CAPITOL & PROMONTORY (Day 2 - part 6)

We reached State Highway 83 again and headed north. But as we drove along, we passed a site we simply had to check out... the ATK Thiokol Rocket Garden. It was a collection of various rockets from the 1950s - 2000s.

Thiokol (also at one time Thiokol Chemical, Morton-Thiokol, Cordant Technologies, Thiokol Propulsion, AIC Group, ATK Thiokol, ATK Launch Systems Group, and finally Orbital ATK before becoming part of Northrop Grumman) was founded in 1929 as a manufacturer of synthetic rubber and polymer sealants. Its name comes from the Greek words for sulfur (theion) and glue (kolla). Thiokol was a major supplier of liquid polymer sealants during World War II.

It was then discovered that Thiokol's polymers made ideal binders for solid rocket fuels. And so began their venture into a new field. In the 1950s, they bought land in Utah for a rocket test range. In 1986, unfortunately, it was one of their products that led to the disaster of the Space Shuttle Challenger.


(right) Scott for scale

We then continued northwest to Idaho.

We arrived in Boise in the early evening. We grabbed some dinner at Mazzah Mediterranean Grill (the food was excellent; the 45-minute wait time was not) and a few beer samples at Woodland Empire Ale Craft brewery. We then met up with Scott's friends, Erin and Frank, where we spend the night in one of their guest rooms.


Falafel, baba ghanoush, tzatziki, pitas


A weissbier, beet beer, barrel aged tripel and an oatmeal stout


The sun sets on the city. (right) The state capitol building. Unfortunately our timing didn't work out for a visit this trip.

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