exchange for hosting. Anyway we decided to just chill out and enjoy the evening and drive the scenic loop the next morning. The night got cooler and finally about 9:30 it was time to go to the amphitheater and see the show. Earlier the ranger told us that the show was going to be on Pika's! I said great without even knowing what she was talking about. Anyway when we got there a couple was in front of us and the lady turned around and asked Lyn if she was a Filipina. She said that she had seen our "Mabuhay" flag when we were out. Of course Lyn said yes and they invited us back to their site after the show for wine. The show was very interesting and the Pika turned out to be a cute animal that lived in and around the rocks that was in the rabbit family. We learned all kind of facts about this animal and everyone agreed that they were super cute. The ranger said they had one peculiar thing. There eating habits. As it turns out to get the nutrients out of their food they have to eat there food twice. Wait what?!?!? Please explain Ms. ranger lady. So she did. She said that the Pika ate its own poop and that's how it was able to get the nutrients from the food. While we were taking this in as a group some guy in the audience asked how did they know it was there own poop and not some other Pika's poop. The ranger said oh that would never happen because they ate their own poop right as it was coming out. Well there was an audible gasp from the audience and me and another guy just bust out laughing. Well any way after that question people started leaving the show. The Pika's went from being cute and adorable to disgusting in about 5 minutes. Ha Ha! Anyway you look at it the Pika's have been dealt a tough hand. After the show we went back to Charlene and Charlies site and joined them for a glass of wine. It turns out they are both from Canada and were enjoying a vacation here and seeing National Parks as well. Charlene had worked in Hong Kong before coming to Canada. We stayed for about an hour and about 11:30 we called it a night. On our walk back top our site we noticed how bright all of the stars where. There are almost no lights in the campground and no cities nearby so it was really something to see. Finally we fell asleep in the cool night air looking forward to the next day. Tomorrow we head to the West entrance of Yellowstone and hope to get a camp site in the park.