Monday, August 8, 2016

Wrapping Up Idaho

We have certainly had a wonderful time in Idaho, although I haven't been taking many pictures to show it.  After leaving our BLM campground near Orofino, we drove 162 miles to Coeur d'Alene.  Wow!  That's four miles less than our daily driving record for the summer.  Since it was still hot, we stayed at the Elks for the electric.  Coeur d'Alene is a special town situated on a gorgeous lake of the same name.

Our next stop was along Pend Oreille Lake outside of Sandpoint.  We came into a Corps of Engineers park on a Monday thinking it would be no problem to get a site.  Wow!  Were we wrong.  All 67 sites in Riley Creek campground were taken.  Luckily somebody came into the office as we were standing there and said they had decided to abandon their two spots.  The campground rules are that you have to be ON the site before you can pay for it.  You can imagine Ron racing the RV around the campground loop.

We met up with one of Ron's many cousin there and went out for a fabulous dinner.  Although we stayed for three days, I forgot to get a picture of the lake, but this is the small arm next to the campground.

Our last stop in Idaho was Bonners Ferry, just 25 miles from the Canadian border.  We just happened to turn around in the fairgrounds parking lot and noticed a beautiful sight - signs saying, "72 hour parking limit."  Great!  It was right near railroad tracks, but, despite all the things that annoy me, trains don't bother me a bit.  I wanted to get a picture of a train going past this very cool-looking grain elevator (at least I think that's what it is), but I kept missing the engine.

Diana had been there a few years ago, so we just copied what she did then.  First was a short hike to Myrtle Falls.  Hum,  Not the best for pictures.

We were fascinated by the sap stalactites on this tree.

And Ron made friends with a moose at the visitors center.

Then we were off to find the trailhead for Pyramid Lake.  The trail begins at over 5000 feet, so it was a good hike to do on a warm day.

The bear grass was in glorious bloom.

After an easy 1.3 mile climb, pretty Pyramid Lake is everything an alpine lake should be.


6 comments:

  1. I can just picture Ron tearing around the campground in the RV!

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  2. I'm with you ... trains don't bother me at all. I really like the first photo in this post.

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  3. Since we're going to be going through Idaho when we head south I've made all kinds of notes about your sights and sites. Hopefully we'll see you in a few days.

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    1. Idaho is my second favorite state. I love the Sawtooths and the Frank Church Wilderness. Anywhere from mid central up is beautiful in my opinion. Loved Coeur-d-Alene. There's great wild life viewing at Bruce Meadows. I wish I could get up that far, but I'm sticking to Colorado and New Mexico this trip. Hope you have a great time.

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  4. I think we have to spend some time in Idaho in the next couple of years. You've had such a good visit. We've seen very little of the state.

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  5. Gorgeous!! Glad you guys got that spot I just commented on your luck with getting sites in your new post. That Pyramid lake is amazing looking!!

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