Arco, Idaho & Craters of The Moon National Monument - May 27 & 28, 2007 (Re-run)

 Who knew that the world's first nuclear reactor was located in the tiny town of Arco, ID? Or that it first produced electricity in 1951?  I certainly didn't until we went to visit Craters of The Moon N M, which happens to be near Arco.  A tour of the reactor was very enlightening and fascinating, with so much nuclear development occurring there that wasn't common knowledge.  At one time, the entire town was powered by the reactor, and a reactor was built to power an airplane that was too big to get off the ground.

Craters of The Moon became a national monument in 1924, preserving some 618 square miles of a volcanic field.  The first of 60 eruptions was 15,000 years ago, the most recent about 2000 years ago.  It is expected to erupt again in less than 1000 years.  The park is famous for its cave-like lava tubes, many of which can be entered by visitors.  Inside the tubes can be very dark, even with a headlamp, and the floors are extremely rocky and difficult to navigate.  The "hotspot" that created the volcanic field is now located under Yellowstone National Park.  It's amazing that some 375 types of plants have adapted to survive in this dry, hot environment, along with a number of mammals.