Blogs from Boise, Idaho, United States, North America - page 6

Traveling away from 'home' is so seemingly surreal that I don't believe it to have settled in quite yet. Rest stops are no stranger; the freeway has seen me before. The impact of what we have started is there but, as much as faith is the evidence of the unseen, I believe the first notes played to passing city folk will bring a solid punch to the gut and mind. After a last meal in Boise to send off our hometown, we proceeded to the mostly vacant highway with high morals and hopeful spirits. The moon high in the sky to illuminate us. On the westbound I-84 through Oregon, moonlight befriends the rocks to create cities in its shadows. The scenery is beautiful at this stage of morning, with 2 sleeping and 2 awake, the wind ... read more

Last weekend we did a road trip to Boise, Idaho, where Jason grew up, and I lived for the bulk of my twenties. I have always had mixed feelings about going to Boise since moving away in 2003, but this time I fell a little bit back in love with it again. Even though it was just as cold as Seattle, and rainy, there is something about Boise that tugs at my heart. Last weekend we spent time with Jason's family; I also got to spend time with my friend Becky, whom I have not seen in a year or so. We rocked the town Boise-style, with bowling and then karaoke at the 44 Club before finally going home at 1am. We golfed all weekend in Kuna, despite the windy conditions, and Felicia had a good ... read more

I flew home in February to attend the Winter Count primitive skills conference in Maricopa, Arizona. I had an amazing time, sleeping in my tent in a warm Arizona winter, 65 degrees is heaven compared to the average at work of 20 degrees during the day. I had a few co-workers to keep me company at Winter Count, but I wouldn't have been lonely had they not been there. Everyone at Winter Count was very friendly. Friendly and usually a bit eccentric in one way or another. There are people like me, Wilderness Instructors, from various programs around the West. Anthropologists who are interested in how ancient man hunted, ate, slept, made/used tools, etc. The doom and gloom crowd who thinks moderns civilization is going to end and know they want to be able to survive. ... read more

Obfuscator writes: 110 Miles of dirt and gravel roads. I can see why prior to the Interstate system, it took people forever to get anywhere in this country. Even with tires and cars that are far more dependable and safe, you can only drive so fast on roads like that, particularly when these roads are at 16% grade and curve sharply to hug cliff faces. Onaxthiel woke up at about 5:30 when a neighbor turned on his radio and floodlight, and so forth. After a week indoors, this was a very cold morning. I had no desire to stand out in the cold while my hands froze, so we got moving toward Hell's Canyon. Just a bit before you hit the recreational area (which is very large), you come to Joseph, which is basically home to ... read more

After the Slocum's Grand Tour of Boise, complete with homemade tacos, we played Phase 10 card game. Both Craig's girls are very sweet and even look like the Craig we knew long ago. To prove it Cathie pulled out meticulously kept photo albums which showed our young families together...great memories! Said our good-byes this morning and headed for McCall, ID via hiway 55, the Payette River Scenic Byway. It was truly beautiful following the river under blue skies and warm temp. No smoke but plenty of areas which have just been burned. This is ID's worst fire season. Mel & Cathie recommended Cascade and Water's Edge RV Park, so here we are camping right on the Payette River. We walked into town to purchase 2 day fishing lic as we saw fish jumping in the river. ... read more