Hello Everyone!
Greetings from sunny Bend, Oregon. It feels like this week has lasted considerably longer than the seven days since I last wrote. Unfortunately, I was falling into a bit of a funk in Idaho as everything seemed to still be closed for the winter. From roads and trails to campgrounds and museums, I constantly felt like it was more effort than it should have been to find things to see and do. And since it was cold out there, I struggled to get out of bed in the morning. I wouldn’t say I was depressed, just kind of bored and anxious to be out exploring, as summer is fast approaching and this may be the last summer I have off from work for a while. I want to make the absolute most of it. A little dose of Oregon was just what the doctor ordered. Oregon has been bright and sunny since I arrived over the weekend and it’s been amazing to be out on the trail, chasing waterfalls and beautiful scenery and finding things open around town. I will look forward to seeing more of northern Idaho in a few weeks, but for now it is great to be back in the Beaver State.
After finishing this post last week, I set out into the night to enjoy one last wander through downtown Boise, a city I have come to really enjoy and feel comfortable in over the last year. I stopped into Gatsby’s 1920 speakeasy, where the correct password got me buzzed in through the plain door in a dark alley. Once the door shut behind me I found myself in a small library where a bookshelf was swung inward to reveal a beautiful old wood-paneled bar. I had a nice cocktail and then moved on to Press and Pony, another prohibition era bar, where a Guinness seemed to be the best option. I wound up back at my old favorite, The Pengilly Saloon, for some live music and a nightcap to end my time in Boise for now.
Hello Everyone,
It’s been a pleasant but quiet week here in southern Idaho. I spent the early part of the week in the Magic Valley out by Twin Falls, and the latter part of the week in the Treasure Valley here in Boise. The weather started off sunny, quickly turned cold with freezing rain pelting down on me, progressed into some beautifully warm and sunny days and is finishing off cold and rainy. It is nice to be here in Boise, a comfortable and familiar city, and I’ve actually been taking it easy here the last couple of days as I needed to take a breather from the road and this is a good place to do just that. I’ve been able to catch up with a few friends, get some much-needed supplies delivered from Amazon, resupply on food and water and get ready for the road ahead. It’s been a good week on the road.
After finishing up this post last week, I set off to explore downtown Twin Falls. I’ve been to Twin Falls a few times before, but never really had any time to check it out. The downtown area was really quiet on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, and I had the streets almost all to myself. There are some great old buildings around, but mostly Twin Falls is a modern city. There’s a nice city park in the middle of town with an amazing old band shell which still apparently hosts the Twin Falls Municipal Band it was built for in the summertime, although it’s now called the Magic Valley Symphony. There’s a magical old post clock on Main Avenue, a couple of nice statues and some interesting historical signs to help understand how the city has changed over the years. I stopped for a delightful pint of porter at Koto Brewing Company and then headed out of the city center for the night.
Well, it’s been a pretty quiet week out here on the road. I spent the first part of the week in Boise before heading west back into Oregon on Monday and then south into Nevada yesterday. Today I find myself in Winnemucca, an interesting little town in the north central part of the state. I’ve been traveling through a sparsely populated area so there hasn’t been a lot to see or get into, but I finished my book (The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides about the last journey of Captain Cook which I highly recommend), got a few walks in and stumbled into some cool little towns. I’ve enjoyed the solitude, the mountainous desert terrain and the peace and quiet…
Happy New Year Y’all and greetings from Boise. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever other holiday you may have been celebrating this month. I had a nice time in New Hampshire with my family over the last couple of weeks, with a fantastic Christmas at my brother’s house. The last two days included a long drive back to Washington DC and then an equally long flight back to the West Coast yesterday, so I’m pretty beat. I’ll tell you - it is one thing to gently ease into winter temperatures over the months while living in my van and another thing entirely to have central heat for a month and then glide back into Idaho winter at the end of December. But I’m very happy to be back with my van and with you fine people.
Hello Everyone,
It’s always good to be home. Home is definitely sweeter when you come in off the road, especially when it’s cold and dark out there. December is a great month to be in Washington D.C. and I’m really looking forward to a few weeks of rest before getting back out there at the end of the month. I have plenty to do while I’m home as I need to sort out my dad’s estate, work at my uncle’s house and help my folks out with a number of things, but I’m also looking forward to holiday shows, playing music with my friends and quiet nights by the fire. I’m not going to lie, 2025 was an incredibly difficult year for me and I’m very much looking forward to putting it behind me. 2026 is going to be better. It should be a very busy year and I am looking forward to it very much, so I hope to be well rested by the time it kicks off. I did have a nice week in Eastern Oregon and Boise, though and I want to tell you all about it, so let’s jump into it.
