First you have to know I despised Idaho Falls from the git go. Each time we passed through the city in 2004 and 2005 I despised it even more.
When we left Bowery Guard Station in October of 2005, we knew we had to go through Idaho Falls to get to our next volunteer gig. I dreaded heading to Idaho Falls. Sure enough, as we passed through the heart of the city, my fear and loathing took center stage. After much cussing I swore I'd never set foot in the city again.
And then we proceeded on to our next camp less than an hour east of the city. The campground was perched on the banks of the Snake River just below Palisades Dam. As luck would have it we pulled into a truly sweet camp site surrounded by old growth cottonwood trees. It was a feeling of pure bliss as we set up for the night in that lovely site.
Of course, we reclined in our folding chairs to enjoy a beer with each other. And that's when we got to talking about Idaho Falls. I was SO relieved to be "on the other side" of that dreaded place. And, of course, Dear Sweetie Susun had some nice things to say about the city. In fact, she had a downright litany of nice things to say about things she saw that she liked.
One thing led to another and the evening beer softened my hard stance. By and by I said, "Well, if you think you like that place so much, why don't we just drive back in there tomorrow in the Suzuki and give it another look."
And that's how it all started right there in the shade of those stately cottonwood trees beside the banks of the Snake River just below Palisades Dam.
The next day we headed west on US 26 putt-putting along in our little four cylinder Suzuki Samurai. We drove around town with no agenda just looking at the city and its various neighborhoods. Sweetie Susun was right. If I hadn't been so focused on the confusing streets and traffic, I too would have noticed some appealing sights.
As we drove back to camp we both chattered about how maybe we had been all wrong about Idaho Falls. Maybe we should "give it a chance". So that evening over beers we decided to drive back into the city again the next day--only this time armed with a list of questions to investigate.
Right at the top of the list was the question: "Was is Idaho Falls Power?" Of course, we knew nothing about Idaho Falls Power (IFP). The next question was the obligatory, "What is the library like?" We've always believed a that libraries are like that age-old adage: "Human Eyes are the window to the soul." Our spin translates that to "Libraries are the eyes to the soul of a community."
So, the next day, off we trundled back into the city--about a 45 minute drive for the slow going Samurai. And we went straight to IFP. OH! MY! GOSH! What an eye opening visit that was. In fact, if there was one single vignette that hooked me on Idaho Falls, it was our first visit to IFP. The people there treated us so nicely it was almost like we were like long lost Family returning home. They enthusiastically shared so much information about IFP and how proud they were of IFP. I'd never had any experience like that.
The Staff heaped us high with brochures, booklets and a complete history of IFP. Next, we crossed the street to the Library. Yes, the Library and IFP are adjacent to one another. And, of course, walking into the Idaho Falls Library for the first time was an experience neither of us will ever forget. The Library captivated us like no other library had ever done. From the golden koi fish swimming slowly in the ponds of their little Japanese Zen garden to the curving promenade leading up and away we looked around in abject happiness. WOW! Did this place REALLY exist or were we dreaming?
We visited other important pieces of the Idaho Falls puzzle that day. Then we went back to camp and tried to digest everything we had seen and learned. By that time we were very excited about Idaho Falls. We eagerly made a new list and headed back into the city for a third day to get new questions answered. Every where we went, all of the answers to our questions kept popping up like green lights.
We repeated this process day after day, ultimately going into Idaho Falls for 10 straight days. On one of our last trips into the city I HAD to go back to IFP to see if they would give us a tour of the control room for the City's downtown hydro plant. Sure enough, they didn't even blink and within minutes we were inside the control room chatting with the operator and inspecting all the great dials, gauges and colored switches.
When we went back to camp that night we both agreed we were SOLD on Idaho Falls and wanted to move and live there as soon as possible. On our last day in the city, we retained a Realtor to help us find a house and gave her a spreadsheet of all the various aspects and features we wanted in a home there.
It would take two full years to finally buy a house and settle down in Idaho Falls in the Fall of 2007.
We've been here more than 18 years now and love it just as much as we did when we "discovered" the city in October 2005.
On December 4, 2025, IFP dedicated a new peaking power plant. It has seven GIANT 20 cylinder engines powering generators that can produce 17.5 megawatts of power. As the dedication ceremony wound down, I sat off quietly by myself peering at the whole totality of the power plant. I reflected back to October 2005 and all the realities of Idaho Falls Power that caused me to immediately fall in love with the city. OH! So many memories came flooding back as I sat there pondering the power plant.
I know I must have had a very happy and probably very goofy smile on my face because an official came over and asked me "How are you doing?" He turned out to be an courteous and attentive individual and I recounted the whole 20-year-old story of how the Idaho Falls Power of Love brought about such a huge change in our lives. It was quite fun retelling the story to him.
This rendition is a tad bit tame compared to the hyperbole I heaped into my verbal version December 4th. I'm happy the power plant dedication finally sparked the motivation to tell this story.
We'd love to go on and On and ON telling you about Idaho Falls Power but this post is already too long. It's time to sign off and say once again, "Thanks for reading!"
For an account of the Peaking Power Plant Dedication see:
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/12/idaho-falls-power-celebrates-completion-of-new-peaking-plant-and-125-years-of-service/
For a history of the first 100 years of Idaho Falls Power see:
https://www.ifpower.org/gopower/resources/content/idaho-falls-power-history-pdf.pdf
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