kitchtrips

You could hear the wind howling across the ocean
And the taste of the wine and the buzzed feel in my head
And the only wifi was burning right beside me
And we had us a night I’ll never forget
She was a 1960’s Beach Boys song
And we’re living that dream all night long
Yeah

In that California sunrise
In that California sunrise
She took me to heaven and so much more
Like nothing I’ve ever seen before
In that California sunrise

– Jon Pardi

Friday 10 May, 2024

I slept like a log, but, man that 3:30am wake-up call was tough. Could have done with another 3-4 hours, but it is what it is. After the rigmarole of going through a TSA security checkpoint at LAX – made worse by the obscenely early hour – we had two flights to get us from Southern California: LA to Las Vegas, then a layover of about an hour, and an onward flight to Boise.

The first leg was forty-two short minutes. We barely made it to a cruising altitude before the captains switched the seatbelt light on because we were beginning our descent into Las Vegas. The completely-full flight was so short, in fact, that there wasn’t even any time for a drinks service to come through the cabin.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is such a chaotic place. It looks old and feels quite claustrophobic. There are plenty of opportunities to play slot machines if that’s your calling, and there were a disturbing number of people drinking at the many airport bars, even though we arrived at 7:00am. I settled for an Auntie Anne’s cinnamon pretzel and a drink of water, and a bit of a doze at the gate as we waited to board.

On the second flight, I was asleep before take-off, half-woke up about forty-five minutes into the journey, and went back to sleep, only waking up when we landed. A distinct lack of sleep over the last forty-eight to seventy-two hours is really catching up with me.

It was a beautiful late-morning in Boise when we arrived: warm and sunny, though the distant mountains were capped white with snow. The weather has apparently been on the cold side here recently, but that seems to have disappeared. The forecast is for mild temps and sunshine all week, with little to no chance of rain.

The beauty of a small-town airport is that we arrived, got our baggage, collected the car – a Ford Escape – from Hertz, and were downtown less than an hour after landing. You can’t beat that. Great to be back in Boise, which is fast becoming one of my favourite American destinations. Also, very happy to not be flying anywhere for about a week.

Boise is fantastic, and a well-kept secret in America, and certainly at home. Nestled in the foothills, there are many great bars and restaurants, hikes, winter sports destinations and lots of opportunities for exercise, not to mention one of the most iconic college football programs in America: the Boise State Broncos. It’s fast become one of my favourite places to visit.

We met up with my buddies Dave and Mike aka Sharpy for lunch at the Taphouse, a great bar downtown. Sat outside in the warm sunshine and pretty much solved all the issues in the world in about ninety-minutes, whilst eating burgers that we washed down with a great beer from a brewery in southern Oregon, about two hours’ drive from Boise. A fun way to start the week here.

After a stop at the Boise Depot – hands down, the best place for a panoramic view of this town and the mountains in the background – we went to Albertsons to pick up some supplies for the week, then ate dinner at BBQ 4 Life, which, as you might imagine from it’s name, is a BBQ restaurant…and a very good one at that. (My friend Dave had them cater his wedding).

Our Airbnb is actually a basement apartment, but it’s really nice with plenty of light coming in, and close to pretty much everything downtown, including the Boise Greenbelt, which is a 25-mile pathway that snakes it’s way alongside the Boise River and is one of my favourite places to go jogging anywhere in the world. There are so many opportunities for exercise in this city.

Started watching “Manhunt”, the mini series about the hunt for John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Early doors on the show, but the first episode was brilliant. Only lasted one episode before my eyes started getting heavy. Early night tonight – well-deserved, if you ask me. Nothing on tomorrow in the morning, other than a well-deserved chance to sleep in. Planning to watch the IndyCar race on TV tomorrow afternoon, before dinner and drinks out in Boise tomorrow evening.