Friday afternoon (9/17/10) we departed Phx, made a short stop in SLC, then boarded a 44 minute flight to Boise. It turns out that the much debated Boise airport does indeed, as Jonathan argued, have multiple concourses (A,B, and C) however, they're all housed within the same building, so you could still call it a single terminal airport which was my argument. Anywho, my parents picked us up and obliged us with a little Boise touring which included The Modern Hotel as mentioned in Sunset magazine. I was admittedly a little disappointed by its so-called modernism. They got some things right, like the semi retro looking sign, the bar looked pretty swanky and the block wall is a nice retro touch, but their use of steel bars around the hallways is a bit closer to a prison look than retro. Good effort, but its no Prescott Motor Lodge.
After a few blocks of touring we stopped for dinner at Pie Hole Pizza, a NY style pizza by the slice kind of place. I'd never have thought I'd say it, but it was hands down the best NY style pizza I've had in quite some time. They had a variety of slices available which all tasted great! Among us we had, Hawaiian (best I've ever had), chicken + jalapeno + basil (delicious), roasted tomato + spinach (tasty), roasted tomato + basil, and the most unique slice of the night goes to potato+bacon, and yes, it was damn good.
Saturday morning, bright, but not so early we enjoyed clear blue skies, tall pines, rolling mountains and fresh mountain air as we wandered about my parents property. We started by checking out the new, enclosed-porch addition, complete with an eventual indoor koi pond, then made our way to explore the semi-recently purchased property which is a story in itself. The property was purchased about a year and a half ago and thanks to its kooky previous owner came with gorgeous valley views as well as multiple tractors (some useable, some not), junk cars and a plethora of building materials, some salvageable, some wasted and rotten. After a leisurely morning we started helping with some tasks about the house. Jonathan and I manned the log splitter doing exactly that, splitting logs. Its a pretty impressive device, load a log, press down on the hydraulic handle and split a log. Heck of a lot better than swinging an axe all day long. After we loaded the truck to capacity we split up to take on additional house tasks. Jonathan was recruited for some chain saw action, and I joined my mom in applying sealant to a few recently added areas of log siding. Overall a pleasant day of enjoying the great outdoors with the fam.
Sunday started off a bit cooler than Saturday but no less gorgeous. We began our day with a short hike and discovered both elk and two sets of bear paw prints as well as a beautiful panoramic valley view. Rumor has it there is a young bear in the area, but according to the larger print, momma must be near by as well. When we returned home we prepared for a much anticipated Jeep adventure. Talk about wild ride. Twisty dirt and gravel roads, steep drop offs plus a topless-doorless jeep and one rowdy driver equals quality time had by all. A tad bit dustier than when we left we arrived in Idaho City for some quality touristing. We walked the main avenue, took all kinds of photos and even came across Bill Clinton in a jail cell accompanied by a less than attractive blue dress and cigar. You'll notice my apathy for Bill as I have a tender spot in my heart for the Clintons. Finishing off our trip to the small town we ate a tasty lunch at Trudy's and headed home on the highway, an equally beautiful ride without quite as many bumps and skids.
Upon a fork in the road, right being home and left being the off-road route to Boise, in true adventure style we headed left. We stopped to enjoy the view in a few places, looked into a cave that appeared much deeper from the road than its reality and then... it happened. We were coming around a turn and with the help of a little extra gravel and a little lack of traction we ended up skidding into the side of a mountain. Not head on mind you, kind of with the jeep trying to veer right, but just not cutting it, causing the left front tire hit first, kind of at a diagonal angle (thank you working seatbelts!). It was strangely surreal watching the mountain get closer as we continued to approach until we hit. Post bump there was a momentary shocked silence regarding the fact that we just hit a mountain, then, the jeep spoke up. "hisssssssss". We continued to sit in silence, each trying to figure out whether it was the tire, the radiator, or something else entirely. No smoke, no steam, must be the tire. Gently we backed from the face of the mountain and turned into the road to get a better look at our protesting tire. Indeed the random bolder sticking ever so slightly out of the mountain had managed to bend the rim into the tire, causing the leaking air. Keep in mind, this is all taking place in an area without any cell phone coverage quite a few miles from home. And did I mention, it was closing in on evening? No worries, Sassy Shelley our wild and crazy Jeep guide managed to get the jeep the remainder of the trip home without any other, shall we say, incidents. A trip to remember for sure.
But wait, Sunday wasn't quite over yet, we still had some daylight and I was determined to use it! In true Idaho and Arizona resident fashion we took to some shooting practice. I myself had never fired a gun and thought this a better time than ever. We were surrounded by mountains and forest and any nearby locals wouldn't bat an eye at the sound of gun fire. Jonathan and I tried both a 357 and a 20 gage carbine. I was surprised by the force of the hand gun's kick, but honestly preferred the 357 to the riffle. I have no intention of becoming a hunter, nor am I running to the nearest gun club to sign up for a yearly membership, but I could see some Annette Benning, American Beauty style target practice in my future.
We headed back home on Monday afternoon, just in the nick of time for my circulatorty system. The 67 degree temp in Boise was turning my oh so delicate hands into little ice blocks as my blood did its best to keep my central organs functioning. Perhaps I was truely meant for the desert. Thanks mom and dad for the visit, we had a terrific time in Boise, and just as soon as it warms up, we'll be back : )
No comments:
Post a Comment