What do you think of when you hear the words ‘Boise, Idaho?’ You probably think of potatoes, or maybe the blue turf field of the Boise State Broncos. After spending 5 days in glorious Boise a few weeks ago, I can assure you that this mid-western city with a small town feel can party with the best of them. On night one, the Thick-Headed comedians performed stand-up for the best audience of the tour so far. The following days had the whole crew shooting guns, riding horses, and attempting to sandboard down the largest dune in North America.
Oh, and the van finally broke down…about 6 times. I might as well mention that I typed this blog from a 24/7 gas station balls deep in the middle of Idaho. The Thick-Headed crew pitched a tent and made camp here. Thank god there was Wi-Fi…
The week in Boise began with a show at Fatty’s Bar in the thriving Downtown district of the city. The local talent was a perfect complement to the Thick-Headed comics and the crowd was raring to go by the time we took the stage. One of the best parts of helping to manage this tour is the opportunity to see four comedians develop their stand-up act across a two month span. Boise was the perfect storm of an amazing audience and the comics really hitting their stride, which led to the best show of the tour thus far. Naturally, we celebrated with the Idahoans long into the night. The largest amount of Flaming Dr. Pepper shots I’ve ever seen was consumed by all parties, and then shit got weird. Not to name any names, but one member of the crew ended his evening by swiping a hotel room door with a credit card and sleeping in a bed free of charge. (Well done, Mac L.)
The boys of the Thick-Headed Tour were transformed into men after a visit to the High Desert Horses Ranch in Mountain Home, Idaho. The purveyor of the ranch is a fearless cowboy named Dan “Reride” Smith, whose ability to ride a horse at full speed and shoot a target with 100% accuracy is jaw-dropping. At first, he didn’t take too kindly to the feminine tendencies and toilet humor of the Thick-Headed hooligans. Fortunately, he still took us under his wing and trained us to ride horses, shoot Colt .45 pistols, and ride horses while shooting Colt .45 pistols at the same time. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt more badass in my entire life.
Cowboy hats were worn, whiskey was drank, and an incredible time was had by all. We all left the ranch a little manlier that day, Cowboy Dan made sure of that.
Bruneau Dunes State Park is home to the largest single structure sand dune in the United States of America. Obviously, we were not going to leave Idaho without conquering the dune and riding thrift store snowboards down its sandy slope. I would describe our expedition as Lawrence of Arabia meets the X-Games. Sadly, I must report that our flawless plan did not come to fruition. The sandstorm at the top of the dune was far too treacherous and the snowboards too heavy to make the descent. After a long battle to the top, we were forced to retreat back to the base of the dune. A refreshing swim in the lake at the bottom of the ridge ending up being the saving grace of the day.
Some days you get the dune and some days the dune gets you, I guess.
-Louis Braschi
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If you find yourself travelling through Idaho, I encourage you to please stay with our great friends at High Desert Horses Ranch! They are fantastic people and run an incredible establishment. If you’re looking for the full cowboy experience, this is the place to get it.
