Gypsy & The Navigator

We Are Headed South........And It Is Hot

Leaving Boise our first stop was Willard Bay, UT.   We spent a couple days at the State Park Campground.  Luckily it was overcast so it wasn't too hot. 

On our first walk down to the lake shore we saw evidence of deer in the area.  Walt said " I don't know why deer would be in the area because the water is salt water as part of the Great Salt Lake."  Shows how long he has been gone from the area.  Willard Bay is no longer salt water.  The bay was separated from the Great Salt Lake in 1964, and has since served as a source of irrigation, drinking water, and recreation for the northern Wasatch Front metro area. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation designed and constructed a 36-foot high earth-filled dike to create the 26.4-square-mile enclosure. The resulting reservoir was then drained of salt water and refilled with fresh, directly from the Weber River.

Leaving Willard Bay we continued south on I15 until we met Highway 6. Highway 6 to Highway 191 is getting us to Green River, UT.

It was hot out there and those promising looking rain clouds didn't drop anything on us.

We debated if we had ever been on Highway 6 before.  We decided we had on a trip from Kanab, UT to Provo, Ut.

The trip through the Wasatch Mountains over Soldier Summit is a pretty drive. The 120 miles  section of US 6 between Spanish Fork and Green River is considered one of the deadliest stretches of highway in the United States. Whew, we made it through just fine.

Once out of the mountains it starts to look like Southern Utah.

Aaah, here are those gorgeous cliffs.

If it weren't for the triple digit temperatures it would be fun to spend a few days in the area again.  But, a quick overnight at Green River and we were on our way again.

After passing through one of my favorite towns, Moab, we stopped at Hole N The Rock.  We hadn't had any breakfast so were hoping the had somewhere to eat but nope, nothing but snacks at the little store.

We walked around a bit and looked at some of the art they had displayed.

Interesting what can be made out of things most of us throw away.

It was early and the place was just opening and I was hungry so I was grouchy and impatient so we didn't do the tour of the house in the rock.  Looked at pictures and I was good to go.

Interesting story.

A fun stop right next to highway 191 just down the road had plenty of parking so I could get my red rock, arch, photo fix.

Wilson Arch was named after Joe Wilson, a local pioneer who had a cabin nearby. It's early but it is already hot.

The rocks in the area have been sculpted by wind, water, and time.  Beautiful.

Hot, hot, hot highway south to Monticello and then taking Highway 491 to Farmington, NM.

Nice views and oh those dazzling skies.

We could see Shiprock for miles through the heated haze.  The conversation turned to our memory of our previous visit to Shiprock when we saw a dog miles away from anywhere, being followed by a coyote, that we fed whatever we had in the car but he didn't trust us enough to let us catch him.  We hoped he had a good outcome.

Another overnight stop in Kirtland, NM just outside Farmington.  Hot RV Park with no shade......what are we doing in this part of the country at this time of year? 

I'll just keep my eyes to that gorgeous sky and think cool thoughts.  Next up one of my very favorite places.

 

Zoo Boise

There was time for an outing after the reunion before we were scheduled to leave Idaho.  Several people at the reunion had been to the zoo and said they enjoyed it.  We tried to count the years since we had been at the zoo and we decided it must have been about 35 years.

What a change.  It is so much nicer and larger now.  The enclosures were clean and we were fortunate to go on a day that was overcast so not hot and the animals were pretty active.

Well, most were active.

Zoo Boise has quite a history. It is a part of the Julia Davis Park and was founded in 1916 under some interesting circumstances. When a monkey escaped from a local circus and was found near Mountain Home, Idaho the Zoo was started on the park land.

During the meat rationing of Great Depression, many animals were donated to the zoo by circuses and others who could not afford their care.

Zoo Boise has hundreds of animals.  Many are the usual ones you expect but some are a little different too.  Like this Capybara. It is the largest rodent in the world and native to South America.

The Southern Groundbill is an interesting bird.  They mostly hunt on the ground and in captivity can live up to 70 years.  They are native to Africa and now live in the wild in Hawaii because some escaped the Honolulu Zoo.

Love the complicated pattern of the stripes on the Grevy's Zebra.  Just like snowflakes no two zebras are alike. 

There is always one that has a face that only a mother could love.......like this wart hog.  Despite their scary appearance, warthogs prefer staying away from danger. They can run at a speed of almost 33 miles per hour, and have a tendency to run backwards into burrows to escape predators. The backward running ensures that predators will face its deadly tusks if they follow it.

I could watch the baboons all day long.  Pretty disturbing if you watch long.  Their behavior is so like us.  This guy laid claim to the basket and was very effective keeping it.  Then all of a sudden he stood up, threw the basket at the other baboons and walked off.  

The Komodo Dragon was happily sleeping with a smile on its face. 

The Sloth Bear was not at all interested in the kids trying to get his attention.

I left Walt behind and headed for "Butterflies in Bloom."  This is a blue morpho.

Every summer now the exhibit is the favorite of visitors.  I understand why.  I spent a very long enjoying the beauty.

All of the butterflies here come from Costa Rica. 

Until I visited here I did not know that there was such a thing as Butterfly farming.  It provides a livable income to many families in Costa Rica.

The butterflies are shipped as pupa from Costa Rica and they emerge in Boise and are released into the exhibit. The Costa Rica butterfly farms ship pupa all over the world to be exhibited. 

I enjoyed the flowers as well as the butterflies.

This gorgeous stained glass looking creature is a Malachite butterfly.  Apparently it is a very common butterfly in Costa Rica.

I was fortunate to have several butterflies land on me.  Since Walt wasn't along there weren't many photo ops but finally one landed on my arm so I could take the picture.  Little children were jealous that they weren't landing on them and I thought it would be unkind to tell them that it was because they never stood still so I just told them they must like my white hair. Might be true because that is where most of them landed. 

The magnificent owl butterfly is one of the largest butterflies in Costa Rica. It is a nocturnal butterfly with giant spots on its wings that resemble owl eyes. 

I lingered and lingered but finally I decided I'd better go before the cute young lady that was monitoring the exit do0r was going to serve eviction papers on me. 

They even have art at the zoo.

Happy we were able to make a return visit to Zoo Boise after all these years.  It seems like a good zoo where they really care about the animals. 

On To Boise For A Reunion

Leaving gorgeous Cathedral Gorge our trip through Nevada continued on to the tiny spot on the map of Jackpot, NV.

We spent several very relaxing days at the RV Park at Cactus Pete's Casino in Jackpot.  Grassy sites, lots of shade trees, great RV neighbors, quiet, peaceful, with the most excitement being the landing of private planes at the airport next door. 

Then it was on to Boise, ID......you can see why it is called "the city of trees."

Having lived in Boise for many years, leaving in the late 80's, we are continually amazed at the growth and action in Boise. We remember when driving down Capitol Boulevard from the train depot the Capitol was the tallest structure. Now it is dwarfed by lots of high rises.

The high rise downtown condos are plentiful.  I choose the penthouse one here.......$2+ million......I wonder if we could get a senior discount. 

The major change in downtown Boise that really fascinates me is JUMP.

JUMP stands for Jack's Urban Meeting Place.  It means just that........a place for Boiseans to meet.

JUMP is  funded by the J.R. Simplot family.  It is part-convention center, part-park, and part-art studio. There is also a kitchen for culinary classes, a dance studio and a five-story slide.  This day it was hosting a very colorful octopus.

It is a little bit like psychedelic meets farm event space because when J. R. Simplot passed away in 2008 he left behind his legacy and an astounding collection of vintage tractors that are now housed at JUMP.  This is all a non-profit so it is as accessible as possible to everyone.

I had no way of getting a photo that would show how huge the complex is so I found this pretty one of a night view from an opposite side than I was on.  What a gift to the community of Boise.  Walt met Mr. Simplot on several occasions and even still has a gift he gave him.  

Another fun thing to look for as you walk or drive around Boise are the painted utility boxes. 

The "Traffic Box" project challenged emerging artists and established professionals to “wrap” the nondescript utilitarian devices that control the streetlights.

From potatoes to a plug for the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy.  

The event we came to Boise for is the Harper family reunion.  It was held in the pretty Julia Davis Park.  It was Walt's turn to host the reunion so much of our time in Boise was spent running errands to get the food ready for the get together.

There was a good turn out and all of the Harper siblings were there.  Front row, Bob, Jack, and Kathy.  Back row, Bernice, Walt and Sam.  

A photo with the spouses too.  So happy we were able to do this.  Walt really enjoyed seeing his family.  Lots of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. 

The ages ran from Walts oldest brother, Bob, at 87 on down to some as young as this little cutie.  There was a lot of visiting going on and various activities were done.  Some went to the zoo, some went shopping, some went to the water park, some camped, and I hope they all had a good time.

It was Kays' (Brother Bob's wife) birthday and we went to have Birthday Cake with her and there were fireworks in her honor. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

It was so nice to reconnect with all these wonderful people and grateful we were able to make it happen.  Looking forward to next time.