After landing in Boise, Joy and I went to one of the top restaurants in the area called Barbacoa for dinner. Their wine cellar was pretty amazing and featured Far Niente and other great selections.
I ordered a 10 oz filet mignon rare since it is served on a 700'F hot stone that cooks it. The server poured a cognac sauce on top of the steak too to make it flame!
For dessert, we got the Mexican Fried Ice Cream Tree. These were so amazing! It was homemade ice cream with a crunchy outer shell. Joy looks amazingly at it.
We stayed at the Inn at Ellsworth Estate this time. This luxury B&B was built in the 1800s.
I am all ready to go do some cross country skiing at the Nordic Center at Sun Valley.
Joy and I are near the main fireplace at the Sun Valley Club to warm up before we head out for the cross country trails.
We had great conditions for cross country skiing this time. The powder was fresh and not icy like the previous year.
The Sun Valley Club is off in the distance. We got a great work out from cross country skiing that day.
After a day of cross country skiing, the fresh baked chocolate chip cookie at the Sun Valley Club really hits the spot!
This is the famous Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, Idaho which is just outside the Sun Valley Resort.
We are warming up by the fireplace at the Inn at Ellsworth Estate after returning to the B&B.
They cooked up a great homemade breakfast the B&B. This is a western scramble with eggs, turkey sausage, peppers and salsa!
This is the River Run area of Sun Valley where the main downhill slopes are.
We took the Roundrock Gondola up to the restaurant for some hot chocolate/
The views from the Gondola of Sun Valley were amazing.
Here is a view of Sun Valley from the deck of the Roundrock Restaurant.
Joy and I had lunch at the Sun Valley Club that day.
I ordered the Buffalo Meatloaf at the Sun Valley Club for lunch. It was great fuel for our snowshoeing adventure later that day!
I got the signature cookie served with ice cream and a salted caramel sauce for dessert!
We went snowshoeing back at the Nordic Center of Sun Valley in the afternoon. Here is a cool creek near the Sun Valley Club.
We did a pretty long snowshoeing hike that day.
I was really tired from the workout.
Joy and I are enjoying a night cap at the Twin Peaks Restaurant in Boise after dinner at a Brazilian BBQ Place before we flew out the next morning. The "eye candy" at the Twin Peaks was nice too!
Joy and I loved Sun Valley,
Idaho so much during our first trip here in 2016 that we decided to
make it an annual event for us during President's Day Weekend. We
flew out to Boise on the Friday before President's Day Weekend.
The short flight of about one hour put us into Boise around 6:15.
Afterwards, we got our rental car and headed out to the Hilton Garden
Inn Boise/Spectrum to settle in before dinner. I made
reservations at one of the top restaurants in the area called
Barbacoa. The restaurant is known for high quality meats as well
as the ambiance. I loved that restaurant! For dinner, I got
the 10 oz filet mignon which was served on a 700'F sizzling stone that
kept cooking it. I got it rare instead of medium rare like I
normally do just for that reason. The steak paired well with my
Justin Cab. Afterwards, we got a half tree of their Mexican Fried
Ice Cream which was so delicious!
The next morning, we
drove out to Sun Valley from Boise. The drive takes about two and
a half hours, and the road conditions are usually fine because the
resort pays to keep the roads plowed in the winter. We checked
into our B&B once we got into Hailey, which is about 15 minutes
south of Sun Valley. The Inn at Ellsworth Estate was built in the
1800s, and it is a luxury B&B. Afterwards, we drove out to
the Nordic Center at Sun Valley. The Sun Valley Club there is
home to the nordic sports as well as the golf course in the warmer
months. Their locker room is all high end, and we were able to
change into our ski gear there. Sun Valley is for a higher class
of guests. One does not have to worry about people stealing
equipment or other personal items. We just left our stuff in
unattended cubbies downstairs by the rental area. No one bothered
our stuff. The staff there is very nice also. We got fitted
for our cross country ski rentals, and we were off on the groomed
trails. Cross country conditions were much better this year than
last year since there was so much fresh powder. It was still
snowing as we left the club house. We were able to do more of the
trails this year since it was not as icy. After an hour or so, we
took a break and enjoyed some fresh baked cookies and beverages at the
bar. Then, we went out again for some more cross country
skiing. That night, we went to the Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum
which is pretty popular. They do not take reservations, and we
were lucky to get a table since we got there so early.
The innkeeper's son
cooked us a mean breakfast in the morning before we took off for the
Sun Valley Resort again. He made us a Western scramble with eggs,
turkey sausage, and some potatoes. It was delicious! We
took the shuttle bus from the Sun Valley Lodge and Village to the River
Run Ski Area. This is where most the downhill slopes are for
skiing. We took the Roundrock Gondola up to the Roundrock
Restaurant to take in the amazing views and get some hot
chocolate. Then, we went back to the Sun Valley Club for
lunch. Their Buffalo Meatloaf was amazing! In the
afternoon, we did about a half days worth of snowshoeing. They
have packed down trails throughout the grounds. I was so
exhausted afterwards. It was snowing pretty heavily for part of
the day too.
The next morning, we
left the B&B after another great homemade breakfast to avoid the
storm that was coming in. There was heavy snow leaving Hailey,
but it got better and better as we got towards the major highway.
Our drive back to Boise was not too bad. We stayed at the Hampton
Inn in Meridan that day. I took a nice nap in the afternoon
before I went for a swim in their indoor pool. For dinner, we
went to a Brazilian BBQ place called Tucanos. Their food is
pretty good! Afterwards, we went to Twin Peaks for some drinks
and dessert. The eye candy was good too. The girls wore the
short "Mountain Girl" shorts there.
Our return flight to
Sacramento was in the morning on Tuesday. It was only about an
hour, and we were back in time to go back to work that day. I did
take a half day off on Tuesday also as did Joy. We had a great
time, and we look forward to going back next year.