Moving day led us to the Hi Valley RV Park, kinda in between Eagle and Boise. Hi Valley is part of the G7 Resorts group here in Potatoville (aka: Idaho), as was Ambassador RV Resort in Caldwell, from whence we came. Hi Valley had some 194 sites, with clubhouse, pool, spa, and a nice dog park and dog run. We wanted to try to score a month-to-month there, but to our dismay they only allow so many month-to-months and there are already many sites taken up by full time residents. We are finding more and more RV parks with full time residents living in them which takes away opportunities for the traveling RVers. So we had to settle for week-to-week. Oh well…
Moving day just so happened to fall upon Jeanne’s birthday. Our friends Jim & Stacy Camara joined us for the celebratory feast at a very nice Boise dining establishment, Barbacoa’s. That place is very upscale and was PACKED! We yakked away the night and had a very nice time, culminating in a little birthday treat for Jeanne and Jim turning me on to Banana’s Foster.
They actually torched Stacy’s lamb chops at the table! I contemplated yelling ,”Fire!”, but the place was packed and I didn’t want to get arrested…Jeanne prepares to enjoy her birthday treat, some cotton candy spun around a small piece of birthday cake with a lit candle, kinda like a lantern only it wasn’t dark yet.Jim and the Bananas Foster, just after THAT fire went out! I’m starting to sense a theme here, as they torch everything they serve, well, it seems like anyway!
The next day Jeanne & I got a chance to try out our newly-tuned bicycles on the Boise Greenbelt trail. It was close to 30 miles round trip as the trail ran along the Boise River through the downtown areas of Garden City and Boise. It was about a four and a half hour ride, my butt would tell you it was 130 miles total, OUCH!
Near the beginning of our Greenbelt trail ride we passed through some housing sub-divisions that had some TERRIBLE backyard areas!More of those terrible backyards. The Greenbelt trail actually runs along both sides of the Boise River, with several bridges that crisscross and connect both sides of the trail.Jeanne mugs for the camera…One bridge crossed the river at the Boise Whitewater Park. The river is partially dammed up with small openings to create rapids where local surfers and kayakers come down to work their relative skills.“Surf’s up, Dude!”A closer view of the surfer dudes…Welcome to the Boise Whitewater Park! Yup, the trail took us along some horrible views…Low bridge! Of several parks along the Greenbelt, we found the Fireman’s Memorial with a special tribute to the 9/11 hero/victims.The Fireman’s MemorialThe 9/11 Fireman’s Memorial has the names etched on the wall and a piece of the I-beam from the wreckage… Closer up. We even passed a zoo and got spied on by a giraffe…Our return trip at the Whitewater Park we found a kayaker working the waters… He was having fun. The trail also goes right through the Boise St. campus.
Between running around checking the area out, Jeanne found out about a nearby ghost town, Silver City. We met the Camaras, packed lunches, loaded up their dogs and Woody, and we all headed out to do a little Jeepin’ on the dirt road to Silver City. It took us close to 2 hours to get there, the road was an easy Jeep road with minor washboarding and a few rocky areas to jar one’s eye teeth. As far as ghost towns go, I was a little disappointed with Silver City. There are a bunch of full time residents who live there in some of the historical buildings, and not the most friendly I have encountered. We walked around “town” and checked out the “cemetary” (sic), ate lunch, then headed back to civilization, where the Camaras invited us over to dinner at their place and we capped the day with a nice dinner and non-stop yakking about all things, including the RV life (they have an Allegro Bus that they are preparing to hit the road, albeit for a short trip).
Silver City, ghost town. The house here at this intersection is one of the private residences in town.The old drug store. The town hotel behind Jeanne.Inside the hotel lobby area. Hotel lobbyAnd yet more hotel lobby.Masonic Lodge. Schoolhouse.Kinda ruins the ambience when you see solar panels on buildings of a ghost town…The church on the hill.Welcome to the cemetery… Jeanne paying her respects to the dear departed… Somehow I don’t think he was THAT Thomas Jefferson… The town music maker…