
During the second stretch of our Idaho leg, we stayed in and around Boise. We split our time back and forth between camping and Airbnb/hotel stays and were in the area for basically 5 full days. One odd thing I noticed in Boise, and this could be me being nitpicky, is that the drinking water wasn’t super cold. I encountered this at multiple establishments we visited. On a more positive note, the food in Boise is top-notch. Read on for more. 🙂
Trip Diary Begins
Thursday, June 26, 2025

We dipped from Stanley in the morning, and I got to sleep a little in the car. For breakfast, we stopped at Wild Bills Coffee and Bistro in Garden Valley, which was super solid. I ordered a Huckleberry Toast, which features avocado, fresh huckleberries, feta, slivered almonds, and hot honey. It was tasty and very unique. I also added two eggs. Jon opted for the Déjà Vu, which is essentially a classic breakfast plate, a go-to for Jon.
We filled up and continued our drive to Boise. Upon our arrival, we went to a coffee shop called Roast & Vine. Jon later went to pick up sandwiches for lunch from The Roosevelt Market. I enjoyed the Space Chicken, a sammy with sliced chicken, mozzarella, mama ‘lil pesto, and baby spinach. Now, I don’t know what the heck “mama ‘lil pesto” is, but it wasn’t ordinary pesto. It was more of a tomato-y or roasted peppery-type spread. Whatever the heck it was, it was delicious!
After checking into our Airbnb, I took a little walk to the bookstore. When I returned to the place, we got ready for a yoga class, and dropped off laundry on the way. This yoga was 100 DEGREES! The yoga classes we typically attend are hot, but not that hot. It was hitting me pretty hard, especially because I was almost certainly dehydrated. My bad!
Post-yog, we showered back at the Airbnb and got ready for dinner. We ended up at a pizza spot called The Wylder, where we tried a few different types of pizza and wrapped up the meal with cookies and ice cream.
It’s always nice to walk around for a bit after a meal to digest, so we explored the Boise River Greenbelt a bit before turning in for the night.
Friday, June 27, 2025

Boise had a mountain bike festival going on, which we had gotten tickets to. Friday marked day 1 of the festival, which took place at Eagle Bike Park.
We both got demo bikes (yes, even I), and did some easy trails. Despite the easy level of the trails, I was still super nervous, tense, and awkward. I only lasted 45 minutes, but hey, I gave it a whirl!
When Jon was finished riding, only about 15 minutes later, we departed the bike park and hit the town. We started Lost Grove Brewing in Hyde Park. They had some great happy hour beer deals, which we took advantage of. While there, we ordered an app as well. We landed on the wings with the miso buffalo sauce, which were perfect! They had a perfect crispy coating, and the sauce was super yummy.
Before dinner, we walked back to the Airbnb to reset. We landed on St. Lawrence Gridiron for our final meal that day, and OMG, it was absolutely amazing. I specifically can’t get over how good the Dirty Bird was. It’s truly one of the best fried chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had. This sammy features Louisiana spices, chili oil, white BBQ sauce, house slaw, and house pickles. It was all really working for me. Jon and I split the sandwich, along with the Brisket Platter and potato salad. Everything was fantastic.
We then went to a whiskey bar for a little bit before walking back to the Airbnb and ending the night with the Gemstone family.
Saturday, June 28, 2025

We slowly started to get together and pack up in the morning, and made our way to Bogus Basin for day two of the mountain bike fest.
I spent most of my time relaxing, reading, and listening to my audiobook. In the evening, I ended up going on a 1.5 hr hike on Deer Point Trail. I was initially planning to hike for a shorter amount of time, but my legs just kept moving. It was a lovely hike, which included foresty vibes, views of the ski runs, sunshine, and wildflowers.
We found an awesome spot to camp for the night, not far from where we’d spent the day. Before bed, we watched the SEASON FINALE of Righteous Gemstones, which was crazy!
Sunday, June 29, 2025

We headed back to Boise from our camp spot, which took about 45 minutes. When we got back to town, we grabbed THE BEST BREAKFAST EVER at Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro. I love a good Chicken Fried Steak, and this one was really, really, really good. Jon got a classic breakfast-type dish, which he said was delicious. We both agreed it was the best breakfast we’d had on the trip so far.
After our meal, we walked around the block a couple of times to digest a bit. Then, it was bike time! I rented a bike so we could ride around town and explore, as I left my own road bike at home. It was so fun! We rode for around 1.5 hours, covering 17 miles. I had a great time until I washed out at the very end and got a bad case of road rash. Rats! I was so scared on the mountain bike, and yet when I did get hurt, it was from road biking. Figures! Lots of people saw it happen, too. 🙃 But they were so friendly about it.
We checked into a hotel yet again. Then we went to Mother Earth Brew Co. and got some cheese bread, pizza, and beer. The main reason we chose to visit this spot is because when we were at the bike shop returning my rental, which was across the street from Mother Earth, a kind stranger brought over a cup of water and some napkins to help Jon and me manage my fresh wound. As Jon dumped the water on my leg, I noticed it felt cool and refreshing. I requested that we visit the brewery that evening so we could get our hands on that cold water. (It didn’t feel quite as cold in the mouth as it did on the leg, but it was still an upgrade!)
Monday, June 30, 2025

I was quite sleepy and skipped the hotel breakfast. My injury was also very aggravating. Eventually, I ate a banana, and we went to a coffee shop for a short amount of time. I also went to Rite Aid and grabbed some gauze and other supplies to dress my wound. Thrilling!
Back at the hotel, Jon worked out in the gym and worked for a bit downstairs, while I relaxed and listened to my audiobook. I had gotten myself in a bit of a funk. Jon later went to yoga again at the super hot studio (I didn’t wanna risk all the sweat and stuff with my fresh road rash), which gave me some more time to blog and relax.
He returned and showered, and then we went out to grab a bite at Boise Brewery. Once again, we had some super solid food. We started with the hummus, which included kalamata olives mixed in, and was topped with a garlic confit. It also came with chili crisp, which we mixed in. For our main dishes, we ordered the Patty Melt and the Bulgogi Bahn Mi, both of which we split.
Then, it was back to Mother Earth to work and vibe. They were even streaming Love Island. At 9, we went back to the hotel.







