Coming to Boise is a bit like coming home.
Another stay at Mt. View RV Park by the airport. Pretty noisy with the freeway and airport nearby but it doesn't bother us and it is nice and clean and convenient to places we like to go.
And there are flowers!
Time to locate some more of the places we have lived in. This was the first house we lived in when we first came to Boise in 1968. Home of the killer cat that took down the living room drapes when we left her alone for a week-end.
Some are in a better state of repair than others.
Went by the High School that Kevin and Cynthia attended. There are some new buildings and new sports fields but the main portion remains the same.
Sandy Point Beach at Lucky Peak is really nice now. It was OK 30 years ago but much nicer now.
On hot summer days this was THE place to be.
Nice to see Lucky Peak Lake is full.
The first couple of days we were in Boise the smoke was in the air making for pastel colored skies but breezes came up and cleared the air for the rest of our visit.
We spent a nice afternoon walking around downtown Boise. Boise is a city under construction. The signs of growth are everywhere.
They have kept some of the old. The Idanha Hotel has been here since 1901. She has lost some of her luster but she is still here.
Freak Alley has only been here since 2002.
Public Art that changes frequently.
It began with a painting of a single alley doorway and now extends from the alley itself to a gravel parking lot.
Boise has plenty of oddball cultural traditions of its own.
In 1960, Boise was a small city, with a population of barely 34,000. It has exploded over the past fifty-some years to about 215,000—over 615,000 if you count the entire Boise Metropolitan Area.
Boise is good at repurposing. The Mode was a high end department store until the 90's.
Boiseans are pleasant and friendly with a sense of humor.
This amazing building is JUMP. Jack's Urban Meeting Place is a not-for-profit, interactive creative center and community gathering place in the heart of downtown Boise.
I think that Boise is a "stand out" city. Always growing, always beautiful and always something to do.
Atop this lush green hill once stood the J.R. Simplot home. The billionaire Simplot had donated the house and property to the state of Idaho in 2004 to be used as a governors house. However the state determined the property was too expensive to maintain. The property was returned to the Simplot family (Mr. Simplot died in 2008) and the house was demolished but the family plans to keep the huge flag flying and keep the massive hill green.
As we came down Bogus Basin Road from Simplot hill we passed the house we lived in when Kevin was born. It is there somewhere behind the trees.
The highlight of a Boise trip is visiting with Larry and Julie Tueller. They are two of our very favorite people. So fun, full of life and very interesting to visit with. They have a beautiful home with a yard that turns me green with envy. We love hearing about their great family and their love and kindness is such an example to us.
The week in Boise came to an end and we were on the road again.
First stop Craters of the Moon National Monument.
We haven't spent time here since the early 70's.
The craters of the Craters of the Moon are of volcanic origin. No meteorite impacts here.
In the 70's there were no paths like this to follow. Kevin and Cynthia happily ran across the flows wherever they wanted. Unrestricted access resulted in extensive damage to the area and paths were put in and now you must stay on the paths.
There is a mysterious beauty in these lava lands. This is called the "Triple Twist" tree and tests take of it show it showed it to be at least 1,350 years old. The tree began growing after the last eruption, so the lava flow around it must be at least 1,350 years old. There are photos of the tree in the 1950's and it was alive then.
There are several different kinds of lava. This is pahoehoe lava. Pahoehoe means ropy in Hawaiian. It looks like stretched taffy.
This was my favorite. Blue Dragon lava. The photo does not do it justice. In the sunlight it is intensely blue. The blue color comes from a thin outer layer of lava that contains titanium magnetite crystals. These abundant crystals reflect the blue light.
Most geologists agree that volcanic activity seen on the surface today began at Craters of the Moon about 15,000 years ago. Since then, there have been eight periods of volcanic activity. Each period lasted from a few years to a few hundred years.
These monoliths are part of a crater wall that after the explosion were carried along on top of the lava flow and deposited at their new location.
The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles.
NASA's Apollo Astronauts Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, Eugene Cernan, and Joe Engle learned basic volcanic geology here in 1969 as they prepared for their moon missions.
All plants and animals that live in and around Craters of the Moon are under great environmental stress due to constant dry winds and heat-absorbing black lavas that tend to quickly sap water from living things.
This is a cinder cone where climbing is allowed. The black soil on and around cinder cones does not hold moisture for long, making it difficult for plants to establish themselves so it remains bare.
There are lots of lava tubes and caves. Walt can remember exploring tubes and caves as a kid in the lave fields near his home. Just lowering a rope and in you go.
Luckily the day was pleasant and only in the high 70's because the heat can be brutal with all these black rocks.
Craters of the Moon is a dormant rather than an extinct volcanic area. The volcanoes here are not dead, only sleeping. Indications of impending eruptions -- earthquakes, the opening of steam vents, and ground swelling -- have not occurred recently. However, geologists believe that the area will become active within the next 1,000 years. Opinions vary on that! Some I read said they feel it will happen in the next 100 years. Another rugged Idaho place that here feels like stepping into another world.
We love rugged out of the way places. They offer their own sense of beauty and adventure.
" I think it's my adventure, my trip, my journey and I guess my attitude is, let the chips fall where they may."
Leonard Nimoy