The City of Trees
As we made our way out of the bustling metropolis of Seattle the traffic slowly dissipated, and the scenery started to change. We wound our way through lushly forested hills to find ourselves traversing the high plains of Eastern Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
After a long day on the road, we arrived in Boise (the City of Trees) and immediately made our way to my friend Molly’s house, which was nestled against golden foothills that framed the northern edge of the city. We received a warm and familiar welcome from Molly and were quickly introduced to her adorable and bashful son Felix who was quickly approaching his bedtime but stayed up to welcome us to his city.
After being treated to a delicious home-made curry and catching up over a delicious local brew, we called it a night, tired from a long day on the road, but happy to be reunited with a dear friend and excited to explore the city the next day.
We woke up early the next morning, ate some delicious PB&J old fashion oats, and headed out Molly’s back yard for a hike on the extensive trail system that lies only a few hundred feet away from her back gate. We got an early start to beat the mid-day heat and Molly and Felix took turns showing us the way around the local trails.
Our local hiking guides, Molly and Felix
When we got back to the house, the temperature was approaching the 90’s and our stomachs were approaching empty, so we cleaned ourselves up and headed out for lunch. We ate at a delicious local eatery only a few blocks from Molly’s house while being serenaded (or at times screamed at) by a young musician, clearly practicing for his big break. After lunch, Molly and Felix headed back home for a nap and Pat and I headed towards the city center to explore downtown Boise.
We walked past city hall just in time to witness an outdoor wedding and a bizarre but thankfully low speed traffic accident. Pat ended up providing witness testimony for the accident before we continued our surprisingly eventful tour of the city. After checking out the local shops, we decided to take refuge from the soaring temperatures at 10 Barrell Brewing and met up with some of Pat’s friends from Notre Dame who were also visiting Boise over the holiday weekend.
After catching up with Pat’s friends and cooling off with some local brews, we headed to Payette Brewing, another local favorite, to meet up with Molly, Felix and Molly’s dad Tim. The brewery had a great shaded outdoor patio, complete with a garden of hops, yard games, and a food truck selling surprisingly delicious sushi. We spent the evening catching up and reminiscing before heading back home for an early night in preparation for an early start to another long day on the road.
After exchanging some sleepy, yet sincere goodbyes with Molly and Felix, the sunrise guided us out of the City of Trees and back onto the roads that would continue to bring us further east.
