Boi(se) did you surprise me!

    A few months ago, I was asked to facilitate a program in Boise, Idaho. I’d never been to Idaho before so, why not go! I love to hike and explore so I made sure I had done research on trails and parks. I made a tentative plan but it didn’t go at all like I had expected. Surprise…. it was way better. I flew out extremely early from MSP. My taxi driver, aka my dad, picked me up before 3:30 am! The MSP airport is extremely easy to navigate so I made it to my gate with no issues! I boarded my United flight and took a nap while we jetted through the sky. 

    When I arrived in Boise, I quickly got my rental car through Budget and was off to my first destination. I drove through the Boise National Forest and it took my breath away. You couldn’t even tell where the mountains met the Heavens. I drove 3 hours to Sawtooth National Park only to find out from the park ranger that the trails were closed to hikers but I could ski or snowshoe. I left both my skis and snowshoes back in MN! The park ranger suggested I head back to Sun Valley as they might have a trail I could hike. I drove through Sun Valley and met a nice cop. We had a great chat while his lights were flashing behind me. I told him I was trying to hike and I got lost looking for the “trail” that was suggested to me. He said that he knew a place I might like and I should follow behind him. We pulled off on the side street in a neighborhood and on the other side of the parking lot was a big hill. He said that this was the best that I was going to get unless I wanted to walk a paved path. I already had my hiking shoes on so I walked up the hill. It was difficult. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the elevation, my congestion, or the fact that I haven’t worked out in months! I think it was a combination of all of it, plus the 3 feet of snow I had to walk “on top of.” Almost every step I took, I fell through the snow which came up past my knee and there were times that I just crawled over the snow because I kept falling through. I made it to the top and took a good look around. On my descent I tried to sled down as much as I could. 

    Once I got back to my car, I quickly changed out of my hiking shoes and socks since they were covered with snow. I explored Sun Valley a little bit and hit up this quirky drive through called Snow Bunny. I grabbed some fries and a chocolate shake to tide me over on my 3 hour car ride back to Boise. I was staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. This hotel is very close to a lot of things, which I found out the next day. I was so exhausted to explore that I ordered room service and curled up in bed. 

    Saturday morning, I explored the area. As I walked to breakfast, I found a farmer’s market. It was so delightful. I tried juices and local honey! I bought two pressed juices and I am so disappointed that I didn’t buy more. Next time, I need to check a bag! 

    When I checked in the night before, the hotel staff gave me a list of recommended restaurants that were within walking distance. I decided to go to Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro. THIS IS A MUST! It was so good. I had the stuffed French toast and a chai tea. The tea cup was huge! And it was filled with the most delicious chai tea that I had ever tasted! I grabbed another chai tea the next.

 

After breakfast, I walked around a little bit and came across Freak Alley Gallery. It’s an art gallery that uses the building as the canvas! After I strolled through the alley, I petted this big guy before I hopped into my rental car and headed to Table Rock. 

                                                    

    One of the staff members at Goldy’s recommended Table Rock as a close hike. So, I hopped in my car and put Table Rock into my GPS. If you visit this trail, do not follow your GPS up the mountain. You cannot park there. Well, you can but you risk getting a ticket. Park on Old Penitentiary and walk the whole trail. At the top, you get a beautiful view of Boise on one side and a gorgeous view of the mountains on the other! 

                            

    After hiking Table Rock, I went to the zoo. The Boise Zoo isn’t really big but had several animals that I hadn’t seen before. I loved the meerkats. I grabbed a photo of it and it looked right at me! Perfect shot! The penguins were so active. Diving down in front of all the little guests that were crowding around the water! The zoo wasn’t very busy and it didn’t cost a lot to get in. It is definitely worth checking out if you have extra time in the area. 

                                                                    

    After the zoo, I went back to my hotel to put on better shoes and walked to a restaurant I had found when exploring the area after breakfast! It was called Clucks. It served Nashville Hot Chicken, one of my favorite menu items! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I ordered the chicken sandwich in Nashville Warm. I like my food with a little heat but not where it burns. Just enough where your lips tingle and your nose starts running! Good thing I wore my Zyia leggings! I ate almost all of my sandwich and I was stuffed! 

                                                                                    

    After leaving Clucks, I checked out The Warehouse. It’s a “food truck” type venue. It had several different food options and a bar in the middle. I was craving some ice cream so I stopped in a place that served goat’s milk ice cream called Negranti Creamery. It peaked my interested. I took a few samples but it wasn’t my jam. The person working not to feel bad if I didn't like it because it's a little different. It's not as creamy goat’s milk is less in lactose so if you are intolerant, check it out.

    I went to Stella’s and had a few more ice cream samples before deciding on my regular order of a chocolate milkshake. Stella's has so many flavors to choose from and it smells delicious when you walk in. Probably from the cones they make in store. After enjoying my milkshake, I walked back to my hotel and called it a night. 

    Sunday morning, I ate my leftover Goldy's. It was still good the day after! I headed to Boise State for the reason I was on the trip and then I meandered around the campus. They had an exhibit in the library that was really good! I headed back to my hotel to get my car and set off to explore the rest of the afternoon. I went to the Idaho StatePenitentiary and did a self guided tour. I had read that the jail was haunted. Freaked me out a bit when I went to Siberia, which were isolation cells, by myself. I didn’t know if I’d see a ghost! (Please tell me that you just did the Joey reference from Friends when he talks about A GHOST! LOL) Solitary confinement was no joke. Even during the middle of the day with sunlight, it was almost pitch black and some of the cells had just enough room to stick your hands through. They had gallows that you could see and walk on both levels. It was so eerie. Gave me the chills but the highlight of the trip was seeing Gary’s grave. Gary was a cat that had been smuggled into the penitentiary by a convict and was hidden for a while until he was found out and became part of the staff. Dennis lived for 16 years! There is a whole video on Dennis the Cat!

                                                                        

    After I finished the tour, I got back in my rental and drove over to the Potato Hotel. It’s about 30 minutes from Boise. It’s a refurbished potato that has been converted into a hotel room and it sits on some land with a cow named Dolly. There were people staying in the hotel so I couldn’t really explore.

                                                                  

     After driving back to Boise, I changed my clothes and put on my tennis shoes so I could walk to dinner. I was craving pizza so I googled the best pizza near me. There were several options and on the list was Wiseguy Pizza. I now know why it made the list. This pizza was absolutely amazing! I stuffed my face as full as I could! 

                                                                  

    Since hiking hadn’t turned out, I had done some research on new things to do while I was in Boise. Several hot springs came up so I decided to check out one that was close by, if there were any. I ended up finding The Springs. It was a natural hot spring but had been turned into a pool. They were booked but I got on the waitlist. While I was exploring the day before my turn came up and I booked a spot at the hot springs. I checked out of my hotel and drove 50 minutes out of Boise to the venue. The staff was amazing. I got my locker and grabbed a book and went out to the pool. I met some people that were from Wisconsin so we chatted for several hours. I soaked until my hands and feet were so wrinkly! I floated on a pool noodle. 2 hours in, I decided to take a break. I don’t know why I brought my book because I never opened the cover. The spa offers food and drinks right on the pool deck. When I was soaking, I looked at the ring that I have been wearing for almost 20 years. It was silver when I got in but it turned colors because of the composite of the water.I freaked out a bit until one of the people I was talking to told me that I just had to clean it and it would be back to normal. The staff kept my credit card on file and after my soaking time was up, I showered and checked out. It was such a relaxing process. The spa is a family friendly place but I went on a day that was 18+. Reservations need to be made in advance and don’t forget a towel! 

                                                          

    Boise was never really on my list of places to go but because I am trying to visit all 50 states, I have a few left, so I took the opportunity that was given to me and made the best of it. It exceeded my expectations. Boise is very friendly. In Minnesota we might be Minnesota Nice but Boise might be a close second! Almost everyone I came in contact with was extremely nice. Even when I was driving people were doing the farmer’s wave from their steering wheel. Boise is full of green spaces. I noticed it the first morning I was out. In the middle of the city were big areas of green spaces and there were lots of parks. It made it seem more peaceful. Many people were out riding their bikes because Boise is a bike friendly area! It is also pedestrian friendly. I walked almost everywhere I went downtown. It was easier for me to walk instead of having to navigate parking but there are a lot of garages if you do decide to drive but I was only in the car if I was going a farther distance! Most everything I went to was less than a mile from my hotel. It was so great to get out and enjoy all the Boise has to offer. It also helped that the weather was beautiful the whole time I was there. Who wouldn’t want to get outside and explore! 

    Whenever I travel, people usually ask if I’d go back. My answer is always no and it takes people by surprise. I say no because there are so many places I want to explore so going back isn’t really something I’d do, with the exception of Florida and North Carolina. Personal reasons for those but I did tell my best friend about my experience and I told her that I would come back. That being said, it would be after I have been to all 50 states or someone “forced” me to go by saying Oh, Craters of the Moon is open or you can finally hike that trail you wanted or I really want to go, please come with me! Then I’d go but I hope you get what I mean. There are so many places in this world to explore and I am checking them off one at a time! 

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    Stay blessed!