Boise ID

After the longest drive we ever undertook (mentally more than physically) we arrived in Boise at 8.58pm, according to Monica. How tough was it? I remember trying to convince Ed to go on with the journey as we sat in a Denny's in La Grande. It was like one of those polar exploration scenarios where one of the group begs to be left in the tent to freeze to death. We pushed on, and the heat got hotter and the scenery drier. Desert, everywhere. It's like the moon or mars, or something, this landscape. Incredible, strange.

We also drove along the columbia River gorge, which is spectacular: steep cliffs on each side, a huge river and an interstate that runs alongside the water.

Last night in a bar in the centre of Boise, where it was cooler inside than outside - and this was late at night. Then a trip back to the house in a taxi driven by a ponytailed dude who talked crosswords with Monica while we sat silently in the back seat taking in the bright lights of Boise.