BOISE, Idaho — The Boise River opened to the public early Tuesday at Barber Park.
The turnout of people looking to float the river - a popular summer pastime in Boise - was steady throughout the day, despite it being during work hours in the middle of the week.
Many floaters that showed up, each with a reason of their own. Many live in Boise, but one man who now lives out of state had a homecoming on opening day to float with his children and parents.
"I grew up on this river," Peter Merz said. "We did a lot of fishing on the Boise River. It's a beautiful river right in the middle of town, so yeah I'll remember most of all the river we float down."
For Boise resident Ralph Stark, opening day happened to fall directly on his 75th birthday with his daughter also in town from California.
"This is one of the best things to do in Boise, honestly, " Stark said. "She was in tears, she was so happy that we were gonna get to float."
While the number of floaters was steady on Tuesday afternoon, Ada County Parks and Waterways is expecting the Boise River's attendance to be exponentially higher heading towards the end of the week, starting with July 4.