Transition

Since we have to arrive at our work assignment sometime tomorrow, today has the task of getting us set up for this arrival.  And that means heading back west towards the Boise area.  And picking up supplies and groceries on the way.  But we had all day to do it, so there was time for some exploring.

We talked with our hosts for a few minutes before taking off this morning.  What fun getting to know new people.  We invited them and urged them to visit Michigan sometime, and we could return the favor.

We picked up some groceries at a Walmart in Mountain Home and then arrived for our field trip of the day at the Old Idaho Penitentiary.  Built in 1870, this is one of only four territorial prisons open to the public today.  This was there even before Idaho achieved statehood.

We paid the extra two bucks a head for the guided tour, well worth it as we could hear several stories from the rich lore of this prison, including that of Dennis, one of the longest serving inmates.  Dennis served 16 years here, and is the only inmate buried within these walls.  Dennis was a cat, found as a kitten in the prison barn in 1952, and was allowed to stay despite the no-pet policy.

This prison featured several riots, executions, famous inmates, and a bunch of escapes, the most famous one being a native American woman who climbed over the wall when a guard was distracted and ended up 200 miles away, all on foot, and was never caught.

It was rush hour when we got out so it took us some time to get to Costco, where we picked up some more supplies, got our flu shot, and picked up a pizza for dinner.  We figured the traffic would improve as we stayed in the parking lot and ate dinner, but we were wrong.  Interstate 84 was nearly stopped all the way through Boise, so we didn’t arrive at our camping spot for the night until 7pm.  So we ended up doing quite a bit of driving today despite only traveling about 160 miles.

So now we are camped in someone’s driveway, out amongst the farm fields west of Boise/Nampa.  This area reminds me of the Yakima Valley where I grew up, with its canal system of irrigation, dust, dry grass everywhere, low hills on the horizon and the patchwork of farms. The one thing it doesn’t have is orchards or vineyards.  Maybe that will come.