Idaho, Idaho, Idaho. Has any other state in the country stolen my heart more than this piece of paradise? Certainly not. If you’ve not been to Idaho, I encourage you to stay at home; I want this state all to myself. It’s a dream.
Idaho had a hurdle to clear right away, mind you. Within a day of crossing from Montana (where I had to service my carb and clean spark plugs and do all sorts of miscellany to get the bus back in working order), we had another windshield chip and a complete tire blowout on what must be Idaho’s narrowest and busiest state route. With no room to safely take the tire off, I had to wait for a break in the traffic, run around to the driver side, turn a few lugs and then run back and wait for the barrage of Yellowstone-bound RVs to subside.
Then, once we found a truly lovely campsite, I back into a tree. Not hard, but enough to crunch the bumper into my reflector. I’ll skip the part where I had a childish meltdown and cursed and kicked rocks and ranted about how this goddamn thing is costing me money every time I turn around.
But these three things which take time and money were my introduction to the state everyone equates with potatoes. Really, the state should instantly conjure up some of the most pristine wilderness I’ve ever seen, hot springs, jagged mountains, friendly folks, and some of the best free camping I’ve ever had.
The rivers are crystal clear and the run through the small National Forest campgrounds. The hot springs are secluded and natural and free. One hot spring had a waterfall that felt better than any shower I’ve ever taken and then you simply walked three steps to the ice cold river to refresh.
And the cities are something to rave about to. We met our friend, Greg, in Boise. Timing and luck and the location of airports determined our rendezvous site and we couldn’t have gotten any luckier. Boise is a big town for this region, but feels familiar. Large parts of it are walkable thanks to a greenway and there’s plenty of public art and a respectable showing of wineries. We spent a few days stomping around the city and into a nearby hot spring before Greg needed to fly back home and we needed to hit the road. As much as Miracle and I enjoy each other’s company and life in the bus, it does feel good to sit down in a house (a really fabulous AirBnB) and visit with old friends.
On our way out, swung back through the Sawtooth Forest, the absolutely surreal Craters of the Moon, and set our sites on Wyoming.
On the Road with Adie 
Beautiful as I live in Idaho as well!
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