Day 5 – Snowville, UT to Boise, ID
Our drive on a nicer stretch of highway made a big difference, but the wind was awful. As soon as we rolled into town, I (L) declared the need for ice cream.
Lovejoy ice cream shop made quick work of that request. I ordered a double scoop of Mordor. It was easily 2 cups of ice cream! The shop had swings, and we had the nicest chat with the woman working there.
We decided to explore the Boise nightlife a little and found some cute bars:
- 10th Street Social – where a guy told us the zoo and gardens were okay, but to skip the aquarium. whew!
- Nook – same guy ended up there, owner was as lovely as my drink, met a really nice bartender (and a not-so-nice one)
- Karma – wow is this place fun. I loved that the music was louder on the dance floor, but much more quiet everywhere else. You could really talk. We danced with a young woman (the instigator!) and her friends for a couple of songs. We were there so early that we got to sit in one of the VIP velvet thrones. We picked purple.
- Devil’s Den tiki bar – a fun theme bar with some flaming drinks
- Space Bar – an arcade bar with a second hidden bar in the back – our bartender from Nook ended up here after her shift ended, so we hung out with her and her boyfriend (where we learned more about her awesome owner and the not-so-nice bartender).
- Pie Hole – our new friends told us about this cheap-but-great pizza by the slice alongside very cheap beer. There is a constant line, but it moves very fast. They have a great staff and a fined-tuned process. Upon on our new friends’ recommendation, I had the pizza with thin rounds of potato. I used to get potato pizza at all the time in Northgate, but this one was way better with thinner slices of potato.
Day 6 – brunch, recycling, zoo, campus, downtown bar hopping
Recycling here seems to be almost non existent. We called and Googled and looked on iOverlander. E was ready to give up and trash our collection. I was more determined, so we put the bags in the Jeep and headed out.
At the suggestion of our new friends, we tried to go to Goldy’s for brunch (and found a recycling can on that block), but it was an hour wait, so, we went to Waffle Me Up, instead. It shares space with Boise Fry Company “where the burgers come on the side!” Six different kinds of potatoes are offered in their fries: yam, sweet potato, purple potatoes (when in season), red, gold, and yukon. My waffle was great, but I wish I’d seen the fries first!
From there, we went to the (very sad) Boise Zoo. I’m not sure what is going on there, but a very large number of the enclosures were “under renovations”, but with no construction. It’s summer and hot, so it was already difficult to see some of the animals. The zoo seemed to have plenty of sponsors, so I’m not sure what is going on there.
Next, we just wanted water and air conditioning, so we drove around the campus a little bit. We saw their sequoia tree, and we even walked over and saw the famous Boise State blue football field. It is so much brighter in real life than it looks on TV! There aren’t any sorority houses, so I didn’t get to see mine, but it’s a nice little campus.
For the evening, we returned to the same bars district.
- Amsterdam was a bit on the swanky side. Staff were dressed like a high-end club. A video wall was a cool feature for TikTokers. Even the bathroom was classed up with reflective 3d glass tiles and gold hardware. The cocktails were unique, pretty, and mine was yummy. But you could also tell that this place gets packed with college kids at night; my bartender was a little off her game. While sitting by the window, we saw quite a few flappers go by. They all looked amazing. So after we left, we walked in their direction looking for a fundraiser or event. We gave up after about 3 blocks and…
- …ended up at a sunken bar, Zin, where we watched a very talented bartender make some amazing drinks. This fancy cocktail bar even brings your check in an old book.
- At Mode Lounge, we had a private booth with a velvet curtain.
- Someone had told us about two speakeasies near by. Gatsby’s has a strict thematic dress code and requires reservations. We found a door in an alley, with a green light, with a sign that was only a picture of a key. The password was not “key” but the sweet hostess smiled anyway, and we did not have a reservation, so we found the hidden swanky one. But then we saw the sign for the other one.
- Suite 104 Speakeasy is “Boise’s worst kept secret” and had a mocktail compelling enough for E to order it: carbonated lemonade. We’ll be making him these, for sure. We’ll just start with half lemonade and half Sprite and adjust from there.
- We rounded out our night back at Pie Hole. Two slices of pepperoni, a PBR, and a Dr Pepper was less than $11. I think they are on to something, here.
- On our way back to the Jeep, we ran into another flapper and finally got to ask. They had been at an anniversary party, and then a big group of them went to Gatsby’s, too!
- When we passed Amsterdam, it was packed with college kids. I could almost hear them spilling their drinks.
Day 7 – food
Across the street from our campground was Sarah’s. It’s mostly breakfast and lunch sandwiches on bagels, and it was great!
We spent the early afternoon doing a few things around the RV and playing with our screens. When we got hungry again, we headed to Boise Fry Company (soooo good) and did a little Jeepin’ Around near some farms.
Day 8 Boise ID to Boardman OR
Ooooof what a drive. So many curves, so many hills, and quite a bit of rain, too. We did get to drive alongside train tracks for a long time. Crossing into Oregon was a #NewState for me.
Our campground along the Columbia river is green and lush. We hit a local burger stand. At the weekly Farmers’ Market, I think there were eight vendors including a D&D vendor with dice and dragons. A nearby bar at a lodge was also a good find. They have a great breakfast menu.
Sunset over Washington behind the Columbia was beautiful.
