Having just entered Idaho, the change in scenery was actually quite dramatic. The mountains remained, but unlike in Wyoming here they are bare and dry, while the valley flats seem to be full of agriculture. I guess they have to grow those big potatoes somewhere.
As we made our way West we soon entered Idaho's Snake River Valley, a dry immense valley where little seems to grow unless it's right on the bank of the river.
The road took us into the Idaho National Laboratories site, a huge restricted area with a lot of history involving nuclear power and research. In fact, half way through this endless research complex in the middle of nowhere (to which employees have to ride a daily one hour bus ride from the nearest town) we found an exit to a National Historic Landmark: EBR-1, or Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 which we decided to explore.
 |
| This is not my picture, but it gives you an idea how desolate this area is. |
About a mile after the turnoff, the EBR-1 sits in a relatively small industrial-looking building. EBR-1 was the world's first nuclear power plant and though long since decommissioned, it is now open to tours.
Inside, you can walk almost anywhere - except where eerie radiation warning signs are posted, which is in quite a few places.
Much of the original reactor hardware is still in here, so apparently there is still quite a bit of radiation. Supposedly it's all either sealed behind thick metal or so weak that it can't penetrate your shoes or clothing. Didn't worry me too much, but I wouldn't want to have the tour guide's job.
Some sights from inside:
 |
| Part of the control room. These controls ran along all four walls of this room. |
 |
| The reactor itself was (or still is?) underneath this floor. |
 |
| Nuclear fuel storage area. You can see where the fuel rods would have gone by the lego-like dimples on the red shielding that's been added. |
 |
| This is a special room where scientists could conduct radioactive experiments without exposure. They controlled mechanic "robot" hands (the first in the world) which allowed them to remain outside the room while manipulating items inside. Separating them from the inside are 39" walls and a 39" thick glass window. |
However, the exhibit that most interested me was in a corner of the parking lot. In the 1950s, the U.S. Air Force was pursuing a nuclear-powered aircraft. The program was canceled when the Pentagon realized that intercontinental ballistic missiles were a lot safer and more cost-effective than nuclear-powered bombers that could stay in the sky for months. Well, sitting in the parking lot were two test nuclear reactor aircraft engines that were part of this program:
To give you some idea of the scale of these:
From there we continued non-stop to Craters of the Moon National Monument, also the location of our campsite. Tired and with daylight fading, we decided to call it a night and save the exploring of this landmark for tomorrow.
Random Fact of the Day: The closest town to the Idaho National Laboratory is Arco, which we passed through. Arco has the distinction of being the first town in the world to have had its electricity generated from nuclear power.
