Week 6 Journals

Day 36 July 27,2002 Saturday - Victoria, BC Canada to Port Angeles WA, USA ( miles driven 20)

Today we prepared for our escape from Canada by arriving at the car ferry by 9:00 AM. Yesterday when checking on the ferry schedules at around 11:00am we found that it was first come first serve and that the 3:00 pm was already full for yesterday. They suggested getting in line early today and then locking the car and coming back two hours before the ferry scheduled departure. We didn't want the 10:30 trip so they put us in line for the 3:00 pm. We hadn't had breakfast yet as we wanted to avoid the Days Inn fiasco of yesterday. We opted to try our luck at "The Empress Hotel" which is the choice of the queen when she is in town. Of course we couldn't get the same service she will when she is in town in October for the jubilee but things went smoothly. You don't have to wait for food at a fancy breakfast buffet.

After breakfast we had about three hours to kill before the need to return to the ferry. We visited a local street crafts market where mom did some shopping and I had some coffee and listened to some musicians. Further up the street were some signs for garage sales so of course we had to go. Along the way some bird took exception to the way my shirt was arranged and added some decoration of his own. There is a saying that if a bird drops his stuff on you are supposed to have good luck.  I certainly hope so.

The ferry was about a half hour late in arriving and departing. After clearing the breakwater for the first half of the 22 mile trip across to Port Angeles the ride was smooth. For the last half of the trip the ship was going thru some gentle swells which put the ship into a pronounced side to side rock. Going to the rest room was an adventure for many people including us. 

Dinner was at Michaels in Port Angeles which served up an excellent Spanish style Seafood Stew. We had been in this same restaurant in 2000 and wanted a return visit. We noted that the name had changed but by looking at the menu decided that this was it. We later learned that the restaurant we had been to in 2000 had moved directly across the street but somehow did not notice the bright neon sign that advertised its new location. We didn't regret our choice, the food was great.

Whale Watch - Victoria Style

The Coho - Car ferry to Port Angeles

Elegance to right, gaudy to left

The Empress Hotel - The Queens Choice

Day 37 July 28,2002 Sunday - Port Angeles, WA to Forks, WA   ( miles driven 202)

The morning began with a ride up to the Hurricane Ridge view area of Olympic NP. It was just as awesome as it was two years ago. It is one of the most scenic high mountain views we have ever seen. From the visitors lodge at the 5200 foot level you have mountains stretching in front of you as far as the eye can see. It was very cloudy on the way up the steep 12 mile drive up to the view area but luckily we caught a break and at the top the sun was breaking through although the tops of the mountains were sometimes in clouds. The views were still fantastic.

After Hurricane Ridge we stopped for lunch at a grocery store where a retired gentleman was selling hot dogs and soda for $1.00 or a sausage dog and soda for $1.50. We opted for the upgrade. The vendor was funny - shouting out "Hot dogs and soda for just a buck, what can you get for a buck anymore - hot dogs and soda"  He told mom that he only does this to make some money for his golf two days a week. After this it was off to Cape Flattery which is the tip of the Olympic Peninsula within the Makah Indian reservation. We opted for the more scenic and more direct coastal route which was going to bring us to the most northwestern point of the lower United States. This was a tortuous curvy road labeled Washington 112. From Port Angeles to Neah Bay is approximately 70 miles so a trip that would normally take a little over an hour took over two. At Neah Bay you enter the reservation and they require a 7.00 recreation use fee to be paid at a few places in town. We went to one and it was closed so we continued to the Cape Flattery overlooks figuring to pay on the way out. The last five miles of the 7 mile road from Neah Bay to the overlooks was a dirt full of potholes road. We arrived at the parking lot to find that the overlooks were a strenuous 1/2 mile hike. Mom opted to stay in the car and I hiked the path down to some viewpoints. The views were spectacular. Had it been sunny rather than the fog that was hanging around they would have been better. After taking pictures I took the hike back most of which was uphill and told mom that I just passed my own stress test.

Now if anybody tells you that if a bird decorates you, you have good luck, tell them they are nuts. If a bird goes on you then the best thing you can do the next day is stay in bed. Here's my story. On the way down the dirt, pot hole road I came upon a vehicle that was going slower than me. The person driving the car stuck a hand out the window and waved me to pass. In doing so my car went into a pothole and splashed the other car with dirty water. Mom said I went too fast and looking back on it  I probably did. This seemed to infuriate the young occupants of the car and they roared past me, cut me off and stopped in the road in front. Two of them jumped out and started yelling "What the French was wrong with me? Can't you see you splashed us with French water? We are all Frenching wet. I apologized and explained that I didn't intend for that to happen and also that I didn't talk to people that way. The girl started yelling again that she could Frenching talk to me any way she Frenching pleased. At this point I realized that no matter what I said the situation would not be resolved. They were itching to fight. I put my car in gear and started to drive. One of them threw a punch but got the car instead. The other one pounded on the car while I drove off. They followed me for about 6 miles and then broke off. We were both upset with this occurrence and I spent a few hours going over the incident to see what I could have done to avoid it. After it happens though a fight is not the answer. The situations I can get myself into.

After settling in at Forks we drove to LaPush on the coast which is on the Ouileute Indian Reservation. There was a Tribal School here many housing units some camping facilities and a few grocery stores. At Forks the sun was out and we were hoping for a sunset on the Pacific. At the coast is was cloudy and foggy.

Clouds in the valley at Hurricane Ridge

Hurrican Ridge

Hurrican Ridge

Hurrican Ridge

Flowers at Hurricane Ridge

Cape Flattery

Caves at Cape Flattery

Cape Flattery

Rocks at LaPush

 

Day 38 July 29,2002 Monday - Forks, WA to Olympia/Lacey  ( miles driven 170)

Mom was up early after having spend an almost sleepless night from her cold. Last night we said that if she was not improved by the AM we would find a doctor locally or call back to the family doctors in NJ for advice. Mom checked all the listings for medical in Forks and found a surgeon but no GP. We called the NJ doctors and were advised that mom's doctor would not be in until 3:00 PM NJ time or 12:00 noon our time. it was now 8:30 AM for us. Mom explained her symptoms and we left our cell phone number. The local druggist recommended some other over the counter drugs and we were off. I left the cell phone on in the car all the while we were driving south. We wanted to get to the Pacific ocean at a more accessible place than either LaPush or Cape Flattery. The ticket was Ruby beach within the Olympic NP. There was a  short trail which lead you to the typical Northwest beach - strewn with large logs which have broken of the headlands or broken free from river banks as a result of spring run-off. In addition there were huge rock formations out in the water. Quite a sight. We walked out on the beach through the log obstacles which I called - board feet on the beach. It was low tide and you could walk out quite a bit. We saw one wader in the surf up to his knees. He must have been freezing. 

After Ruby beach we headed further south to Aberdeen where we would make a right hand turn and start heading east  with NJ as the ultimate destination. We stopped at Kahlock Lodge which rents rooms and cabins at a beach overlooking the Pacific. It is part of the Olympic Park. The cheapest cabin rents at $135.00 in season and there are others that go for close to 300 per night. We then continued driving through the lumber country that showed evidence of clear cuts and re-plantings. At one spot the marker stated Clearcut-1910, Clear-cut 1986, Re-planted 1987. Thus it took 76 years between harvests on the same piece of ground. The areas that have been clear-cut consist of the stumps left over after the harvest.  In other spots we could see fresh logging roads cut right into the forest.  Some people object to clear cutting and the logging industry but it is a major source of employment in this area.  

There was a sign within the Olympic NP area that said - Big Cedar Tree left turn 1/2 mile. we pulled into a parking area and there sure enough was the biggest cedar tree I have ever seen. In actuality it has been topped by lightning and other depredations of aging but the trunk of the tree was also serving as a nurse to a sizeable hemlock that had seeded and rooted in one of the crotches in the tree. I guess the sign should have read Big Cedar/Hemlock tree.

The road between Forks and Hoquiam and Aberdeen is very desolate. There is one town in between Forks and Hoquiam which is called Humptulips but if you blink your eyes you miss it. Somewhere before Aberdeen we needed a rest room in the worst way and lo and behold along the road in absolutely nowhere there was a tavern/restaurant called Red Rooster. It reminded us of the Bozeman Trail inn outside of Sheridan, Wy when we walked into the door. The waitress/bartender pointed us to the restrooms which were marked - Roosters and Hens. I didn't notice anything unusual about the men's room but mom said that in the ladies room there were no doors on the stalls - but only cloth curtains. On top of that there were two stalls and the curtains didn't match. Classy place. We sat down at one table and ordered two hamburgers not knowing what to expect. The waitress/bartender turned out to be the cook also. She sported a tattoo. There was a sign that said Smoking welcome. Another said "Cigar Smokers love Big Butts". To our surprise the hamburgers turned out to be more than good.

When we got back to the car the cell phone had a message from the doctor asking us to call when we arrived at a drug store, which we did in Hoquiam, a lumber mill center. Once the doctor had the phone number, the prescriptions were called in and 30 minutes and $80.00 poorer we were on our way to Olympia. We stopped early to do some laundry at the Days Inn.

Dinner at Denny's next door to the motel was a bit of an adventure. Being Monday, Chicken Noodle was listed as the soup of the day on the menu. I ordered the soup and was told they didn't have that. I said "but its printed on the menu". The waitress answered that they usually have that but they had found some old cases of Cream of Potato and had to "get rid of that before going back to the noodle soup."  since Cream of Potato was not listed on any day as the soup of the day I don't know how they would get rid of it. Mom and I both ordered Grilled Chicken. Mom ordered from the Senior's menu while I ordered from the regular menu. After the order was delivered to the table we did a comparison of the servings and found that the serving sizes were the same but I had a larger plate. Some trick. I paid $1.60 more to have the same meal put on a bigger plate.

Ruby Beach from trail

Boardfeet on the Beach

Rock formation on Beach

Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach

Starfish at Ruby Beach

Big Cedar Tree

Day 39 July 30,2002 Tuesday - Olympia/Lacey, WA to Chelan, WA  ( miles driven 261)            

After getting an oil change and also taking the car to a do-it yourself car wash we drove up I-5 and I - 405 to pick up US - 2 at Mason, WA. US-2 here is the continuation of the same road that passes thru North Dakota and Montana. What a difference in the scenery. In Montana it was as flat as a pancake for miles on end. Here it was going thru the spectacular Cascades. Prior to going up Stevens Pass there were numerous pull outs for application of snow chains. I guess in the winter this road is a bear. At the summit there is the Stevens Pass ski area. Along the ascent we stopped at beautiful Deception Falls. The falls are named after the creek that feeds them, not that they are a deception.

After reaching the summit we started down for what seemed an eternity. We stopped for lunch at a small diner called the 59ers Diner. Before entering we were wondering if this was going to be another Red Rooster of yesterday but it was not. The interior sported the typical 1950's style dinner with a counter and round chrome seats. Each booth had a jukebox which could be played for a quarter. All of the songs were from the 50's and early 60's. Music we both grew up with so we were right at home. The jukebox itself was a "Wurlitzer" with the water bubble lights. It was a real period piece - not a reproduction. All the records were 45's. The owner said that she has a source for the 45's in Seattle. the diner also specializes in milk shakes and still uses one of the old shake mixers. They keep a running total of the shakes they sell and have them posted. For 2001 they had over 22,000 as the posted number and around 12,600 for the year to date. The owner said that they need to sell 381 more between today and tomorrow to beat last July's record. I made that 380. The diner is a real jewel. I wish it was close to us in NJ.

Further down the mountain was the Tumwater dam and fish ladder. The dam was a low structure but with a real strong flow of water. The dam was originally put in by the railroad to generate electricity to power electric locomotives used in pulling trains through a 7 mile tunnel. Prior to diesel engines the locomotives were coal fired and the long tunnel created a danger for the train crews with the coal smoke. The dam no longer is used for power as diesel and a new tunnel made this facility obsolete. The fish ladder is right next to the dam and we saw many sockeye salmon making their annual run up the river. The fish were being diverted through a sampling gate where observers were selecting a sample to remove a scale in order to determine their age. After removal, the fish was allowed to proceed up the river to do their mating dance. One of the workers advised that last week they had selected a group of salmon and extracted the roe and sperm to use in the fish hatchery. No pictures were possible here as the salmon moved rapidly through the chutes. An interesting site.

We passed through Leavenworth, WA, a town that has a total Bavarian theme. Even the Safeway has a Bavarian theme in the structure. The town is on the Wenatchee river which sports many whitewater rapids and is a favorite for those inclined to this activity. Beyond Leavenworth the scenery changes from the lush forest of Stevens Pass to a desert like environment. It is still hilly and mountainous but there is a definite lack of trees. The Cascades do an excellent job of removing the water from the clouds as they pass over. This area is also the apple and pear orchard area of Washington. We stopped at the state apple visitors center to watch a 16 minute video about the goodness of Washington apples, get a free sample of Washington apple juice and also a taste of some Washington Golden Delicious apples. There was a gift shop there. Need I say that mom bought some stuff here. Without irrigation though the apple industry would not be flourishing here.

After Wenatchee the road runs along the Columbia River and we soon came upon the Rocky Reach Dam. This was a huge facility which permitted visitors to see the fish going through the fish ladders through glass windows, view the power generating floor and also a dam viewpoint. To enter the facility you had to pass through a metal detector. Mom had a pocketbook which they merely passed around the detector to mom once she passed through. Probably a slight breach. The majority of the salmon going through the ladder were Chinook salmon, some close to three feet in length. There were also some of the smaller sockeye but they were overshadowed by the big boys.

We arrived at Chelan at around 6:00 PM. Luckily we located a motel quickly. There were all price ranges available here. North east of Chelan there are forest fires that have been burning for some time. Like at Glacier, the smoke was visible coming over the mountains. We will get a better look tomorrow on the boat ride we plan to take.

Deception Falls along US2-Before Stevens Pass

Tumwater Dam and Fish Ladder

Apple display at the Apple Museum

Rocky Reach Dam Spillway

Day 40 July 31,2002 Wednesday - Chelan, WA  ( miles driven 25)  

We took the Lady of the Lake II cruise on Lake Chelan for 25.00 per person round trip. The trip started at 8:30 AM and was scheduled to return at 6:00 PM. Where else can you be entertained for a whole day for $25.00. Lake Chelan is approximately 56 miles long and at its widest point is two miles wide. On the average it is about a mile wide. The turnaround point for the boat was the village of Stehekin which is only reachable by the boat. The trip takes 4 hours or so up and then you get 90 minutes in Stehekin prior to making the return trip. During the 90 minutes you can have a bite to eat at the restaurant, shop in two craft stores or take a tour to Rainbow Falls. There are two express boats but the fare on these boats is $44.00 for the boat that is twice as fast as the one we took or the CAT which makes the trip up in a little over an hour but charges 89.00 for the RT.

It is hard to describe the physical beauty of the lake and its setting in the Cascades. I will leave it to the pictures. We were joined on the boat by a 50 + bus tour from Walla Walla and also struck up a conversation with a couple from Portland who had been married 57 years. These all were very nice people and made the trip even more enjoyable than it was. The boat made three scheduled stops on the lake and also two flag stops - one to deliver some stuff to a private residence which was only reachable by boat and another to let of some hikers who were going to take a 17 mile hike to Stehekin. At the private residence there was a pick-up truck waiting to take the items from the boat. I later asked the captain how long the road was at the residence and he answered that the road was about 200 yards long and that the pick-up was used only to move supplies up to the house. It must be nice to be king. The first two scheduled stops are reachable by car from Chelan. The third stops at a place called Lucerne where there was a dock with a truck and a school bus. The truck was there to pick-up/deliver luggage for the boat and the school bus was to pick-up/deliver passengers from the town of Holden which is 14 miles away in the mountains. Holden at one time held a copper mine but when that petered out, the Lutheran Church made a deal for the buildings and land and now runs a retreat/resort at this location. It is open to the public and can handle up to 400 people. All the vehicles are delivered to Stehekin or Lucerne by a barge as there are no roads to the outside from these locations.

We arrived at Stehekin and had signed up to take a tour to Rainbow Falls. This is a 3.5 mile ride in a school bus over narrow paved roads. Since there was a bus tour on the boat, the tour to the falls was scheduled in two sections and they got first dibs. We then went for lunch in the restaurant and found out that with the slower than usual service we  would not have time to do any other nosing around. We got on the bus and were given an short tour through the village prior to getting to the falls. There are approximately 120 people that live full time in Stehekin, many of them Forest Service and National Park employees. The others live off tourism. There is a lodge at Stehekin and some small shops. There is a small schoolhouse but the town only provides grades K-8. For higher education the student must leave and live with relatives elsewhere or live with strangers in Chelan or other towns. The Stehekin Valley is also home to the oldest delicious apple orchard which up until 1971 was run by a private family. Then the orchard passed to the forest service and people are permitted to pick the apples as long as they can deal with the bears that also frequent the orchards. The falls are 312 feet high and were running at full tilt.

There was a double wide trailer on the outskirts of the village that had an interesting story. The owner of the apple orchard had spotted an add from a mobile home dealer - free delivery anywhere in Central Washington. Since Stehekin fit this location he held the company to deliver the double wide to the village on barges and even having to blast some rock overhang on the road to get them to the location. Right after this the ad was changed to "anywhere accessible by road."  Another interesting item was that there were some old cars that had old plates on them. The explanation was that since the village is isolated, cars are not registered if they are not going out of the area on a barge.

On the return trip the fires that are taking place above Manson were more visible than in the morning. Since we hadn't seen Manson up close we decided to drive there and have dinner at a Mexican restaurant we looked up in the book. The El Vaquero was excellent. On the way back we stopped at the local casino and after wagering $7.00 in the slots we came out with $7.50. Not a great haul but better than losing. 

Cascade Mountains around Lake Chelan

Lake Chelan

Lake Chelan

Origina; Schoolhouse in Stehekin

Rainbow Falls

This is Stehekin

Lake Chelan

Where there's smoke - above Manson

 

Day 41 August 1,2002 Thursday, Chelan, WA to Grand Coulee, WA ( miles driven 161)

Today we were only driving to Grand Coulee which by road is about 65 miles from Chelan. An early start was not warranted. At 10:00 AM there was still a line at the Apple Cup Cafe for breakfast but we didn't have to wait long. Then it was off to look at a thrift store for some tins for a friend in Charlotte - we found three. We took the long way to Grand Coulee by cutting off the direct route to north west on Route 153 to pick up Route 20 to Omak and then take Route 155 into Grand Coulee. Outside of Chelan we passed the Chelan Airport, part of which was used as a staging area for the crews fighting fires north of Chelan and Manson. I forgot to include in yesterday's journal that on the return trip from Stehekin, the smoke coming of the mountain ridges was billowing heavier than in the morning. From the boat we watched two helicopters dipping their fire buckets in the lake and heading up over the ridge to the fires. This morning we observed one helicopter taking water from the Columbia River and another one at the airport being readied for take-off. The Chelan area seems to have many wild fires. On the boat yesterday the captain indicated that a few years ago there was a fire which started in the summer and did not go out until the winter snows put it out.

The ride through the eastern edge of the cascades was stark in spots and pretty in others. The road we were following was next to a river which provided irrigation for lush pear and apple orchards. The hills above the orchards were dry desert. Quite a contrast. As we came into the Grand Coulee area the landscape indicated that some of the rock formations were born out of volcanic lava flows. We arrived at the Grand Coulee Dam visitors center in time to watch a 51 minute video detailing the history of the dam. We learned that guided tours were given every half hour on the other side of the river. Before taking a tour we inquired about lodging at the visitors center and the guy behind the counter said that he had a house for rent for $700 per night which sleeps 2 and he had another that could handle a large family for $1200. He had me going there but then cracked a smile and gave us a run down and listing of the motels in the area. We settled for a motel directly across the street from the visitors center which will allow us to walk over at 9:30 for the laser light show without having to drive.

After checking in we drove over to the other side to take the tour. The Grand Coulee Dam has a roadway across the top which is shut down as a result of the 9/11 incidents. The tour itself has been affected. At the beginning of the tour the young woman made a statement which I thought was out of line. She said if any of us were carrying explosives, guns, bombs, or knives we should return them to our cars. In an airport environment if a passenger even whispers the word bomb he is subject to grave problems. But I guess she thought she was funny. I did have to return a pen-knife with a two inch blade to my car. No back-packs, pocketbooks or camera cases could be brought on the tour. Cameras were OK. We then walked down the center of the dam roadway to a room containing a metal detector. Each person had to remove any metal objects and place them in trays. I told them my suspenders would probably trip the machine and if they wanted me to take my pants off I would do so and put them in the tray. They said that was not necessary. My suspenders did trip the alarm and after that I was wanded to make sure that this was it. From here we finally proceeded on the tour. We were led into an elevator with glass sides and the elevator runs on an incline down to the observation level  above the #3 generator room. The guide described the generators and turbines and then led us out to an observation platform over the turbine house water discharge into the river. The turbine house had a lot of vibration in it from the turbines and the guide explained that the building design was made to diminish the vibration effects on the building. The roof of the building is flat, looks like concrete but is in reality a foam. There were square patches on the roof which the guide explained were there because seagulls liked to peck their way into the foam. After patching the solution was to place rubber rattlesnakes bought at a toy store on the roof. Bald eagles did attack the rubber snakes but the seagulls never came back.

Grand Coulee Dam is a project of monumental proportions. When first looking at it you see a long low slung concrete structure but then you hear that the dam itself is 57 feet short of a mile long and get to realize its magnitude. The penstocks to the turbines are 40 feet in diameter which could hold three busses side by side with room to spare. It was started in 1933 to provide work for a depressed economy and finished in 1941 just in time to provide electricity for the armaments industry during WWII. The projects agricultural aims were realized after the war when the system to divert about 2% of the river's flow into a 27 mile long lake that then provides irrigation for agricultural uses. In physical appearance it doesn't have the spectacular setting of the Hoover Dam but it is an engineering wonder. The Grand Coulee is only one of 12 dams on the Columbia but it is the biggest and most important in the system.  

The guide warrants some description. First let me say that the right ear only had one ear-ring in it. So far so good. The left ear had an earring and two other ear clips. The nose was pierced with a diamond/CZ stone. What amazed me was that the little mass skin which starts at the cheek and makes up the front of the ear canal was also pierced with a jewel. I wonder why she didn't set off the metal detector.

The Visitors center is a perfect place to view the laser show. Prior to beginning the show, the dams water gates are set to permit water to spill over the entire length of the spillway. This creates a white background for the laser lights. The light show has an audio track that explains the history of the Columbia River and its change from an uncontrolled flood prone river to its present state. One of the final displays was an eagle flying across the dam to Neil Diamond's "Coming to America". It was a nice evening.

Helicopter getting ready for fire fighting duty

Sheepmen versus Cattlemen

Could this be Texas - but it ain't.

GrandCouleeDam

Elevator coming Down at Grand Coulee

Grand Coulee from Crowwn Vista Point

Windmill Garden

Laser show on the Grand Coulee Spillway

Day 42 August 2, 2002 Friday, Grand Coulee, WA to Lewiston, ID (miles driven 262)

This was one day when we started out we really didn't know where we were going to wind up in the evening. We knew it was going to be in Idaho. Our original thought was to go to Coeur D'Alene and see the lake and from there who knows. We left Grand Coulee on WA route 174 to pick up US 2 towards Spokane. Very quickly the scenery switched from a desert environment to "amber waves of grain". The wheat fields were around us 360 degrees for as far as the eye could see. I guess we were seeing the result of the irrigation project at Coulee. Spokane is about 90 miles from Coulee and Coeur D'Alene is only 20 or so miles from Spokane. We checked the AAA book for Spokane and found out there were three attractions classified as "GEM". We chose one called the Manito Park which had a flower conservatory and also formal gardens. On to p of that it was free.

The Manito Park is a real jewel. We walked through the formal gardens and commented that we hadn't seen anything like this in a public park since we were in England over 10 years ago. For a free exhibit this was spectacular. We talked to two grandmothers watching their grandson Max - he was a handful, and they explained that the park was kept by the city of Spokane for all to enjoy. Enjoy it we did. After walking through the conservatory, the formal gardens and the rose garden we headed downtown to see the Davenport Hotel. Last night mom had a PBS show on after the light show which was centered on the rebuilding/restoration of the old grand Davenport Hotel in Spokane. I was only paying partial attention to this program as I was typing this page but when we got to Spokane I decided that this was a place we could see and perhaps do lunch.

The hotel lobby is something to see. It is on the historic register. We saw the Marie Antoinette Ballroom with its three crystal chandeliers and its original wood dance floor which is supposedly floating on a cushion of air. We tried to get into the dining room but the maitre d' said that all the available spots were reserved for the afternoon but we were welcome to sit in the lobby and order of a limited menu. I really believe our attire of shorts and sneakers kept us out as the rest of the clientele were dressed a bit more business casual than hobo us. Nevertheless we sat in the lobby and decided that this was a better place to enjoy a light lunch as we could watch the goings and comings of the people through the lobby. For lunch we had crab cakes which with coffee came to about $32.00. We sat next to the Yamaha Piano which was being tuned. I spoke to the tuner a bit and he explained that the concert piano was worth about $45k. We later walked into another ballroom with mirrors on all walls and were able to take our own picture. We certainly wish the new owner success with this renewal project  which according to the program last night has taken all of his own funds.  

After this pleasant rest we continued the short ride to Idaho and stopped at the visitors information building on Interstate 90. After asking a few questions and getting about 10 pounds of information we decided to head to Lewiston where in the morning we would try to take a jet boat ride into Hells Canyon which is not really accessible by means other than a boat. We both regretted not having take a jet boat on the Rogue River when we were in Oregon in 1999. Lewiston was about a 3 hour ride from Coeur D'Alene through some beautiful rolling wheat growing country. A large section of the drive to Lewiston was within the confines of the Coeur D'Alene Indian Reservation. Below Plummer, population 990 we were stopped at a construction delay and got to talking with the flag person. She was a young Indian woman from Plummer and answered a few questions about the Indian reservations in the area. In Manson we had stopped at the Indian Casino and noted that all the signs outside the casino said - no alcoholic beverages allowed on the premises. She explained that there were some dry reservations but that the Coeur D'Alene reservation permitted alcohol. The casino at Plummer looked like a first class operation compared to others we have seen on our trip. She also explained that on dry reservations there are problems with individuals trying to get high on anything available such as paint thinner, rubbing alcohol etc. Sad.

When we got to the vicinity of Lewiston we had one more surprise waiting for us. The Hill. Lewiston is down on the Snake River and we were on a ridge looking down into the town when we stopped at the scenic overlook at the beginning of the switchback filled road down the hill. The signs said 7% grade for the next three miles. After that it said that the grade was steeper. They didn't say how much. There were 4 to 6 runaway truck ramps on the ride down. There were also signs that read "No Fines for Trucks, using the Runaway Ramps". I would certainly hope so. When we arrived at the motel we made reservations for a half day trip on the Snake. It will be a 118 mile round trip. The full day trip goes for 182 round trip miles. Half a day is OK with us.

Amber waves of grain in Washington State

Manito Park Gardens in Spokane

In the Conservatory in Spokane

Rose Garden in Spokane

The attire that kept us out of the dining room

Hotel Davenport Lobby

Marie Antoinette Ballroom - no we didn't dance

The Hill and Lewiston below

Summer 2002 Trip Journals   Home Page