Times-News
THE BIG STORY
Sunday, September 11, 2016 | B1
Sunday, September 11, 2016 | magicvalley.com | SECTION B
PAT SUTPHIN, TIMES-NEWS
Assistant housekeeper supervisor Luisa Quiterio dresses a bed with new sheets July 30 at Fairfield Inn & Suites in Twin Falls. The housekeeping staff is responsible for cleaning 92 rooms across three floors. HEATHER KENNISON
hkennison@magicvalley.com
T
WIN FALLS — Tourism is booming in south-central Idaho and still has room to grow. Visitor spending increased to $184 million in 2014. Lodging tax collections rose by more than 17 percent in the most recent fiscal year, and tourism-related professions are expected to see employment gains in the next decade — spurred by the arrival of more hotels. Some business managers say it’s a result of a good economy, with summer gas prices lower than they’ve been in years. But whether it’s a family kayaking during a reunion or a couple watching Shoshone Falls before heading to Yellowstone National Park, south-central Idaho leaders say the area’s biggest asset is driving the influx of visitors. What’s that asset? “Because we’re a state that is so rich with outdoor activities, that’s what’s going to carry us forward,” Idaho Tourism Manager Diane Norton said. “That’s always been the basis of Idaho tourism.” Norton One upcoming outdoor event has people talking: daredevil Eddie Braun’s jump over the Snake River Canyon in a replica of Evel Knievel’s famous rocket. But the Magic Valley has a wide variety of outdoor activities, from mild to wild, within just a short drive. Knievel’s attempt — which ended with a parachute malfunction and a crash — drew crowds to south-central Idaho in 1974. On Sept. 17, Braun prepares to fulfill his hero’s dream, but it may come with less fanfare. “I don’t think it will be even remotely close to the number of people we saw in 1974,” Chamber of Commerce CEO Shawn Barigar said. But the region doesn’t deBarigar pend on onetime events for its draw. “I think Twin Falls has become more of a destination for people instead of a place you pass through on your way to somewhere else,” Barigar said.
TOURISM BOOM Increased lodging sales highlight south-central Idaho’s successes
Visitor spending, by accommodation Direct spending of all types by 2014 visitors in south-central Idaho, separated by the visitors’ accommodation. Here, a visitor is a traveler who stays overnight away from home in paid or unpaid accommodations, or a day visitor who travels at least 50 miles one-way on a non-routine trip.
Hotel, motel, rental: $77 million
Day travel only: $47 million
Private home: $38 million
Campground: $8 million
Vacation home: $2 million Source: Dean Runyan Associates, “Idaho Travel Impacts & Visitor Volume, 2010-14” Illustration by Kat Wagner, Lee Enterprises
pretty evenly spread — 30 percent of overnight visitors in the Marc Lambert prepares his gear before a BASE jump July 28 at the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls. region stayed for one night, 26 percent for two nights and 28 percent for three or four nights. The report was based on re2,630 — south-central Idaho jobs filled in 2014 by visitor spending in south-central Idaho sponses to a survey from 238 travel spending 3.4 — average nights spent in south-central Idaho by visitors to the region in 2014 $184.2 million — amount travelers spent in overnight visitors, 2014-15 and 2015. the region in 2014 Idaho’s visitors are spend3.5 — average party size for the region’s overnight ing more, too. A Dean Runyan $34.8 million — 2015 taxable sales for lodging visitors Associates report showed total in Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin spending on goods and services Falls counties Sources: Idaho Travel Council; Longwoods Travel USA; in south-central Idaho — ex$25.2 — employee earnings generated by $100 in Dean Runyan Associates cluding air travel and related spending — was $172 million in 2014. While this is a $6 million brings people to Idaho is friends In a recent survey, 42 per- Visitor Report for Idaho. Eighty- drop from the previous year’s and family, Norton said. That’s cent of visitors to south-central two percent said they had visited estimates, it’s still $30 million The Magic Valley visitor good news for an area like Twin Idaho came from elsewhere in the area in the past, and 67 per- higher than in 2010. Hand in hand with outdoor Falls that’s experiencing steady the state, according to the Long- cent had come in the past year. The length of people’s stays is recreation, the No. 1 thing that population growth. woods Travel USA 2015 Regional Please see TOURISM, Page B2
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PAT SUTPHIN, TIMES-NEWS
By the numbers
MORE INSIDE: A day in the life of Twin Falls tourism, B2 | Meet 6 tourists visiting Twin Falls B3
THE BIG STORY
B2 | Sunday, September 11, 2016
Times-News
What visitors do Percentage of overnight visitors in south-central Idaho participating in these activities, based on answers from 238 survey participants in 2014 and 2015.
Shopping: 31%
Landmark/ historical site: 18%
Swimming: 14%
PAT SUTPHIN PHOTOS, TIMES-NEWS
Sherry Jasnos, 51, climbs over the handrail July 30 at the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls. Jasnos got into BASE jumping because she’s a second-generation skydiver. ‘I grew up with skydiving,’ she says.
A day in the life of Twin Falls tourism
HEATHER KENNISON
hkennison@magicvalley.com
TWIN FALLS — Pausing over a freshly made bed, Ana Vasquez blushed as she remembered an embarrassing moment of her job. Vasquez, a housekeeper at Fairfield Inn & Suites, is used to cleaning up after visitors of all sorts. As people pour into Twin Falls’ new visitor center on the canyon rim, businesses are seeing more travelers this summer than in years past. On July 30, the Times-News spent a day getting a behind-the-scenes look at Twin Falls tourism. As she moved almost automatically through her tasks that morning, Vasquez spoke only in Spanish. She recalled the morning that, while working through her room assignments, she approached the door to a honeymoon suite. She announced her presence with the standard knocking procedure. After several moments, no one answered. She entered, prepared to begin cleaning up the rose petals strewn across the floor. The couple, however, was still in bed. In humiliation, Vasquez exclaimed “Sorry!” and fled the room. Fairfield General Manager Curtis Hansen laughed as he translated her tale from Spanish to English. “If you don’t answer, it’s on you,” Hansen said, adding that a deadbolt on the door will prevent unwanted — or unheard — visitors from entering. Vasquez didn’t encounter any guests in bed between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. July 30 as she completed two rooms — making beds, cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming floors. While the parking lot was still largely full, the dining room downstairs was full of guests finishing their breakfasts in preparation for the day ahead.
11:30 a.m., BASE jumping at Perrine Bridge Sherry Jasnos and Shelly Jones had a lot in common. They worked the same job — parachute rigging at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. — they lived three blocks from each other, and they were essentially identical. But Jasnos’ twin didn’t share her BASE jumping hobby, though
Camping: Hiking/backpacking: Fine dining: Fishing: Casino: Bar/disco:
National/ state park: 13%
13% 11% 10% 9% 9% 7%
Source: Longwoods Travel USA, “2015 Regional Visitor Report for Idaho” Kat Wagner illustration, Lee Enterprises
Tourism
Visitor ages
From B1
This year, people arrived even earlier than usual, perhaps driven by local sporting events; visitors began flooding hotels as early as March, Southern Idaho Tourism Executive Director Melissa Barry said. Other events, such as Western Days or the Magic Valley Brew Fest, Barry can bring a lot of day visitors, but Barigar doesn’t believe they’re a driving force behind overnight stays. Which isn’t to say that day visitors aren’t important to the economy: In 2014, they spent $47 million in the region.
Ages of adult overnight visitors in south-central Idaho, based on survey responses in 2014 and 2015. South-central Idaho
State
40%
30%
20%
10%
Higher occupancy
ABOVE: Don Harr, a volunteer at Twin Falls’ visitor center, sells vials of gold dust to tourists July 30. BELOW: Golden Barlow, 35, reacts when he finds a pencil at the Shoshone Falls gift stand July 30. Barlow was given a similar pencil as a kid when his parents visited Shoshone Falls but later lost the souvenir. Jones helped prepare her packs for a two-day visit to the Perrine Bridge. “I’m primarily here ‘cause I’m fairly new to the sport,” said Jasnos, 51. She sat spread-legged on the visitor center lawn next to a picnic table, where her mother, Kay Jones of Utah, watched. The multi-generation family of skydivers came to Twin Falls to help Jasnos with transportation and “boo-boo patrol” during her BASE jumping venture. “I would rather she didn’t, but I will support her in her choices,” Kay Jones said. Despite a few seconds of rain earlier that morning, and clouds intermittently shading the sun, the weather held perfectly for Jasnos as she made her first jump of the day just before noon. In
fact, she was surprised — but thankful — at the lack of other jumpers on the bridge. The previous night, she’d waited for several others before her turn came. Twin Falls, Jasnos said, is welcoming to the BASE jumpers attracted by the Perrine Bridge. “This, for a town, is quite unique,” she said.
1 p.m., Shoshone Falls
It may be a low-water time of year for Shoshone Falls, but that didn’t stop a steady stream Please see LIFE, Page B3
More online: In a
Magicvalley.com gallery, see more of Pat Sutphin’s photos from this day in the life of Twin Falls tourism.
Lodging tax collections in Region 4 for the 2016 fiscal year were up 17.2 percent at $747,863, the Idaho Travel Council reported. Some of it is price-driven, but “I think it’s more driven by more people staying,” noted Barigar, who serves on the eight-member council. Region 4 is Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls counties. The month with the highest taxable sales for the fiscal year was July, bringing more than $4.7 million into the region. “That’s an indication of higher average daily rates, and that’s based on demand,” said Kellee Traughber, sales associate with Safari Hospitality, which manages Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn and Quality Inn & Suites in Twin Falls. “We have had a very good tourism year.” Cammon Wutzke, sales manager for Burley Inn Inc., also said revenues are up — though not so much on the motel side. He manages sales for Best Western Inn Plus, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery and Budget Motel. The Sun Valley area saw even higher increases in lodging tax collections, up 18.9 percent yearover-year. The state’s were up 13.5 percent.
Restaurants and retail
In July, the Twin Falls visitor center’s guestbook had more than 10,000 signatures. “That’s the first time in the history of the visitor center that we’ve broken the 10,000 mark in a month,” Barigar said. The visitor center in turn refers people to popular destinations — whether for recreation, dining or overnight stays. With more visitors, restaurants and retailers are reaping the benefits. Canyon Crest Dining and Event Center gets many referrals from the visitor center, Assistant General Manager Katie Jones said. “They are the biggest benefit to the local restaurants and hotels,” she said. This summer, Jones estimated, she has seen a 50-50 split between visitors and locals who are dining. “We’re getting a lot more travelers stopping in here than in the past.”
18-24
25-44
45-64
65+
Source: Longwoods Travel USA, “2015 Regional Visitor Report for Idaho” Illustration by Kat Wagner, Lee Enterprises
Overnight visitors Top 10 states of origin for overnight visitors to south-central Idaho: 1. Idaho (42 percent) 2. Utah (15 percent) 3. California (7 percent) 4. Oregon (6 percent) 5. Washington (6 percent) 6. Nevada (6 percent) 7. Colorado (3 percent) 8. Montana (2 percent) 9. Texas (2 percent) 10. Oklahoma (2 percent) Source: Longwoods Travel USA 2015 Regional Visitor Report for Idaho The visitor rise has encouraged Canyon Crest to make sure staff are well trained, while an influx of tips has helped employee retention, Jones said. Oasis Stop ‘N Go convenience stores are also seeing more traffic, particularly from Interstate 84 at the Travelers Oasis Truck Center, president Dan Willie said. “There’s a lot more travelers on the interstate this year than I’ve ever seen,” Willie said. He estimates revenues at that store are up 10 percent to 15 percent this year.
Employment boost
Tourism is creating jobs in sectors that otherwise are shedding workers. Hiring usually peaks in summer for travel-dependent businesses, but in Willie’s case August staffing was on the high end of normal. Travelers Oasis is frequented by more visitors than locals and hires about 80 people in the summer, he said. South-central Idaho’s leisure and hospitality employment as a whole has decreased over the past 10 years. Between 2005 and 2015, the Idaho Department Please see TOURISM, Page B3
About the reporter
Housekeeper Ana Vasquez vacuums inside a suite July 30 at Fairfield Inn & Suites in Twin Falls. Vasquez has worked at the hotel for the past year.
Reporter Heather Kennison’s favorite moment July 30 was at Rock Creek RV Park – although she initially had a hard time finding the place, and tourists. Then her colleague spotted a young couple picnicking under a tree. “It was a lesson in keeping my eyes peeled,” Kennison said. “They were super cute, and nice to let us intrude on a private moment.”
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THE BIG STORY
Times-News
Sunday, September 11, 2016 | B3
Linda Schiller, 67, Ivins, Utah
George Zhao, 48, San Jose, Calif.
What brought her to Twin Falls: Schiller and her husband, Jeff, were in town for five days to visit her mother, who lives at Bridgeview Estates. Their visit came on the tail end of a three-month trip to Alaska. Where she stayed: The Schillers set up their fifthwheel at Rock Creek RV Park, Schiller the second time they’ve cho-
What brought him to Twin Falls: George Zhao was passing through Twin Falls for the first time with his parents, who were visiting him from Beijing for a couple of months. “I’m taking my parents to see Yellowstone and the Grand Zhao Tetons,” he said.
sen to stay there during a visit. “This is a nice, quiet park,” Linda Schiller said Aug. 29. What else she did: Besides spending some time with her mom, Schiller walked the trails at Rock Creek Park and Shoshone Falls. “We always go to the Harley shop when we’re here,” Jeff Schiller added. He also planned to swing by D & B Supply to get a fuel additive for his truck. In the past, they’ve visited local wineries. —Heather Kennison
What he did: After visiting Shoshone Falls, Zhao stood waiting inside the visitor center while his car charged at the nearby Tesla station. He said driving across rural areas in an electric vehicle gets a bit tricky and requires planning. How long he stayed: The trio spent just half a day in Twin Falls but planned to stay the night in Arco. —Heather Kennison
Maria Woodworth, 57, Elko, Nev. What brought her to Twin Falls: Maria Woodworth’s family picnicked at Shoshone Falls on July 30, having come because her daughter from Elko had never been there before. Woodworth also wanted to introduce her grandchildren to the Woodworth area. What else she planned to do: “We’re gonna take ‘em up to the lake and go swimming,” Woodworth said. Shopping at WinCo Foods was also on the agenda. Where she stayed: The family camped at the KOA campground in Jerome and planned to leave the following Monday. —Heather Kennison PAT SUTPHIN PHOTOS, TIMES-NEWS
Tourists take pictures from a scenic overlook July 30 at Shoshone Falls.
Life From B2
of sightseers making their way down to the observation areas. Around noon, several groups were capturing that quintessential family photo in front of the waterfall. Golden Barlow, 35, was among them, passing through from Orem, Utah, with his family after visiting Boise and Rexburg. Shoshone Falls was on his to-see list. “When I was a little kid, my parents came up here,” he said. Barlow didn’t get to go with them but remembered a souvenir they bought: a large pencil with Shoshone Falls and other Idaho icons printed on it. The pencil, eventually lost, was just a memory. But on his last day in Idaho, Barlow found a similar pencil at the Shoshone Falls concessions stand. He said he didn’t know whether he would buy it but would talk to his wife. Lucy Murphy, 15, a Twin Falls High School student working the concessions during the summer, said popular memorabilia tend to
Tourism From B2
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of Labor reports, the industry dropped 30.5 percent in average employment with 2,285 fewer employees. Employment gains in accommodations (23 percent) and arts, entertainment and recreation (11.9 percent) were offset by a 43.2 percent drop in drinking establishment employment and a 54.3 percent drop in eateries. While the number of eateries has increased by 31 since 2005, employment “is radically down” as more food is ready-made upon arrival at restaurants and food establishments, the department’s Regional Economist Jan Roeser said. “The industry as a whole is becoming more automated, which accounts for less employment,” she said. The drop in drinking establishment employment is likely a reflection of an “era of more responsible drinking,” where bars are attached to restaurants. Travel, however, is creating a positive trend. Dean Runyan Associates estimated a 17.4 percent increase in total direct employment generated by travel spending in south-central Idaho between 2010 and 2014. Travel spending in 2014 resulted in 2,630 jobs in accommodations, food services, arts, entertainment, recreation, retail and transportation. And the Idaho Department of Labor has a positive projection for leisure and hospitality: 9.2 percent job growth between 2014 and 2024. This includes a
Darby Sloss, 47, San Diego
be shot glasses, globes containing Idaho gold and silver, postcards and magnets.
2 p.m., Rock Creek RV Park It was the place they didn’t mean to fall in love with. For Wyatt Horton, 19, and Whitney Kenner, 20, of Salt Lake City, Twin Falls was meant to be a pit stop on the way to the Shoshone Ice Caves. But a sign on the road and a “little lady at the motel,” Kenner said, changed their plans. It was midafternoon when the couple sat below the drooping branches of a tree at Rock Creek RV Park. A woven picnic basket held goodies, including two glasses with sparkling apple cider. While other, more boisterous parties, took place nearby at either end of the park, this young couple was enjoying a moment of quiet togetherness before leaving town. “There’s a lot of cute things here,” Kenner said. “There’s a lot more here than I’d thought there’d be.” The pair had been to Shoshone Falls, Centennial Waterfront Park
AWOL Adventure Sports co-owner Paul Melni carries a kayak down to the water for a customer July 30 at Centennial Waterfront Park. The business has 50 boats to rent out. and Norm’s Cafe. They had also gone north to the ice caves for a day and purchased the picnic basket in a Shoshone antique shop. They decided to spend most of their planned vacation in Twin Falls after talking to a woman at Park Motel who made them dinner one night and coffee the next morning. “It was a spur-of-the-moment idea,” Horton said.
Visitor spending Spending by visitors in south-central Idaho. Here, a visitor is a traveler who stays overnight away from home in paid or unpaid accommodations, or a day visitor who travels at least 50 miles one-way on a non-routine trip. In 2014:
Accommodations ............................... $32 million $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Food service ....................................... $46 million $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Food stores ......................................... $16 million $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Local transportation and gas........... $32 million $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Arts, entertainment and recreation $10 million $$$$$$$$$$
Retail sales ......................................... $30 million $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Visitor air transportation................. $5 million $$$$$
2010: $26 million 2011: $28 million 2012: $30 million 2013: $32 million 2010: $38 million 2011: $40 million 2012: $43 million 2013: $46 million 2010: $13 million 2011: $14 million 2012: $15 million 2013: $16 million 2010: $26 million 2011: $33 million 2012: $34 million 2013: $34 million 2010: $9 million 2011: $9 million 2012: $10 million 2013: $10 million 2010: $28 million 2011: $29 million 2012: $30 million 2013: $31 million 2010: $2 million 2011: $2 million 2012: $3 million 2013: $9 million
Source: Dean Runyan Associates, “Idaho Travel Impacts & Visitor Volume, 2010-14” Kat Wagner illustration, Lee Enterprises
10.8 percent increase in accommodation and food services, and a slight drop in arts, entertainment and recreation. With at least two extended-stay hotels planned to come into Twin Falls, two new hotels in Ketchum and possibly one in Burley, Roeser expects employment growth in accommodations to exceed that estimate.
Opportunities for growth The No. 1 southern Idaho tourist question: “Where is Shoshone Falls?” The falls is always in the top three searched items on the state tourism website, Norton said, and it’s the first thing many visitors to area hotels and the visitor center ask about.
Marketing is changing that by highlighting the area’s other activities. “Twin Falls does a brilliant job of showcasing the region,” Norton said. As companies make use of the Snake River Canyon and other sites for outdoor recreation, tourism leaders look ahead to what’s next for Idaho visitors. Norton predicts increasing interest in libation tourism at wineries and microbreweries. Her next focus, however, is bringing a more unified bicycle program to the state. “I would really like to tap into that bicycle market,” she said. It’s something that would require collaboration with the Idaho Transportation Department, but Norton sees it as an opportunity to highlight scenic
While the romantic getaway was about to end that afternoon, both knew they wanted to come back someday.
3 p.m., Centennial Waterfront Park Down in the Snake River Canyon, near the pavilion at CentenPlease see LIFE, Page B4
What brought him to Twin Falls: While returning to California from a family road trip July 30, the Sloss family was initially attracted by the Snake River Canyon. “We saw it going over the bridge and figured, ‘Let’s stop for a break,’” Darby Sloss said, pausing while taking photos outside Twin Falls’ visitor center. His family stood along the observation deck nearby. Where else he went: The twoweek, 5,000-mile trip took them through 13 states, including several campsites at national forests in Idaho, but they were just in Twin Falls for the day. Sloss A memorable stop: The family went to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve on July 29. “That was cool; we’ve been to volcanic rock sites before,” Sloss said. —Heather Kennison
Projected job growth Projected job growth in south-central Idaho, from 2014 to 2024: Accommodations: +167 jobs (8.9 percent) Food services and drinking places: +624 jobs (11.5 percent) Arts, entertainment and recreation: -23 jobs (-2.2 percent) Source: Idaho Department of Labor byways for bicyclists and motorcyclists alike. The city also may find ways to bring more people to the area. Barigar, who is Twin Falls’ mayor, said the city’s comprehensive plan draft identifies an opportunity for a convention center. For a Roeser city its size, area businesses and groups struggle with finding facilities large enough to accommodate meetings. “If that remains a priority, that’ll probably remain a focus for the next year or two,” he said. This could help draw more people into the area year-round, one of the priorities Barry has for Southern Idaho Tourism. Typi-
cally, the hotel business is feast or famine — with a flood of visitors in summer, and far fewer between September and March. Her plan is simple: Using higher-than-anticipated grant funds from lodging taxes, the organization in its publications will emphasize snowmobiling and cross-country skiing — as well as springtime attractions like wildflowers and birding. Idaho anticipates its lodging sales to increase 9 percent next year, Barry said, and she expects the Magic Valley to stay in line or exceed the state. In the meantime, leaders are enjoying all the state’s triumphs as demonstrated in the latest reports. “It really solidified that all the partners across the state are doing things right,” Norton said. “We are a really good value.”
About the photographer Photographer Pat Sutphin says this shoot was not only fun to cover but incredibly helpful for him to learn his way around town. “Being new to Twin Falls, I was experiencing all of this as a tourist would,” Sutphin said. “I was able to find out about a lot of the exciting things to do around town. For a small community, Twin Falls really has a lot going on.”
THE BIG STORY
B4 | Sunday, September 11, 2016
Jason Levi, 65, Surprise, Ariz.
Levi
What brought him to Twin Falls: Jason Levi and his wife, Marisa, stayed at Shiloh Inn for a couple of nights while on a road trip to Glacier National Park and back. An award-winning photographer, Levi was here to photograph landscapes. What he planned to do:
Times-News
David Brown, 39, Orem, Utah
Loading into their rental car in the Canyon Crest Dining & Event Center parking lot Aug. 26, Levi said they planned to come back later for dinner. “We do our research,” he said about choosing the place. They’d already been down to Shoshone Falls. What he found: Levi seized his chance to take some shots of the canyon from behind the restaurant. He said the view there was “better than the visitor center.”
Brown
W hat brought him to Twin Falls: Brown’s family was having a reunion in Twin Falls, where his mother-in-law lives. He and his 5-year-old son were hoping to see some BASE jumpers July 30 at the Perrine
Bridge. Where he stayed: Like most of his family, Brown was staying with relatives. Some were staying in a hotel. What he planned to do: As the reunion would last a couple of days, they had a full schedule. “Next we’re going to one of the parks around here so the kids can play softball,” he said. —Heather Kennison
Life
PAT SUTPHIN PHOTOS, TIMES-NEWS
From B3
nial Waterfront Park, Shelly Jones waited at lunchtime for her twin to hike up the path from her landing site. While she waited, Jones chatted with a couple of other BASE jumpers. Mary Goetsch of Wisconsin agreed the Perrine Bridge is an excellent training aid for jumpers. “It’s a bridge, and you can throw inexperienced people off it without killing them,” she said. Goetsch and her friend Nick Harner planned to call a boat for transportation after their jumps instead of hiking to the park. Meanwhile, another type of watercraft was already making its way smoothly upstream: kayaks. By 3 p.m. that afternoon, A Way of Life Adventure Sports coowner Krysta Melni had sent several families on their way. July 30 was the completion of a week full of bookings that included parties celebrating family reunions and a quinceanera. The business won its first annual contract with Twin Falls County and may renew the contract for the next four years. Already, Melni said, she would love to discuss the possibility of increasing her watercraft limit in future years. While AWOL may have only 50 kayaks, paddleboards and canoes out on the water at a time, co-owner Paul Melni said, it was doing close to 200 rentals a day on weekends this summer, as each craft went out multiple times. “It was a leap of faith to jump into this thing with both feet, and have enough to pay the bills in the winter,” he said. County Parks and Waterways Director Rick Novacek said AWOL’s contract for next year will be under discussion as early as December. He did not foresee RIGHT: Frank AWOL requesting an increase to the watercraft limit, but said it Keepers, of Logan, Utah, kayaks wasn’t out of the question. The up to the dock 50-craft limit was set by an adviat Centennial sory board, based on heavy use of private boat launching in that part Waterfront Park. Keepers was in of the Snake River. town visiting his On this hot afternoon, all of brother-in-law. AWOL’s kayaks and most of its paddleboards were rented out, as BOTTOM LEFT: the public boat ramp was abuzz Lucy Murphy, with comings and goings. But 15, stocks vials then, so was much of Twin Falls. of 24-karat gold at the Shoshone 4:30 p.m., visitor center Falls gift stand. Around 4:30 p.m., three buses Murphy says waited outside the Twin Falls Visthe vials are itor Center. Inside, people waited particularly in a queue before the cash register. popular among “We’re the gateway to YellowAsian tourists. stone, and we’re their potty stop,” visitor center coordinator Judy Harr said. BOTTOM RIGHT: In June alone, 84 buses stopped Tourists in Twin at the visitor center carrying pasFalls board a sengers from mainland China, Pobus heading land, Switzerland and San Franto Yellowstone cisco. National Park. “Our season started 30 days early,” Harr said. While many of the young visitors speak English, most in the older crowd do not, she said. The visitor center has recruited the assistance of tour bus drivers to post signs in their own languages. Harr installed Mandarin signs in bathrooms asking visitors to flush toilet paper. Bus visitors were throwing away used toilet paper, a cultural norm in China due to plumbing, and that created problems for visitor center staff doing bathroom cleanup. A local woman complained that the signs are not in English as well, Harr said; she suggested the woman may be responsible for the signs’ repeated disappearance from the women’s bathroom. Most tour groups are on a tight schedule, but the buses typically stay for 20 to 30 minutes — longer bus. Guo, who was going to Yelif there are BASE jumpers outside. lowstone National Park the next “They just ooh and ah over this day, said this was her first time in canyon,” Harr said. America. Just to the side of the main The tour buses are a major doors, a strategically placed mer- source of revenue for the visitor chandise table staffed by volun- center and contribute to the purteer Don Harr displayed globes chase of locally made products. “We’ve had as many as four or containing flakes of gold and silver from northern Idaho. These, Judy five buses at a time,” Judy Harr Harr said, are the most popular said. “This is gonna be our biggest souvenirs for Chinese tourists. year ever.” On July 30, about 100 people from the buses meandered 6 p.m., Garden through the visitor center in Grille & Bar search of bathrooms or small treasures to bring home. The evening started quietly in “The place is very beautiful,” the softly lit restaurant at Hilton said Jiachen Guo of China, just Garden Inn. Guests were seated before she hurried off to get on the at several tables around the room,
LEFT: Tourists can add pins to this map at Twin Falls’ visitor center to show where they’re from. BOTTOM LEFT: Darby Sloss takes pictures July 30 from the scenic overlook at Twin Falls’ visitor center. He and his family were on a road trip and stopped to stretch their legs. BOTTON RIGHT: BASE jumper Sam Barco puts on his parachute in front of the visitor center.
but against one wall a solitary man sat at the bar, playing FreeCell on a tablet. Most of a glass of Idaho-brewed beer remained on the bar to his left. Tom Onstot of Cascade was settling down for the night, licking his wounds from a harsh sporting clays tournament in Burley. “It was a great course,” he said. “It owned me.” Meanwhile, at a nearby table a group of old friends socialized over dinner. Patrick Penninckx of France sat across from his wife, Winny, who talked about her recent shopping trip. Linn and Ila Capps sat next to them, with Karrie Hornbacher at the end. Patrick Penninckx, who now
heads the Department of Information Society of the Council of Europe, met the Cappses 38 years ago, when he was an exchange student from Belgium in Utah for six months. His host parents returned to their Idaho roots to retire. Penninckx and his wife have visited the couple several times, but this trip to the U.S. was a bit longer and included visits to see the Hansen Bridge, the Twin Falls power plant, Pillar Falls, Balanced Rock and Centennial Waterfront Park. The French couple planned to go to the Methodist church on Sunday with “Mom and Dad” for the experience. While the Penninckxes weren’t
staying at the Hilton, they came there for dinner to try out the hamburgers in a less busy, laidback atmosphere. “We get a lot of vacationers, or people who are BASE jumping off the bridge,” said Michael Rutten, front desk guest service agent. Dave Hornbacher, the general manager, said his business is working to incorporate more of a local flavor into the bar and restaurant, featuring local wines and regional draft beers and hiring College of Southern Idaho graduates. “People want to see what is special about Twin Falls,” he said. “The entire Twin Falls industry is M 1 up this year.”