Friday, June 30, Map

Since our hotel was right next to a mall, we did a little walking and shopping before catching dinner.

The Rotunda

Just about everything was done in white marble.

The Dome

The Idaho State Seal

We gave ourselves a self-guided tour.

The Capitol

Our next destination was the Idaho State Capitol.

An Irrigation Canal

I also took this picture of an irrigation canal from up on the hill.

Views of Boise

After leaving the raptor center, we walked down a trail that offered a view of the valley Boise is in.

The Blue Morpho

This beauty was in a display at the raptor center about the diversity among species.

Solar Panel Reflections

Nancy took this picture on our way through the mountains.  Notice the white parallelograms in the sky.  They are actually the reflections off solar panels.

A Swainson's Hawk

Aimee, a volunteer at the center, gave us a talk about this Swainson's hawk.  Their favorite meal is grasshoppers.  The fly 6,000 miles to winter in Argentina.  They do not go with their mate but they both return to the same nest to mate year after year.

An Eurasian Eagle-Owl

A Gyrfalcon

How do you like this beauty?

An Orange-Breasted Falcon Enjoying Lunch

A California Condor

The California condor is an endangered species.  After the success this organization had in restoring the peregrine falcon population, they are now working on doing the same with the condor.

A Turkey Vulture

A Bateleur Eagle

After lunch we went to the World Center for Birds of Prey.  It was well worth the trip up the hill.

The Cathedral of the Rockies

The Cathedral of the Rockies is a United Methodist Church opened in 1960.

The Egyptian Theatre

The famous Egyptian Theatre was opened in 1927.

The Basque Center

The largest concentration, 15,00 plus, of descendants of the Basque region of Spain and France.  The Basques, an ancient ethnic group, have been trying to win their independence from Spain for a long time.

The Trolley Tour of Boise

While on the trolley tour, we learned a lot of the architectural styles and significance of many of the homes in Boise.

The Sawtooth Range

Here are the mountains to the northeast of Boise.

The Boise River

We arrived in Boise a little early to go on the trolley tour, so I took a walk along a walkway that ran along the Boise River.

A View of Horseshoe Bend, Idaho

One of the small towns we passed through was Horseshoe Bend.  There we left the Payette River and headed up the mountains.

The Payette River

Still heading south on Friday, we took the very scenic Route 55 following the Payette River most of the way to Boise.

Thursday, June 29, Map

A Bug

Oops!  I should have put this one one back.  Nancy caught this little critter on our windshield while we were waiting to get through the construction.

Our Hotel

We arrived in McCall at about 5:00 pm Mountain Time, after skirting between the two time zones along Route 95.

The Little Salmon River

We encountered construction several times along the way.  At this point a trucker walked back to tell us that we would be waiting about ten minutes.  So I got out, crossed the highway and took this picture of the Little Salmon River.

A Rock Sculpture on the River

The Salmon River

The Seven Devils Mountains

We were on the Salmon River side of the Seven Devils Mountains.  The Snake River, at this point the border with Oregon, was on the other side, forming what is called Hells Canyon.

At the Summit of White Bird Hill

At this point we were 4,450 feet above sea level.

A Sweat House

Nez Perce Bead Work

The Nez Perce National Historical Park

The Nez Perce were one the tribes that help Lewis and Clark cross Idaho.  The guide at the museum here was extremely knowledgeable about the history and present circumstance about the Nez Perce.  It's one more story of betraying people who help you out just so you can grab the land they live on.  It's difficult to get the full effect of how long this canoe is.  I would say it about forty feet.

The Snake River

The Snake River was just outside the Discover Center.