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| Kootenai Falls: Montana |
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| Best Ice Cream! Spirit Lake |
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| Best Coffee: Spirit Lake |
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| Old Man in the Stone |
As you know, we are in the neighbourhood to spend time with
friends and family. This part of Idaho, is all about visiting the Grandparents
just north of Sandpoint. We have spent hours soaking up the ambiance in their
little paradise. They have property near Grouse Creek, where they have
painstakingly carved out roads, hand built homes from the heart house to the
motorhome canopy, to an expansive garden oasis and their new house atop of the
hill. From here, you can watch the hummingbirds play, chipmunks scamper and the
wind ripple. There is the howl of the train horn in the distance and just quiet
spaces to think. This is a place where nature is appreciated and respected. It
is very restful.
But…there are the children and while they can play here for
hours, Sandpoint does have attractions too. We spent a day at City Beach, where
the sand is warm and the waters are very swimmable. I was impressed with the
free lunch program being offered for all children under the age of 18 in the
park. There is a large playground, tennis courts and plenty of boats to watch
sail by. Being at the beach for a day is an awesome treat and we finished it
with Pizza at Second Avenue Pizza. That was very delicious.
Up on the hilltops is Schweitzer Mountain. This is a large
ski resort in the winter months, but we discovered Mountain Adventure trail
rides up there as well. We booked in for the 1:00 pm ride and had a delightful
2.5 hour trek into the hillside. It leaves right from the ski village, where
they saddle you up and assign you your horse. I had Jigs who liked to lag
behind and then trot to catch up to Iko. He was stubborn but on the whole, the
ride was smooth walking with amazing views. The girls loved it. They had a rest
break for photographs about half way along which was welcome in the heat. We watered
up and then jaunted back. This also made me wish I had more time to mountain
bike the slopes, play with the rock climbing wall and zip line. There was some
panning for gold and chess/checkerboards out too. This mountain is lively in
the summer months too.
The time was also spent idling the days away with driving
around the countryside, other than when the van was in the shop for some quick
tie rod repairs. The shop rate was $65 an hour compared to $200 back home so
that was an easy decision. The grandparents showed us a wee hike to a swimming
hole and waterfall, while along the road was another swimming hole in a river
that was lovely. The blistering heat here makes the rivers very appealing,
especially when there are no geese to dodge. I think the river swimming spots
are my favorite, but you do need to get off the beaten track to find them. You
also need to make sure that you don’t park too close to the edge of the road or
your vehicle will roll. Just saying.
Spirit Lake was another delightful spot to spend some time.
They have this incredible coffee shack: the Bean Buzz which had an amazing
assortment of coffees and breakfasts. Little did I know, the one around the
corner near the pottery place was even more devilishly delicious. They had ice cream and coffee combined into
drinks that were sin in a cup. I had one and could have happily had four more!
Across the road, Sondahl Pottery has very reasonably priced hand tossed and
kilned works . The operator gave the girls a private tour and described his art
from the art perspective, education perspective and business side. We learned
about throwing pots on the wheel, clay and glazes. The demonstrations actually
had my eldest speechless, not something that happens every day. From there, we
shopped and stocked up before wandering down the hill to Spirit Lake itself.
The small beach front allowed us to swim in the cool waters, albeit with two
small young geese that seemed to be hungry. The water was deep enough to jump
off the docks, which we did with gusto.
Funnily enough, I seem to have this tradition where I go to
visit one state and wind up in another. This trip is proving to be similar in
that we spent one afternoon cruising to Montana to visit Kootenai Falls Park there.
We hiked the gentle path in and over the railway tracks to the edge of the
Falls. It really feels like a mini Niagra Falls in terms of shape. The water
thunders over and creates a huge spray. Below the Falls, you can cross to the
island over a swing bridge. The views up the river are breathtaking. I can’t
imagine kayaking these or running the rapids, but apparently it is still done
today.
Another interesting stop was the Albeni Falls National Park.
This is now an interesting dam operated by the US Army. You can walk down to
the water and picnic here, or chase geese. They seem to be everywhere. There
are free tours to the public and the facilities are a great stop over for the
kids. We did this stop between Blanchard and Sandpoint, where we were amused by
the leaving and re-entry of Idaho as we crossed into Washington as well.
The heat here is unbelievable. We have created
many memories here in Grammy’s garden, Grandpa’s heart house shop and in the
wood crafted house above. We have experienced the road side stop, rivers and
lakes. Northern Idaho is a gem that all should experience. Next stop, Ocean
Shores.
