Written by Kim
Well part of the reason we came to Boise was to be able to take a short drive over the border to check off Oregon. We know we’re not seeing the coast of Oregon which is amazing but I’m sure we have a trip to Bandon Dunes in the future so just tipping our toe on the east coast to check the Oregon box. We drove about an hour west of Boise to see an Oregon Trail marker.
In case you don’t know much about the Oregon trail – 1,000 Americans left Missouri on May 22, 1843 toward new lives in Oregon County. During next 2 decades more than 50,000 migrated to the land of abundance. Oregon Trail was 2,000 miles long.
To make it official we went to Dollar Tree to buy a few things in Oregon and also bought stamps to mail a gift.
We saw lots of corn and potatoe fields on our way back to Idaho. Idaho delivers the most potatoes in the US and it is approx 13% of their overall income. It’s serious business here. On the news last night I learned that potatoes are graded and the best ones are good for French fries but the smoke from forest fires which always occur affect the potato crops so farmers try to predict what they will plant based on forecasted fires. Wow. I didn’t order any fries while here but tried Alex’s yesterday and they were delicious. Like Belgium they don’t use ketchup but have all kinds of fry sauce which is Mayo, ketchup and other spices and stuff.
We took a bike tour with Boise Bike Tours to see Boise (pronounced Boy-see with no Z sound like I do). Our tour guide, Shawn, told us that it was 8 miles but my Apple Watch said we road 10.2 miles. Either way I was happy to get the exercise. Shawn is a lifelong resident of this area so was very informative. If you’re ever in Boise we highly recommend it.
Boise is the capital city of Idaho with about 250,000 population. Boise’s name came from a French word meaning “wooded” so is now called the city of trees. Our tour took us along the Greenbelt. The Boise River Greenbelt is one of Boise’s most beloved parks. The 25-mile tree-lined pathway follows the north and south sides of the Boise River through the heart of the city and provides scenic views, wildlife habitat and pedestrian access to many of Boise’s popular riverside parks. There are over 100 parks many through donated land of historic people in Boise.
On our tour we visited the Anne Franks Memorial. It was dedicated Dedicate to the public in 2002, the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial was built by the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights as an educational park designed to actively engage visitors to think, to talk with one another, and to respond to the human rights issues we face in our community, our country and our world. This memorial was created in partial response to Ruby Ridge incident of 1992.
Boise has two statues of President Abraham Lincoln. The first is on the capitol grounds in front of Idaho’s statehouse. It is the oldest Lincoln statue in the West. The other Lincoln is a giant sculpture, 9 feet tall, and he’s sitting on a bench. You can sit with him in Julia Davis Park. Why two Lincolns in Idaho? He signed the act creating Idaho Territory in 1863 because all of the gold helped fund the Civil War.
A key attraction in Boise is Freak Alley Gallery where local artists are allowed to show their work. Boise has strict laws around graffiti (and also homeless sleeping on the streets) so the city is very clean and safe. It’s important to note that many homeless shelters are available for those who need them.
We visited the Capitol building. It is crazy that you can just walk right in and look around. No security, metal detectors or bureaucracy. Boise is an extremely clean city – no graffiti and no homeless on the streets. Shawn explain that there are very high fines for both and that the city has many shelters where the homeless can sleep. Boise is an isolated city that’s not easy to get to so there are few transients – you either live here or made a point to visit. Few pass through like we are doing.
Boise is a very green city. It has an extensive canal and geothermal pools beneath it. It’s basically a desert on a former volcano. Its history with geothermal energy dates back to the 1890s, when geothermal water was first used to heat homes and businesses. Today, Boise’s geothermal system heats over 90 buildings downtown, including City Hall and the YMCA, and melts snow from sidewalks. The system delivers naturally heated water at 177 degrees through over 20 miles of pipeline. It’s a beautiful and very clean city.
We went to the Boise State Football stadium to see the blue field which was installed in 1986 to bring attention to BSU. The fun fact is that BSU used to be an airport. Formed in 1926 by Walter Varney, the airline was based in Boise, Idaho, United States. The airline is one of the predecessors of United Airlines.
The Simplot Company, founded in 1929 by a man from a small town in Idaho named J.R. Simplot, revolutionized the frozen French fry industry. His early customer was Mc Donald’s so became a millionaire quickly. The company headquarters is in Boise. Jack’s vision was to grow food for the world – and to provide opportunities for the Idaho community he loved so much. JUMP, or Jack’s Urban Meeting Place, is a nonprofit interactive creative center and community gathering place that offers all kinds of classes and experiences to push people out of their comfort zone to reach new potential. A very cool concept!
After a fun day on our bike tour we headed to Bittercreek Alehouse for a few beers and dinner
Need to post my signs. First the Idaho one I missed a few days ago but got today when we left and came back. And also Oregol.
Tomorrow we will leave Boise and head to Salt Lake City. Until then….
