We were Jesus save me, blue jean baby
Born in the USA
Trailer park truck stop, faded little map dots
New York to LA
We were teenage dreamin’, front seat leanin’
Baby, come give me a kiss
Put me on the cover of the Rolling Stone
Uptown down home American kids
Growin’ up in little pink houses
Makin’ out on living room couches
Blowin’ that smoke on a Saturday night
A little messed up, but we’re all alright
– Kenny Chesney
Thursday 25 August
Woke up and went for a walk around the housing estate adjacent to the hotel. Another morning, another spectacular sunrise. There’ve been some beauties so far this trip, and I like getting in some exercise before the heat really sets in.
A short day today, just over four hours from Ogden, Utah into Boise, Idaho. Our hotel didn’t have breakfast, so we went to Starbucks on the way, and sat outside on a pleasantly warm morning, looking at the impressive mountains.
Stopped for gas at Twin Falls, Idaho and whilst Nathan was filling up, I googled the area because it didn’t seem like there was anything remotely close by that could explain the town’s name. It was a good thing I did, because it turned out that, just a few short miles off the interstate, is Twin Falls (only one of which is visible) and the Snake River, which winds it’s way through the middle of Idaho. I got Warragamba Dam vibes from the park area around the falls, as there is a dam behind them.
We would see the Snake River a few more times over the next hour or so before we arrived in Boise, which sits in a valley known as Treasure Valley and is famous – aside from potatoes and the blue field where – for being a city with a tonne of trees. It’s always high up on the lists of good cities to live in here, mostly thanks to the fact that the exercise options are exhaustive, highlighted by the Greenbelt, a 25-mile path that follows the Boise River on both sides. I haven’t been here for a dozen years, and never in summer. The Greenbelt has expanded significantly since my last visit. So has the rest of the city.
The state capital building definitely reminds me of Washington D.C., but, of course, we are a long way north of that. We parked downtown late in the afternoon and walked around the capital and down to the river, to the Anne Frank memorial, and back. A pretty warm 4km loop in very picturesque surrounds – I forgot, somehow, how beautiful this city is. Definitely looking forward to some cooler weather over the weekend, that’s for sure. These days of a hundred degrees or more are starting to wear thin.
Our Airbnb is pretty awesome, a comfortable two-bedroom bungalow with some excellent air-conditioning. We’re near the Boise Depot and not far to walk to downtown. So far – it’s early days, of course – it’s one of the better Airbnbs I’ve stayed in. I love when you get to a place and it looks exactly like it did on the listing.
Dinner was Luciano’s, a sensational Italian restaurant quite close to our Airbnb, which came as a recommendation from my buddy Dave. The enormous wait for a table was very much worth the wait. The food was amazing. I had minestrone soup as a starter and seafood fettuccini, washed down with – you probably guessed – a Bud Light. Absolutely could not have eaten another thing if I tried. Will definitely sleep well tonight.
kitchtrips 