Burns & Boise

It came time to begin our trek to Hurricane, but we wanted one final destination before we relinquished Gigantor and the Whale to its new owners. We set our sights on Sun Valley, Idaho, and it would take use three drives to get there. First was the dusty little town of Burns, in eastern Oregon. The Old Camp Casino allowed dry camping in their parking lot for free, so we pulled in to check it out. Turns out it was better than many private parks we've paid good money to stay at.


Although it was hot when we arrived, we pulled into a shady area, and the dry desert air cooled off after sunset.


We spent a pleasant evening there, and almost wished we could stay longer.


Continuing eastward we arrived at a campground in Boise, Idaho. We were in for a surprise though, as when we stepped out into the searing heat, we found one of our trailer tires was flat! We slowly rolled into our site, and, dripping with sweat, I removed the bad tire and installed the spare. I then inflated the bad tire and found a puncture, which I repaired with a plug kit I've been carrying around for 2 1/2 years. Adding air once more, however, I found that the puncture was not the only problem - the steel belting within the tire had failed, so the tire was completely destroyed.


The next day, another scorcher, we tried to get the bad tire replaced on warranty, only to find that trailer tires are apparently not warranted by their manufacturer. The dealer we bought these from would have replaced it, but they are in Indiana, so we just had to find a local tire shop and buy a new one, which we did.

The heat was so bad - blazing sun and 100 degrees, that our air conditioner was overwhelmed. We even hung a tarp over the sunny side to help keep control of the inside temperature. The only relief we found was to walk down to the river which bordered the campground, and dip our feet in its cool waters. We'd bring our camp chairs and a pair of gin & tonics down there and sit until we felt human again.

Desperate for exercise, I got up early one morning and got on the bike trail that stretches for over 20 miles along the river that cuts through Boise. Along the way I passed a bike jump park, where I gave myself a refresher course in table-top jumps...


...and stopped to watch white water kayakers play in the wash below a breached dam:


I made it into downtown, and rode up the city streets to the capitol.


Boise seemed like a pretty nice little city. Too bad it was so freakin' hot, or we would have explored it more thoroughly. Maybe next time.