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From Sandpoint, we drove Highway 200 over to Thompson Falls, MT! We returned to mountain time and it’s beginning to feel more like the end of the adventure – bittersweet!

The drive took us along Lake Pend Orielle for a while before travelling along the Clark Fork River (named for Clark of Lewis and Clark). It was a beautiful drive – and a great backrdop the last day of school! We stopped at an overlook along the way before making it to Thompson Falls State Park. We camped less than 50 feet from the Clark Fork River and had a campfire with hot dogs roasted over the fire and watermelon to celebrate the completion of school and the start of summer (although it felt different this year since we’re still on the road).

The next morning – my birthday! – we got up and went out for breakfast at Minnie’s Mountain Cafe in Thompson Falls. It was a classic diner with great breakfast – just what I was looking forward to! I blew out candles that had melted into a warm gooey cinnamon roll. And I liked their mugs, so asked if they sold them, and they said we could just take them! So we have a mug from Minnie’s – you can use it if you come to visit!

After breakfast we went over to the falls where there is a dam and power plants. The water was roaring and the area was really neat to see. The sound was incredible!

We packed up at camp and left a little late because Matt was fixing the wiring to our backup camera on the camper. He eventually got it fixed later, but we had to leave that day using our backup backup camera!

The drive on Hwy 200 continued along the Clark Fork and eventually along the Flathead River and to Hwy 93. Once again, a beautiful drive with changing landscape. It really opened up and we began seeing lots of snow covered peaks.

We stopped at a campground on the Jocko River (we camped 15 feet from the river). It’s run by a nice woman who had lived in Monterey, CA for a long time (she noticed my Santa Cruz T-shirt). We had lovely neighbors from Florida who we chatted with for a while. When they found out it was my birthday they gave me a ‘present’ of paper towels and ‘bathmats’ wrapped in a clean trash bag! It was very appropriate!

The next morning we packed up and headed to the nearby Garden of a Thousand Buddhas in Arlee, MT. It was peaceful and reverent, if a bit unfamiliar feeling. We’re glad we went. The guy at the gift shop taught Reece how to play the large glass singing bowl in the gift shop – really impressive!

Idaho is one of the states that I had never been to, so I was excited to go. Coeur d’Alene (CDA) is only about 45 minutes from Spokane, so we didn’t have to do much driving.

We dropped off the camper at the campground in CDA and then drove to Tubb’s Hill near downtown Coeur d’Alene. It’s a hiking area on the lake. Someone on Matt’s flight to Florida told him that Tubb’s Hill was a good place to go.

And it was! Beautiful hiking trails, with views of the lake and of the town/docks. It’s a really beautiful place. We had fun identifying plants, moving our bodies, and throwing rocks in the water.

The next morning we packed up and drove to Sandpoint, ID. It’s just an hour north of Coeur d’Alene, so another day of minimal driving. We dropped off the camper and then went down to City Beach to see Lake Pend Orielle – the 5th deepest lake in the US at 1,158 ft! Another beautiful lake surrounded by forest and mountains. We enjoyed the walking path along the shore and then perused the Cedar Street Bridge Public Market with a number of different shops and the downtown area surrounding it. It was a neat area, and spring was a great time to be there.

On the following day, we hiked MicKinnick Trail in Sandpoint. It was actually the hill right up behind our campsite. It was 3.5 miles up about 2,500 feet of elevation (and then that amount back down!). It was a beautiful hike with tons of wildflowers and nice views. We were all a little tired and sore by the time we got back to the van, so we got milkshakes (peach and huckleberry) and fries at Zip’s Drive in to celebrate a good hike!

And a couple of shots for perspective:

After we left Vantage, we headed to Spokane, WA. We drove through lots of well manicured farmland with big open skies. When we got closer to Spokane, the landscape changed to pine tree forests.

We stayed at an RV park on the north side of Spokane. We got settled in and then- had to take Matt to the airport for a work trip in Florida the next morning. That morning was Mother’s Day! The kids made breakfast in bed fabulous French toast and banana bread in a mug. Claire made me a ‘garden’ of tulips that each had a gift written on it (spa day, fancy meal, help with a household chore, etc.), and Reece made me a paper dahlia corsage! I felt very loved (and yes, I know I have wonderful kids!).

The week consisted of school, laundry, sleeping in, seeing old friends, and exploring the area.

On Tuesday we met up with Rick and Karen Meyers. (I know them from Santa Cruz. They often hosted pizza parties for the young ‘career’ aged people at the church we went to. I don’t think I’d seen them since they came to our wedding in CO. And fun fact – Rick graduated from Hope with my parents!) They picked us up, so we gave them the tour of our set-up (they have a camper too), and then grabbed lunch at a local bakery before heading over to Manito Park. Manito has a number of gardens that you can walk through – rose, perennial, formal English, a conservatory/greenhouse, and a lilac garden – which was in full bloom! It smelled amazing and was beautiful! (Spokane hosts a lilac festival every year and it was happening the week we were there!)

After Manito we got a driving tour of downtown and Whitworth University and then stopped for frozen yogurt right by their apartment. They retired to a newly built retirement community right next to Whitworth (their younger son is a Whitworth grad). It’s pretty incredible. We got a tour of their apartment and the facility before getting dropped back off at the campground (less than a mile away). We had a lovely time.

The next day it was windy and rainy and the Meyers invited us over for pizza and games, which we gladly accepted! We passed a lovely afternoon/evening, catching up more, seeing their oldest son, Jeff (also a Hope grad, but who lives in Spokane now), and going through old guest books from their parties in Santa Cruz – I think we’re going to start a guest book at our house too! Another lovely time – so grateful for the Meyers!

On Thursday the kids and I went hiking at Indian Painted Rocks. It’s a beautiful hike along the Little Spokane River that Rick had suggested. Then we headed over to check out the Bowl and Pitcher area of Riverside Park – the bowl and pitcher are two large rock features in the Spokane River. It’s an historic and popular park in the area with a neat suspension bridge.

On Saturday afternoon we pick up Matt from the airport. And then on Sunday afternoon we went to Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane – what a cool area! Lots of bridges, playgrounds, art installations/sculptures, a tower clock, and a garbage goat!

Matt ended up going to a last minute show when he found out a comedian/magician he likes was performing at the event center at the park. The kids and I needed to get some dinner and didn’t really care if we went, so we stopped by Zip’s Drive Thru on the way home.

On Monday, we climbed in Spokane at Minnehaha. It was a climbing area right off the road, and it was a lot of fun! We also helped our climbing neighbors retrieve the rope bag they had gotten stuck in a tree. It was great fun!

Tuesday morning we packed up and then washed the camper before heading out of Spokane. Moby and Richard are looking sharp!

From Tacoma we drove east to Vantage, WA. The landscape changed dramatically once we got east of the Cascades. The sky opened up, flattened out, and became much dry.

We spent the night at a state park on the Columbia River. (Yes, the same river we crossed going from OR into WA near the coast. It runs north to south in this part of WA. Vantage is right near the famous music venue, The Gorge Amphitheatre. We didn’t see a show, but we see why it has appeal.) The campground was beautiful and had a nice swim area (we waded and skipped rocks in it) and other open grassy areas. We even saw another bee swarm!

The next morning we got up and headed to Frenchmen Coulee to climb at an area called The Feathers. The ‘feathers’ are basalt columns that stick up out of the ground, like feathers. We got several climbs in before the wind kicked up and we called it a day.

Then we drove down to the boat ramp to check out the area before heading over to the Gingko Petrified Forest State Park Visitor Center. The area is covered in multiple lava flows with one layer among those being many petrified logs. Then we hiked the interpretive trail to see more examples of petrified wood in the places the pieces were found. It was a windy, but fun hike.

When we returned to the camper, the wind was still going strong. There were definitely some strong gusts that shook the camper, but we were ok!

By the next morning the wind had died down and it was beautiful and sunny. We packed up, but before heading out we walked down to the river/reservoir to dip our toes, skip rocks, and toss a frisbee. As we headed east, we got a good view of the wild horses monument up on the hill.

We had a lovely dinner with Mo and Devin on the night we arrived in Tacoma, but then headed out the next morning to adventure up to Camano Island. We stayed at the state park campground and spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach and flying the kite. Besides the massive and prolific mosquitoes (like really LOUD swarms), we enjoyed our stay there. We were very glad we had our screen tent!

The next morning we went over to Ron and Terry’s house. Terry is my sister-in-law, Sara’s, mom. We had seen Ron and Terry in Michigan last summer when they came to visit Sara and Tim and family, and they had said to look them up if we made it that way – so we did!

We got a lovely tour of their beautiful home, walked down to the beach in their neighborhood, and enjoyed tasty snacks. The kids loved their new dog, Zoey! We just really enjoyed reconnecting with them and were grateful for their hospitality.

On the way back to Tacoma, we decided to get a taste of Seattle. We decided to check out the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center and the West Point Lighthouse at Discovery Park – right on the sound and in the heart of Seattle. Daybreak Star has an amazing history of reclamation and is a beautiful and thoughtful building architecturally. Check out the link for more info.

Driving through Seattle wasn’t as bad as we thought it might be in the van and we enjoyed the sights and different neighborhoods/areas we encountered!

Back in Tacoma, we shared another lovely meal together (yay for cowboy beans and adult grills!) and moved the yard disco ball that Reece accidentally knocked down, to now hang from their tree.

The next day we took it easy – did school, unpacked from camping, pulled weeds with Mo, etc. It was Cinco de Mayo, so we also made a Mexican feast complete with plenty of guacamole, carnitas, and tasty beverages. Their friend, Ashley, came over and we all had a fun night!

On Wednesday we went to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. We started at Owen Beach and then hiked the perimeter of the park through beautiful forest on the bluff above the sound. We saw beautiful views including of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Then we cut down to the water and were making our way back to Owen Beach when we met a gentleman headed in the opposite direction, Elliott. He was excited to share his wealth of knowledge about marine life, so we turned around to hike the beach with him! We saw aggregating anemones, piddock clams, lots of seals, some sea lions, ghost crabs, starfish, and more! It was chilly and windy (which we weren’t exactly prepared for), but after Matt leant Reece his fleece, Elliott leant Matt his windbreaker. We were also joined by Nori, a local photographer and illustrator, who knew Elliott, and we had such fun learning about the area. It was fabulous!

(I just looked up Nori online and found his website!)

Then we stopped by the stairs and slides area right by the park. It was really cool!

We enjoyed our last evening with Mo and Devin – leopard hats, Barley’s dog collar on Reece, tasty leftovers from three nights of cooking fabulous meals, and time together. We will miss them!

We have also really enjoyed the Pacific Northwest! There are so many wonderful places and people!

But now we turn east for the final stretch. It’s a bittersweet feeling. We’re all excited to back in CO and live somewhere that doesn’t have wheels, but it’s hard to believe this big adventure is coming to an end. Looking forward to sharing stories and experiences from this trip for years to come!