Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

July 3 - 7, 2008


The route from Glacier National Park, Montana to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho had to be the most nail-biting, nerve-wracking part of the trip so far...for me, anyway. Ken handled it like the experienced motorcoach driver he is! Thinking the highway is your best bet isn't always the case. We were on I-90, 27 miles from the Montana-Idaho border and we ran into some road construction. You would expect this after the harsh winters this area must go through. We were in one lane and the easterly traffic was in our other lane. All of a sudden the guard rail was no longer concrete, but little pieces of wood and the drop was straight down on my side. Believe me, you see everything so much better from the height of an rv. I thought I was going to be sick!! The construction area lasted for a little over five miles and I never thought I would live through it. I tried to text Susan and Bob who were about 40 miles behind us, to advise Susan to take a bathroom break or better yet take an anxiety or sleeping pill, but of course, there was no cell service in those mountains. Sorry, I was too nervous to try to get a picture!!

We made it to Coeur d'Alene in one piece and thankfully there are no "drop-offs" here in the rv park. Literally translated, Coeur d'Alene means "Heart of the Awl" meaning sharp hearted or shrewd. It is said to be used to describe the native indians' shrewd, tough trading practices.

Fourth of July, 2008: We started our morning exploring the downtown area only to find roads blocked off for the parade. We found a parking spot and followed everyone to the parade route. I had forgotten how much fun a parade could be.

For all my Hopedale friends, there was one group called the "Red Hot Mamas" with dresses of red, white and blue, and hats to die for. (Remember you can click on the picture for a larger view and then hit your "back" button to return to the blog.) They were followed by the "Used To Be's" who were pushing walkers rather than shopping carts and then the "Mamasboyz". All were dancing in the streets! Found out later in checking out the website that this is a senior dating service!! Anyway, they brought a smile to my face and memories of our "hat" days!

After the parade, we enjoyed lunch in one of the downtown cafes, did a little shopping and came back to rest up for the evening's festivities and fireworks. While sitting outside visiting, Bob went into his coach and later asked us all to come in for a minute. We walked in to find that Bob and Susan on this end, and Becca and Kelly on the other end, had set up a video phone call for my birthday from Jen's house. Jen, the boys, Peter and Lindsay, the girls, and Sarah were all there singing "Happy Birthday". What a surprise!!! Thank you to Susan and Bob and Becca and Kelly for such a great birthday gift.

That night we did a Fireworks Cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene. For those of you who have seen the fireworks at Falmouth Heights Beach on Cape Cod, you are spoiled. This town really does the 4th up big, but the fireworks couldn't compare to what we have become used to. But, I have to say it's very nice of all these places in America to have fireworks to celebrate my birthday!!

The next day we played golf (for the first time in over three weeks) at The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course. This is the only course in the US with a floating green that they actually move daily. It can be moved 100 yards by rope and computer.

A very pricy place, we got a special of two-for-one...still kind of pricy. Then you had a fore caddie that you had to tip at the end of the round (and someone else I had to play in front of). Not to mention the hat, visor and markers we bought prior to play. However, it was all worth it...especially for Ken.

Here's the floating green, #14. Ken hit a 147 yard drive into the wind, onto the green and sunk a 30 foot putt for a birdie. According to Mitch (our caddie) it was the first he had seen this year which made Ken very happy. Then on the tender ride back to the shore, they even gave him a Certificate of Achievement (like the ones you got in first grade for doing something good). (By the way, I made a 4 and was very proud of that. I had to hit from an island tee to the island green!) To follow it up, Ken birdied the next hole and parred the next.

The holes along the lake were absolutely magnificent. This is not a postcard; it is the 5th hole (I got a par on this one).

As usual, we brought a couple of snack bars to munch on during the round. We put them in the cubby in the front of the golf cart (which had a tilt steering wheel, heated seats, and all sorts of "hiding places" for stuff). We didn't realize we should have used any one of these hiding spaces for the snack bars. The agressive crows and seagulls at the course would go right up to the carts when unoccupied and take whatever food they could find...even if wrapped! The bathrooms along the course (which were better than most clubhouse bathrooms) were built into hills so they couldn't be seen. And, there was a complimentary massage before the 14th hole. All in all we both had great rounds which means our price per hole was well worth it.

We spent out last day in Coeur d'Alene relaxing and getting a few errands run. We joined Susan and Bob for dinner at Cedars Floating Restaurant. Built in 1965, the restaurant floats where the Spokane River meets Lake Coeur d'Alene and is buoyed by 600,000 pounds of concrete encased styrofoam.

The campground gave us complimentary dessert coupons, so we didn't have appetizers or drinks so we would have room. Even so, we were still very full and had to go home and "sleep it off"!

All in all you could say this was a "floating" couple of days!!

We leave tomorrow for Grand Coulee Dam, our last stop before getting to Joe, Kathy and Katie's place in Arlington. It's really hard to believe we are on the "other side of the States."