Nick and Sarah were heading east again, this time to go on a bike trek and to see Boise, Idaho engagement rings.  They were once again looking to find something that had a distinctly local flavor, an engagement ring that you couldn`t get just anywhere.  The more they knew about what people wanted around the country, the better.  They had already seen so much of the country that they had never imagined they would see, and knew that few people had the opportunities they had.

"How lucky are we, Nicky," Sarah said as they cruised along I-84, "that we get to travel like this?"

"We are lucky for a lot of reasons, babe."  Nick responded.  "But we are particularly lucky that my Grandpa invested wisely."

Sarah held up her water bottle as if to make a toast.  "Thanks, Grandpa." She said, looking at the
sky. 

They pulled up to Hotel 43 at 981 Grove Street in Boise, ID, 83702 and checked in.  It was a funky hotel, very cool, and they were glad to be there. 

"Is this a down comforter?" Sarah asked.

"Can`t be," Nick said.  "Too many people with allergies.  But it does look cozy, doesn`t it?"

"Sure does," Sarah said as she threw herself onto the bed.

"Don`t even think it," Nick warned her.  "This hotel lists 43 things to do while we`re here, and I`m determined to do at least 2 or 3.  Shower up, lady!"  He smacked her on the backside and she laughed as she headed for the bathroom.

After asking at the front desk where they should go to see the murals, and getting the response of `pretty much everywhere`, Nick and Sarah headed out to view Boise at night.  The night was quiet and chilly.  It was one of those crisp fall nights that you want to be outside, breathing in cool, clean air.  They saw that the city was almost covered in murals.

"It`s like art exploded over Boise or something," Nick commented.

"We have to make time to see the one of the white settlers hanging a Native American," Sarah told him.  "I was reading about that controversy.  It`s inside the old County Courthouse, I think."

"Sounds charming," Nick said.  "But I am curious about what THAT commemorative plaque will say."

The continued walking, holding hands.  There weren`t too many people on the streets.  This probably wasn`t tourist season, although soon enough people would be heading to Bogus Basin and Sun Valley ski resorts, and Boise would have a lot more people coming through.  Nick and Sarah liked being among few other tourists. 

"You know who retired here?" Sarah asked.

"Life is a game of Trivial Pursuit with you, babe," Nick said.  "I don`t know.  Who?"

"Bill Buckner," Sarah told him.  As baseball fans, they knew the nearly-tragic legacy that belonged to Bill Buckner, who let a ball go right through his legs in the 1986 World Series, allowing the Mets to beat the Red Sox.

"It`s a shame that people remember him for that one mistake," Nick said.

"Well, it was a pretty major mistake," Sarah responded.  "You know who`s from here?"

"Babe," Nick said, "I can get whiplash trying to follow your train of thought.  But I`ll play.  Who is from here?"

"Gil Grissom," Sarah smiled.  "William Petersen is from Boise."  CSI was one of their favorite shows, and they were hardcore Grissom fans.  Sarah ranted for days when she found out Grissom would no longer be on the show.  She was trying to gracefully accept Laurence Fishburne, but it was difficult. 

Sarah stopped suddenly.  "I like this one best," she said.

"Really?" Nick asked.  It was a mural called the Pottery Fairy.  "You`re not into fairies."

"I like the colors," Sarah explained.  "They`re happy colors."

Nick wrapped his arms around Sarah.  "You are too much," he said. 

They walked a little more, then went back to the hotel for some sleep.

When the alarm went off at 7am, Sarah groped for it until it was quiet.  She tried to fall back to sleep, but Nick was already getting up and trying to pull the covers away from her.

"Why so early?" Sarah whined.

"Because it`s a long ride and we have other things to do after it," Nick explained.  "You know this.  Up, woman!"

Sarah glared at him as got up and went to wash her face and brush her teeth.  She pulled on her biking pants, t-shirt, thermal top, and fleece.  She knew it would start cold, but she would want layers to shed as they rode.  Nick got dressed, too, and they left.  After getting their bikes from the rack on the Jeep, they checked the trail map from the hotel and headed off for the Boise Green Belt, a 25-mile trail that would take them through some beautiful spots.

The Green Belt was paved most of the way, so riding was relatively easy—except for the occasional frost heave—but Nick and Sarah weren`t hurrying.  The trail was a favorite for walkers, bikers, and even fishermen.  They went through Discovery State Park, past Sandy Point Beach, and stopped along the way to drink some water and look at nature.  They saw all kinds of ducks and geese and birds they couldn`t identify.  At one point, Sarah stopped and gestured for Nick to do the same.  She pointed up.

"Is that an eagle?" She asked him.

"I`m not sure," Nick responded.  "It sure looks like one, though."

It was flying high, and the sky was bright, so they weren`t sure. 

"You don`t see that every day," Nick said.

"Certainly not in New York, no," Sarah answered.  "Idaho has its upsides, definitely."

They biked the whole route to Lucky Peak Dam and Reservoir and then back to Garden City, and back to Boise.  It was a long ride, but they took their time to enjoy it.  Nick remarked at one point that he thought all that fresh air was killing his New York lungs, but they agreed that it was a great ride. 

They returned to the hotel tired and hungry.  They had time to shower before they went to Goldy`s Breakfast Bistro at 108 S. Capitol Blvd, Boise, ID 83702.  As soon as they say down, they were both suddenly ravenous.  They each ordered Goldy`s famous Eggs Benedict, and an order of corned beef hash to split, ASAP.  They drank their coffee and devoured their food in record time.  They were relieved that the service was fast because they had a movie to catch at 2.

Nick paid in a hurry and they hurried to the Egyptian Theater, which was playing the 1941 classic movie "The Maltese Falcon".  Nick was proud that they were already on number 4 of their "43 Things" list from the hotel.  After they paid and went in, they were in awe of the d?cor.  There was a sphinx there, and all kinds of Egyptian-style art on the walls.  It was as if they were walking AMONG the Egyptians. 

"This is very cool," Sarah told Nick as she snuggled in, putting her head on his shoulder to watch the movie.

"It really is," he said.  In his head, he was counting down.  Within 10 minutes of the movie starting, Sarah was asleep.  He woke her up when it was over and they went back to the hotel for a real nap before they went out that night.

They got dressed—but not dressed up—and bundled up in their North Face jackets before they went out to Bungalow for dinner.  They ate a fantastic meal and had a few beers to warm up for the night ahead.  It was like stretching before a run to them. 

"We`re really going to a country bar, aren`t we?" Sarah said to Nick.

"Yes, baby," Nick told her.  "Yes we are."  Country music was not Sarah`s favorite.  At all.

They arrived at Dirty Little Roddy`s and saw that there were already a lot of people there having a great time.  After they ordered their first beers, Nick took Sarah by the shoulders and turned her around.

"Look, baby," he said.  And they were facing a mechanical bull—the 2nd one on the trip.  Sarah smiled.  "And ladies ride for free," he told her.

"What a surprise," she said dryly as she took her beer out of his hand and made her way over to the bull.  They watched for a while, listening to country music and the crunch of peanut shells under their feet, and did a few shots to give Sarah her `liquid courage`.

Nick returned from another trip to the bar with two shots of Jagermeister and handed one to Sarah. 

"The last time we drank this," Sarah reminded him, "We ended up married."

"Shut up and drink," He told her.  "You`ve got a bull to ride."

Sarah spent the remainder of the night alternating between the mechanical bull and the bar. 

As they were getting ready to leave, one of the bartenders yelled to her, "You`re a pretty good little bull-rider, you know, for a city girl."

Sarah tipped and imaginary hat and grabbed Nick by the hand to steady herself for the walk back to the hotel.  She let out her best "YEE-HAW!" several times as they walked the quiet streets of Boise.  Nick force-fed her several glasses of water and helped her into her pjs before he let her get into bed.  As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

Sarah woke up at 6am and ordered coffee before Nick even woke up.  When his subconscious finally caught her watching him, he opened his eyes at 8. 

"What are you doing up?" he asked.

"You look like Edward Scissorhands," she said.  "I couldn`t sleep.  I`m sore from the bull."

"Poor baby," he said, holding his arms open so she could come to cuddle with him.  She went to him to lie down, but her leg started cramping and she got up to do the leg-cramp dance. 

"I don`t think biking 40 miles and then riding a mechanical bull was so smart," Sarah said as she tried to rub the knot out of her foot.  She hopped up and got into a hot shower, hoping the aches would subside.

After they dressed and packed their bags, they went to the lobby to check out.  Of course, the desk clerk was painfully polite.

Sarah, leaning on the counter, looked at the clerk and told him, "Everyone is so nice in Idaho."

He smiled and said, "We try, ma`am."

Sarah`s face turned to a scowl and Nick laughed.  She hated being called "ma`am" by anyone.

The jewelry store they chose was another funky little place that sold not only original jewelry, but also artsy blown glass and cool furniture and the such.  Sarah was walking bow-legged as they entered the store.  After Nick offered to help her with her `mosey`, she flicked him on the arm so it hurt.  Nick led her over to a comfortable-looking chair and approached the salesman while Sarah sat on the chair, scowling and rubbing her thighs.  She clearly didn`t care how it looked.

"I`m looking for an engagement ring," Nick told the Salesman, whose name was Jeff.

"Is your girlfriend okay?" Jeff asked.

"She`ll be fine," Nick said.  "I want something totally different, something unique."

"Does she want to come look at the rings, or should we bring them to her?" Jeff asked.

"Oh," Nick told him, "It`s not for her.  It`s for another girl."

Jeff raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice.  "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, it should have a diamond, of course," Nick said.  "And it should be a nice one, but I think maybe some other stones, too.  Maybe an emerald, a ruby.  Something funky."

"I`ll show you what we have," Jeff said.  "All of our rings are hand-crafted by local artists.  Everything in the store is, as a matter of fact.  We`ll see if we have something that suits you."  He began taking a few rings out of the display.

Nick looked them over and asked, "What if I have something specific in mind?  Can I have it custom-made?"

"All of our pieces come from the minds of our designers," Jeff explained.  "We might be able to contact them directly to see if one can make something for you."

Nick was playing with a ring that was hammered silver with unblemished turquoise set into it.  It was a big ring, and he knew Sarah would love it. 

"Well," Nick told Jeff, "I can`t wait on `might`s and `maybe`s.  I need an engagement ring for…" he looked at Sarah, "my other girlfriend soon.  In the meantime, though, I`ll take this one."  He held out the ring for Jeff to ring up and wrap. 

Slipping the ring into his jacket pocket, Nick walked over to Sarah and helped her get up. 

"I told him I was buying an engagement ring for my other girlfriend," he told her.

Sarah grinned and kissed him.  "You`re getting so devious, baby.  I love it."

They walked to the Jeep, with Nick helping Sarah climb into her seat.  As they drove south, Nick rubbed his pocket and thought about when he would give his surprise gift to his hungover, bow-legged, thigh-rubbing, Jagermeister-drinking, bull-riding girlfriend.

"I love you, Sarah," Nick said as he reached for her hand.

Sarah picked up his hand and kissed it.  "I love you, too, Nicky."  Resting her head against the window, she said, "Now hush up.  Mama needs some sleep."

Nick smiled and kept driving.