Boise & Rigby, Idaho - Posted 3.4.24
Boise & Rigby ID Stay
August 26, 2023 - November 17, 2023
Our Story
| Long story short, we sold almost all of our possessions including our home, dropped our youngest off at college, and are now traveling the country. We're staying at Airbnbs about a month at a time while working remotely. Turns out, there is a significant discount if you book an Airbnb for a month or more! See our first post "How the heck did we pull this off?" for more details about how we got started. If you have any questions, post them in the comments or contact us directly. We'll be happy to answer them! |
 Downtown Boise - Go Knights, Charge On! |
Where are we now?
Lake TahoeWe're in Mindin Nevada, part of the Great Basin on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, through March 30th. Next up we're headed to Hubbard Oregon, south of Portland, and then to Vancouver Canada. We'd love to see you if you're in any of those areas! |
Why Boise & Rigby?
Once the 2023 UCF football schedule came out and we saw Boise State as an away opponent, Boise was put on our calendar. Also, Boise and the surrounding area is beautiful! We chose Rigby because of its proximity to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. We wanted to stay in Jackson Hole Wyoming but decided it wasn't worth cashing in our 401K to do so. Just a bit pricey there. :-) |
 The Smurf Turf! |
The Airbnbs
We had planned to stay a month in Boise, but ended up staying for two. Dave needs gel injections in his knees every six months and the logistics of making this happen with a new doctor are ... well ... challenging is the nicest way to put it.
But with so much to see and do in Boise in and in the surrounding area, it was great to have the extra time to explore.
| Boise Airbnb 1 This one was actually in Meridian, right next to Boise, and was great! We had plenty of room for our guests Bill Lenz and Scott Wallin, who came for the UCF game and to see the area as well.  |
| Boise Airbnb 2 Close to downtown Boise, we were lucky to be able to find this one when we realized we had to extend our stay. A nice basement apartment, close to lots of things in downtown Boise.  |
| Rigby Airbnb This was a second floor apartment over a main residence. It was beautiful and roomy, not feeling like an apartment at all.  |
Boise & Rigby Top 10-ish
Bill and Scott Visit
Our close friends Bill Lenz and Scott Wallin made the long flight from Orlando to Boise for the UCF game and to see the area. We had a great time at the tailgate and game, witnessing a walk-off game-winning field goal! We also were able to go see McCall, a beautiful lake resort town north of Boise. The drive up and back along the Payette River Scenic Byway was the star of the show with spectacular mountain and river views along the way. We love being able to host good friends like Bill and Scott along our journey!     |
The Dosses & Jackson Hole
It's always great to see fellow recovering Lakers! The Dosses live in Jackson Hole, so we were able to meet them for dinner while we were visiting Grand Teton National Park. As usual, it was like we had just seen our friends Jake and Jessica. Great stories, lots of laughs, and a fabulous dinner!    |
UCF - Boise State Game
What a fantastic game in a beautiful stadium with spectacular views from the stands. And a walk-off field goal by UCF for the win!
"Boise Nice" is a real thing. The Boise fans were fantastic--welcoming us and thanking us for coming as we walked around the stadium. They also invited us into their tailgates!
A special shout-out to friend and UCF alumnus James Lineberger, a Boise resident, who hosted a whole lot of UCF fans at his tailgate. It was such a great time!
McCall
We visited McCall because of the lake and the drive to and from along the Payette River Scenic Byway. Both were beautiful and well worth the trip!
The Sun Valley Loop
Stanley, Ketchum, & Redfish Lake
Spectacular. We took a weekend to be able to take our time driving the Sun Valley Loop. Stunning views of the Sawtooth Mountains and wonderful towns and lakes to explore including Stanley, Ketchum, and Redfish Lake.
Hells Canyon
We spent a weekend driving the loop around the Hells Canyon Recreation Area.
"Hugging the borders of northeastern Oregon and western Idaho, this national showcase holds 652,488 acres of beauty and adventure, where you can let your senses run as wild as the landscape. The deepest river gorge in North America. Scenic vistas that rival any on the continent. Spectacular mountain peaks. Vast reaches of remote wilderness for hiking or horseback riding. Diverse and abundant wildlife."
Hells Canyon Scenic Byway
A beautiful scenic drive, the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway was highlighted by spectacular scenery, longhorn steer, and Joseph, where the fall trees lined the main street and you could easily spend a weekend exploring the city.
"Small towns, scattered along the drive, offer visitor services. The entire route is on a paved highway. Plan ahead – you’ll find stretches of more than eighty miles without gas and with few services. A segment of the Byway between Joseph and Halfway closes with snow in winter, but allows access to winter recreation areas, offering a whole other kind of Northeast Oregon adventure."
Downtown Boise
A fabulous downtown with lots of places to explore, restaurants, and great bars to watch our beloved Knights. We enjoyed walking the Boise River Greenbelt and visiting the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.
More Videos & PicsGrand Teton National Park
| It didn't disappoint. Breathtaking. We drove through two mountain passes to get from Rigby to Grand Teton National Park. It looked like a winter wonderland with snow-covered trees. The mountains in Grand Teton are truly massive! We spent a couple of days exploring the park, driving along several side roads in search of wildlife. We spotted a herd of moose and two grizzly bears (one in the middle of the road and one foraging in a meadow). Unfortunately we didn’t see buffalo or elk (even though we drove through an Elk Preserve on the way from Jackson, WY to Grand Teton). Jenny Lake and Jackson Lake within the park have spectacular mountain lake views! We missed making it to Yellowstone by one week. We were able to drive along the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway that links Grand Teton to Yellowstone and make it as far as the entrance to Yellowstone. We’ll have to make another trip this way to catch Yellowstone. |
Grizzly Bear
We were lucky enough to see a Grizzly Bear up close at Grand Teton National Park! It was amazing!
There was a line of cars watching the bear and a park ranger was there making sure the bear was not disturbed and that no morons got out of their cars.
Link to full Grizzly Bear Video
Grizzly Bear Part 1
Grizzly Bear Part 2
UCF - Oklahoma Game
Dave took a roadtrip to our beloved UCF Knights play Oklahoma. It was a nail-biter with the Knights losing a close one, 31-29.
The game day atmosphere there was fantastic and the Oklahoma fans couldn't have been nicer. A great trip with some great friends ... Ernie Kepfer, Nino Frederico, and Jason and Shannon Pryor. Our Airbnb even had a tornado shelter!
Miscellaneous
Happened upon a most excellent Halloween Party.
Wayne's World! Wayne's World! Party Time! Excellent!
Dude bought shots for the entire bar. Yes, please.
As recovering teachers, not sure we appreciate the message.
Haunted Mansion copyright infringement?
School for the gifted.
Wile E. can't catch a break.
Not a lot of planning and zoning needed in Joseph, ID.
We have questions.
Thanks for reading!
Our next post will be about our time in Lake Tahoe.
Hope to see you on the road!
-D&K