Our morning started, bright and sunny, 23°C, with a slight haze in the sky, as we headed towards Shoshone Falls. We drove the three miles out of town to the top of the road that leads down to the falls. Directly ahead of us, on the steep, dusty gravel road, was a grader – ugh. We decided that following it down the hill, amid a cloud of dust, just to see the falls which were at very low levels was just not worth it. We pulled over at the top of the hill and took some pictures of the surrounding canyon, and agreed we would wait until our next visit to Twin Falls to see the actual falls.
We jumped on the I-84 and headed toward Boise – I was quite amazed to see that the speed limit was 80 mph (130 kph). As we headed west the sky became hazier and hazier; almost like a smoke hanging in the air. It even started smelling like smoke which was quite disconcerting considering how dry the area is. After researching it further tonight, it turns out that it was smoke – caused by the King fire just west of Lake Tahoe (almost 500 miles away).
With the exception of the weird haze the drive to Boise was quite enjoyable. The magpies that we have seen along the sides of the road for the last couple of days continued to dart and flit about, and we also saw a couple of long (and I mean long) trains.
When we arrived in Boise we stopped at a scenic viewpoint. Due to the haze in the air we weren’t even sure what the scenic view was, so we got back in the car and continued on to the downtown core for lunch. After driving around the block several times, and trying to figure out how the paid parking worked, we finally arrived at our Food Network stop.
Bar Gernika is a Basque restaurant that serves ridiculously good food. Mum had the Solomo & Salad (pork tenderloin & pimientos) and I had the Lamb Dip with croquettas. The bread that it was served on was absolutely perfect and the creamy garlic house dressing that came with the salad was divine. (They were even nice enough to give us the recipe). I definitely want to go back on our next trip to Idaho.
We then headed over to Trader Joe’s, a supermarket that Mum wanted to go to, for some fruit (which they sell by the piece, not the pound) and other supplies. On the opposite corner was an objet d’art that I believe is a representation of the Boise River. Regardless of what it is, I thought it looked neat and took a picture.
We then headed out of Boise on the Interstate, getting off near the Idaho-Oregon border onto US-20; which we continued on for the rest of the day. This highway took us through the Columbia Plateau which was quite beautiful scenery, and surprisingly quiet traffic-wise. I was even able to take a picture of the scenery, standing in the middle of the 65 mph highway – totally kewl!
Over the last few days I have been continually surprised about the landscape we’ve driven through. I never pictured Idaho and Oregon as being desert-like…I have always thought of them as mountainous, with lush farmland in the low-lying areas. This has definitely been an educational experience.
We arrived in Burns around dinner time and after a brief rest, headed out to dinner at the local Apple Peddler. I have never heard of the restaurant myself, but it seems to be a chain in the Pacific Northwest. Both Mum and I enjoyed the light dinner we had, and found the price quite reasonable. I will consider this as a possible stop on future trips if there are no local Food Network restaurants to stop at.
Well that is it for today. Thank you for reading and I will talk to you tomorrow.
L
