Cousin Pat and Brandi (a brief recount)

On Sunday, September the 29th I reached Cousin Pat's place in Idaho Falls and didn't leave again until Saturday, October 19th.

I spent time with Brandi and the kids; getting to know them and playing whatever games the kids invented. 

I went hunting and horseback riding for a week with Pat and his buds, building fires and cooking prairie grouse; then teaching the kids how to do the same when Brandi and they came up to meet us.

Brandi is a wonderful host and a fantastic cook.  I did what I could to help around the house, fixing small things and helping with the dogs and horses.  I did a bit in the garden, finished painting a bit of their deck, and tried to help a bit with the kids.

Brandi doesn't talk overmuch, but has a beautiful smile.  She's hard to read, especially at first (I honestly don't know how Pat knows when he's done something right or not), but a talk with her sister and a really wonderful thank you card dispelled any doubts I had as to whether she liked my presence or was merely being polite.  It's something when someone prone to being reserved goes out of their way to tell you how much they appreciate you.

Cousin Pat is as ornery as ever, yet somehow marriage seems to suite him.  The man gifted me a pair of boots, a pair of jeans, a hat, some field specs, and then forged me a kukri knife out of an old leaf spring.  I had to leave the hat behind as I couldn't figure out how to pack it.  I'll be back for it someday.

All in all they fed me, housed me, gave me gifts, and cured me of any loneliness I might have been feeling. 

I didn't write much during that time.  I mostly seem to write when I'm alone.  People are, in the end, worth more to me than words, I guess.

It felt like a place that was fast becoming home.  Even more so as I was glad to have a bit of work to do.

It was hard to leave.

Back on the road.

I never did finish my recap about the route between Boise and Idaho Falls.

I might get to it after but my writing is running behind and there are other things to say. 

Suffice it for now to say that the trip involved 2 one hundred mile days, a hot spring in a cow pasture where I may or may not have been woken by a troop of naked Europeans filming a music video, old lava country, and some of the most lonely dessert I have yet to encounter.

Also there where potatoes...and zucchini bread. 

I lingered since then, first with family in Idaho Falls and then in Blackfoot.

Tarrying near a month may be what let's the winter catch me, but it was worth it.  More on this next post.

Heading for Idaho Falls Recap 1(Sept. 25th and 26th)

Sherry made me another fine breakfast.  I tarried late through the morning and at about 10:30 I hit the road.

Now Boise is a fine town for biking in. It has paths and parks and bike racks all over the downtown.  I soon found out though, that it's a very hard town to bike out of.

I was trying to avoid the freeway if I could.  I found a bike path down South Federal Way that took me about as far as Gowen Road before it petered out.

Gowen took me to South Eisenmen which led to West Eisenmen which, according to google, was connected via a dirt road to Kuna Mora road.

Turns out that dirt road was not only fenced off and gated, but had actually been disced under.  It had been done so recently that the disc was still sitting there.  So I back tracked and I looped around.

Things were further complicated by occasional rain showers and back roads that were ribbed like washboards.

Eventually, after two days of travel, sleeping in two barns on account of rain storms, a lot of meandering, and a brief meal in Mountain Home, I finally arrived on Route 20 and set off properly for Idaho Falls.

(The first barn was mostly abandoned, very comfy, and sheltered me from a very long and heavy downpour.  The second barn was definitely in use, rather open and drafty, and was the best I could find amidst the darkness and intermittent rain bursts.  It sure beat getting rained on, though, so I tacked a thank you note and a ten dollar bill to an indoor post before leaving.)

Boise Recap 3 (Sept 24rth)

I awoke the next morning with more stiff muscles and kinked spots than I expected.  On my own, I had been waking up a few times a night to shift positions usually due to the cold nights.  At Sherry's, it felt like I didn't move all night long.  Some quick stretches sorted me out though, and Sherry put on some fine eggs with omelette vegetables for breakfast.

Nikki was, unfortunately, unable to meet me as planned that morning due to a last minute Doctor's appointment.  So (after another long and excellent conversation with Sherry), I took Gus for a walk, put him back in the house, and set off towards the Gernika and the museum on my own.

I made some stops at a Post Office and a bookstore; I finally mailed back my bear canister, and I got myself a new travel log. Then I hit the Gernika. 

I ate three full lunches before I left.  I had a lamb grinder, a local beer, a solomo pork sandwich, a chorizo sausage and two orders of something unique called croquetas.

There were peppers and onions on just about everything, french rolls in abundance, and cheese and mushrooms with the grinder.

The croquetas, they told me, take days to make.  If I recall correctly, they cook down chicken, onions, cheese and possibly a few other things for hour after hour until it's all a single, smooth consistency similar in both texture and appearance to mashed potatoes.  Then, just before serving, they roll it up into little bite sized balls and deep fry it.  They are both fattening and delicious.

Noticeably wider in the middle now, I walked down the block to take a tour of the museum.

It was a smallish Museum, well kept, with some very excellent exhibits.  I learned quite a bit about the Basque homeland and how many of them eventually immigrated to Boise.  The number of different sports they invented surprised me, and I thought the photos of the Ellis Island immigrants were particularly moving.

My museum tour done, I returned to Sherry's, picking up a bottle of wine and a few deserts by way of saying thank you.  Another nap and some writing and the day was all but done.

As the evening wore on, Sherry returned from a busy day of her own with a few Gyros in tow.  We spent the evening the way we spent the morning, eating and talking, this time about energy systems, movies, motivations, debts, religion, and a huge host of other things.

I accepted another night's stay from her and went to sleep well contented. 

(Sherry ran my things through the laundry at some point, as well.  I really couldn't have asked or hoped for a better host.)

Boise Recap 2 (Sept 23rd, evening.)

Sherry was on her way home and, without ever meeting me, told me where her place was and where I could find a spare key.

So I made my way to Sherry's place, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by her trust towards a complete stranger.  I cleaned myself up a bit, rested for a while, and then (at Sherry's request) rode out to meet her, her daughter Nicki, and her great big dog Gus at a cafe known to cater towards cycling enthusiasts.

Sherry is tall; full of light and life.  Nicki, an anthropologist who teaches at the nearby university, struck me as very practical; more reserved than her mother, but very friendly.  Gus is a big, black, old dog who still thinks he's a pup.

They treated me to wine and pizza, told me stories, and I told mine.  We talked about traveling, and philosophy, anthropology, and history, about Neanderthals, Europe, and the Basques (Nicki's specific area of expertise).

They convinced me that in the morning I should accompany Nicki to the Boise Basque museum and a Basque Pub called the Gernika.

So, after a night of good food, good wine, and good company, we parted ways. Sherry and I met back at her place and she set about making me at home.

Her house is comfy and decorated like my Aunt Rose's drum circle studio.  It's the sort of place that is designed, by use of warm colors and a  hint of incense, to make a stranger relax and feel like a stranger no longer. 

So I slept long, and I slept well; eager to see what the following day would bring.

Boise to Idaho Falls Recap 1 (Arrival at Boise)

I came in to Eagle, a town so close to Boise I can't tell them apart, on the 23rd of September.

I was feeling pretty good with my 100+ mile day.  I  did some resupplying, and took my bike into a place call Ridgeline Specialty Sports.  There I met Matt and Mark, some pretty knowledgeable fellas in the bike field. They gave the bike a quick once over, put some tire liners in to help ward off the puncture vines, and threw a shot of what they called "the cocktail" into each tube. It was a mix of greenish goo and some other stuffs that clogs up minor holes (basically, it's bike fix a flat).  They did all this on the cheap and even took time, free of charge, to help me plan a route out of Boise.  I'm glad they did, cause while Boise is a wonderful town to bike in, it's very difficult to bike out of it.

While all this was going on, I was attempting to find a hostel or similar lodging so as to take an evening's rest.  I knew I had some pretty lonely desert coming up.  I figured maybe I should rest up a bit before I left town.

I got in contact with a woman named Sherry, and my stay in Boise took a dramatic turn for the better. 

She runs The Pink House B&B.  I called asking if it was a hostel and found it wasn't.  She gave me some contact info for a hostel down the street.  It had closed, and I figured that was the end of it.  Time to move on.

Sherry called me back. "Did you get a hold of them?" she says, or something to that effect. 

"No," I say, "They closed down."

"Well, would you like to crash on my couch?" She asks.

"Yes," I say, "Yes, I do."

Still kicking (Oct. 2nd)

This post is mostly just to let everyone know I am still alive.

These kids are an endless supply of sound and motion.  They keep me pretty busy.  Biking a few hundred miles can't hold a candle to the energy involved looking after and entertaining these three for half a day.

I'll get some writing done tomorrow, hopefully, while they are at their aunt's place.  Till then, goodnight all.