Hit The Road
SANDPOINT, IDAHO – The ferry trip to Seattle this morning felt different. It could have been the pea-soup-fog enveloping the boat, or the quirky flautist playing endless melodies just out of sight in the dense mist. Or, the brilliant summer sun glinting off the tops of the downtown buildings, like a beacon of light to the boat buried in the muck far below. Or, it could have simply been that this was the first step of many for us.
Finally we are on the proverbial road. After weeks of planning, discussing, revising, and re-revising our travel plans, we finally decided to actually travel somewhere. Road trips are always good, or at least they seem that way when you set out for your destination. It felt great today to hit the road with a minimalist plan to explore the grand mountains of the Pacific Northwest. It may not be the most exotic of our planned destinations, but it is a great start.
Our first stop was Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. CDA is a famous Idaho resort town just 10 miles across the border from Spokane, Washington. We rolled into town with high expectations, given the spectacular forested shores of lake Coeur d’Alene. However, despite its longstanding reputation, CDA has an odd Kalifornia-WalMart-surftown vibe that seems out of place in the majestic mountains of the northern Idaho panhandle. Fancy resorts line the lake, and the beach jumps with the bustling crowds of summer, while suburbia sprawls up the valley to the north. It is clear people like CDA, but it wasn’t our thing, so we soon sped north in search of a real mountain town.
Sandpoint, Idaho was recently written up in Outside Magazine as one of 20 dream towns left in America. Set at the north end of giant Lake Pend Orielle (pond-er-ay), Sandpoint is surrounded by the southern end of the spectacular Purcell Range. Mountains rise from all sides, and the various arms of the lake sprawl to the south. All matters of outdoor recreation are taken seriously in Sandpoint, as evidenced by the multitude of bikes, kayaks, and ski racks strapped to the tops of every car in sight. This is more like it.
Unfortunately, for the unemployed dirtbag travelers, all of the truly affordable inns and lodges are full tonight, and so are all of the nearby campgrounds. Well, all of the campgrounds except one. There is a miniscule camping area with an amazing location adjacent to Sandpoint City Park, complete with a marina and beach. It is perfect, except for the railroad tracks 35 feet behind and above our tent. Given the complete lack of alternatives, we are going to take it. After all, how many trains can come by in one night?
Day 1 Road Trip Factoids:
Miles Driven Today: 370
Miles Driven Total: 370
Pimped-Out Rides Seen in CDA: 17
Pimped-Out Rides Seen in the Other 368 miles: 0
Number of Trains in First 21 Minutes at Campsite: 3
Enjoy the Sandpoint Photos.
Finally we are on the proverbial road. After weeks of planning, discussing, revising, and re-revising our travel plans, we finally decided to actually travel somewhere. Road trips are always good, or at least they seem that way when you set out for your destination. It felt great today to hit the road with a minimalist plan to explore the grand mountains of the Pacific Northwest. It may not be the most exotic of our planned destinations, but it is a great start.
Our first stop was Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. CDA is a famous Idaho resort town just 10 miles across the border from Spokane, Washington. We rolled into town with high expectations, given the spectacular forested shores of lake Coeur d’Alene. However, despite its longstanding reputation, CDA has an odd Kalifornia-WalMart-surftown vibe that seems out of place in the majestic mountains of the northern Idaho panhandle. Fancy resorts line the lake, and the beach jumps with the bustling crowds of summer, while suburbia sprawls up the valley to the north. It is clear people like CDA, but it wasn’t our thing, so we soon sped north in search of a real mountain town.
Sandpoint, Idaho was recently written up in Outside Magazine as one of 20 dream towns left in America. Set at the north end of giant Lake Pend Orielle (pond-er-ay), Sandpoint is surrounded by the southern end of the spectacular Purcell Range. Mountains rise from all sides, and the various arms of the lake sprawl to the south. All matters of outdoor recreation are taken seriously in Sandpoint, as evidenced by the multitude of bikes, kayaks, and ski racks strapped to the tops of every car in sight. This is more like it.
Unfortunately, for the unemployed dirtbag travelers, all of the truly affordable inns and lodges are full tonight, and so are all of the nearby campgrounds. Well, all of the campgrounds except one. There is a miniscule camping area with an amazing location adjacent to Sandpoint City Park, complete with a marina and beach. It is perfect, except for the railroad tracks 35 feet behind and above our tent. Given the complete lack of alternatives, we are going to take it. After all, how many trains can come by in one night?
Day 1 Road Trip Factoids:
Miles Driven Today: 370
Miles Driven Total: 370
Pimped-Out Rides Seen in CDA: 17
Pimped-Out Rides Seen in the Other 368 miles: 0
Number of Trains in First 21 Minutes at Campsite: 3
Enjoy the Sandpoint Photos.
posted by Scott and Lynn at 9:50 AM
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