This wasn't a AAA gem (just a AAA save) and it should have been. Our guide, Jennifer, was fabulous, and shepherded us through the site, which was used as a territorial prison beginning in 1872, and then a state prison through 1973. Jennifer told us she was the most fascinated with the women prisoners and agree. They were kept as part of the main facility to start when there weren't very many of them, but then they turned the site of the old warden's house into a women's ward in 1906. (It was open until 1920.)
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| Women's Ward (1906-1920) |
I also was fascinated hearing about the kids who served there, one for killing his mom at 9-11(?) and another for killing a man at his dad's bar at an even earlier age. The prison was the home of a few riots. The one in 1973 left some of the buildings in pretty bad disrepair. The guy who designed the 1898 dining hall killed himself when he was given parole.
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| 1898 dining hall, damaged in the 1973 riot |
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| Prison laundry |
After the prison tour, we decided to get lunch at one of the AAA sites, Moon's Kitchen Cafe, where I had an almond chicken sandwich with what was billed as surprised vegetables. (It seemed like celery and onions to me, confirmed by our hostess.)
We picked this place because I was denied my diner experience the day before and because it was near the State Capitol. We tried to get a guided tour but not enough people had signed up ahead of time. I thought there'd be a brochure or something but instead they had lots of (interesting) panels in the lower level (which they redid a few years ago.) I was shocked, after visiting the State Capitol in Maine, to not go through any metal detectors. The atrium wasn't as decorated as other capitols but the Senate and House chambers were nice, and they had a really cool art exhibit of stuff made out of the trees that they took down during the expansion/restoration. They also had art of the presidents who planted the trees.
Our final stop in Boise was the Morrison Nature Center. Jon hadn't marked this one, but I noticed it in the book in the Comfort Suites and it sounded cool -- a free nature hike showing a sample of the ecosystems in Idaho. We saw a different type of the chinook salmon we saw at the fish hatchery (they were spawning there as well.) One thing I hadn't realized - after the salmon bury the eggs, they die. It's like their whole life is to come home and reproduce.
We then headed 90 minutes to McCall, where we checked in at the HUB Mountain House, a bed and breakfast. It was a little weird because the place wasn't manned - you just walked in the door next to the closed coffee shop and bike business and your key was in the room. Weirder still was to get to the very cool hot tub, you had to go through your "host's" living area. The place looked too immaculate for someone to live there - plus, all your stuff is sitting out - which made me wonder if someone really stays there overnight. We didn't see anyone else in the 2-suite B&B. The tub was set to a perfect 100 degrees and we went up just before 8 p.m., just before sunset.
After the sun went down we went out in search of food and ended up at the McCall Brewing Company. I had a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw which was actually quite good, and mashed potatoes, which were just OK. Then it was back to the hotel where the comforter was super poofy and comfortable and all the decorations made it very roomy. Around 10 we heard footsteps coming up the stairs and then above us. Our host had arrived. -- POSTED BY COLLEEN
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