Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Last Days in Boise

 

We spent the rest of our time in Boise hiking, biking, playing pickleball and catching up on grocery shopping and laundry. Boise Riverside RV Park turned out to be a really great location.

After a 25 mile bike ride on the Boise River Greenbelt trail, this time east towards downtown and beyond, Jim has decided he is definitely keeping the Spiderflex seat. He didn’t complain about his butt even once.

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Like many towns with rivers running through them, Boise has a water park near downtown with man-made rapids for kayaking and surfing.

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There also seem to be lakes and ponds everywhere. Not sure what this one is but there were lots of people enjoying the water.

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Bogus Basin is the nearest ski area, about 20 miles north of Boise. During the summer it’s popular with mountain bikers, but we decided just to hike. There were too many cyclists around the main ski lodge where many trails start, so we drove a bit farther to Mores Mountain at the Shafer Butte picnic area. We asked a couple people about the trails and ended up doing an out and back since people who tried to do a loop had a bit of trouble finding their way and did not recommend it.

On the way up to Bogus Basin. The trail started at 6,600’ so it was in the mid 70s, a nice break from the 90s in Boise.

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On the trail we had good views towards Idaho City where there is a huge wildfire that’s been burning for over a week now, and causing occasional smoke and haze over Boise.

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On the way back from the hike we decided to stop and check out the Idaho State Capitol. It’s an impressive building, completed in 1920 and renovated in the early 2000s.

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Marble, marble everywhere.

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France  gave Idaho this replica of Nike of Samothrace as part of a gift after U.S. forces helped liberate France from Nazi occupation at the end of World War II.

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Senate chambers.

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Jim taking advantage of the free wifi.

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Gold plated George Washington.

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We also went to happy hour at Powderhaus Brewing Company, the one we tried at the farmers market and is only a mile form the RV park. We had a great time sitting at the bar talking with the bartender who was also the brewer, the owner, and several locals. And we really liked their Belgian style Tripel.

Despite the heat Boise was a good place to visit. Today we’re making our way to the Sawtooth mountains near Stanley. Hope the smoke isn’t too bad, but it looks like the entire northwest is being affected to some extent due to fires in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Guess it’s that time of year.

11 comments:

  1. Where to from Boise? How about Jasper, B. C.? Nice time of year to head that way, and the mountains are beautiful!

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    1. We're in Stanley where it's a bit hazy from the fires but not too bad. Figured it would be a straight shot into Canada from here if the smoke gets worse :-)

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  2. Glad the seat is a keeper. Thanks for the recommendation. Seems like it's 90's everywhere. Heading up to hike in the 70's sounds like the thing to do. Safe travels, hope the smoke is minimal.

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  3. I stayed in the same park, but didn't ride the bikeway. Did it appear safe for a single rider?

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    1. Yes, in fact I walked it several times by myself. There were many runners, walkers, and cyclists always out on the trail at all times of the day or night. It's a beautiful trail!

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  4. Gah! Stanley!!!! We were there some years ago, ca. 1998. Gary fell in love with the place. This was before he was sick, but he decided then and there that that was the place he wanted his ashes scattered. I've forgotten the exact place, but an area with "iron" something (?creek?) in the title. There were bike/hike trails that he would go on. I never saw them, so no first-hand information.

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    1. Yes, it is Iron Creek. The woman at the forest service office was telling us about hiking and biking there. we will definitely check it out.

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  5. I never realized how much water was in that area.
    I love visiting capitals. That one is a beauty.

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  6. We enjoyed our stay in Boise too. But the fires...they deal with fire smoke every summer.

    Looking forward to your posts on Stanley. When we stayed in Bellevue we did not make it all the way up to Stanley and I've heard lots of good things about that area.

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  7. We have enjoyed visiting capitol buildings in our travels. Looks like Boise is a city worth visiting. Hope the smoke doesn't impact your time in Stanley. We were seeing lots of smoke in the air as we made our way through Idaho. I agree with Mark, head to Canada if it gets too bad. :)

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  8. What a beautiful capitol - love all the cool marble. We've managed to dodge the fires again this summer and hoping it stays that way. Safe travels!

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