Back to Boise

ABOUT BOISE: So, last week we had a bit of an adventure. Specifically, an 1,100-mile round trip over the snow mountains and through an icy gorge to Boise and back in the span of three days.

We headed to Boise Tuesday morning, leaving about 6:30 a.m. and arriving about 12 hours later, give or take. Our slow down that day was a freeway - the freeway - being closed for about 4-5 hours.

We slept well Tuesday night and Wednesday morning having a few hours to kill, I declared I simply *had* to see the "Smurf turf," or the blue football field that Boise State University plays on.

We pointed our car in that direction and soon found ourselves outside of Albertson's Stadium. The kids stopped to say 'hi' to Lyle Smith,  a former American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was Boise State's head football coach from 1947 to 1967.

To get to the playing field, you have to go through BSU's athletic hall of fame.

There were a number of impressive awards on display, and we would have liked to have lingered, but we were illegally parked and had to breeze through.

The blue turf was quite something to see!

It's not the biggest stadium, to be sure, but the venue is in a really pretty setting. 

 And that turf is even more vibrant in person than it is on tv!

 The field had been cleared of snow. I found it amusing that even the pile of 'snow' was blue at BSU!

On the way out, we noticed some semi-trucks heading into the parking lot. They were carrying the gear for twentyone pilots, the band we were going to see Wednesday night at Taco Bell Arena.

CAPITOL IDEA:  When we arrived in Boise Tuesday night, as luck would have it, we found ourselves right outside the state capitol building. We all wanted to tour it if possible on Wednesday, and that we did.

 I'll let CJ tell you a bit more about it. 

Very recently, I wrote a report about the Twenty One Pilots concert in Boise, Idaho. Earlier on February 8, when I saw the concert, my family visited the Idaho State Capitol building, also located in Boise. The Idaho State Capitol is home to the conference rooms of the Idaho State House of Representatives and Senate, as well as Butch Otter (the incumbent Governor of Idaho)'s office.

We were able to take a self-guided tour of 3 of the State Capitol's 4 floors, not going to the bottom floor that appeared to be in use for an event. From the second floor, we were able to see up, and get very good looks at the beautiful architecture. According to Wikipedia, the State Capitol spent 15 years in construction, from 1905 to 1920. The building holds up today, and is probably regularly cleaned.

On the third floor, we were able to actually visit the conference room for both the State House of Representatives and Senate. Noticeably, there was little security for entering both halves of the State Legislature: If men were willing to remove their hats (unless for religious purposes), and you were willing to leave your bags to be searched at the entrance, you were able to spectate in the conference room. In contrast, even Safeco Field, a politically irrelevant building in Seattle, has more security precautions.

In one of the halves of the State Legislature (the House of Representatives if I remember correctly), we were able to see a meeting in session. From what I remember, the House was told that Idaho's school report cards were contrary to those of the federal government's school report card template. From there, the House voted near-unanimously to adopt the federal template. Only one representative did otherwise, choosing to abstain from the vote. Presumably, because the House voted unanimously to adopt the federal template, the change will have a positive effect.

Out in front of the building, we found a big ol' bell. 

 Turns out it is a replica of the Liberty Bell.

The sign on the bell's display told us that it was displayed all over the state before being installed at the capitol building, and that its dimensions and tone are the same as the original Liberty Bell.

 It had a lovely sound when we rapped on it, I must say.

The rotunda of the capitol was gorgeous. 

Although, we all wondered why the box kite seemingly randomly hanging overhead. ... 

We all noticed a spiral staircase on high, as well.

And the capitol had a basement. There was an education event going on down there while we visited.

The place wasn't too terribly busy over all. We walked all over! 

 As CJ noted, we entered the House and Senate (pictured below) chambers.

 Below is the Senate's 'to do' list on the day we visited.

The whole building was a spectacle in and of itself, but there were also art installations to check out, including this George Washington statue carved out of Idaho wood. It dates back to 1869.

In a park across the street from the capitol building, we came across this statue. It's of Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg. He was the fourth Governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901.

The plaque on the statue noted Steunenberg restored order to Idaho during a period of lawlessness, and that he was assassinated in 1905.  We later found out that Steunenberg was killed outside his house at 1602 Dearborn Street in Caldwell by a bomb rigged to the side gate. Harry Orchard, a former miner from the Western Federation of Miners was arrested and imprisoned for the murder. During the trial, Orchard testified that he had served as a mercenary for the Western Federation of Miners. 

ART WALK: After the capitol visit, we had the pleasure of connecting with family for lunch nearby. On the way, we checked out "Freak Alley," where a number of buildings are painted in a big, bold way.

Though the travel was trying, all in all, it was a super fun trip and we're so glad we went!