kitchtrips

Sun coming’ up over New York City
School bus driver in a traffic jam
Staring out at the faces in a rear view mirror
Lookin’ at the promise of the Promised Land

One kid dreams of fame and fortune
One kid helps pay the rent
One could end up going to prison
One just might be president

Only in America
Dreamin’ in red white and blue
Only in America
Where we dream as big as we want to

– Brooks and Dunn

Monday 13 May 2024

I woke up at 6:30am intending to go out for a run, but it was actually raining, so I did the only smart thing: went back to bed until it stopped raining.

That was about 8:15am, and by that point there was very little evidence – other than a stray puddle here or there – that it had rained. The sun was out, and the clouds were clearing quickly. It was a beautiful Monday morning…if a little warm for running. I ended up putting in about 7km around Albertsons Stadium, the Boise State University campus and up to the Boise Depot, where the views this morning were stunning.

This city and the wider Treasure Valley continues to amaze. As I texted my buddy Dave this morning, I don’t think I ever want to leave. Unfortunately, our time here is winding down. Suffice to say, it is a city that – thanks to both the wonderful people here, and the scenery – I don’t know that I could bypass when coming to America. Like not going to Chicago, it just wouldn’t feel right. (Again, I will let you know how worthwhile a visit to Treasure Valley is well worth it.)

Whilst eating breakfast, I took a look at the forecast for Austin, Texas this weekend. There’s no rain to speak of, however temperatures are in the mid-thirties Celsius. Hope it cools off just a little before we get there on Thursday, or else we’ll be watching a lot of racing from the shaded areas of the track that is home to the United States F1 Grand Prix – or one of them, anyway. (There are now three F1 events in America).

After a leisurely breakfast – this is a vacation after all, and we will have some long track days at COTA, Indianapolis and Detroit to come – we headed over to Camels Back Park and went for a walk up Camel’s Back. It is a recognised fact in this city that, aside from the Greenbelt and it’s immediate surrounds either side of the Boise River, you are going to head uphill no matter where you walk.

In the warm sunshine, it was a bit of a slog along dirt paths that were often quite steep, but worth it for the spectacular views. Nearly two kilometers in total. Nice to have the hills at the start of the walk, and conclude coming downhill even if it was a little precarious going downhill at times. There were some storm clouds in the area, which added to the atmosphere.

We headed back downtown for lunch, with a stop at the Idaho State Capitol along the way. Currently encircled by some pretty heavy-duty roadwork, it’s a spectacular building with amazing architecture and photo-worthy shots from every angle, reminiscent of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Inside is even more amazing.

After a stop at the gift shop, we went over to 8th Street, near where we were on Saturday night for lunch at a place called Eureka!. We were outdoors, but the rain came over again. Rain that actually wasn’t forecast, or on the radar when I’d checked walking over. Nonetheless, it was there, so we decamped to an indoor table. Naturally, as soon as we did that, the rain stopped again. Typical. I had a bison burger, which was amazing.

A quick stop at Albertson’s on the way home, preceded by a few drops of rain, and in for another early day. Got pizza delivered for dinner. Off to McCall, Idaho, a lake town up in the mountains tomorrow about two hours’ or so away, then Italian dinner at Luciano’s with the Southorn’s.