First day done, culminating in a little night swimming for the kids, burning off that last bit of energy. Overall, pretty good day behavior-wise, though not incident free.

Lots went extremely smoothly. Love the Uber-SUV option; exactly what we needed. Price was a tad high, but not at all uncompetitive. Comfy ride to the airport, at which we arrived in plenty of time for our flight (so much so that Carolyn had time for a quick airside massage, while I hung with the kids).

Horizon to Boise was quick and efficient. Shortest flight the kids have ever taken (one hour) – they’re more used to London and Tokyo routes.

On arrival, our first hiccup-that-wasn’t-entirely-a-hiccup. Voice mail on landing from Avis said that they didn’t have the car (SUV) we reserved. Sold out. This, despite a reservation we made in October. Black and white – confirmation and all. On call, happy to get word that they could get the car we ordered and, other than having to wait fifteen minutes or so for a cleaning, all was well. Or, so we thought…

Went to lunch directly behind the car rental shop. Cute diner place. Clearly, an institution. Capri Restaurant (or maybe it’s Café).

Back in the car, check phone. Voicemail from Avis. Seems the prior renter left an iPad in the vehicle. So, I search…but, not just anywhere. First, they instruct me to look where the spare tire goes. Out comes the luggage. Not there. Then, it’s in the fuse box / jack container. No, it’s not. So, I finally say that I’ll bring the car back and they can look themselves.

Lather, rinse, repeat back at the shop. No iPad. All set to go, load the luggage back in and Avis guy knocks on window. One more place to check. Don’t know what it’s called, but even more obscure than the jack container. Again, not there. Patience thin, I call it done and we (finally) hit the road.

This part of Idaho is…well, generally plain. The scenery is relatively flat, dry, and brown. It looks a bit like one match would set the while state alight. However, it is occasionally punctuated by canyons and gorges, carved by the power of the ancient Bonneville flood and the raging waters of the Snake River. We stopped a time or two to see such sites as:

-The penny mural, made of actual pennies
-The muffler man, a former roadside advert that now watches over an RV park
-Shoshone Falls, the Niagara Falls of the West

Shoshone was a real highlight, though the others were fun in their kitsch and quirk. Stopping at each proved to be a good way to break up the two-hour drive to Twin Falls, too.

Dined at Elevation 486 – a reference to the height of the canyon over which it is perched. We ate on the patio, which offered the most amazing views. Beers were tasty, but sadly service (specifically, speed of food delivery) and quality of food was comparatively poor.

Mains took so long to receive (and kids had already eaten and grown bored) that Carolyn took hers to go and I sent mine back entirely. Fortunately, I can afford to skip a meal or two.

The server and manager were both very accommodating and made the situation, given the circumstances, relatively whole. So, while it wasn’t an ideal experience, it will be easy to mostly remember that amazing view and The Snake (River) in the basin below.