Has there ever been something that you've wanted to do and it's just never worked out? Ever since I found the Capital City Market online, I've been dying to check it out and blog about it. I think I tried every Saturday last summer but something always came up. So this summer I told the husband that I am not going another summer without checking out the Market. And guess what? I made it. And it was every bit as fabulous as I had anticipated. I loved the sense of community, the mixing of people, the way people strolled along casually checking things out instead of the traditional, rush-grab-go that you see at the grocery store. I soaked in the goodness radiating from the organic fruits, the shine coming from vegetables, the love pouring from the artisan breads and homemade jellies, and the fragrant smells coming from the fresh cut flowers. I was delighted to find meat that had been fed grass instead of corn, animals that had been raised in open-ranges instead of dark-overcrowded-cages, organic eggs that traveled dozens of miles instead of hundreds of miles, chickens that weren't pumped full of antibiotics and hormones, and fresh cheeses made from Jersey cows that are Rbst free. I found varieties of meat that I haven't been able to find anywhere else--things like elk, bison, buffalo, lamb, meats that are healthy alternatives to what we find at the grocery store. I've also searched the grocery stores unable to find nitrate-and-nitrite-free sausages and bacons, but found a vendor at the market who had many nitrite-free meats. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE MARKET. Bring money, your own bags, and sunscreen. Families are welcome, although I encourage you to go without young kids if you plan to do some real shopping.
Every Saturday morning from 9:30am to 2pm come out to the market. Park for free the first hour in any parking garage. The market is located on 8 Street from Bannock to the Grove and Idaho St between Capital Blvd and 9th street. 2012 Season Runs April 21st-December 22nd. There are vendors galore with arts and crafts, fresh farm produce, flowers, and more! EBT cards accepted.
Wow! I'm a guest blogger on Don't Get Bored! I'm just tickled by that for a few reasons. First, because last June when I moved to Kuna from North Idaho (where one does not need a great blog like this to find awesome outdoor things to do), Amanda and Don't Get Bored saved my children's summer. We haunted her blog for ideas, and then followed her footsteps all over Treasure Valley.
Second--I don't even blog! So I'm a guest blogger before I'm even a blogger blogger. Well, okay, I did keep a pretty invisible blog on Vox for a while, just logging all the sightings of twins we had after the babies were born. They'll be two in May 2011. Also with us on this trip were the Dad, Brett; my son Nate, 15; and daughter Anna, 11.
Finally--I found something really cool that Amanda didn't already know about. So I get to repay her a little bit.
And Jump Creek Falls is very, very cool.
We headed out toward Marsing on an unseasonably beautiful March day. The drive took us through Idaho's vineyard country, which will be even nicer a few weeks further into spring but was pretty even with the leafless vinyards and orchards laid out across the valley. It's a bit tricky to get to Jump Creek. Our GPS was utterly confused, and MapQuest kept telling us to turn right when our gut said we needed to be going left. We followed our gut and found ourselves at a fork in the road with two choices--left on a very rutted, dirt road; or right through a cattle guard marked with huge NO TRESPASSING signs. After a short discussion, we chose the cattle guard, and there was a brief Deliverance-like interlude before we realized that we were on the right track, on a public road, and the warnings to trespassers were aimed at foot traffic. Apparently, folks hiking BLM lands in the area don't always respect fences around adjacent private lands.
I found directions on the Internet, and was able to put together an accurate set from those and our experiences, which appear at the end of this entry.
It's interesting how quickly the drive goes from vinyards, to slightly rolling desert, to this sudden lava-rock crevice with a creek flowing through it. We pulled into the parking lot, unloaded, and headed up the trail into the canyon. The kids enjoyed finding caves, looking for lizards, and spotting small fish in the creek. The hike itself is short, not even a quarter mile, and mostly on a flat path with a bed of sand and small gravel. We had the backpackers for the boyos, who are 21 months old, but we never needed them. We just let them walk.
The only tricky bit was the creek crossing. The path drops down to the creekbed, where closely-set stepping stones cross the water about 12 feet wide and 8 inches deep. Nate went ahead and reported to Brett and me about the status of each rock, so that we knew to avoid wobbly ones while helping the boyos cross. It was dicey enough to knot my back a bit, but really, we were fine. Then a quick scramble upward, and we were back on the easy level trail.
I will note that I'm pretty intrepid; this crossing would not be suitable for all moms of toddlers. But we made it just fine and continued up the creek trail. Older kids--certainly 4 and up--will be fine.
The scenery was startling--not only the suddenness of the canyon itself, but the large caves and strange rock formations. This near-perfect pyramid looked like a carefully groomed Christmas tree, and was probably 30 feet tall. With the layer of spring green on everything, the contrast between lava rock and growth bed was striking.
And at the end of the trail--this wonderful waterfall drops into a pool. There's a cave to clamber through for another view.
As early as it was in the year, we did see people; from the looks of it, there are always people here. There's some graffiti to overlook, and I've read that Jump Creek (not surprisingly) attracts the aimless among young people, who go there to drink a few beers and do other things they think will make them feel and seem mature. However, we saw only a family fishing with their dogs, another family hiking, and what looked to be a small private school group on an outing.
The kids can't wait to go back. We give it four and a half stars out of five (dang that graffiti!) and plan another outing a bit later in the spring.
Stuff to take: Sunscreen, water, good shoes, maybe an extra pair in the car in case you get wet on the crossing (Anna did), and a picnic. There's not much in the way of picnic facilities, but it's a 45-minute drive or so, so this is at least a half-day outing. Oh, and a camera! I'm not sure the fishing is worth much, but if you're an angler you might want to drop a line, so be prepared for that. Nate really wished he had his rod with him.
From Boise, take I-84 W toward Marsing, exiting onto ID 55 S at exit 33A. Stay on ID 55 S for about 16 miles (more or less), until you see Edison Rd; about a mile later you will turn left onto US 95. From there it's about 2.5 miles to Poison Creek Road on the right; follow Poison Creek Road about 3.5 miles to a 4-way intersection (you are on some very small roads here, so keep that in mind when you picture "intersection") and turn left onto the unnamed gravel road. About a half mile down that road, you will turn right through a scary-looking cattle guard; the threatening signs are for the private property only, not the road, which is public access to the canyon area. You will see the road turning left along the base of some hills; once you make that turn it won't be long before you see the Jump Creek sign directing you to the trailhead parking lot.
The Farmstead is our fall family tradition. We go every year. People ask me all the time which I like better, Linder Farms or the Farmstead. We have been to both Linder Farms and the Farmstead and the Farmstead is our clear favorite. For the amount of things there is to do, the Farmstead has a lot more to offer. Not that you won't enjoy yourself at Linder Farms, we did, but we just enjoy the Farmstead more.
Like I said, the Farmstead has a lot to offer. There's the corn maze, of course, the straw maze, the jumping pillow, the corn cannon, the pig races, the corn box, the slides, Bunnyville, the kids' corn maze, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, Straw Palace, the cow train, the pony rides, and the Field of Screams. There's also a large courtyard filled with food choices. If you go on game day you'll see the guy at the corn dog stand with his flatscreen set up and tuned in. Besides having all these things to do you don't have to worry about paying for anything once you get in. With the exception of the pony rides, pumpkins, and the food everything else is paid for with your admittance. There's no hassling with tickets or anything like that.
I love how the Farmstead was the first to come up with the idea of the corn maze 14 years ago. What, you didn't know they were the original corn maze? I also love how they try and improve upon what they do year after year. Corn Cannons? I mean who would have thought of that? And the girl just loved them! I'm impressed with the efforts they make to keep it new and exciting year after year. They even built a bigger platform for the slides since it often got crowded with all those kiddos at the top. Also new this year is the Straw Palace . It's big enough to hide in and small enough not to get lost in. The new additions helped the boy who has a vivid memory get over the fact that they didn't have the peddle carts or the duck races this year.
Being the smart adventure seekers that we are, we planned our trip to the Farmstead when we thought it would be the least crowded. We ventured out on opening weekend and Game Day. Yes, Game Day, with a capital GD, the day all of Boise is at the stadium and the rest of us are out having fun. Hee, hee. It was a smart move on our part as we had the whole place to ourselves.
We arrived around 6:30 and stayed until 9:30 pm. And we didn't even go through the corn maze which would have kept us there another 45 - 60 minutes. I'll admit it took us a while to get adjusted to the new location. (Did I mention they have a new location off Overland and Eagle Rds?) Once we got our bearings and the boy got over the fact that they didn't have the peddle carts this year or the duck races, we were able to really enjoy ourselves. We checked out the jumping pillow first and then the corn cannon, then over to the pony rides which only cost a dollar a person. After the pony rides, the kids played in the corn box. I don't know if you are familiar with Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, but I couldn't help thinking of the chapter "How Corn Took Over America" as the kids played in a box of corn kernels. My goodness, corn has a lot of uses in our society and the Farmstead is no exception. Let's hear it for King Corn.
After picking the corn kernels out of their ears, we ventured over to the Straw Palace to play hide and seek. The cow train was next and the kids loved riding over the bumps that are also new this year. Next up the pumpkin patch and then a relaxing ride on the hayride. The girl can't understand why I love the hayride so much. I told her it's because it's the only time I ever just sit. I know all you moms are sighing right now at the thought of sitting and doing nothing. Ahhhh. Doesn't happen enough, does it?
After the hayride we wandered over to the pig race that started at 8 pm. At the beginning of every pig race they ask for volunteers to cheer on a pig and every year the girl jumps up and down with her hand in the air hoping to be picked. This year since there were so few people there that night the girl actually got picked to cheer on a pig. To top it off, her pig, Boarbra Walters won the pig race! She won a free dessert from Dutch Oven Creations. We found our way over to Dutch Oven Creations in the courtyard and gorged ourselves on the most delicious scone topped with cinnamon and sugar and icecream. This was an extra special treat for my kids who aren't given anything unhealthy to eat in our home. They indulged in every bite. Lastly, we didn't walk through the corn maze like we usually do because, frankly, I don't trust myself not to get lost in mazes and there wasn't anybody going through that we could follow. That's okay though because we'd been there for three hours and it was time for bed.
Just when we thought the night couldn't get any better, we ran into Hilary, the co-owner of the Farmstead who gave us four free tickets to raffle off on this blog. Awesome!
Things to remember:
Wear shoes and socks if you want to be most comfortable. Bring or wear appropriate clothing such as coats, jackets, hats and gloves because it gets cool at night. If the weather is warm bring sunscreen and lots of water. Allow yourself plenty of time to spend there. The corn maze takes about an hour and all the other activities combined take at least one or two hours. Don't forget your camera for all those photo ops. Bring dollars for the pony rides, pumpkins, and money for the food court. Remember their location has changed to Overland and Eagle Rd. Enter on Overland just east of Eagle Rd where the carpool place is. Have fun!
Check out their website for hours of operation and directions. They open at noon on Thursday and Friday, October 7 and 8 for teacher inservice .
Who doesn't love hot air balloons? I remember one year my neighbor's uncle landed his hot air balloon right in our neighborhood park. It was so spectacular that I ran home and grabbed my camera and by the time I got back the girl and my neighbor's uncle were in the basket and 50 feet in the air. Now I was really glad I had my camera.
If you love looking at hot air balloons check out Boise's hot air balloon festival this weekend. A community pancake breakfast will be held on Saturday morning at 7 am at Ann Morrison park so you can eat and watch the balloons lift off at the same time. And don't be late because there's no point in getting there at 9. The balloons and the pancakes will be gone.
After the morning lift off on Saturday you can return that evening at 6:30 pm for food vendors, live music, and glowing balloons. Some say that the glowing balloons are "one of the coolest photo opportunities of all time."
If you can't make it on Saturday they will lift off again at Ann Morrison park on Sunday at 7:10 am. Here's a link for more info on what's being called the 2010 Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic.
The Western Idaho Fair is a great place to see lots of farm animals.
And if you're used to that sort of thing you might enjoy yourself. However, for some of us, (especially us who live in the suburbs miles from the smells of nature) we may not fully appreciate the barns full of goats, sheep, pigs, horses, llamas, donkeys, straw, feed, and manure. We may, however, enjoy looking at the rabbits, chickens, roosters, chicks, doves, and ducklings, as long as they're far enough away from the barns full of smellier animals. This was our experience last year at the Western Idaho Fair as the boy held onto his nose like this the entire time. It wouldn't have been a big deal (I personally thought it was cute and couldn't help but smiling every time I looked down at him) had my cowboy-father-in-law not paid for our admittance and anticipated showing his grandkids all the farm animals. He didn't say anything but I was embarrassed that my kid, his grandson, was not only plugging his nose but asking over and over when he could go home. We aren't much for fair rides since you have to wait in line in the hot sun and it costs a ridiculous amount of money and it's really not that fun anyway. I'm not much for fair food since it's loaded with trans fats and laden with chemicals so basically we just look at the animals.
Aren't they cute? The girl took all those pictures with her camera.
Carnival. If you want to take your family to the carnival, I recommend going on KTVB Family Day which is Monday, August 23. It's the best deal for the money ($25 for a wrist band good for admission and carnival rides all day per person) and it's the only day that no smoking is allowed and no alcohol is served. But beware----it's very crowded.
Ground Acts including Lego Experience Tour, Days of the Dinosaur, Aussie Kingdom, Ham Bone Racing Pigs, hypnotists, and more.
New this year--DemoStation. Activites, classes, contests etc. Ceramics, baking, photography, bee keeping, floral bingo, you get the idea.
Concerts--There are five free-with-fair-admission concerts including The Doobie Brothers, Uncle Kracker, Luke Bryan, .38 Special, Clint Black, and Kevin Rudolf.
August 20 - 29th, 2010 at the Western Idaho Fairgrounds
Remember to wear close-toed shoes and pack sunscreen, water, stroller, hand sanitizer, camera, and cash. They will check your bags at the door so leave your rifle at home. Cowboy hat is okay. Have fun!
Did you know that Boise Idaho has a fantastic Shakespeare Company?
Yes, we do. This nationally recognized theater company draws the most outstanding actors in the region and even some as far as Ohio. Indeed, the folks at the Idaho Shakespeare Festivalhave been voted the best performing arts group by the Idaho Statesman this year and in many years past. (They've been doing this since 1977).
Their mission is to "produce great theater, entertain, and educate."
I am thrilled that we have such amazing talent right here in Idaho giving of their time and talents to entertain and educate our community. I know that we are better because of the arts. And if I had loads of money I would donate to their cause, but alas, I am poor......
In high school, I recall going to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival on a field trip. From what I can remember it was very hot outside and my classmates wouldn't stop talking. I hardly heard a word. Although my first outing wasn't ideal, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival planted in me a love for the outdoor theater and I vowed to go back. So why have I not been back? I was an English major for crying out loud. I took a literature class all about Shakespeare and it was one of my favorites. I guess because seeing a production instead of a movie is a little on the pricey side and we've never had a lot of money.
Imagine my delight when my friend, Emi, who was visiting from Hawaii, invited me to see 'A Midsummer's Nights Dream' with her on July 10th. It was a warm Thursday evening and the show started at 8:00 pm. We had seats on the hillside ($23.00 ea) and arrived a bit early (7:00) to get a good spot on the lawn. We brought our own lawn chairs (which are acceptable, no higher than 6 inches off the ground is okay) and found a great place in the front of the back.
After we saved our seats we went over to Cafe Shakespeare and ordered gourmet boxed dinners. Let me tell you we were not disappointed. The menu was superb (we had a hard time deciding what to get) and the food we ordered was delicious. Emi drooled over her sandwich and I devoured my chicken-summer-corn-and-cilantro salad with the lime-cilantro vinaigrette. Yummy! See a pdf of the menu here.
The Greenshow started at 7:30 and was put on by the Fools Squad (a couple of guys that told a lot of jokes). Personally I didn't think it was that funny but my daughter has often told me that I have "no sense of humor" so maybe I'm not the one to judge. The show began at 8 :00 and it was fabulous.
Being in a landscaped amphitheater is a unique experience—especially one in the Barber Park Reserve. You can hear the sounds of nature, see eagles fly over head, and even see little creatures make an appearance in front of the stage like we did. The actors didn't skip a beat when suddenly a skunk scurried over to the stage before hurrying on its way. Some members of the audience held up blankets to ward off a possible skunk spray. I personally don't think the blanket would have done much good, but I guess it's instinctive to want to protect yourself. Not only did we spy birds and creatures, we also saw and felt many mosquitoes. I think we got at least five bites after the sun went down. The temperature also cooled down so we were glad we had brought our jackets.
The show ended around 11 pm to a standing ovation. The actors were simply superb. After the show was over it took us about 15 minutes to get our car out of the crowded parking lot. I would suggest going to the bathroom before getting in your car. Overall, a fantastic experience worth every penny. Thank you Emi!
****Four out of four stars
Things You Should Know
You can bring your own food! Lots of people do it.
Even if it's hot outside make sure and bring a jacket and maybe a blanket for your legs because after the sun goes down it's going to cool way down.
Bring bug spray and cover up once it gets dark. Those mosquitoes were fierce.
If you are sitting hillside or on the lawn you can bring your own lawn chair. Or blanket if you prefer. Be an hour early to get a good spot.
Park far away from the entrance to avoid the traffic jam afterwards.
Try the food at Cafe Shakespeare. It's so good.
Family Nights are on Sunday evenings. The show begins at 7pm rather than 8 pm and young children are welcome.
If you have a group of ten or more you can get a discount on admission tickets.
They have other plays besides Shakespeare. Click here to check out their lineup.
If you need more information you may call (208) 336-9221 or check out their FAQs.
How to get there. Don't get lost like we did. The Idaho Shakespeare Festival Amphitheater & Reserve is located at 5657 Warm Springs Avenue. Following I-84, take the Highway 21 exit (same as the Micron/Gowen Field exit) and proceed toward Idaho City. Once you cross the bridge at the Boise River, take an immediate left onto Warm Springs Avenue, heading west. The theater is two miles on the left behind the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation offices.- OR –
Take the Connector into downtown Boise, staying on Myrtle Street and Parkcenter Boulevard. After approximately six miles, you’ll see the Amphitheater on the right, behind the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation office building.
Stuff to take: Sunscreen, water, good shoes, maybe an extra pair in the car in case you get wet on the crossing (Anna did), and a picnic. There's not much in the way of picnic facilities, but it's a 45-minute drive or so, so this is at least a half-day outing. Oh, and a camera! I'm not sure the fishing is worth much, but if you're an angler you might want to drop a line, so be prepared for that. Nate really wished he had his rod with him.
The Western Idaho Fair is a great place to see lots of farm animals. 
We aren't much for fair rides since you have to wait in line in the hot sun and it costs a ridiculous amount of money and it's really not that fun anyway. I'm not much for fair food since it's loaded with trans fats and laden with chemicals so basically we just look at the animals. 
In high school, I recall going to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival on a field trip. From what I can remember it was very hot outside and my classmates wouldn't stop talking. I hardly heard a word. Although my first outing wasn't ideal, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival planted in me a love for the outdoor theater and I vowed to go back. So why have I not been back? I was an English major for crying out loud. I took a literature class all about Shakespeare and it was one of my favorites. I guess because seeing a production instead of a movie is a little on the pricey side and we've never had a lot of money. 
