New Times with Old Friends

Over a week has gone by since my last post!  Ending our drive through Oregon and into Idaho, we made an overnight stop at a Fairground on the Oregon/Idaho border.  We had some fun with the rodeo animals in residence and shook out our traveling legs with a walk and called it a day.

The next morning brought us to Boise and our rendezvous with dear

friends, the Fiechters, who we met on our sailing adventures 4 years ago.  Their boys, then 9 and 11, had shot up to towering teenagers and it was so great to see them again!  Christine was out of work early and we wasted no time before heading up to a local trail favorite and enjoying some exercise and great views of Boise from the surrounding foothills.

Boise is a surprisingly wonderful city!  I had few expectations other than fun with friends but found Boise and the surrounding area to be very alluring.  With mountain ranges in just about all directions and the Snake River nearby, nature and activity were not in short supply!  The weather was just perfect with sunny days near 80ish and we took full advantage.

The second day we were thrilled to have Christine with us again and we headed to Table Rock, another great hike within a ½ hour drive of their neighborhood.  Trails wound in every direction and even on a Friday were covered with hikers, mountain bikers and trail runners.  Quite an active population in the area! 

Evenings were spent enjoying the company of each other – card games, bbq, a Holy City beer tasting party with their friends, movie night – you name it!  We had several jam sessions with Rob and Logan on guitar, Cole on drums, Mark on harmonica and Christine and I playing various forms of percussion and singing. 

Of course, there was playing fetch with Emma (their 7 month old pup), feeding the pack goats (more to come on THAT!) or watching the chickens peck around the yard.  I even had a chance to participate in some “animal husbandry” when a chicken in distress needed some attention!

The weekend meant that Mark was off and the fun was on!  Saturday we loaded up their three pack goats for a day long hike in yet another wonderful locale.  With Sanuk, Bevis and Elvis and their gear in the trailer, we headed for the hills.  We hiked for hours up, down and around the hills.  We met up with a Mexican shepherd leading 7 horses over a peak.  We found the sheep around another hill and encountered the Great Pyrenees and their amazing herding skills.  After competing with the goats for our picnic and taking a much deserved rest, we headed back to the trailer and Boise.

Sunday brought another adventure further north to the Golden Fork hot springs.  The kids stayed behind with their electronics and homework and we had a fun 2+ hour drive in the hills and a GREAT day of hot springs in the gorgeous pools and setting.  We shared some beers, made some friends and had a lot of laughs.  The night brought homemade pizza and more camaraderie and the weekend was over already.

The next three days passed quickly.  With the gang preoccupied, we set to taking care of some business and exploring on our own.  We wandered the neighborhood, did some laundry and shopping and had the hydraulic jacks repaired and water pump replaced on the RV.   We drove down to the Snake River and Celebration Park where we got in a great hike, saw some ancient petroglyphs and met a wonderful park interpreter that explained the origins and Indians of the area.   We then celebrated Mark’s birthday with the full complement of crepe paper, balloons and ice cream cake!

Our last day we visited the Birds of Prey Center and learned that it’s the largest bird conservation area in the country with an impressive facility and a long list of accomplishments.  Before we knew it, it was our last night with dinner and a final jam session.  The kids got to bed late and Mark and Christine joined us in the RV for a nightcap.  We had some more laughs about our time in the Bahamas and the new memories we created. 

After a short night’s sleep, we were up to see the kids off to school and say our goodbyes and we’re back on the road.  “Saying goodbye is such sweet sorrow” but with Yellowstone and some great parks ahead, one certainly cannot complain!