Potato Diaries Wrap-Up

It's taken me a few days to settle back into life and its routine back home, but I wanted to post a bit of a wrap up, or some thoughts about exploring and riding in and around the Boise area. Perhaps it's unnecessary, but I had some things that kept repeating in mind throughout the trip and some that occurred to me after returning home, and so, here we are with a bit of a final post in reference to the trip to Idaho.

•  Like many cities (both large and small), the available trail systems in Nampa and Boise had both highs and lows. There were some things I preferred about riding the Idaho systems and others that I think Colorado has done a better job creating and making user-friendly. Of course, from city to city in any state, this can vary so wildly.

•  We (just generally as humans) need to chill out a bit. During my 10 days in Idaho, I heard only two car horns directed at another person - and both were toward the end of the trip. In comparison, I hear horns blaring daily here at home. Maybe some deep breathing exercises are in order for some (most?) of us.

•  The Boise River Greenbelt/MUP is pretty incredible, especially given the relatively small size of the city. I think I could've spent days exploring and riding areas just off the greenway and still not have seen everything.

•  Not only is the river trail system really great, but there are so many other areas to explore by bicycle in the hills that back the city, as well as other paths around the area. There seems to be an opportunity for both city riders and off-road riders in this area.

•  I (and apparently some others) have lazy speech habits. Most of the people I encountered or heard say the city name pronounce it BOY-see, whereas I find myself saying BOY-zee (with a soft "z" sound). Some made a particular point to emphasize the "sss" sound, so I picked up on this very quickly and will try to be better with pronunciation in the future (though I've read since being home again that this is often the way locals tell the difference between "outsiders" and those who have lived there for some time).

•  For anyone who thinks the cost of education isn't increasing, when I was ready to enroll at Boise State University several years ago, the cost for a semester of undergrad would've been $982. It was one of the reasons I was looking at going to school in Boise. For the current school year, one semester of BSU tuition is $4,107. It's been about 23-24 years since I was looking to enroll there after finishing up my general ed requirements elsewhere, but that seems like a significant jump in cost (though admittedly, still quite lower than many other universities).

•  Since I'm experiencing 90's-versus-today thoughts, the city looks nothing like I remember it from my visit years ago. I remember the locals being very excited about the mall that had just been built during my visit then and having them insist upon us visiting it. The city felt quite small to me then, but it has definitely grown and expanded. Of course, the population has increased too. Though I think it remains a very easy-to-navigate city with a relatively low population.

•  There is good and not-so-good just about everywhere. It can become easy to romanticize a particular city, but I think many places are trying to balance out positives and negatives; and, what is a positive to one person may be the exact opposite to another.

•  When I visit other cities, I find myself wondering what it would be like to live there, so I tend to seek out the areas where I'd want to be if I did live in that particular city. I could see myself living in Boise, I think, but I suppose that is true of many other cities too. I personally liked the size of Boise - neither too large nor too small. It doesn't hurt that I'd have relatives living nearby either.

•  When I returned home to Colorado, the first thing I thought was, "Man, everything is so green here! Did that happen in the brief time I was gone?" There was a lot more dry/dead scenery during my Idaho visit than I expected, and I think it warped my senses just a bit to the point that anything green really stood out. Anything close to the river was green, but outside of the city, unless the area was being purposefully watered, there wasn't much green to see.

•  I am incredibly spoiled to have pretty decent roads to ride in Colorado, especially many with, at minimum, wider shoulders, if not bike lanes to utilize. I definitely take them for granted, and while there is still much room for improvement here, I am reminding myself now to be more grateful for my surroundings and the paths and roads I have to ride.

•  If you get a chance to ride in Boise, I'd recommend riding on Harrison Blvd (it's a tree-lined street with turn-of-the-century houses that stretches about 1/2 a mile long), Bogus Basin Rd (Harrison Blvd turns in to Bogus Basin on the north side of town. There is a bike lane for the first couple of miles, but then it gets a little tricky riding with the cars, but the views looking back down into Boise -- even if you only ride up a mile or so - are spectacular), and definitely take the time to check out the River Greenbelt.

Overall, I had a fantastic trip that afforded me an opportunity to explore the area with few interruptions, and both on foot and two-wheels. I'm sure I will be heading back at some point, and I look forward to discovering new treasures then. Until that time, I'm thankful for what is available to me locally and look forward to riding through some lovely (albeit warm) days here in Colorado.

Potato Diaries, Days 5-7: Connecting Loose Ends and Finally Riding in Boise

I've ended up combining days five through seven together here. I just couldn't get to posting and I've had some issues with connectivity on the computer, so it is what it is. But, here we are now. Three days, smashed together. If you've missed out on the prior posts, Day 1 is here, Day 2 is here, Day 3 is here and Day 4 can be found here.

Day Five:

I keep saying that I have plans to get to Boise to ride, and it just never seems to happen. For one reason or another, there's always an excuse not to get there. Now, time is slipping away and I don't want to miss out on riding in the actual city before I'm gone. Not that I can't or won't return, but it would be nice to actually ride there during this trip.

Yesterday, I was supposed to go into Boise to ride. That didn't happen. The day just got away from me and it was one of those when an hour feels like a minute. Those days are rough because nothing seems to get accomplished. Since things were moving a bit fast, I decided to go back and further explore the Nampa greenway system to try to make some sense of it.

An earlier post highlighted the fact that the map I received shows not only the path that is currently constructed, but also future plans for the greenway. I wanted to see how well the current version works and if the actual greenway is less confusing than the map makes it seem.

The plan was to ride from one side of the city to the other, hopefully only using the greenway, but that didn't quite work out. From the southeast side of the city to the northwest side, there are several locations that drop off suddenly. One of the connections uses surface streets, but the main artery is actually on a very busy road (it's a highway that turns into a street in the city, and spans five lanes through town) and users really find themselves sticking to the sidewalk unless they want to take a pretty great risk of getting hit on the road (I did see one person doing this, so it's not impossible). There are several cars pulling out of parking lots too, so riding on the sidewalk is probably just as potentially dangerous.

One part of the Nampa trail system. The dotted lines indicate future pathways, but unfortunately the map doesn't seem to be entirely accurate and it also leaves riders and walkers in random places without directions in certain spots.

As I was trying to calculate where to go (the signs are somewhat usable, but seem to be placed in areas that make it a little difficult to find them in some spots), I was pedaling on the road and saw a woman in front of me who looked vaguely familiar, but I passed it off as a coincidence. This happens often when I travel. I frequently see people who look like other people I know, so I tend to not make much of these situations.

As we came closer together the woman smiled and said, "Hey! Dog lady!" Realizing that she recognized me too, I took a better glance. It was the same woman who had stopped on Day 3 to help find the owner of the loose dogs roaming the street. We had a very brief conversation and off I went, still trying to connect to the next portion of the path. Had I had any sort of awareness, I should've asked the woman I'd just been talking to, but that hadn't occurred to me in the moment.

Eventually, I found a path again - whether it was what I was looking for or not, I'm still not entirely certain. But, then I was soon back on roads again as it just dumped me in the middle of nothing. I ended up riding the streets for awhile and then heading back to the house.

Ultimately, there are several sections of the Nampa trail that seem to drop off into nothingness. It's unfortunate because it seems like a great way to actually get through this area, but at the present time, it appears to have limitations for usability throughout different parts of the city.

Day 6:

The plan (as had been the plan for several days to this point) was to get the dogs worn out early so that I could go and ride in Boise. I took an extra amount of time to ensure that they would be nice and tired so that leaving them for a few hours wouldn't be a huge deal. Unfortunately, my plan seemed to backfire and when we returned from what should've been an exhausting walk for the dogs, they seemed to have more energy than before we left. Ugh. My plan to shape up these two little pups was definitely working against me.

Instead, I took the dogs with me to Boise and figured we could walk the greenway together and get an idea of what it's like. Plus, I figured if it didn't seem like a good place to ride, I could always choose another spot when I came back without them.

The timing of our arrival could not have been worse though. We arrived to the greenway just about the time everyone was going to lunch, so there were walker, joggers and cyclists everywhere. On one hand I thought this was so fantastic. To have such a great space that so many people want to use is truly wonderful; however, I had three dogs pulling in three different directions and people trying to pass us, especially those on bicycles, weren't too happy with attempting to avoid running over the dogs.

Boise Green Bike docking station on the greenway. What a perfect place to have these for visitors and locals alike!

I noticed right away that Boise's bike share has a dock on the greenway (and several others as well). If only I could've thrown the three dogs on the bike with me, things would've been so much easier!

It's so cool to see a large river running right through a city. I know there are other cities with large rivers, but it's been awhile since I've experienced something like this firsthand.

There was so much green all around. This had been what I remembered of Boise from years ago, so it was exciting to see that the green still very much remains. Green and more green was definitely the theme. That and people. Lots and lots of people.

The Boise Greenbelt path ... and a Golden Retriever who just couldn't resist staying out of my photo. I took advantage of the brief moment when there weren't people passing in every direction.

The pathway itself is really nice too. There are spots that are in need of some repair, but I think that's a typical find on most MUP's of any significant length. Overall, it seemed to be in pretty decent shape and the fact that there are so many outlets to get users to various destinations around the city is truly fantastic.

Although I really wanted to explore the path more on foot, the dogs were being particularly bad, so I knew that the trip was going to get wrapped up quickly, unfortunately. We said our goodbye to Boise and headed away from all the people and the green.

Day 7:

A week in, and I was pretty convinced that riding in Boise just wasn't going to happen. The universe seemed to be working against me. Today, it was supposed to rain, so that didn't bode well. I don't mind riding in the rain, but it's also been quite windy, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to venture out into that sort of weather. Still, I was determined, so I went to work wearing out the pups and then prepared to get on my way to Boise to ride -- finally.

I got all that I would need together and went to grab the bike. I figured I should probably check the air pressure in the tires (since I hadn't checked it on any of the other rides), but when I went to attach the nozzle, I realized the front tire was completely flat.

Dammit, I thought. The old me would've freaked out and decided it was a bad omen and skipped the ride, but new me decided that this wasn't a big deal (because it isn't) and at least it happened at home so that I could take my time and not have to worry about it on the side of the road. Still, I have pretty puncture proof tires, so the fact that I got a flat was a little annoying. I can't even remember the last time I had a flat on this bike with these tires.

Deep down, I knew it was a goathead without even looking at the tire. Damn you Idaho and your thorny little spiky weeds. We have them at home too, but they seem to be everywhere here in much greater numbers. As I changed the flat I couldn't help but think that Sam would be so proud. There was a time when I would've been calling him crying about the flat tire and telling him I couldn't deal with it. He would've had to talk me off a ledge and then I would've used it as an excuse to avoid riding.

As it turned out, it was in fact a goathead that had broken off and was poking through just the very smallest amount, but enough to puncture the tube. Like I said, I knew what the issue was without even finding it.

The Boise River

Finally, I was off and headed to Boise. I ended up arriving just about the same time as I had with the dogs the day prior, but it would be far less difficult to maneuver through people on a bike than it was with three dogs at my side (or not at my side as the case was).

My plan was to ride a good portion of the greenway and then head off around the city and possibly up into the foothills. It was probably a little ambitious, but I really wanted to see as much as possible of the city while I was there.

Cottonwood fluff -- This was not even close to the worst of it, but I took this picture while I was stopped so that there would be some kind of photo reference.

The first thing I noticed were the enormous number of Cottonwood trees. We have these at home as well and when they are blooming it is one of the most horrible things to deal with for allergy sufferers. Plumes of white fluff littered the pathway and air. My eyes and throat were definitely feeling it.

Nothing would deter me from my ride today though. Not allergies, nor rain or wind, or flat tires.

Remember that lovely Boise bikeway map I'd picked up a few days earlier? That map that was going to see me all around the city and help me out if I happened to get lost? Yep. I left it sitting on the counter at the house. So, I was on my own and knew I'd have to figure out how to connect to places using whatever was available on the trail system.

Different types of river and pond-use items can be rented in this spot.

This greenway in Boise is really a treat to ride. There are so many things going on in various areas and I should've taken far more photos than I did, but you'll just have to take my word for it that it's not only beautiful, but a great spot for all ages to use and hang out. There are different little pond areas, beach areas, spots where people kayak and use stand up paddleboards. People fishing, swimming, using rafts or other flotation devices were all over too. There is even a little shop that rents different river-use products and a place to grab a bite to eat. Frankly, I couldn't help but be a bit jealous that there are so many possibilities in such a central location in the city.

People were "surfing" in this area of the river

Tried to get a photo of one of the surfers, but he was a bit too far away for a decent picture

When I passed one area of the river, I noticed a lovely area where people were "surfing" in the river. Who would've thought? I guess when you want to surf and you're not on a coast, you make things work.

Another really cool feature of the greenway were signs that directed people toward various attractions around the city such as art, food, and other things people would want to see or do. The city (or I suppose county, as I've been told the system is taken care of by Ada County) does a great job of making this a very user-friendly system. There were a couple of times when I wasn't entirely sure what direction to go, but it also didn't matter as I really just wanted to explore the area.

As I continued to ride, things got a little more quiet. I wasn't seeing quite as many people, though there were still walkers, joggers and cyclists to be found. I thought it was extremely pleasant that the majority of the greenway has a lot of trees, so there are few times when there are long stretches of being exposed to the sun.

Continuing on, I wasn't really sure where I was or when the path would end (Note to self: Remember the map next time and you won't have this problem!), but since it was still going, I decided to keep on riding.

I couldn't help but wonder if there were snipers in the bushes, waiting to shoot at me as I rode through this area

Then, things changed. There weren't as many trees and I was exposed much more to the sun. The path was still going though, so I persevered. Signage changed and then became non-existent. Where was I exactly? I hadn't traveled that far. At that point, I was only about 13 miles from my starting point.

The map told the story later - I had wandered into another city.

When I got home later, I would realize that I was almost in Eagle, which is just outside of Boise. Had I continued on about another mile, I would've hit the end of the path, but at that point I was concerned that I needed to get back to the pooches, so I started heading back to the start. I would loved to have had more time to explore. The other side of the river has an entire other stretch of path, and there is a portion that runs farther south-east as well. All told, I believe I read there are approximately 45 miles of pathway to run, walk, and ride. Pretty cool.

Having water next to me for nearly the entire stretch of the ride was really quite a nice feature. At home, there are several cities that have waterways and MUPs that run parallel, but I don't think any are quite like this, even in Denver. Though, the Cherry Creek path is awfully nice and nearly as long, it still can't compare to what is available to users along the Boise River greenway.  Of course, Denver is a completely different city that has built up in a way that made sense for the area.

If I had more time, I would like to have the opportunity to explore Boise more by bike and to ride up to Bogus Basin. I received word that my folks have wrapped up their to-dos and should be home late Friday evening, so I don't know if I'll have that opportunity on this trip -- but, there's always next time. I have one more day to see what I can in this area, so whether it's on foot or bike, I look forward to another day outside.

Potato Diaries, Day Four: Information is Power

Today, I found myself quite tired. There's plenty to do in and around the area I'm staying, but my body is physically tired. I'm not sure if it's just being away from home, the fact that I've been pretty well constantly moving since I arrived last Thursday evening, or if perhaps I'm coming down with some sort of illness, but today my body just wasn't cooperative in the least.

This morning, I awoke feeling as though I hadn't slept, despite having a solid seven hours of rest. I'm not one to give in to the feeling of tiredness regularly, but I was having difficulty getting moving. Taking the dogs for a walk seemed to loosen things up a bit, but I could feel that my body was rejecting movement. I really had wanted to explore Boise today by bike. In reality, I knew that it just wasn't the right day, and so, I decided I would use it instead to get as much information as I could about biking in Boise and the surrounding area.

Several years ago, I purchased my Rivendell Sam Hillborne from one of Rivendell's shop partners. At the time, the shop was called Hyde Park Cycles, but they closed up shop and re-opened in a revamped manner calling themselves Bike Touring News, which is how things stand today. Over the years, I've purchased random parts from the shop online too. From handlebars to bags, they've always been easy to deal with and ship quickly, so when I've needed something, I take a look there to see what's in stock.

As it happens, the physical store is located in Boise, and since my body was rejecting self-powered movement, I thought maybe it would be a good day to stop by the Bike Touring News store and check it out in person.

The view north from outside Bike Touring News. Just to the east of this photo, it looked as though there are some potential trails to investigate.

The shop is located on the north side of the city, right against some dirt climbing that looked interesting. The space for the bike shop is on the small side, but as Ryan shared (the current owner - former owner Jim and Stacy have retired and are happily bike touring, from what I've read), the shop model changed several years ago, making it based more for an online market than a retail, brick and mortar type of store.

Outside Bike Touring News retail establishment (the shop is a bit hidden, but is right behind the tree on the right side of the photo, under the white/yellow striped awning).

I would guess that the retail space is no more than 400 sq ft (possibly even less), but Ryan is making good use of what is available. If one is looking for racks, bags, tires, handlebars, or saddles, there is a decent amount of product to view, especially for a small space. The shop also sells and stocks Surly Bikes, so of course I had fun checking out various models in person. I couldn't help but wonder if Sam would strangle me if I came home with another bicycle. Never fear, Sam, I controlled myself and made no impulse purchases (though there is still time for bicycle indiscretions, I suppose).

Pictured here is about half of the shop space. Certainly, the shop is geared toward dirt riders and tourists, but it also makes a lot of sense, given the location of the shop.

It was quite nice to chat with Ryan, who was forthcoming with the highs and lows of biking in Boise and the area. I found it interesting that the streets of Boise are not owned by the city, but rather by Ada County, which, from the sound of it causes some issues with getting bike lanes and paths integrated into transportation around the city, as those who reside farther out in the county don't see the value in adding biking infrastructure. Ryan did mention that there are some great people who are fighting the fight and attempting to get and keep bike lanes in the city.

As someone who has been riding for the last few days out in slightly more rural areas, Boise roads seem like a paradise by comparison. Most of the roads I saw in the city had bike lanes and/or wider shoulders - nothing remotely close to what I've dealt with farther outside of Boise. I couldn't help but think that if I were going to live in this area, I would definitely want to be in the city so that biking in and around would be more practical. While it is apparent that there is still work to be done, it is a far better situation to deal with than those living a bit farther out in Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, etc.

As for possible bike routes to investigate, apparently Bogus Basin (a ski resort) is a fun place to ride. I was told that the lift is used to take cyclists up the mountain and then they ride down (As an aside -- Blasphemy! You ride up the mountain first, Idahoans! Then you enjoy the downhill). The resort opens for the summer to cyclists; however, I was told it's typically open only on the weekends. Cyclists are able to ride there any time though, whether or not the lift is operational. I don't know if I'll make it to this spot while here for a couple of reasons - the most important of which is that I own better suited bikes for that type of riding and the one I have with me is probably not ideal - though it might be fun to try and it's not completely ridiculous to consider using it.

There are also about 200 miles of dirt trails to ride in the Boise area, which could make for quite a journey if one desires. I am learning that mountain bikes, touring bikes, and other dirt-type bikes seem to be the most common in the area. Although I have seen a few road bikes out, it's not a terribly common sight. Having ridden some of the roads, I understand why (though, Boise streets do seem better suited to road bikes).

Is it just me, or does the cover of this map seem dated? It was printed a little over a year ago, but it feels older based on the image... but, perhaps that is just my perception - or maybe because it was taken in winter?

While in the shop, I picked up a bike map and was told that it's a little out of date and that some of the suggested cycling routes are actually not the best. I appreciated the heads up, but thought it would be interesting to compare the map of Boise to the one I'd picked up in Nampa a couple of days prior.

Apologies for the poor photo, but I think it illustrates that there are paths to be selected in Boise when riding.

I would say the Boise map is definitely more complete and has more options for bike paths, but I suppose this should be expected from a true city, even if it is among the smaller "big" cities.

The reverse side of the map is full of information too. I particularly took notice of the Idaho Stop Law, of which I was aware but had forgotten about while riding in Idaho, until I saw it again in print. Many cyclists seem to implore this method of "stopping" regardless of location, so I'm surprised more states don't take this on as a legal method for cyclists to proceed through stop signs.

In short, I'm not exactly sure where I'll be exploring in Boise by bicycle, but I have a feeling it will be more street than dirt based for this particular trip. I'm actually considering riding the Boise River greenway system, as it's supposed to have about 30 miles of bikeable pathways. To complicate matters further, I may also be taking the three dogs on a mini-road trip to Montana due to some personal matters that have come up. Nothing like taking a faux-vacation from a faux-vacation. So, there may be a delay in posting about (and riding in) Idaho if that takes place.

I would love to ride into Boise and then explore, but it seems that getting to the city by bicycle from my current location is more than a tad challenging. Not impossible, but also not really practical, particularly given that I have some four-legged friends depending on me to get back in a somewhat reasonable time frame. I have read that there is work being done to attempt to construct a system of trails that would allow users to easily travel through each of the cities and into Boise. It sounds like it could be wonderful if that actually comes to fruition, but for now it's still an idea waiting for action.


**Days 5-7 can be found here.