Traveling Square Dancers: Taking the Scenic Route in Idaho

Who We Are

We sold our home in June, 2007, and spent the next 7 1/2 years traveling full time in a Cross Roads Fifth Wheel. (We had been traveling during our summers for several years before going full time.) We loved the full-time lifestyle! Each summer we spent a month or two volunteering in State Parks, first in Indiana at McCormick's Creek State Park, near our family, then in later years as the grandchildren got older, at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. We spent 6 months each winter at Cactus Gardens RV Resort in Yuma, AZ, where I worked mornings in the park office. The remaining months were spent on the road, seeing this great country of ours. Our favorite places are our National Parks. Anita loved photography and the freedom of digital photography, taking sometimes hundreds of photos in a day. We hiked as much as our legs will allow. We also really enjoyed square and round dancing as we travel across country, and meeting all the wonderful people who dance and/or travel.

But as in all things, there comes a time for change, and we decided it was time to create roots once more. In the fall of 2014, we purchased a home in Cactus Gardens, and in the spring of 2015, sold the 5th wheel. Anita also retired in the spring. We will continue to travel each summer, but for a shorter period of time. We hope to continue blogging about those trips, but it will obviously be on a more limited basis than in the past.

Please explore our past posts if you are interested in traveling this great country. You'll find an index in the left column. We hope you enjoy our blog, and appreciate all comments

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Taking the Scenic Route in Idaho

Idaho has 30 official scenic, historic and back country byways. In addition to the Selkirk Loop, we took three of these drives while spending the week in Sagle, ID, a small community centrally located for our drives.The campground, Travel America Plaza, is very comfortable with shaded sites and clean facilities. It’s far enough from the road to limit traffic sounds, and for a change, is not next to the railroad.

Our next scenic drive was south to the Lake Coeur d’Alene Scenic Byway. The road winds alongside the lake, which happens to be home to the largest population of nesting osprey in the Western states. As it curves along the bank, the road rises with several pull-outs for viewing the lake below. At one such pull-out, a paved trail led us upward to a viewing platform.

The local visitors center had recommended a restaurant in the small community of Carlin Bay, so we stopped there for lunch. The breakfast menu sounded so appetizing, we had breakfast for lunch. Hotcakes an inch thick! P1070143 I’ll have more photos of the lake in the slideshow at the end of the post.

Our next drive was westward on the Panhandle Historic Rivers Passage to Priest River. The route travels about 28 miles along the northern shore of the Pend Oreille River between Sandpoint and the Washington State line on US Highway 2. The river was first canoed by trapper and explorer David Thompson in 1809 as he searched for a passage to the Columbia River.

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Our last scenic drive of the area was arguably the most scenic. It was the Pend Oreille (pronounced “pond-a-ray”) Scenic Byway. The words "Pend Oreille" are French for an ear-hanging or pendant. Ear pendants were characteristic of the Kalispell tribe, native to the area. The lake is shaped much like a human ear when viewed from above or on a map.

With a surface area of 148 square miles, and a length of 65 miles, it is the largest lake in Idaho. 1,150 feet deep in some regions makes it the fifth deepest in the United States.

The water was still as we drove along the lake, creating a mirror landscape. The Cabinet Dam Gorge lies at the border of Idaho and Montana. A scenic overlook has been provided. Glenn decided the view from here was worth the whole drive. P1070235 For more photos from the drives, click on the image: