Burns, OR to Caldwell, ID 162 Miles

We left Burns after only one night, reluctantly, but we had to continue our interesting easterly voyage on the Central Oregon Highway. US Highway 20 continues through Buchanan, Juntura, and Vale before eventually connecting to Interstate 84 near Ontario, Oregon. From there the journey was a short jaunt southeast to Caldwell, ID, and the Ambassador RV Resort.

The park is a great place to spend a few days sightseeing the Boise, Nampa, and Meridian areas. The roads are paved, each site has a bit of grass, and there is a nice concrete patio to sit on and enjoy the 85 - 90 degrees temps!

There is a long dog trail around the perimeter of the park, and as we strolled along the construction taking place on the west side of the park we couldn't help but see a beautiful Idaho sunset, even if it was taking place at 9:30 at night!

Our next day, Friday, we went into downtown Boise. Along the banks of the Boise River there is an extensive park complex, and just a few blocks north lies the State Capitol building. As you know by now, our wish is to visit all the state capitols possible. Under the circumstances of Social Distancing, we elected to shorten our visit to this capitol. From the outside, the circa 1905 building clearly shows how office wings were added to the original structure in 1921.

We entered through the guest entrance and made our way to the rotunda, where a huge United States flag is suspended in the center.

The rotunda is actually two domes in one. The inner is made of wood, and the outer is constructed of steel and concrete. Sixty foot high steel columns support the domes. Those columns are hidden behind faux marble columns built of wood and covered in Scagliola - a mixture of gypsum, glue, marble dust, and granite dyed to look like marble. The technique originated in Italy in the 1500's as an alternative to heavy marble.

We exited the building when tour groups began to arrive, and contented ourselves with a walk around the capitol complex, enjoying the native landscaping as we went.

The Oregon Trail passed through here, so in 1906, local schoolchildren erected this monument to honor those pioneers.

Boise and it's suburbs are known for farmers markets, particularly on Saturdays in the summer, so we devoted Saturday to visiting a couple and picking up some tasty treats. I won't bore you with photos....I don't want to make you hungry...just imagine Rum Cake, Rainier Cherries and Cake Pops...

Stops at Costco, grocery stores, and gas stations completed our day. One more day in this area before we leave for parts east. We'll struggle to find something to do..