The easy way to enjoy driving in Boise is to obey the law. It sounds simple, but so very few people actually do it. Obviously, don't drive recklessly or speed, but more specifically try to remember two big things. First, turn into the nearest lane. Boise is a little like a maze with lots of twists and turns. Therefore, if you can make those turns carefully and legally you will be much better off. Do not make wide turns because many turns are multiple lanes and if you don't stay in your lane it could be dangerous. Next, try to avoid lane changes. If you plan your route in advance you can choose the correct lane well in advance and make very few lane changes which streamlines traffic and cuts down on the risk of a motor vehicle collision. Something as simple as a lane change causes a large number of crashes and can be avoided with a little planning. Plus, people who make multiple lane changes are really just showing everyone else how low their intelligence is by being a horrible driver.

There are three main options to buying a vehicle in Boise. There is a dense area of new vehicle dealers on Fairview Avenue in west Boise, there are several used car dealers on Chinden Boulevard, and of course you can buy from private citizens on Craigslist. For a new vehicle, the convenience of the row of dealers on Fairview is handy. Obviously, there are other dealers around the city, but when they are literally one lot after another it cuts down on time. I have friends that drive through the lots late at night when no one is around to just look at vehicles. Then once they have narrowed down their search, they stop in during business hours to test drive a few. If you are looking for a cheap option and want to buy used, there are many small used dealers on Chinden. You can't be picky as they usually have a much much smaller selection. A much better used option is to search Craigslist and buy from a previous owner instead of a used car dealer. Boise is a nice area without "bad" sections of town that other cities have. With so many large families, there are many nice used vehicles available from people who are upgrading and selling their older vehicles.

In April each year in Boise there is one of the largest running races in the country called the Robie Creek Half Marathon. In preparation for the race one year I drove the course and it is one of the more enjoyable drives in Boise. As I began at Fort Boise Park in northeast Boise I began immediately climbing on Shaw Mountain Road. I started at an elevation of 2725 feet and eventually reached the summit at 4797 feet. Along the way, you can look back over the city and see a great view of Bronco Stadium, home of the Boise State Broncos. A couple of miles up you cross a cattle guard indicating you are now officially in the foothills and not downtown anymore. Shortly after that the pavement ends and the road narrows. Trees line the road and create a very shaded cool drive. The pitch of the road varies from stretches of false flats to super steep and a little scary. Once over the summit, there are steep downhill turns that are lots of fun. After a few more miles the road flattens out and you come to a recreational area known as Robie Creek. I wish the race was a fun as the drive.

Victory Road. The west side of Boise is set up in a grid pattern in which each major intersection is one mile apart. This makes navigating the city very easy especially once you get to know the names of the major intersections. When I was still fairly new to this city I used to drive around to see new neighborhoods for fun. As I drove farther and farther out I encountered one of the southern major streets called Victory Road. Victory Road is near the end of the suburbs where it starts to become rural. I enjoyed that at one section of the road there would be lots of businesses, another section would be lined with schools and neighborhoods, and other sections would be large properties with horses or other animals. The vast variety that could be experienced by just driving on one continuous road was fun to see. For people visiting Boise, I would encourage them to see many of the sites of the city, but also put on your list to drive Victory Road from end to end and get a sense of how a mid-sized city can still have a small town feel.

Look for the pockets of quirkiness. You'll find Hipsters hanging out with teen skaters right next to an amazing art gallery if you just slow down and enjoy the drive.

There are lots of places to explore that are off the beaten path, and with our feast or famine winter snow, You'll be able to use a 4WD almost year round. Most of the car dealerships are in two locations. One towards downtown, right near the mall. The other out to the West in the Nampa/Caldwell area. More often than not these dealers have been in business a while. So check out their reputations with the locals before choosing where to look. We're pretty friendly!

My favorite driving memory has got to be the first time I experienced a beautiful sunrise with hot air balloons filling the sky. I was relatively new to Boise, and I'm not a morning person, so I didn't have any knowledge of Boise's hot air balloon claim to fame. I was driving East towards our beautiful downtown area on a crisp summer morning, way too early for my tastes. I had the windows down to let the fresh air in, and because it was going to be another scorcher that afternoon. As I crested the hill of an overpass I saw vivid pinks and oranges painted across the sky. The Rockies sat dark and sharp in opposition to the bright colors of the dawn. Then I noticed a few rounder peaks that seemed to be moving. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what. Then the sun peeked over a low ridge and illuminated a bright colored hot air balloon. Ah, that's what the mining mountaintops were! Over to the South East I could see the pop of green that followed the river and led to a large downtown park. It was like the trees made their own road towards the balloon launch. I didn't mind getting up early that day

Eagle Road. Eagle Road used to be way on the West end of town. Out past HP, which was already in the boonies. Only farms were to be found out there. I remember the smell of mint growing in the fields on the West of Eagle Road. Now it not only hosts the only Krispy Kreme in town, but also has the busiest intersection in Idaho. Many of the farms have been bought and developed, but you can still find a few hanging on. Just across the road from Krispy Kreme, at the busiest intersection, is a corner plot of about 30 acres of farmland. A few years ago they planted a crop of onions in lieu of the corn from the previous summer. Did you know that the afternoon summer sun heats up the onion plants enough to perfume the air? On Eagle Road you get to see slices of life, that don't normally intersect, coexist next to each other.