Boise

White pelicans summer on the Snake River. Who knew?

Dave celebrates Manifest Destiny.

 

We had a full and interesting  Thursday, traversing the 200 miles or so from Massacre Rocks State Park to Boise on a hot, and increasingly smoky, day (a forest fire has been burning northeast of Boise for several days).

The remains of the Minidoka interment camp.

Our first stop along the way, the Minidoka National Historic Site, is not easy to find; especially when pulling a trailer. After some odd detours we eventually made it to the site of the largest forced relocation in U.S. history, where Japanese-Americans were placed in detention during World War II.

From there we went to the Hagerman Fossil Beds NM where the bones of the now-extinct horse-like creature known as the Hagerman Horse are found in great abundance. 

Something we did not expect to find is that this park has a nice road that leads to a high bluff where the Oregon Trail route and some ruts can be seen. Because it’s a national park Betsy says that I am supposed to believe that these really are Oregon Trail ruts and not just somebody’s overactive imagination.

150 years later Oregon Trail ruts, really?

Finally we made it to Boise and, even thought it was about 6 p.m. when we finally got settled into our slot in a KOA-like RV park, we somehow found time to:

1. Visit the state capitol.
2. Give directions to Lewis & Clark
3. Enjoy a great meal washed down with some great Idaho beers at a downtown tap house.
4. Watch the final outs of the (low) Class A Boise Hawks minor league victory over the Eugene Emeralds.

Don't listen to that Indian; the Pacific Ocean is that way! Also, why are you wearing a mini-skirt?

On a whim we stopped in for the (free) ninth inning and a photo with Humphrey the Hawk.

This is only the second time I have been to Boise but I am very impressed. This is a nice city of 200,000. The capitol is beautiful, the downtown is hopping, there are at least two local breweries, it’s clean and easy to get around, and it has two Costcos. 

I could live here.