Yesterday, as we began our long day’s drive from Boise to northern
Idaho, I was reminded of the diversity of the state I call home. Boise has a desert climate; we only get about
12 inches of rain a year. Sagebrush dots
the grass-covered foothills. We live
near the Boise River and a stream runs through our yard. Our mini-climate is riparian. We have tules (reeds) and lots of water
birds.
Leaving Boise we climb up Highway 55 past golden hills and
sagebrush. We begin to drop down to a
river valley and soon cross the horseshoe-like bend in the Payette River, passing through the small town of Horseshoe Bend. As we continue to climb, pine trees appear
and the sagebrush is gone. We can view
the river on our left. It is a favorite
place for rafters and kayakers; this is one of the calmer sections. Once we pass Banks, the canyon narrows and
the churning Payette River begins to look like a washing machine. These are class 5 rapids so it is rare to see
any kayakers here.
We pass the open, quiet waters of Smiths Ferry. It is always so green here in the summer. Once we leave this area behind, the road
narrows and lies dangerously close to the fast moving river. This part always makes me nervous. Before long the landscape opens up and we
enter a wide valley. Golden fields lay
on either side of the highway. On the
left we pass a small airport. We drive
by a small cabin that is falling down; we always wonder how long it will
still be around.
Soon we reach the town of Cascade. It was once a lumbertown but the mill closed
a number of years ago. The old rail
lines are now used for scenic rides on the Thunder Mountain Railway. We cross the river and spot children playing
in the water near an RV park. Next we
pass the Cascade Reservoir. The road
begins to climb and evergreens line the way.
We pass through two more small towns and then the road levels out. We enter McCall, a resort town on the shores
of Payette Lake. We stop for lunch at a
little burger joint—hamburger and a shake for me. McCall is always a good place to stretch our
legs. Sometimes we stop at Ice Cream
Alley for an ice cream cone. Other times
we stop at one of the small public beaches to use the facilities, look at the
lake, and perhaps make lunch.
Upon leaving McCall the highway descends downward through
heavily wooded forest. We reach New
Meadows (after passing Meadows), aptly named because it describes the terrain. Gradually we see more trees and the walls of the
mountains close in and we are in a steep canyon and the town of Riggins. The streets are only a couple blocks deep on
the left side while the Salmon River runs close by on the right. Rafting is big in this town so we see ads for
the many commercial outfitters ready to take people on an adventure.
Not too far out of Riggins we begin to go up a very steep
incline known as White Bird Hill. There
is an overlook near the top. It marks
the location of the Battle of White Bird Canyon which was the first battle of
the Nez Perce War; the Army lost. White
Bird was the Nez Perce chief.
From the summit of White Bird we descend to the Camas
Prairie. The most striking feature here
is the fields of winter wheat (no irrigation).
Most of the fields have already been harvested but we did see a combine
at work. We pass through Cottonwood, the
location of St. Gertrude’s Monastery, the home of Benedictine nuns. A short distance later we enter the Nez Perce
reservation begin to drop off the Camas Prairie. We come close to Lewiston, Idaho’s port city
(no kidding—on the Snake River) but the highway turns before entering it. When the wind is blowing the right way you can
smell the paper mill there. (Perhaps I should say wrong way since it stinks.) Next we are
making a steep climb up to the Palouse—rolling hills with more wheat
fields.
Leaving the Palouse, we enter the college town of
Moscow, home to the University of Idaho.
It is also the commercial and agricultural hub of the Palouse
region. (Locals call it “Mosco”—don’t
add the w because residents don’t want to be associated with that other
Moscow.) From Moscow it’s only about 30
miles to Coeur d’Alene.
Continuing on we pass an operating lumbermill and enter the
town Plummer. Here is the beginning of
the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, a wonderful 72-mile paved bike path. We pass through the Palouse Indian
reservation and more wheat fields. The
road runs by rolling hills with a mix of evergreens and deciduous trees. As we get closer we get glimpses of Lake
Coeur d’Alene but we don’t get a really good look at it until we cross the
river and pull into town. It’s a
beautiful lake with many inlets.
We are staying in Coeur d’Alene this time but we have been
north to the border. It is well worth
the drive. Farragut State Park sits next
to Lake Pend Oreille. It was once a
naval base for testing submarines during World War II. Yes, submarines—it’s a very deep lake. Further north is the little city of
Sandpoint, also on this lake. It has a
large artistic community with fun shops and a lovely city beach. It was the home of the women’s clothing
company, Coldwater Creek. Their store
was once on the Sand Creek Bridge—I always insisted that we stop there when
passing through Sandpoint.
Heading north you will pass through the small town of Priest
River, named for the river that runs through it. Priest Lake is north from there. It is a heavily wooded area, much like the
terrain directly north in Canada. This
area was the location of silent movies made by Nell Shipman and company in the
1920s. It’s a beautiful spot with lots
of wildlife, including moose. Federal
and state campgrounds provide many great campsites.
I’ve described just a part of the Idaho geography. I live in an interesting state—it is so much
more than potato fields.
Written on 8/7/2015
