The edge of America

Northern Idaho is literally the edge of America.  Of course, the same could be said of South Texas, or even  Puuwai Island in Hawaii.  But there is a different vibe here - and not sure how much Canada even impacts life here (although the casino proudly advertises that you can gamble or win in Canadian dollars if you’d like...).

There is little doubt where Northern Idaho stands politically.  You cant drive far (even on small backroads) without seeing a “Trump 2020” sign or a “Don’t Tred on me” flag.  Good for them.  I don’t judge either way.  These are just observations.

No one wears masks (ok, maybe a few elderly folks) and there is no mandate when you walk in a business,  This is refreshing for me - but scary to Marci.

The region is clearly supported by agriculture with beautiful farms at every turn - and lumber, with heavy trucks full of logs lumbering (get it?) down the highways.  There are several large factories turning trees into boards and plywood.

It is also the location where Randy Weaver holed up on Ruby Ridge in 1992, after a shootout with federal agents.  Weaver’s wife, fourteen year old son, and a Federal Marshall were killed.  The location is west of the small town of Naples and being so close Marci and I decided to get a glimpse of history.  And it ain’t easy.  There are NO signs or indicators about where to go - and it doesn’t feel like the thing you might ask folks nearby.  But we found it - and yes, it is very remote.  And what a view the Weaver’s had on their isolated perch.  

Idaho is unique and it is beautiful.  There are gorgeous forests in every direction, Clear streams and friendly folks.  Glad we got a chance to visit.

Deep in the Idaho woods

We’ve seen a lot of places.  Unique places, like the top of Mombacho volcano in Nicaragua, the clean sparkling streets of Tokyo, or Monument Valley in Arizona.  But we have never seen anything like this.  Huge golden wheat fields that literally butt up to heavily forested mountains.  But there is a reason this looks weird - it is because they dammed the river and drained the valley to create “The Nile of the North”.  

We also took a tour of the Kootani National Wildlife Refuge.  It is a 2,774 acre swampy area set aside primarily for water fowl, but also has deer, grizzly bear, and moose.  It was well worth the trip!

We also popped over to Montana (five minutes from our campground) and giggled at the phone booth.  Time has not moved as fast up here.

Up

The state of Washington is located in the northwest corner of the ‘lower 48’ states.  So, driving north(east) for nearly six hours should give you an idea of how far “up” we are.

Bonners Ferry is a small town near the tip of the Idaho Panhandle.  We are north of town.  And Canada is just a few minutes further north.  In fact, we made the quick trip to see the border (closed to all but essential traffic due to Covid).  

The road is broad, but traffic is light as we approach the border crossing.  It is a remote area covered in dense forest.  You cannot help but think this border is difficult to patrol.  Running mostly along the 49th parallel, it covered almost 9,000 miles. But a close look on Google earth doesn’t reveal hidden roads or trails.  And a road sign said the entire border was surveilled and has iron posts delineating the survey.  Wow.

The area “boomed” when gold was discovered during the peak of the civil war, and the town was named for Edwin Bonner, who operated a ferry which took passengers back and forth to British Columbia.

Today it is a quaint farming and lumber town with a small court house, a scattering of restaurants, three grocery stores, and a struggling downtown. 

There is also a small casino, due to the 10.5 acre Kootenai Indian reservation.  Interesting story there - in 1974 the tribe declared war on the Unites States (one of the few who had never signed a treaty forbidding such an act) and posted soldiers on each end of town - forcing travelers to pay a toll to cross historical territorial ground.  

COVID Summer Vacation

It has been a couple of years since we posted on this site.  That is not because we haven’t travelled (we have) but things got chaotic and I retired and took a new job in Washington State (well, Marci did too 😊).

We now live in Yakima, WA and Marci’s dad lives with us in a 100 year old adorable house. We are thrilled and have started meandering again.  Next year we plan to cross the pond to Ireland and are thinking that we will wander around Morocco the year after that.

But for now, COVID-19 has changed everything.  Hopefully someday we will look back and read this and say, “That’s right - you couldn’t even eat in a restaurant!”

So, we chose Idaho for a week.  Most everything is “open” so we went for camping where there is some freedom.

The drive is about six hours with our camper.  But it was nasty dirty (from being stored in a field with no means of rinsing it) and I was worried that the campground host would think we were dirty nomads—- so we stopped in Ellensburg, WA at a truck wash to clean up.  My my...

Ellensburg is a quiet farming community in central Washington.  It sits at the intersection of I-90 and I-84, but is not widely known as a globally diverse hotspot.  And then you pull into Cascade truck and RV wash and see five jovial Sikhs - ready to ungrime your rig.

Through not fully proficient in English (and my rusty Punjabi) we used hand signals to negotiate the transaction and service.  Twenty minutes later (after a Punjabi butt chewing by the boss to a washer when one side of our camper was not quite clean) I happily paid the fee and set out for a week’s relaxation in Idaho (where you can still order a draft 🍺).

Tuhada dhanvada!