After a restful weekend consisting of enriching conversations over great meals, tempurpedic mattresses and interactions with Bruno (the Bergmann's italian greyhound) and Andrew (their 35 year old parrot), we are moving onward with a great appreciation for the city of Boise, Idaho. Boise was inviting, refreshing, and active. The north-end of Boise (where we stayed), is tucked up in the foothills and the dynamic terrain allows for bikers, hikers or leisurely strollers to easily explore the rolling hills. After being in the car for numerous hours on Friday, we attempted to explore these hills with a casual "trail run" on Saturday afternoon. Our overzealous nature initially took over as we sprinted up the steep incline but we quickly found that our sea-level lungs couldn't quite hang with the altitude. Walking at a very slow pace for the next 15 minutes, we tried to regain our confidence that was shattered right from the start by jogging again. However, the confidence again dissipated when a local teenager came sprinting by, leaving us in the dust. In the end, at least we tried.
Today, we strolled around downtown Boise & relished in the crisp yet sunny weather. We ate the best eggs benedict of all time at Goldy's (the two hour wait was worth it), sipped on pumpkin pie spiced lattes at Flying M Coffeshop, and browsed through tunes at the local Record Exchange. Although we didn't buy any records, we further enhanced our hipster facade by purchasing a few more stickers to spruce up Rhonda's look from behind. We have no idea what a Rolling Stones or John Lennon sticker has to do with our trip's mission but we must admit they look pretty sweet (we will upload a picture soon). Anyways, after saying goodbye to our generous Boise hosts, we hit the open road with hopes of reaching California by Wednesday. Thus, next stop: Reno, Nevada.
What is the one thing you can see and know you are in the middle of nowhere? If you guessed a tumbleweed then you are absolutely correct. Yes, we have confirmed that they do exist and are not just a Hollywood prop used in John Wayne movies. Along with seeing live tumbleweeds, three more things are worth mentioning: 1. We passed through three states in three hours (Idaho, Oregon, Nevada) 2. We passed a sign saying 'Next gas station: 120 miles'...luckily Frankie J was full 3. We passed through numerous towns that had somehow found a way to attach a Casino to every gas station, fast food restaurant, arcade and motel. All of these signs point to the fact that we are very far from home and in moving farther away from home, we continue to grow, learn and see more each day. And that is the best part of traveling. As Ryszard Kapuściński (try pronouncing that one) explains in Travels with Herodotus, “A journey, after all, neither begins in the instant we set out, nor ends when we have reached our door step once again. It starts much earlier and is really never over, because the film of memory continues running on inside of us long after we have come to a physical standstill." And with those words in mind, we say goodnight from Reno.
the shadows of Frankie J and Rhonda posing at the place of the tumbleweed sighting
Today, we find graditude in irrelevant stickers, a quick encounter with the state of Oregon, and the comfort in knowing that everything we see, learn and experience while on the road will somehow continue on.
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