RonnieAdventure #0267 - Boise (Idaho) and vicinity (Part 1)

The Idaho State Capitol Building in Boise was patterned after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.  The building is 206 feet high and contains over 50,000 square feet of artistically carved marble. When looking up at the dome from the first floor there are 13 large stars that represent the 13 original colonies and 43 smaller stars that indicates Idaho was the 43rd state to enter the Union.  Surrounding the Capitol Building are a number of beautiful flowering plants.

The Boise Train Depot is a beautiful Spanish-Style building that is located on a hill overlooking the City. The building and grounds are available for weddings, receptions, corporate parties, fund-raising events and other special occasions. On select days and times the building is open for public tours.

Union Pacific Locomotive #2295 was built in 1920 by American Locomotive Company and is located adjacent to the Depot. #2295 acquired the nickname "Big Mike," short for Mikado, because it was one of the first 2-8-2 locomotives that were built for export to Japan. Between 1920 and 1943, over 14,000 similar locomotives were manufactured for export or use in the United States.

Located adjacent to the Boise River is the 81-acre Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial that was inspired by Anne Frank's faith in humanity. There are walking paths that go by a 180-foot Quote Wall, an Anne Frank Statue and stone bookcase, The Cityscape Wall and Butterfly Poem, water features, an abandoned bridge that is now part of a trail system, and meditation areas.

The City of Meridian is west of Boise and has a nice senior center located next to a park with fountains and art sculptures. The Journey sculptures, a series of three landmark pieces honoring the life and work of Julius M. Kleiner, are made from repurposed steel. The beams were originally used in the construction of a train car and then repurposed into bridge supports on the Kleiner farm. The steel was then repurposed again in the construction of the Journey sculptures. There is also a new LDS Temple under construction on the north side of the City.

The old one-room Pine Street School has been relocated in Meridian and just down the street there is a friendly patriotic alien holding an American Flag.

The City of Nampa is west of Meridian and is headquarters for the Amalgamated Sugar Company. At the Meridian plant Amalgamated processes about 1,500,000 tons of sugar beets each year and the company also operates plants in Twin Falls and Paul. Amalgamated Sugar is the second largest refiner and processor of sugar from sugarbeets in the United States. Not too far away is the old Nampa grain elevator.

Located in a Nampa park is the Union Pacific #616 locomotive that was build by Baldwin Locomotive in Philadelphia in 1907, an Idaho Air National Guard jet aircraft, a US Army tank, and a historical marker noting that the first Church of the Nazarene accredited college was located in Nampa. Located across the street from the park is the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho and the Warhawk Air Museum is located to the east at the airport. The Air Museum was closed when I stopped for a visit, so I'll add the museum to my Bucket List for my next visit.

The World Center for Birds of Prey is located south of Boise. The center has a museum, library, display areas, a variety of birds, and the staff conducts live bird demonstrations at various times during the day. They have a breeding facility for the endangered California Condor at this facility and they also have a Condor facilities in Marble Canyon (Arizona) where they release Condors into the wild at Vermilion Cliffs. The staff was thrilled when I told them that I had visited their Arizona facility and had worked on privatizing the Marble Canyon land.