We drove 225 miles to Boise along the Payette Scenic Byway. The first part of the journey was winding roads from Kamih through the Hells Canyon Receation area. What an awesome drive. It was magnificent. On the Payette River Scenic Byway the town of Riggins was having Big River Days so the place was jammed with rafters and fishermen. McCall is a very pretty town of about 3000 people. McCall was settled in circa 1889-1891 and was a logging town. The last logging mill was closed in 1977. Now it is a year round destination resort, especially in the winter. They have the highest snowfall in the state with an average of 300 inches.The elevation is 5013 feet with Brundage and Tamarack ski areas surrounding the town at over 7800 feet each. The drive through town and the rest of the way to Boise was very picturesque. We had forgotten the there was a time change so we arrived in Boise at about 2. Then lunch and get set up for 6 days in town. There was a concert going on at the Boise Hawks baseball field all day long and horse racing at Les Bois Stadium in the fairgrounds, both of which are adjacent to Riverside RV Park where we are staying. After getting settled we took a walk along the Boise River. The park is real busy with horsemen and other tourists. Gail called her friend, Sheryl Sherry, who moved here from Kent. We're going to see her and her husband tomorrow.
June 2, 2013
We slept in this morning til 8:40. I thought it was 6:20 when I checked the time but what a surprise. We drove into downtown Boise to walk around old town. What a quaint part of town. Lots of people enjoying the weather wandering around and enjoying the restaurants. We stopped at Moon's Cafe and had a milkshake as a snack. They were delicious and for mediums they were plenty large. Then we went to Gail's friend, Sheryl's house in Nampa about 20 miles away. She and her husband Tony live in a beautiful large home with their daughter and son in law. Tony came down with ALS about a year ago and is bedridden. He was hit the symptoms in reverse of usual. It affected his speech, ability to swallow and breathe on his own. He has spent time in the hospital but the family prefers having him at home where they can care for him. For all that he is afflicted with Tony has a great sense of humor and can use his hands and arms well. We stayed and visited with them for a couple hours. We left and stopped for a light dinner at Jakers, a new restaurant and bar in Meridian. Then back to the RV park for the evening. The wind was blowing all day and into the night so we weren't able to stay out late.
June 3, 2013
We got up, had breakfast and went for a walk along the Boise River which runs right by the RV park. It is paved and maintained by the city and county. We saw a lot of birds and nests.There was also a set of waterfalls on the river. We walked about 7 miles. It was pretty warm so when we got back Gail soaked her feet in a tub and I went to the river and soaked my feet in the COLD water. We had lunch and relaxed on the patio at our site, read our books, had cocktails, dinner and called it a day. It wasn't nearly as windy today. The sky was the bluest, clearest today Gail and I have ever seen. This picture doesn't do it justice.
June 4, 2013
Up and moving around 8ish. We then took a drive east and north to Idaho City. Idaho City was founded in 1862 as Brannuck amidst the Boise Basin gold rush during the Civil War. It was the largest rush since the California gold rush. The name was changed to Idaho City in 1864. At its peak in 1860 there were 200 businesses, 36 saloons and 24 law offices. The population was 7000 in 1864 making it the biggest town in the Northwest. Wood was the primary source for building and heat. The city burned in 1865, 1867, 1868 and 1871. They then built the main city offices and churches of stone and brick. Now the population of Idaho City is 485 and most of the old buildings are closed and run down. There are still a couple bars, city offices, a church and museum and other small businesses. It looks like a ghost town including the board sidewalks and hitching rails. We went into the Harley Saloon and had a nice cold beer. The owner is a lady from California that bought the bar in 1998 after seeing it on a motorcycle ride. We and one other person were the only customers but she said it rocks pretty good on weekends with regulars and some tourists.
June 5, 2013
Today we slept in and after breakfast went shopping at WalMart. Keystone Light $15.90/30 pack! When we got back to the park we took a 4+ mile walk along the Boise River. There are some mighty nice homes along the route.
Back to the site for lunch and reading in the beautiful sunny day. At 5 we went to Les Bois Park for horse races. It was lady's day so Gail got in free and they had $2.00 hot dogs so what else could we ask for. A couple of good winners would have been nice but Gail did win a couple bets. One of our neighbors had given us a tip on a race but it didn't pan out. The crowd watching was fun with the young ladies and men out in their finery. Some of them actually were watching the races. Back to camp to enjoy the evening.
June 6, 2013
Another beautiful day in Boise. It got up to 94 this afternoon. We took it easy around the park most of the day. We did some laundry and I walked around the park talking to other travelers. One of our neighbors, Dave Shaw, is on a two year trek around the country doing marathons, triathlons and iron man competitions. Just he and his big white labrador in a 22 foot trailer. This weekend there is a triathlon in Boise Dave is participating in. Later in the afternoon we went to Gail's friend Sheryl's house for dinner. We had a wonderful time into the evening, then back to the park to get ready to hit the road in the morning.
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