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4th of July Parade and Barbecue
on the 3rd
Contributed by Kathyn Pierce
We had a wonderful day for a day outdoors - in the 70’s
and sunny - so refreshing for a 4th of July! It was a well
attended parade and it was nice that we went early, thumbs
down for being stuck behind the Hare Krishna’s ....
again!
After the parade Kathy hosted a barbecue which was enjoyed
There was lots of good food and fun. Bubbles are the theme
this year and there were lots on hand. The little kids had
a ball. An extra large thank you to Blaine who manned the
BBQ grill again this year. A big thank you to everyone who
brought food, help with set up and clean up. Many hands helped
make light work. Thank you all. (Dishes left include a green
bowl that had watermelon in it...don't know who owns it or
the salt shaker. I also have a bowl and spoon that belongs
to Georgia.)
Summer Trip - Selkirk Loop
What a great trip Richard and Ken planned for us! There were
great roads, wonderful scenery, interesting places to visit
and a great group of people to travel with.
Sunday morning bright and early the group of 13 Miata met
at the Flying J in Caldwell: Richard & Joyce led one group
and Ken & Carol the second group. They took the interstate
to OR 201 and that into Weiser and US 95. Luckily no big dips
in road construction or car trouble this time. They took US
95 to New Meadows where they rendezvoused with Marv &
Connie. They continued just south of Whitebird for lunch at
Hoot’s Café - always a unique experience.
After lunch the group continued north on 95 to Winchester
where the pink Cadillac on the pole has been replaced with
an Exxon sign. They went on the old highway and down the old
Winchester Grade which offers wonderful panoramic views of
the prairie below as well as a fun road to drive. Back onto
95 they continued to Lewiston with a stop in Lapwai for gas.
In Lewiston they got off 95 and went up the Spiral Highway
to the top of the Lewiston Hill - always a great drive and
a great view at the top. Then it was onto 95 again and on
to Moscow for the night. Paul & Nancy joined the group
that evening after having spent the weekend at their class
reunion in Lewiston. Brandon, Katie and Braxton joined us
at the hotel for the night as part of their family vacation.
Day 2 took the group on a tour of North Idaho. Ken led a tour
of the University of Idaho campus around the Kibbie Dome,
past Nancy R’s sorority house and take a close look
at the ad building. After gathering the groups back together
and getting Joyce & Richard’s group 1 back in front
we continued east on ID 8 to Deary where it joins ID 3. A
beautiful drive though the forest to St. Maries where we stopped
for a rest break. From there we continued north along the
St. Joe and Coeur d’Alene Rivers to Cataldo and the
Old Mission State Park. We viewed an introductory video about
the Mission and then we were treated to “Black Robe”
presentation by the ranger which brought alive the experience
of the priest Father Ravalli and Coeur d’Alene tribe
who built the church in 1850. Before leaving the Mission we
arranged the cars for a photo op.
Lunch was 5 miles away at the Enaville Resort’s Snakepit
- a fun and interesting restaurant that had been a brothel
in “the ole days” - lots of atmosphere and collections.
After a good lunch and complementary scoops of huckleberry
ice cream, we were ready to go off to Sandpoint. Since it
was already after 2:00 we had groups going different ways.
One small group led by the Roligs went directly to Sandpoint
via I90 to US 95. The other group went with Richard as was
originally planned on Forest Service Road 9 over Thompson
Pass and to Thompson Falls, MT. It was a great drive with
great views. Richard was awarded the “coonskin cap”
when he missed the sign to Thompson Falls and they had to
get turned around after asking a fisherman which way to go.
Once at Thompson Falls it was west on Hwy 200 to Sandpoint.
We stayed at the Schweitzer Ski Resort, the best part of which
was the drive up the mountain -nine miles of tree-lined road
climbing 2500 ft with five 15 mph hairpin curves. The Resort
was beautiful and the view of Lake Pend Oreille was spectacular
and photo ops were a must. We practically had the hotel to
ourselves as well as the restaurant where we had dinner. Bob
& Ellen from Sandpoint joined our merry group to Nelson.
On Day 3 we headed for the border. We went back down the mountain
to US95 and a stop for gas and then a stop in Bonners Ferry
for coffee at the Starbucks in the Safeway. Then it was off
to Canada through Eastport. There was a bit of other traffic
to wait for, but other than that a show of our passports,
answering a few questions and we were welcomed into Canada.
We drove north to Creston where we stopped at a fruit stand
first, then scattered for lunch. Our meeting point was at
the Columbia Brewery where several people took the tour and
tasted beers. Once we were all gathered together again we
headed north on 3A - Ken tried to lose the Roligs, but we
were too quick to get left behind J The road followed the
east side of Kootenay Lake - very picturesque! At the north
side of the lake we took a fun ride on the ferry Osprey across
Kootenay Bay to Balfour. A ferry is always an adventure! After
getting ourselves organized with Ken in the lead again, we
were off to Nelson and our hotel.
The historic Hume Hotel was built in 1898 and had been restored
in 1980 and updated in 2005. It has unique and nostalgic furnishings.
Unfortunately no air-conditioning on a 90 degree day, so most
of us spent a lot of time in the Library, the lounge. The
wait staff was very accommodating and pleasant and took good
care of us. We were in the historic downtown of Nelson and
there are many buildings, shops and restaurants to explore.
The hotel provided a good breakfast each morning as well as
parking in the neighboring parking garage.
Day 4 most of the group took the North Kootenay Lake Loop.
A few elected to explore Nelson and take a break from the
car. We went clockwise around the loop taking 3A to 6 north
to Silverton. It is a beautiful drive and we stopped for a
photo op above the Slocan River. In Silverton we took a break
for coffee and exploring the mining museum there. Silverton
is in the shadow of Mt. Idaho from the lookout at its peak
you can see all the way to Idaho. From there we went to New
Denver where we went east on 3A through spectacular mountain
roads, by waterfalls and wildlife to Kaslo. We lunched and
shopped in Kaslo on Lake Kootenay and home of the sternwheeler
S. S. Moyie. From Kaslo we took 31 south to Ainsworth Hot
Springs, where some enjoyed the lovely pools. Everyone made
their way back to the hotel and found their own dinners and
many enjoyed each others company in the Library again.
Day 5 we started back home under cloudy skies. From Nelson
we did the Rivers, Dams and Mines loop through Castlegard.
At Salmo we rejoined highway 6 which took us south to the
Nelway border crossing into Washington. There is little traffic
at this crossing, but it took quite awhile for each car to
pass through. The border patrol questioned each person and
looked in everyone’s trunk. We ended up having an impromptu
snack of grapes that could not come into the US. On our way
again we went south on highway 31 to Tiger where we stopped
at the little historic store for a rest break and ice cream.
From there we took 20 through the mountains and long the Little
Pend Oreille River to Colville on the first leg of this loop.
The clouds were gathering as we came into Colville where we
each found our own lunch and meet at a park where the rain
came pouring down. The tops were up for the Flowery Trail
road back to highway 20. Most dropped their tops before getting
to Newport where we threaded our way into Idaho on to highway
41. As we went south the wind picked up and there was a threat
of severe storms, so we had disorganized stops to put tops
up. The group got left in disarray as we found our way to
Interstate 90. We all found our way into Coeur d’Alene
to the Shilo Inn and dinner.
Day 6 started with the presentation of the pot to the winner
of the Bug Splat Game - John & Joyne had a bug on their
target. We took US 95 to just north of Worley and took ID
58 west to Rockford with a ½ hour wait for road construction
and a desperate rest stop at the NAPA store. We continued
on to Steptoe Butte with a side trip through Rosalia. At Steptoe
we wound our way up the Butte for a spectacular view. Then
it was a drive down US 195 to the top of Lewiston Hill, down
the Spiral Highway and lunched below. After that it was up
the old Winchester Grade and into Grangeville for the evening.
An impromptu pool party ensued before dinner.
Day 7 took us home down US 95 to ID 55 to Donnelly where Marv
& Connie hosted a barbecue for the group. Bill & Debra
Baker 2001SE BRG drove up from Meridian to join us. After
lunch Ken presented prizes to those who played his music game.
Joyce figured out all the artists were Canadian; Donna guessed
the most artists and Annette S. and Nancy R. were runners
up.
A big THANKS to our leaders Richard and Ken. They did a great
job - great roads, great places, a great time!! Also thanks
to the patient cabooses Tony and John; we couldn’t have
stayed organized without you. Thank you to Marv and Connie
who went home a day early to prepare lunch for us. It was
a nice way to end our trip.
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DRIVING & EVENTS COMMENTS
All events are uninsured informal gatherings. The Les Bois
Miata Club assumes no liability. Since a large group of Miatas
attracts a lot of attention, please adhere to all speed limits
and other traffic laws. Tours are scheduled rain or shine.
We strive to be top-down participants and will stick to paved
roads only. Feel free to join or leave the group at your leisure.
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TOPS DOWN, its authors and editors assume no liability
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