Funmurphys: the Blog

The Triumph of Hope over Experience

Posts Tagged Idaho

Is There No End?

Sep 8

Posted by Kevin Murphy in Vacation | No Comments

Now that the trip is “over”, what you’ve all been waiting for – the bloopers!

No, I did not marry Cousin Itt, the winds were gusty and strong that morning
Here come the swans. First a couple of pictures as they approach the bridge, and then wait for them to emerge on the other side so at last we can answer the burning question, what does a swan look like from above? And then they glide onto view and I have answer – drat, foiled again!
What is more adorable than a selfie? A blurry, dark selfie because flash would scare the bats, that’s what.
Did you take it yet?
Did I press the button?
One small step for mankind, …
Doh, and another. I’ve never taken a pic of my foot while walking along before, and somehow I did it twice!
I’m ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille

That’s All Folks!

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All The Way From Boise

Sep 7

Posted by Kevin Murphy in Vacation | No Comments

Greetings from Boise and the penultimate day of our vacation! 16 days and counting.

My favorite artwork in the Freak Alley Gallery. Boise was hopping on a Saturday night!
The Idaho capital really does lean right (and that’s all I’m going to say about that). I can’t help myself, so I will go on to say that every capital building is beautiful on the outside but what takes place on the inside not so much. Ok, now I’m done.
Whitewater park on the Boise river. We were told they change the shape of the dam opening for different watercraft – when we crossed on the way to lunch it was set up for Kayaks, and when we came back after lunch it was all surf boards. There were 20 people lined up on each side waiting their turn to ride the wave – if they were good they could kind of go back and forth without going downstream, but most seemed to have my ability (i.e. none) and so just went for a swim
Enjoying low humidity and light cloud cover at the botanical gardens; that’s the old penitentiary over our left shoulders and downtown in the distance over our right shoulders. Yes, they had lovely plants and flowers along with a twin focus on Lewis and Clark (and Sacajawea too) on the one hand and fire resistant plants on the other. The west is apparently more different than just stopping for pedestrians
The first thing we did was go to the art festival. I’m totally opposed to taking pictures of food, and the vendors are opposed to taking pictures of their art, so I have no pictures of what I enjoyed, but my better half is called that for a reason so we are left with this fine gentleman and his one man band as the only picture from a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

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More Idaho!

Sep 3

Posted by Kevin Murphy in Vacation | No Comments

Greetings from Coeur D’Alene (and Cocolalla), where Idaho and Washington go to sunburn.

I’m in an especially good mood because tonight I had Bacon!, which is bacon with a huckleberry, chipotle, and imperial stout glaze. Finally a food that I wouldn’t take away or add to.

The Resort at Coeur D’Alene and the marina. We only took a couple of wrong turns trying to cut through the place. And no, this isn’t where we are staying.
Cruisin’ on a Labor Day afternoon
For all our peeps on Sandpointe Ct, here is the welcome sign to Sandpoint ID.  

Sorry the D is a little hard to see, but somebody bent it and the S.
Not to scale, or perhaps Toto, we’re not in New York any more, or maybe Give me your purple mountain majesties, or nobody expects the unexpected. I mean really, how does one caption a miniature Statue of Liberty jutting out into the largest lake in Idaho?
The Tubbs hill loop in CDA. Apparently people in Coeur D’Alene think CDA is a universally understood and accepted way to say Coeur D’Alene. All I know it’s amazingly beautiful although CDA sounds better than Heart of Awl which is the English translation of CDA. That and we couldn’t afford to live where we could actually see the lake from our very own window, so you’re welcome.
Lake Panda-ray, spelled oddly enough Lake Pend Oreille, which loosely translated from the French, and I mean loosely, means Lake Earring or per google Lake Hanging Ear. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, only swap sound for smell and you get the idea.

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Selfie Sunday

Sep 1

Posted by Kevin Murphy in Vacation | No Comments

Greetings from Butte! And on to Selfie Sunday, which I have to admit is just wrong.

A fine eating and drinking establishment in uptown Butte. At least I understand the use of uptown instead of downtown here since the town is built on a hill.
We prepare to dig dig dig in a mine, in a mine.
Here we are somewhere down the snake river.
Sorry, clearly this isn’t selfie, and it isn’t all the way to inspiration point (it’s the switchback before the penultimate switchback), but the selfie at inspiration point is just me, so yeah, here you go a not actually a selfie almost to inspiration point.
Here we are atop Fort Rock at the headwaters of the Missouri River (FYI that’s the Gallatin behind us).
The intrepid explorers prepare to enter the mysterious Lewis and Clark cave – the mystery being how it got its name when nobody from the expedition entered let alone was aware of the cave, although the guide pointed out that Clark climbed a hill over there, the one with the cell tower on it.
Lake Jenny plus a Teton from the only overlook on the scenic drive (if I wanted to drive through pine trees, I don’t need a scenic drive) at the lake.
All that and a boat ride too. The lady at the visitor center really didn’t want us to ride the boat: it costs extra, only lazy people ride when they should be hiking, by now it’s too crowded you’ll have a long wait. The ride over was nice, the ride back wonderful. And she must have scared people away because there was no wait. OK, again to technically a selfie, so sue me. And since I’ve already run over, Forest’s girlfriend’s lake in Grand Teton National Forest.
Almost to the boat for the ride back. We stepped off the trail for this and like 20 people came down the trail past us.
Perhaps our favorite spot – at the bottom of the gorge in Balanced Rock park. Very peaceful except for the unsupervised kids and their very protective dog. And the flies, the flies were unbelievable in this park. I suspect I’ll wake up screaming someday in the nursing home from nightmares of those flies.

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It’s Panorama Wednesday!

Aug 28

Posted by Kevin Murphy in Vacation | No Comments

Yeah, I know, but there is no day of the week that has the necessary alliteration except payday and that’s not actually a day of the week. AKA greetings from Idaho Falls!

Grand Tetons
Inspiration Point
Craters of the Moon (view from Inferno Cone)
Galena Pass (I think)
The valley north of Sun Valley
Lake Alturas

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Idaho!

Aug 25

Posted by Kevin Murphy in Vacation | No Comments

Greetings from the greater Twin Falls Area!

Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream

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