Friday 16 May 2025
Off to Boise, Idaho aka Treasure Valley.
Got about six hours before my alarm woke me up at 5:30am. Considering the flying and the Olive Garden margaritas I had last night, I felt pretty good.
Jury is still out on taking a later-arriving flight into America than the earlier one. I probably felt better overall doing it this way (certainly slept more than I usually do going over) but if a late-arriving flight is delayed or cancelled, it could mess with our onward flights the next day.
Instead of flying out of the enormous and busy LAX airport, this year we took a Southwest flight from the much smaller and less manic Burbank-Hollywood Airport, and it was really great. A smooth and easy check-in and run through security had us at our gate with plenty of time to spare.
The whole atmosphere of the airport is more laidback. I highly recommend it if you can fly from Burbank to your intended destination. We are lucky that there are direct flights between there and Boise.
The flight was on time – the least we deserve after yesterday’s shenanigans, if you ask me – and I used some of the ninety-minute flight to snatch a little more sleep before we arrived into Boise.
The last two visits in spring, the weather in Treasure Valley has been fantastic: sunny and warm. This year? Maybe not so much. It was cool when we got off the plane – about fourteen degrees Celsius – and a little cloudy. The weather experts say there is rain coming tomorrow…and single-digit temperatures with strong wind on Sunday. You can’t win them all.
Boise’s airport is about twenty minutes from downtown. We stopped at the iconic Boise Depot, with it’s spectacular views of the town – French for City of Trees, because French fur trappers were the first to discover the area back in the 1820’s – and the foothills in the background. Even on a cloudy day, it’s an incredible view, and one you shouldn’t miss if you’re ever in Boise. Also, Boise is a city I highly recommend visiting.
Lunch and drinks at the Taphouse, a great bar and restaurant with an exhaustive list of beers, national and local, and tremendous food. Great to hang with my friends Dave and Randall and Dave’s sister Sarah, who recently moved to Boise. Although we only see each other once a year, it’s like no time has passed at all. We seem to always slip back into our old ways in about a minute. We covered a lot of topics, and drank a decent amount of beer before we went our separate ways.
Stopped at the Bronco Shop to get a Boise State hat for someone back home. Hard not to buy new stuff, but I have plenty of it already, and with the crappy exchange rate, it’s easier than ever for me to stay strong and not get anything. I saw a Boise State platypus…which is definitely from left-field!
Went to Albertsons supermarket for some weekend supplies and saw Bundaberg Ginger Beer for sale. I had no idea it was available here.
I didn’t bother with dinner – still full from our late lunch. Pretty tired this evening. I guess it’s the cumulative affect of the last few days finally catching up with me. The Airbnb is very cosy, with what looks like a very comfortable bed, and definitely a very comfortable armchair, which I nearly fell asleep in before.
I feel a big night’s sleep coming on.
Great day.
kitchtrips 