I happen to live in the  bustling town of Boise, Idaho. Boise sits in the treasure valley. Other notable towns in the treasure valley are Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell. Nearly 600 thousand Idahoans live with me in the this here valley. We have some traffic, a freeway, an impressive collection of chain restaurants and a large (Edwards 21) movie theatre. People living in Boise rarely leave their grid of  work and back home existence. They forget what surrounds them. 99.999% of Idaho is wild, open wilderness. 

One of the benefits of having a brother who works for Senator Mike Crapo is that he has been everywhere in Idaho. Jake, my brother, has been to every small town, hamlet and moor across the entire gem state. It’s his job to make sure that every Idahoan knows and loves Mike Crapo. The entire state of Idaho includes the towns of Prarie, Kellogg, Moscow, Montpelier, American Falls, Orofino, Riggins, Hailey, Fairfield, Fruitland, Weiser, and so forth. I envy him because one of my favorite activities in the whole world is exploring small towns and seeing how people live in them. Anyways…

That’s how I found Swan Falls reservoir. It is only 30 miles south of Boise but I’ve never heard of it. Jake had to go there for some rally or fundraiser or something like that. He thought I’d like it so he took me there on a recent trip. Swan Falls reservoir is a stunning canyon carving of rock sitting innocently in the high plain desert that surrounds the Treasure Valley. The squirmy snake river slithers through the bottom of the canyon. What a cool name for a river, the Snake. The road to the reservoir gives anyone who is willing to see it a satisfying view of the desert. The Owyhee mountain range traces the horizon behind it as you drive South. 

What a place. 

I took Zach and Jack and Jonah fishing there last month. We drove the Trooper all over the rough up and down road that flanks the river. Terrific 4×4 fun. Zach was the only one to catch a fish. He somehow snagged it right in the nose hole. Jonah and Jack, both 9 years old, explored the area. It’s good to get out of the city and touch the larger percentage of the earths surface.