There ain’t no trucks in Texas
Ain’t no football in the south
Aint no bourbon in Kentucky
And I ain’t drinkin’ me some now
Ain’t no stars in California
Memphis never had the blues
Oh, there ain’t no trucks in Texas
And I ain’t missin’ you
– Ronnie Dunn
Saturday 11 May, 2024
Slept for more than nine hours uninterrupted, and felt a whole lot better as a result.
Felt good to get out for a run of just over 5km this morning after a few days spent largely sitting down and eating plenty. Our Airbnb isn’t very far from the Greenbelt, which runs alongside the Boise River. The weather was absolutely perfect for running this morning: eleven degrees when I went out, and the river was at it’s spectacular best.
Because we’ve had such a whirlwind few days, we decided that Saturday would be a rest day. Went shopping at the nearby Albertsons – a supermarket chain that is prevalent all over the United States, and is headquartered here in Boise – and had lunch at Jimmy John’s, which I’d describe as a sandwich place similar but much better than Subway.
I actually had a random craving for Quiznos subs, also better than Subway, but a quick Google search told me that the nearest one of those is in Tukwila, Washington, about eight hours’ drive away. Needless to say, Quiznos was off the menu. JJ’s was great, sitting out in the warm springtime sun.
Got back to the Airbnb in time for the IndyCar Series race on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We’ll be at IMS in two weeks’ time for the Indianapolis 500 on the big oval, but the fabled Month of May gets underway with a race on the infield road course built for Formula One and MotoGP. It was an entertaining race for the most part, and watching an IndyCar race in the afternoon rather than very early in the morning remains a novelty for me. If nothing else, the race whet my appetite for getting to Indianapolis. (Australia’s own Will Power finished second – I’m hoping that he goes one better in two weeks’ time, and wins his second Indianapolis 500. That would make my year. Possibly decade. Maybe life.)
In the early afternoon, we drove over to Dave and Lisa’s house for a beer and a chat. Their young daughter Kennedy really liked the Bluey books that I brought over for her, but the real winner was the gift bag, a design featuring balloons. If only I’d known, I’d have left the books behind and brought a couple more gift bags instead! Dave’s parents were also there.
After that, leaving Dave’s parents with Kennedy, we went downtown and met Mike aka Sharpy at bar. We sat outside in the warm, sunny evening, and had a couple of beers before heading to a nearby Hawaiian-themed bar called Reef. We secured ourselves a rooftop table and had a few more beers with dinner. I polished off an amazing Jamaican jerk chicken with mashed potato and broccoli. Fantastic food and great company.
With dinner behind us, we went down to 6th Street, which has been closed off to vehicles and is chock-full of restaurants and bars, all with outdoor seating. The vibe down there was excellent. We had a few more drinks and some fries at the Bittercreek Ale House before calling it a night. I can highly recommend the Payette Fly Line beer.
Seriously fun time – always is with the Southorn’s and Sharpy. My cheeks were sore from laughing. Home around 11:30pm. Another well-earned sleep-in tomorrow, for sure.
kitchtrips 