Boise...Idaho!

Multnomah Falls

On Sunday we took an eight hour 'side trip' drive to Boise, Idaho. We started out early in the morning and found little traffic, but many scenic views, on our way out of Portland. As we headed east we saw several small, but very high, falls along the side of the highway. We stopped to take some pictures at the largest of them, Multnomah Falls, on Jon's recommendation. The falls are tucked into a large crevice in the cliff face with lots of evergreen trees all around, but the heavy clouds and constant threat of rain made picture taking less than ideal.

Rosarie and Ken

As we continued eastward through the Columbia River Gorge, the clouds began to clear and the tall trees gave way to high desert sagebrush. The view was spectacular and the Columbia River ran swiftly between us and the state of Washington on the other side for most of the trip. Eventually we crossed over the Snake River and into Idaho where the view changed little. The open expanse of rolling ranchlands as far as the eye could see were hemmed in only by the distant mountains all capped with snow.

Idaho State Capitol

We arrived in fine style in Eagle, Idaho, after our 8 hour ordeal on the road. Eagle is a suburb of Boise, and where our good friend, Rosarie, lives. She cooked us a great homemade meal and then we all took a stroll around her neighborhood.

On Monday, after a leisurely morning, we walked into 'downtown' Eagle, a tiny little 3-block stretch of businesses in old buildings. It was fantastic. The entire town is beautifully landscaped and lovingly cared for by the residents, and everything one could need is within easy reach of a few blocks one way or the other. We ducked into a few shops and peeked into the windows of others. In the late afternoon, at a warm 92 degrees, we watched a nasty storm brewing in the west heading right for us, but we only got a bit of lightning, a lot of wind, and almost no rain. After another nice dinner at Rosarie's house, we drank and chatted into the wee hours of the morning.

Idaho State Capitol Building

On Tuesday, with a brisk daytime high of 52 degrees, heavy clouds and the inevitability of rain, Ken and I made our way to downtown Boise. The state capital is a healthy 200,000 residents, but with no nearby cities and the geographic isolation of the area, the city feels delightfully slow-paced and welcoming. Despite the chilly weather, we made our way to the capitol building where we were shocked (and enchanted) to find no metal detectors, no bag searches, no armed guards...and in a government building no less! We were encouraged to look around by the one guard whose path we did cross, and so we poked our heads into every unlocked door we encountered in the huge building.

Dome of the Idaho State Capitol

The capitol was built in 1905 and is described as the "Capitol of Light". In comparison to other state capitols we've visited, this one is by far the brightest and lightest in color of any of them. The architects used the reflective surface of the white marble, as well as light shafts and skylights to capture natural sunlight and illuminate the interior spaces. Even a day as dreary as the one on which we visited didn't manage to dull the cheery brightness of the interior.

Interestingly, the Idaho state seal was designed by Emma Edwards Green, the only state seal in the country designed by a woman. According to the capitol's brochure, the miner represents the chief industry at the time the seal was created (1891), while the woman holding scales represents justice, freedom and equality (all things that would come to women, and then minorities, much later than 1891).

The capitol was extensively restored over 4 years beginning in 2005 and wings were added to the basement space to provide meeting halls and exhibit space. The visitor center and gift shop are now in the renovated basement. A series of watercolors by local artists adorned the walls of the two wings in the basement, and two original vault doors remain, though they guard only the visitor waiting area and (appropriately) an office for lobbyists. (One hopes the doors are occasionally locked.) On the recommendation of the visitor center clerk, we toured the Senate and House chambers, as well as the Governor's signing room. The signing room is a ceremonial office used for signing bills and for press conferences. The desk in this office has been in continuous use by the last 7 governors.

Downtown Boise

Yarn bombing

We wandered back out into the gloom and chill, and found a little bit of yarn bombing on a parking meter and a bike rack near the car. Yarn bombing is a newer phenomenon in urban settings where mischievous knitters and crocheters take to the streets (or buses or lampposts) by cover of night and adorn stuff with sleeves of yarn...like a really domesticated form of graffiti. It was endearing to see it in Boise. We spent the rest of the afternoon in and out of several thrift stores avoiding the rain and cold.

On 8th St in Boise

After dinner, Rosarie took us to her daughter's house for dessert, where we spent a bit of time getting to know Christina and her husband, Robert. We spent the rest of the evening playing games and chatting endlessly with Rosarie until 1am again. Ha!

Anne Frank Memorial, Boise, Idaho

On Wednesday, with the ugly clouds and looming rain a distant memory, we ventured out with Rosarie to see the Anne Frank Memorial, a beautiful park dedicated to human rights with quotes from the famous and not-so-famous etched in a wall above a babbling brook of water. We walked on a bridge over the fast flowing Boise River and then to the library behind the memorial.

Next, we headed to lunch at Papa Joe's, a local Italian eatery with very tasty lunches, but, sadly, low to middlin' quality cannolis. (Our western search for acceptable cannolis has yielded none on par with any of New York's Italian bakeries or Greensboro, NC's 'Delicious'. The search continues...)

Boise Train Depot

We next headed to the Boise Train Depot, a train station in name only at this point as the last Amtrak train left in 1997. We wandered around the old building and found Big Mike, a Mikado-type steam locomotive built in the 1920's by the  American Locomotive Company. The engine was donated to the city in 1959 by the Union Pacific Railroad.

Big Mike at the Boise Depot

We walked around the gardens in front of the depot and took pictures of the view down to the state capitol building. We wandered among the pools of water and watched the ducks and the fish swimming around. One duck managed to misjudge the side of the pool and bumbled gracelessly over the edge of the waterfall to the pool below...it was comical. Poor duck.

We three drove to the Capitol to take new pictures and make up for some of the bad weather pictures from the previous day. She drove us next to Hyde Park, an exclusive little neighborhood just outside the capital, where we wandered in and out of several little shops and chatted with the business owners about thus and such.

On our way back to Rosarie's house, she spotted a vintage car show at a local drive-in restaurant, so we stopped to gawk for a bit. We found a small clutch of impeccably restored old cars, some in non-vintage colors and most with non-original engines, but they were all still really cool.

Rosarie treated us to happy hour at Willow Creek Grill, where we ate and imbibed on the patio outside chatting and listening to the little creek burbling behind us. Ah, good times. We retired to her house for the rest of the evening. What a great few days!