New week New Sights

We left Helena after a $1.99 breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Good and filling! We drove west on I90 through more rolling mountains and beautiful streams. If I was going to brag about Montana's landscape it would be the streams. There were 2 eagle's nests on top of electric poles and Ric said he wondered how many chicks were electricuted while learning to fly.
There was a motor home that had broke down and was being towed up the pass - the family was IN the motor home while it was being towed walking around. Caught my eye!
The trees started getting thicker and we rolled into beautiful country. Just the kind we were looking for!
Wallace Idaho - WOW. The cutest little tourist town! We stopped and went through a museum with history of the town and the silver mines which put the town on the map. The Wallace District Mining Museum on Bank Street. It had exhibits, archives and a video. This town borders the Coeur d'Alene River. Wallace is the silver capitol of the world and one of the few towns that in it's entirety that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit if you get near! It has a live theater, antique and gift shops, vintage architecture and although they had 500 inches of snow last year - the town is open all year. Summer is tourists and winter - there are 2 ski resorts just 15 miles on either side of town. You can take a silver mine tour, visit the Oasis Bordello museum and tons of outdoor things. It is on the base of a mountain and not much room to grow. But we loved it. The museum is also home to the last stop light taken down on I90 connecting the US by Interstate. They had a funeral for it and it lays in a casket. It was as important to change as the last spike in the railroad. Connecting the nation by road. The town motto is "go slow and hur.ry back". There is also a historic 1313 Club historic saloon and grill which resides in the Heller Building. This 2 story building has two storefronts joined internally on the 1st floor. The cast iron pilasters remain. The 2nd story retains its segmentally arched windows. It got its name as the original bar area was 13 feet high by 13 feet wide. The Heller building has housed a hotel upstairs, a bus depot, a barbershop, and a cafe since it was rebuilt in 1891. This will definately be on our list of come back toos.
We continued west to Coeur d'Alene. It has been about 40 years since I have been here. We have both changed a LOT. It is a large, bustling, vibrant city. The lake is still pristine and beautiful but it really feels big. You know, since we have left KC we have not been in a "big" city. The traffic in this town seemed "busy". We drove around and found the Idaho still has some smoking - perhaps it is still before congress!!!!! Anyway, fill up with gas and back on 90 north to state highway 95. The scenery just keeps coming. The rivers, the lakes everything is lush, full, green and gorgeous.
Sandpoint Idaho - again, WOW! It is on the northern side of Lake Pend Oreille and what a lake. This is picturesque - we just drove through but 95 takes you through the heart of town and it too is a go back and see. Very artsy, packed with tourists and very well done. It was getting later in the day so we drove on up to Bonner's Ferry, Idaho.
Another great drive - on 95. Very cute town just 25 miles from the Canadian border on the Kutenai River which is huge right here! This part of Idaho is nestled between Canada, Washington and Montana. Bonner's Ferry was created in 1899 most of it still perched on stilts to avoid seasonal spring floods. It became the county seat in 1915 and is the only county in the US that is bounded by 2 states and a foreign country. We ae staying at the Kootenai Valley Motel. It is blue and white and cute as it is one of the old motels where you pull up in front of your room and overall it is a big U shape of 3 buildings. Nothing fancy, clean (pinesol clean) and very nice people funning it with a great dog named Penny dog a combo shepard and lassie dog. We drove through their newly renovated and still working on it old downtown. Very cute and artsy. The river rolls by! Then ate at JJs Cookshack in Naple Idaho about 10 miles back down 95. Home cooked but just ok. We still were full when we left.
Tomorrow we head east on Highway 2 to Kalispell so that is all the news thats fit to print. Let us hear from you if you can!