Entry tags:
Idaho
Today we drove here:
because there was an exhibit in the visitor's center of some high-quality Hubble photographs. Really quite fascinating! My favorite one was the Carina nebula. Some of the photos had some pixillation when blown up large, but this one was huge, and didn't have any. It looks like something by Jackson Pollock, only a whole lot more beautiful.
Then we walked around to see the falls in Idaho Falls. I guess there must have been natural ones (not very high, as the Snake River Valley is a plain) to get the name. But then they semi-dammed the river for hydroelectric power, and now they fall perpendicular to the river. Kind of a strange effect, but it's both scenic and provides half the power for Idaho Falls. So, not a bad deal, even if it looks a little odd for the water to be falling off sideways.
We also saw a lot of wildlife there and on the way and back: a beaver in the river, tons of ducks and geese, deer with some major antlers, and buffalo. Okay, so the deer and buffalo were part of this wild animal exhibit aimed at tourists headed for Yellowstone, but still, they were there along the road.
So overall, the place is scenic. The internet connection and the tiny library make me sad (I visited the one bookstore in town finally, and it had five YA books. FIVE!!) But the university organization is pretty impressive. Unlike anywhere else, DH was able to get a parking tag--that didn't cost him anything, I might add--within minutes of getting added to the computer system. The pre-semester new faculty training is well organized, and when DH had to get his keys, the person who he had to go through knew him by name. This same person was the one who organized his telephone interview months ago. Not only does the whole place actually work efficiently, but they do it in a way where you feel like a person, not a machine. It's quite refreshing.
I hope you're having a nice August, wherever you are!
because there was an exhibit in the visitor's center of some high-quality Hubble photographs. Really quite fascinating! My favorite one was the Carina nebula. Some of the photos had some pixillation when blown up large, but this one was huge, and didn't have any. It looks like something by Jackson Pollock, only a whole lot more beautiful.
Then we walked around to see the falls in Idaho Falls. I guess there must have been natural ones (not very high, as the Snake River Valley is a plain) to get the name. But then they semi-dammed the river for hydroelectric power, and now they fall perpendicular to the river. Kind of a strange effect, but it's both scenic and provides half the power for Idaho Falls. So, not a bad deal, even if it looks a little odd for the water to be falling off sideways.
We also saw a lot of wildlife there and on the way and back: a beaver in the river, tons of ducks and geese, deer with some major antlers, and buffalo. Okay, so the deer and buffalo were part of this wild animal exhibit aimed at tourists headed for Yellowstone, but still, they were there along the road.
So overall, the place is scenic. The internet connection and the tiny library make me sad (I visited the one bookstore in town finally, and it had five YA books. FIVE!!) But the university organization is pretty impressive. Unlike anywhere else, DH was able to get a parking tag--that didn't cost him anything, I might add--within minutes of getting added to the computer system. The pre-semester new faculty training is well organized, and when DH had to get his keys, the person who he had to go through knew him by name. This same person was the one who organized his telephone interview months ago. Not only does the whole place actually work efficiently, but they do it in a way where you feel like a person, not a machine. It's quite refreshing.
I hope you're having a nice August, wherever you are!