The Trip Home - Last Leg

Before I headed down the road for my last day of travel, I spent some time with the creek behind my motel. You can just see it past the jacuzzi.

Step back behind the motel and it is as if you've stepped into the woods. I spent a lot of time on that bench.

It's not as if this motel is located in some rural setting. It is located along a main arterial into town with many other  motels, restaurants and casinos. Yet on the back sides of these businesses runs this creek and some undeveloped land. These shots look both up and down the creek from Ruby's Inn.

It was quite shady along here in the morning. The creek veered slightly to create a calm pool before continuing on.

For the most part, Northwest creeks run clear. I have always been fascinated by the rocks lining these creeks, how they look as water rushes over them.

But even more than the look of the creek, the sound of the creek is what made me linger so long. How long had it been since I'd heard the sound of water running that was not man-made? I spent a lot of time sitting near fountains in Rochester seeking escape and solace, but this sound was different, more soothing, assuring me I was pretty much home.

Also out back were some dancing trees.

And the obligatory squirrel.

Along the front of the building were some brilliant flowers.

Bushes loaded with berries, another reminder that summer had passed.

And the sign to the bead show...Turns out that this was not so much a show as a single vendor, Bend Beads, showing his wares, but what beautiful wares he had. I bought a strand of smokey quartz beads and one of paper jasper. I have a chance to spend more with him this month as he will be in Sandpoint.

At this point I was only 3 hours from home, but I was in no hurry to get there. This whole day would be one scenic sidetrip. While finally seeing the name of an Idaho town on a highway sign made me smile, I would not be continuing down the interstate to Coeur d'Alene; I'd be angling up highway 200 instead, through a part of Montana our family spent many weekends exploring on fishing trips.

As you can see, I am destined for another day of driving through wildfire smoke. I wondered if this would follow me all the way home...it did. What you see in this picture is a wildlife overpass. You can view a video report about this overpass here.

It wasn't long before I was traveling beside the beautiful Clark Fork River, surrounded by the familiar mountains of Western Washington. This is looking east.

These are the vistas I grew up with. Now after not seeing them for 3 months, I found they were feeding my soul. So happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest.

Montana and Idaho share similar geology; along Hwy 200 you pass seamlessly from one state to the other without notice. The Clark Fork River empties into Pend Oreille Lake and there you are - back in Idaho again. I drove out into Hope Peninsula to better get my first view of the lake before proceeding to Sandpoint.

When I left back in June, the boating season had barely begun. Upon my return, I can see I missed it altogether.

Even so, there's always ways to enjoy the lake, even if it's just sitting on a dock in the late afternoon sun. City Beach beckoned, so I got back on the highway and completed the last of my journey - more than 3000 miles round trip - ending along the lake with a stroll and a sit in the sun.