Getting Boisterous in Boise: Part 1

It is time for another summer beercation and this year, I am heading to Boise, Idaho.  This trip was voted on by a handful of friends I met through beer writing over the years.  Our group has become a special little chosen family.  Traveling with this crew is always a treat I am sure we will have our fair share of fun in Boise, Idaho.  

Of the 10 people along for the trip, 5 of us hail from Minnesota, so we are all on the same Sun Country flight from MSP.  I do enjoy the 3pm departure because there is no early stress or worry about oversleeping and missing the flight.  So, as my Lyft drops me off in line, I see my friends Marcus and Andrea already in the snaking line to check their bags.  After about ten minutes, I get a text from Rick that he sees me.  I begin scanning the crowd, and sure enough, he and his wife, Paige, are there in line, too.  We have our crew.  This is the first time flying Sun Country in a long while and I must say that not having to battle the crowds at MSP Terminal 1 is a nice change of pace.  

A Turbulent Start To The Trip

We board the flight and I have an aisle seat with plenty of room.  Across the aisle there is a younger mom with her son who must be around age four or five. I figure out before she has to say anything that this kiddo is taking his first plane ride.  I am guessing that based in how this little demon is acting that their household is a lot more free and loose with their access to sugar cereals.  This kid is bouncing off the walls, ridiculously loud, and playing some kind of slot-machine game on an iPad.  I hope his mom is planning on slipping him a Brontosaurus tranquilizer disguised as a Flintstone vitamin, but I am not holding my breath.  

“This is all happening to the soundtrack of a mini-velociraptor in a diaper singing the collected works of Ethel Merman.”

Once we get settled in and the child is placated with a snack, we are set for takeoff.  The flight is pretty good until a few rows behind, a baby starts shriek-crying.  I feel bad for this little bundle of sound-I am sure that the cabin pressure is painful for the little tyke.  Meanwhile, Mr. Excitement across the way is getting squirrelly. 

The mom keeps threatening him with the punishment of no more flying after this, but that isn’t deterring him from acting like someone trying meth for the first time.  The drink cart rolls up and mom orders a Sprite and a Margarita.  I make a silent promise to myself that I will consider going back to organized religion if the Margarita is for the kid.  No such luck as the hellion starts chugging his Sprite.  Well, she just metaphorically fed the gremlin after midnight.  Now, not only is he going to be hyper, he is also going to have to pee like a racehorse in 7 minutes.  This is all happening to the soundtrack of a mini-velociraptor in a diaper singing the collected works of Ethel Merman.  Good golly, how many minutes do we have left in the flight. 

Just when it can’t get any worse, we hit major turbulence.  I am not talking a little bumpy, I am talking clench-your-buttcheeks-together-rollercoaster-scary turbulence.  This lasts for quite a while. With all the awful airline snafus that have happened in recent history, my mind starts going to a dark place.  My first thought is, “Well, if this thing goes down, I guess I can stop stressing about the deer eating my tomato plants.”  Things settle down and my heart rate goes back into the normal range.  Before I know it, the plane is landed, the crying baby is a distant memory, and I am looking at mountains while we wait for an Uber.

My Room With A View

Our first stop is to check into the Springhill Inn & Suites, where our group will be staying for the next four days.  The room is spacious, there is a pool, and my room has plenty of outlets.  I am so excited to open my shades and gaze into the majestic Boise foothills.  Almost dramatically, I slowly pull the curtains back to reveal my view for the next couple of days.  

A fantastic view of a beige exterior wall of the hotel.  

Oh well, I guess a guy can’t have everything.  What I can do is is get ready to head out because we need something to drink after the harrowing flight.  Luckily, The Refuge, a little bar/restaurant is a short walk from the hotel lobby.  The rest of our crew is headed to the game already so Rick, Paige, and myself head for the bar.  

The Refuge: When You’re Here, You’re Getting a Chicken Bacon Avocado Wrap

I walk into The Refuge and let my eyes adjust from the sunshine. I see a nice collection of tap handles that I don’t recognize. They are in the throes of a Happy Hour rush, but I spy 3 spots at the bar.  I grab them and the bartender asks me what I want to drink.  Without even looking at a menu, I say what is a local beer that you like.  He says, “We have the Snake River Brewing IPA.  How does that sound?”  I said, that should get the job done.  Rick and Paige join me a few minutes later and they order beers and then we look at the menu.  There are a lot of really tantalizing options.  Rick decides on the gyro, Paige goes with the lamb burger, and I pick the chicken, bacon, avocado wrap.  Of course, we all get some form of potato for our sides because Idaho.  

The food comes and the beers continue to flow.  The wrap is delicious.  Not heavy, but very satisfying.  It also comes with a dipping sauce that is simply named “fry sauce.” This is a unique accent to the already flavorful plate. Since we are in the land of potatoes, it stands to reason that they would also have a tremendous sauce to go with them. The beers are new and delicious.  The IPAs and pale ales of the Northwest are on a total other tier from everything in the Midwest.  We are also quite impressed with some of the local lagers.  If this is just the tip of the Idaho craft beer ice berg, we are all in for a treat.

The Sounds of Silence: The first of Many Awkward Ride Share Adventures

We get an Uber and head to the stadium.  One of the many things that I live for is an awkward interaction with an Uber driver. This trip would end up being an absolute goldmine of them. Our first catch of the day is a younger female who clearly was not into any form of spoken word communication. Rick, the affable and disarming Canadian every man has a magnificent way with people. One of his many gifts is being able to spark a genuine connection with everyone. Well, everyone except our driver. She said absolutely nothing in response to Rick’s initial foray into Minnesota Nice small talk. It was one of those Michael Scott moments of awkward, and it took every ounce of energy to stifle my laughter. Fortunately for us, the drive to the stadium isn’t very long.

The Boise Hawks Game

The Boise Hawks are in independent league baseball team.  Tonight, they are playing Missoula Paddleheads.  You can definitely throw the record books out the window when these teams get together.  The stadium is similar to the old Midway stadium where the Saint Paul Saints used to play before they became the AAA affiliate for the Minnesota Twins.  In fact, the Boise Hawks used to be a low-A team for the Colorado Rockies, but that has since changed.  We get to the stadium only to find that it is half-price on all draft beers!  Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  

We grab a couple of Modelo drafts and join our group in the first base stands.  There are some ominous clouds off in the distance.  The clouds and the breeze are also tamping down the temperature making this an ideal night for outdoor baseball.  Well, we start yucking it up from the get-go and soon the laughs are almost as plentiful as the foul balls.  It is a great reunion for our group to be able to giggle and cheers in-person.  Between the little league team pelvic thrusting on the dugout to win some sort of prize and the massive comeback my the Missoula team, the game ends with a lot of excitement.  

Hey, Dude, Your Backseat is ringing!

We order up an Uber back to the hotel and Paige notices a phone ringing on the backseat of the SUV.  The driver answers it and we are treated to a very odd one-sided conversation.  A woman, whose husband forgot his phone in the Uber, is furious and wants the phone to be dropped off post-haste.  The driver rebukes her request and says, “I have people in the car who need to be dropped off, so that can’t happen right now.”  She kept trying to text and call him and he was just kind of over the drama.  We all laughed about it and I think the dude who forgot his phone in the Uber might be sleeping on the couch this evening.  

No Power, No Problem

We arrive to our hotel, which shows up on Google Maps, but is mysteriously dark.  I am talking no lights on.  We look around and notice that EVERY BUILDING ON THE BLOCK is without power.  We get out of the car and it looks like a rave because the folks staying at the hotel were all given glow sticks so they could navigate the hotel which is pitch-black.  Between this and the turbulence, this has definitely been a day.  

We get our glowsticks and a bottle of water and decide what to do.  Just as we make the decision to head out to our rooms, the lights come back on.  A Festivus Miracle!  So, we head up the staircase to our room and enjoy a much deserved night’s sleep.  I know this crowd and the next day is jam-packed with fun so rest is a necessity.  So far so good on the first day of our Boise beercation.  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.