Hiding out in Rexburg ID for the Fourth of July…

One of the challenges for full timers like us is finding a place to stay for all the big summer holidays: Memorial Day, July Fourth and Labor Day. I say like us since we really don’t like to make reservations but have found it wise to do so for these three summer dates. I usually look for commercial parks off the beaten path and not too close to any popular tourist destinations. That is how we wound up in Rexburg Idaho for the 4th of July holiday…

We booked a week at Thompson RV Park just south of Rexburg and it is in an industrial part of this very rural community. When we first pulled in we wondered if we had made a wise choice after all .  In fact when we checked in the camp host asked if we really wanted to stay the whole week since many times people change their mind once they get here. Well it may not be the fanciest park we have ever stayed out but it has its own sense of rural charm and will be ok for a week .

We next had to figure out what to do in Rexburg Idaho to whittle away the time? Well once we found out there was a college in town we went over check it out this university we never heard of before, Brigham Young University – Idaho or BYUI. As we set out to walk around this well landscaped and very pretty campus we noticed that it seemed a bit different than other campuses we have visited. We felt like we had walked back in time a bit… The students were very friendly and very engaging but there was something out of the ordinary…

       

After reading  about BYUI we realized what it was as this campus is 99% Mormon and as a result they must adhere to a strict Code of Honor. Included in this is a very strict dress code which explains why we didn’t see anyone wearing shorts (even though the temperature was nearly 90) and no one was wearing flip flops/sandals. Why? They are simply not allowed as suitable attire on campus. Well I was wearing shorts and and Sharon was wearing flip flops and a skirt above her knees (also not allowed) so no wonder everyone on campus knew we were visitors… Hah!!! They do have a wonderful botanical garden on campus that we enjoyed immensely.

We also walked around the town of Rexburg and it too seemed to be something out of a past time. It is a neat little town with all the amenities  most anyone would  want except for us as they had no breweries to explore. That would require a trip to nearby Idaho Falls which would be our next adventure…