2014 Big Truck across the NW, Day 7

Day 7 started a little slow, as we had grown pretty fond of Glacier (both the park and the campground).

Our next destination would take us back toward Flathead Lake, this time driving along the north and west shoreline. Incredible scenery like this made the 4+ hour drive go pretty fast.

Once we got to route 28 and headed west, we were on a 2 laner in the middle of nowhere. You know it's remote when you can drive for a half hour without seeing a structure or another vehicle.

We saw a couple of small fires in the distance, but other than that it was a pretty uneventful drive. The longest straight section of road on the whole trip was probably a mile, so I got a lot of practice in perfecting my Scandinavian flick.

Coming into the Idaho stovepipe, we crossed another mountain range and followed a stream along the highway into the valley. The big reveal as you get close to Coeur d'Alene is pretty cool, as you start to see the sheer size of the lake nestled in the mountains. 

Our campground is on an island just across from the main downtown area. It is very different from anything else on our trip so far. Here's the view looking toward the city park.

We quickly realized that we were out of place here. The lady at the counter told Kim "We do allow guests to wash their RVs at the sites. Looks like your Jeep could use it."  I don't know what she was talking about.

This guy was a few sites away,

as was Ironhide, pulling his triple axle trailer (yes I realize Ironhide was a GMC, but Ford has yet to make a transformer out of an F850 SuperTruck)

After we got settled in and accustomed to the judging glances, we got suited up for a pasty visit to the campground beach. We all look like we have the measles, but Jordan's bug bites are the most noticeable (look at that arm).

Luckily the water was about 40 degrees, which provided a soothing sensation on the bites just before we lost feeling in our limbs.

There was an outdoor concert going on at the city park, and a steady stream of boats cruising by. We saw this guy, 

which immediately brought me back to this. Sadly there was no underpowered Camaro (is there any other kind?) to do unnecessary 2-wheeled stunts along the channel, but there was a sweet 80s vibe going on.

We decided to head into town to check out a small local brewery & grab dinner. On our way, we ran into what we will claim is our first ever haboob - yes, haboob.

The pics do it no justice, the wind kicked up out of nowhere, actual tumbleweeds were blowing (no ACME deliveries in sight), and dust clouds were covering the streets. So, I figured the best thing to do would be an unplanned brewery tour.

10 minutes later (Idaho law does not allow children in a bar/lounge area, but it does allow a small section of the state where murder cannot be prosecuted), I had my growler filled with Guilt and had taken a whirlwind tour of the brewing operation of Selkirk Abbey with one of the owners. 

Back to the Jeep, which was enduring this...

We grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to the campground, only to find that some good Samaritan had taken down and secured our awning, also stashing our chairs and Jordan's sand toys under the RV. Very nice of them, we hope to find out in the morning who it was.

In honor of our first trip to Idaho, we pay tribute to the best thing ever to be produced by this state. More of these links tomorrow, as this cinematic masterpiece was filmed here 10 short years ago.