Upper Mesa Falls, Idaho

South of Island Park, Idaho,like a mini Niagara Falls, beautiful

Father DeSmet's Mission

Those from around my hometown know who Father DeSmet was, a missionary to the Native Americans. Along the road near Coeur d'Alene Idaho we found his original church mission, now a historic site. Once again it is so large that photos do not do it justice. It is a post and beam building with some straw walls in the back. If you are ever traveling in the area near Coeur d'Alene on the interstate and see the sign, you should definately stop for a look.

Lewiston, ID to The Dalles, OR

Day 4
Lewiston, ID to The Dalles, OR
Lots and lots and lots of wineries in the valleys in the Columbia River basin. No, we did not stop for samples, how would you choose? In the photo above I was trying to show how much of the land they use for crops. The machinery is much different, mostly so that they won’t fall off the hillsides while harvesting.
Into the Columbia River scenic areas on I-84, stopping at the Marysville Museum. On top of the hill on the Washington side of the river was originally built to be a home, but before its completion was turned into an art gallery. The owner/builder Sam Hill was the one who decided there should be roads through the Columbia Gorge. He had a lot of famous friends, including Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Queen Marie of Romania who donated furniture, gowns, wedding presents and a crown that appear in his collection.
There is also a replica of Stonehenge that serves as a Veteran’s Memorial just down the road.

And yes, it was a clear day and you could actually SEE Mt. Hood in the distance at the front of the museum, although it was very hot and humid so it is hard to see from this photo.

Missoula to Lewiston, ID

Day 3
Missoula to Lewiston, ID by way of Lo Lo Pass. The rivers of course are very high and good for whitewater and as you can see in the photos. We caught a glimpse of a kayak going down some very rough water and he did it perfectly. As you can see in the last photo, he almost disappears in the water because it is churning so much.
On Lo Lo pass we stopped at many sites, but the most interesting to me was the old growth cedar trees. I
tried to show how large they really are by outstretching my arms, but you really have to see it to believe it.
Okay, there was a sign that was similar to the one above, the yellow “Curves ahead” sign. Underneath the curves, it said next 60 miles. They lied, it was more like 150 miles of driving much like going from Banner to Story! I was exhausted after all of the day’s driving.
Oh, did I mention the tick Mom pulled out of my head?