Scenic drives near Boise, ID

Our primary reason for spending a week in the Boise area was to visit square dance friends from Yuma, Jim and Myra Kemper.  Although Myra was already a dancer at the time, she and Jim were in our beginner Mainstream class several years ago, and we’ve become good friends.

Actually, the first order of the week was square dancing.  On Wednesday night, we danced with their club, the Capitol Squares.We were surprised to learn that another couple we dance with in Yuma, George and Leola Neumayer, are also Boise summer residents.

It was a very enjoyable evening. 

Jim and Myra treated us to some great scenic drives.  The first was a loop through the nearby mountains, and was actually parts of 3 designated Idaho scenic drives.

First stop on the drive was the dam over the Boise river just at the edge of the city.Several kite surfers were enjoying the gorgeous weather.

We ate lunch in Idaho City, once a booming gold mining community.  The restaurant, Trudy’s Kitchen, was filled with enough antiques to be an antique shop.

The pies were unbelievable, both in size and taste!

Continuing on the drive, we ascended rapidly into pine forests.

The size of some of the Ponderosa pines are amazing.  This photo is not an optical illusion from the angle taken; the trees really are this tall!  From high in the mountains, the view is fantastic. As we continued our drive, it wound alongside the South Fork of the Payette River.  The river flow, placid at first, gained in intensity.  We stopped to watch some rafters negotiate the first of increasing difficult rapids.

Our last stop of the day was at Rainbow Bridge, on the North Fork of the Payette.  Myra says this is one of the most photographed sites in Idaho.  We could certainly see why; the scene is beautiful.

Jim entertained us on his organ one evening before dinner, playing many of the old standard tunes.Later in the week,  they took us on a drive to a nearby ski resort.     

From high up the mountain, you can see miles down into Boise and far beyond. 

Monday, we spent with Donna and Glenn, their last day on the trip with us. On Tuesday,they left to head back to Texas.  We decided to stay in Boise one more day to do some shopping and have a last visit with Jim and Myra.  They drove us south this time, past the community of Kuna to the dam on the Snake River. It was a good week.