Mt. Rainier National Park is a wildflower wonderland. Please check out the pictures from our recent visit and I think you’ll agree. Click on any picture to enlarge or to start a slideshow.
Well, we weren’t exactly on the lake, but we had a wonderful day around one. We weren’t precisely in Coeur d’Alene either. After leaving Montana, the next stop on our trip through the Pacific Northwest was the tiny town of Athol, Idaho, where we would spend three nights at Farragut State Park.
Athol and the State Park is about thirty miles north of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. When we told friends and family that we would be in this area, the immediate response always came back “incredibly beautiful.” Friends and family proved right.
Our visit here gave us a chance to do some hiking and take in some of that beauty. Farragut State Park is a vast campground, with large campsites situated under big Douglas Fir trees and other evergreens, providing campers with plenty of privacy. At the southern tip of the Park sits Lake Pend Oreille, a 43 mile long, crystal clear body of water, carved by a glacier during the last ice age. At 1,150 feet deep, Lake Pend Oreille is the fifth deepest lake in the United States.
After spending the previous evening at one of the casinos in Coeur d’Alene, Helen and I agreed we needed different recreation activities for the remainder of our visit. She suggested we take a four-mile hike along the shore of Lake Pend Oreille. I was all in.
The weather on this day couldn’t have been better. Clear skies and temperatures in the lower 70’s made for perfect hiking, and the sailboats were out in force, taking advantage of the light breezes moving up the valley created by the Coeur d’Alene Mountains on either side of the lake.
Paddleboarders and kayakers also dotted the lake’s surface, with none of the paddlers in a hurry to go anywhere. One paddleboarder even paused in mid-stroke to take a call on her cell phone. She was careful to hold it with both hands.
Just like the boaters, we took our time squeezing out every bit of every viewpoint. At the mid-point of the trail near the Bayview Overlook, a rock carving reminded us why we spend time camping and hiking. I can assure readers; we’re not bored.
The walk back to the parking lot was just as fantastic as the hike out. A paddleboarding duo kept up with us for a portion of the return. We made it back to Lucy in plenty of time for dinner around the campfire. The star-filled sky took over when the sun went down.
It’s all good when you’re Easin’ Along.
Note: Did you notice something different? Earlier this week, Easin’ Along suffered a malware attack that required hours to sort out. Just as I made my way through most of the problems, WordPress discontinued the Theme I have been using for five years and I am using a default theme that is not to my liking. With internet connections that are spotty at best, I am not going to try to make changes in our current location, but please know that changes will be made soon, and real change will come when we return home. For now, please join us in Troy, Montana for a relaxing time fifty miles below the Canadian border.
When we planned our trip to the Northwest, we had two objectives. First, we wanted to join up with our kids and grandchildren in Wyoming and deliver a trailer to our son, Justin. After that, we wanted to visit Banff National Park in Canada and camp alongside Lake Louise. We accomplished one out of two.
About a week before the date of our reservation in Canada, an email arrived, notifying us that the border was closed to international travelers, including US citizens. COVID-19 had changed our plans once again, and we had five days on our schedule with no place to camp. What now?
My first step was to turn to our favorite trip planning website and search for a suitable site within a reasonable driving distance of Hungry Horse, Montana, to spend those five days. We found Kootenai River Campground in Troy, Montana. The reviews were excellent, and a location next to a river offered another opportunity for fishing. Fortunately, they had a site available for the blank spot on our schedule.
We arrived and received a warm welcome from Marcie and Chris, the campground owners. Chris led us to a very lovely pull-thru campsite under the shade of some large cedar trees, complete with firewood in the campsite fire pit.
The next morning, I rode my bicycle down to the Kootenai (pronounced Koot-nee) to try my hand at fishing. The river is beautiful and large and FAST. The water runs so swiftly that it is difficult to venture out very far, so I had to work hard to get a fly out far enough to reach the pools. I ventured in, holding on to my wading staff tightly, and sent out a long cast toward the river’s middle. After a few casts, I began to feel comfortable with the current racing around my waders and settled down. The weather was glorious, and I was just happy to be there.
The fish were comfortable with me there too. After about thirty minutes, I realized that I had not “matched the hatch” with my fly assortment and biked back to Lucy empty-handed. I enjoyed the experience, nonetheless.
While camping at Hungry Horse, the couple in the trailer next to our campsite, suggested that we hike two Troy, Montana trails. She said we had to see the giant Cedar Trees at Ross Creek and hike the Kootenai River Falls trail. We made plans to do both the next day.
Ross Creek Cedars, about ten miles from our campground, proved to be a real treat. Enormous cedar trees created a canopy of quiet standing high above a fern-lined forest floor. Helen and I almost had the area to ourselves. The mile-long hike was just what we needed to stretch the legs before the long drive on the following day.
We weren’t ready to quit, however. Kootenai Falls Park lay between us and the campground, and we stopped there on the way back from the Cedars. The crowd was a little more substantial at the Falls. The trail to the Falls started downhill to a swinging bridge then out to a viewpoint. Unfortunately, this is about the place where the battery on my camera decided to die. Thankfully, Helen took some pictures of the Falls and the scenic Kootenai River with her Iphone. The picture turned out well.
Battery notwithstanding, we were grateful for the opportunity to spend some time in Troy–even if it was a second choice. The area is beautiful, and the Kootenai River Campground is undoubtedly worthy of a return visit. We are delighted Chris and Marcie came to our rescue. Now, if someone would be willing to rescue us from this swinging bridge, we would be forever grateful…We need to be Easin’ Along.
