Missoula, MT(plus Idaho pit stop)

Date:13 July 2008
Mileage:44938
Gas Price Per Gallon:$4.08

On our way to Montana, we scooted for a few miles through Idaho. Another state that I highly underestimated. It was rugged and gorgeous. The girls thought it would be fun to stop somewhere in Idaho and eat some potatoes, so we did! The quick stop lasted about an hour and then it was on to....

Montana. Montana. What can I NOT say about Montana. I just wish I could remember more. It seemed to have the perfect blend of mountains and plains. I tell you, as a child raised in the great plains of Missouri, I love the big beautiful sky. But to have these mountains/hills to occasionally break it up. Wonderful. Again another place I think I could live forever. Absolutely gorgeous.

We stopped in Missoula, MT at a KOA campground. Wait, let me properly reference it.

Missoula, MT KOA


Much to my delight and Tim's dismay, this KOA is located off a main strip of town. We literally camped behind a TJMaxx. AND they had wi-fi, so we could check our email and surf the net. That, my friends, is my kind of camping.



I am proud to say, based on our AK tags and our slightly obnoxious AK2VA window, we were well known on the campground.(not our first or only recognition) But we enjoyed a certain amount of anonymity amongst our fellow Americans and french speaking Canadians while at the KOA HEATED pool.

Alas, our stay was a quick overnight and then onto Yellowstone National Park...and I won't mention the ill fated picnic stop along an "idealistic rivers edge"....or the onslaught of mosquitoes...

Spokane, WA

Date:12 July 2008
Mileage:44732
Gas Price per Gallon: $4.13

I guess I didn't technically finish the Seattle to Spokane post.

Yes, we left Seattle early afternoon and headed toward Spokane. The drive was so beautiful. It was really neat to see it go from a lush, nearly tropical environment to a near desert. I found it interesting that Washington deemed it necessary to tell us mear(?) traveling mortals what all the crops are. And I loved it. Haven't you always wondered what the fields of stuff stretched before you contained? Of course, months later I can't recall what those fields of stuff were, but, well...I appreciated it at the moment.

None the less, we hit Spokane and found an Air Force base near by. It didn't have any open rooms, but we found a perfect suite/room for less than $100 a night. 2 rooms, a kitchen, living room with leather sofa and recliner AND FREE LAUNDRY. Ahhhhhh heaven. It wasn't until the sun went down we realized the nice, well lit area behind us was a penitentiary(yeah, had to spell check that one 4 times). But we kept the windows shut, prayed for protection and woke up all the better the next morning.

Oh, as we crossed over the mountain into the "desert" we came upon a surprise sculpture of wild horses on the Columbia River. Tim insisted I stop and I'm so glad he did. What a view. What a moment.






The next morning we headed into Spokane for a quick look/see. First on the list was stop at Caterina Winery and then onto the giant Radio Flyer Wagon,





a "stay and play water fountain",


and a gorgeous Spokane water front. We had a serious conversation about whether or not the B-52 community(airplane. not band.) would benefit from an Armor officer among their ranks. What a great city.

So, after Spokane it was on to Missoula, MT!