Day 25 - The Gem State

We got an early start this morning since we hooked up the trailer last night. There was no sewage hook up at this campground, so we had to stop by the dump station before we took off.

This has been a very pleasant stay. The National Park was stunning, especially Logans Pass. The campground was great. As we said earlier, it is one of the best we have stayed at.

Off we headed to Coeur d’Alene, ID, our stop over on our way to an Harvest Host winery in Quincy WA. and ultimately Olympic National Park.

The beginning of the trip had pretty desolate scenery…prairie land as far as the eye could see. It eventually turned greener and then quite beautiful with an unexpected ride through the Lolo National Forest along the St. Regis River. Again, we were treated to high pine-covered mountains and river views.

We then entered Idaho and began our descent into Coeur d’Alene and gained an hour. Idaho is nicknames the Gem State "for the abundance of natural resources and scenic areas that include snow-capped mountain ranges, rapids, vast lakes and steep canyons. The waters of Snake River rush through Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon in the United States. Shoshone Falls plunges down rugged cliffs from a height greater than that of Niagara Falls. The mountains of Idaho contain veins of gold, silver, lead, zinc, cobalt, copper, and many other rare minerals. Among these rare minerals are gems - star garnets (the state gem), jasper, opal, jade, topaz, zircon, and tourmaline."

We are staying at the Blackwell Island RV Resort. It is located on the Spokane River. It has a very nice swimming beach on the river. Very clear, clean water. Lots of families with kids. Hot here right now with temps in the low 90’s but cooling off at night to the mid 50’s. We’re running our air conditioner. The campground is not treed like the one we just left exposing us to bright hot sun.

We ate at the Cedars restaurant. It is a floating restaurant located on the Coeur d’Alene Lake. We sat outside and could feel the up and down of the waves. We had a drink and smoked trout appetizer. Delicious.