May 17-23, 2021

Monday: As a parting gift, George pointed out some of the choice bits of Montana for us to sample. We drove along the Flathead River for a time. Unbelievable green water dominated a lovely valley mile after mile. Eventually we turned up a side valley and drove upstream along the Clark Fork River. Swollen with run off, this river seemed impatient and in a hurry to reach its destination. We spent the night camped along its banks. Rain and changing weather overnight.

Tuesday: In spite of cold and windy weather (again) our plan for the day is to bike the Hiawatha trail. Lots of interesting history behind this former railroad line, and the towns that sprang up along its route. I’m currently reading “The Big Burn” which details not only the huge forest fire of 1910, but the history of this region and the early years of the US Forest Service. Highly recommend it.

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With several long tunnels, dramatic trestle bridges and expansive views it was an enjoyable out and back ride. Later that afternoon we found another quiet spot to tuck in the Tardis. We also got word that Sharon’s dad was recovering well from a mild heart attack. It was a good day.

Wednesday: A few days earlier a passing gravel truck gave us a golf ball sized divot in our windshield. We needed to be in Couer d’alene, Idaho early Thursday to have the windshield replaced. With more rainy, cold weather in the forecast we decided to hotel it for two nights and explore CDA while taking care of business.

I was in the mood for a run. Sharon fancied a bike ride and found a bike trail that spanned the entire 73 mile wide panhandle. We went our separate ways with plans to meet up later. My hike/run took me uphill back into winter along a rushing creek. Sharon’s ride also followed a river and took her through some historic little towns. The best was Wallace – prominently featured in The Big Burn. We ended the day – appropriately – at Trails End microbrew. Very cool.

Thursday: New windshield – check! Hot tub – check! Relax with a good book – check! Rain 🌧 cleared – check! Explore downtown CDA – check! Enjoy the best gyro I’ve had in decades – OH Yeah! Discount Double Check! And last, but definitely not least – mail our food resupply to Coldfoot! Yep, that means we’re going to brave the arctic conditions that pass for summer in Prudhoe Bay. Some 40 years after my first visit to Deadhorse, we’re going back. We are excited, and actually quite nervous. We celebrated with some excellent beer, food and live music at Jeremiah Johnson taproom. It was the perfect conclusion to an excellent day.

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Friday: We decided to relocate a few miles north along the shores of another stunning Idaho lake. It was mid afternoon by the time we had set up camp near Pend Oreille Lake. Did a few maintenance and clean up chores, but for the most part saw no good reason to do much more than lounge and read.

Saturday: Favorable forecast today. The lake was calling to me. Sharon decided to explore the area by bike. No bad choices here. Pend Oreille is a massive lake, ringed by tall hills and a few snow capped peaks. There are long stretches of untouched shoreline. In other places modest cottages nestle side by side with grotesque displays of wealth. Sharon received some advice from local cyclists and saw the same sights from her route along the shoreline.

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Sunday: (5/23). Time to pull stakes. A large weather front started dumping rain early on. We’d planned to do some more paddling and pedaling in the area, but decided instead to drive through the bad weather. By days end we arrived at the eastern edge of the Cascade mountains – and found that winter had graciously waited for us.

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When we left Flagstaff mid April, it seemed we had all the time in the world. Now we have just a few days to play in the Cascades, a few days to spend with Handsome Rob and the Gnome Princess in Bellingham, and then we’re off to AK. Tempus Fugit…so seize the carp my friends!