Oh Boy: Boise

If you're thinking we were supposed to be in Stanley tonight, you're right. What. A. Day. It wasn't a bad day all around, and it will end well. In the middle we had a little trouble in the form of mechanical problems. Looks like the wish I made back there in LaGrande didn't take.

So, let me back up to the beginning. We were in Weiser. The park there was nothing special, but the sites were level (always appreciated), and although we were situated right next to US 95, the traffic slowed to nothing overnight, and it was very quiet. We both slept well, even if the kitties were kind of on the turdish side. They're starting to get restless from inactivity, unfortunately. Nevertheless, it was a nice morning for a sunbath on the catio, and Smitty is all about his sunbathing.

From there, we had a little business to take care of in Ontario, which is just across the border into Oregon, After that, we were back across the border into Idaho to make our way approximately 200 miles to Stanley. We drove about 100 miles and were nearly on the final leg of our journey when we pulled off the road to admire the view. We'd been traveling along the Payette River all the way, and it was very scenic. You'll notice there is smoke in the air, and fires had recently burned in this area. We aren't certain where the smoke was coming from, but there were no fires nearby. In any case, we enjoyed the river. We were stopped near some rapids.

Look upstream just a few feet, and it was smooth as glass, and very inviting. It was tempting to take off our shoes and wade in, if it weren't for the rocky embankment we'd have to climb down and then up again. Never mind.

A little to the right, the rapids smoothed out and there was more still water. Lovely.

There was no cell service in this area, but I'd wisely checked my quilt shop app earlier and discovered this little shop in Garden Valley, Idaho, just about 50 miles southwest of Stanley.

We stopped in there, and I'll tell you about that in a separate post.

Here is where things turned to sh*t. We've had a very (emphasis on the *very*) intermittent problem with out truck not wanting to shift into gear after the engine has been off. It usually means turning the engine off and then back on again, and then all is well. (This would indicate a problem with the electronics, rather than a mechanical problem.) Wouldn't you know it, but after crossing the border into Idaho, the problem worsened considerably, and when we tried to leave the quilt shop, it was a no-go. A kindly gentleman who happened to be nearby helped us with moral support as much as anything. It was quite a trying hour or so before we were able to get the truck into gear and head on down the road. (I'll spare you the details of the plugging, unplugging, restarting, resetting, and four-letter words.) Still, it meant heading back to Boise...about 50 miles in the opposite direction...and straight to a Chevy dealership. 

We did stop long enough to check into an RV park for the next two nights at least. Without turning off the engine, we unhooked, and Mike drove the truck to the nearest Chevy dealership for repair. He's on his way back as I write this with a rental car, and it looks like we'll spend the next few days in Boise while we wait for repairs to be completed. Oy. We have the worst luck. If we ever invite you to travel with us, I'm warning you, just say no.

We're hoping the repairs won't take long and that we'll still get a chance to head back up to Stanley, but we'll just have to wait and see.