Boise - the Best Town

Outside Magazine has named Boise the best town in their 2010 list.

Obviously they are outdoors-oriented, and pointed out the easy access from Boise to 'most every outdoor-type pastime except "ocean" stuff. We have cycling, and whitewater, and hiking, climbing, skiing, etc.

Some would say the exposure is good. Good for what?

Unfortunately, IMO, such publicity pushes us in the wrong direction. Just last weekend I motorcycled up to McCall, and all along the way I was seeing places jammed with cars and visitors, that used to be empty, or mostly empty, when I was a kid. The thing about the "outdoors" is, there's only so much of it, and they're not makin' any more. The more people are occupying it, the smaller a slice for each occupier. (Yeah, I know... I'm just selfish. But on the other hand... I was born here; I didn't arrive seeking outdoor adventure.)

(I don't subscribe to Outside, but for some reason I get it each month. All I can figure is, they got my name from somebody I've bought gear from. It seems ironic to me that they're scolds - they scold their readers for their high-carbon, resource-consumin', big-footprint ways. And in between the scolds are ads for cars and SUVs, and articles about adventure destinations halfway around the world. Am I missing something?)