Daniel and I are lounging in our camp chairs by the fire, snuggled under our new extra-fuzzy rainbow blanket. And we are listening. We can hear various bird calls and the chatter of squirrels really clearly for the first time on our trip.
We are camped at Cabin City Campground in the Lolo National Forest and it’s so peaceful. It’s a primitive campground with pit toilets and no hookups but we don’t mind. The camp spots on either side of us are empty. It’s such a relief not to be sandwiched between other campers.
Relaxing by the fire under the fuzzy rainbow blanket. We are safe from the bugs thanks to our canopy with mosquito netting.
Saying Goodbye to Riverside State Park
I awoke at 5:30 am this morning to answer the call of nature. As I dashed out the door, I grabbed my camera in the hopes of catching the sunrise. The sun was just peeking over the Spokane River Canyon as I made it to the overlook a few minutes later. Absolutely breathtaking.
My business completed, I managed to go back to sleep for a few hours before we broke down camp. Daniel and I had some errands to run in Spokane this morning, and soon we were on our way into town. We had to stop by the drug store to pick up a new prescription for my Ulcerative Colitis. This one cost over $1000 before insurance. Geez! Thankfully I still have coverage from my previous employer thanks to COBRA.
Sunrise at Riverside Park
Good morning Spokane!
We hiked up to the overlook again before we left for the day. Nice new sunglasses, Daniel!
Daniel regards the Spokane River.
Wallace and the Idaho Panhandle
After lunch, Daniel and I left Spokane and crossed the state line for the first time into Idaho. It took us a few short hours to cross the Idaho Panhandle and soon we were in Montana.
We only stopped in Idaho once to check out the small town of Wallace. It’s a cute little town, with its main claim to fame as being the shooting location for the movie Dante’s Peak (which I’ve never seen). We also heard that the Oasis Bordello Museum was worth a visit, but it was closed. Although I probably wouldn’t have gone inside if it was open. I didn’t feel super comfortable interacting with the people here as hardly anyone was wearing masks.
The lack of masks was a big difference between the states of Washington and Idaho. Even in the conservative-leaning city of Spokane, most people we saw were wearing masks now that it is a Washington State law. While in Wallace, we went inside one business to buy a coffee and none of the employees handing the food were wearing masks. We were wearing ours, of course, and felt like we stuck out. Needless to say we didn’t stay in the town very long.
Downtown Wallace, Idaho
The Stardust Motel in Wallace, Idaho
Sierra Silver Mine Tour
In front of the Oasis Bordello
Welcome to Montana!
After crossing over into Montana, Daniel and I found Cabin City Forest Service Campground conveniently located just off of I-90. Daniel built a fire and we spent a chill evening relaxing by the fire and enjoying some quiet and privacy.
Tomorrow we arrive at our campground in West Glacier and I can’t wait!
Daniel tends to the fire
Where are we now?
We are at Cabin City Campground, Montana! Notice the super cute flowers that Daniel picked for me.
Date: Wednesday July 8, 2020
Great American Road Trip Status: Day 3
Starting Location: Riverside State Park, WA
Ending Location: Cabin City Campground, MT
Miles Today: 117.7
Total Trip Mileage: 453.6
For more details on our Great America (Socially Distanced) Road Trip, see my previous posts:
so Dante’s peak is one of the most accurate volcano movies ever made. I’m not saying it is super accurate, but it is good enough that as a former earth science teacher I did show it in class.
Really! I did not know that. Ok now I am inspired to watch the movie 😛