Idaho
After a month in Canada, it felt amazing to be back in the states. Well-stocked grocery stores and cheaper…everything? A welcome sight. Though, Kit-Kats are 100x better in Canada (the chocolate is horrible on the U.S. ones!).
Anyway, from B.C. we worked our way down to Idaho. First, we planned on a week in Coeur d’Alene, but when I looked at the map, I realized a small amusement park was situated right outside of it. So, just for fun, we stopped at Silverwood and stayed in their campground for two nights which was super enjoyable. We hit Silverwood at the end of their season, so the waterpark-half was closed, and the ride-half was only open on weekends for a few more weeks. Our tickets were cheap, the campground was beautiful and within walking distance to the park, and we had a great time!
From there, we drove just 20 minutes further down the road and stayed at Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene. Fairgrounds have been a bit of a hidden gem for us sometimes! This one was super clean and spacious with full hookups and cement pads. The location was perfect for our time there, too! We spent this week running some errands we hadn’t had access to for a while - Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Target! Oh my - we hadn’t been to Trader Joe’s since Nashville and it felt so happy to stock up on all our favorites! We worshipped at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and were shocked to turn around and recognize a classmate from college! It was a great church and we felt so welcomed.
The boys rode their bikes around the paved campground and we even rescued a lost dog! Coeur d’Alene Lake was super lovely and the boys played for a long time in the sand while I planned some meals and watched the sea planes take off and land in the water. Tom mostly just worked, but it was a happy stopover.
Next, we drove down to Grangeville, ID where Tom has an aunt and uncle. He has told me many stories of their house and the memories he had there as a kid, and he has always wanted me to see it for myself. I’ve spent time with this aunt and uncle before, and they are some of the most special people. We were so happy to visit them and put the place with all the stories and introduce the boys to them as well. We stayed at Bear Den RV Resort and it was so lovely. Everything was tidy and quiet and the boys got to play in some leaves and enjoy happy fall days. We spent some time with Tom’s aunt and uncle each day and visited their church. It was truly such a joy to be with them and make such sweet memories together! The boys even got lucky and were invited to plow a field with a farmer who was working nearby.
Idaho was a a welcome sight and really filled our hearts seeing family who were too remote for us to visit before. We hope to be back again.
Washington, however, was calling our name!
