There are tons of things to do in Idaho and tons of places to see but they really do require more than a day to do it. I now understand why people have travel trailers and campers. Never understood it in Maryland, makes total sense here. Perhaps it is also my age. :) We really wanted to check out Northern Idaho but were tight on time and budget. Papa got a couple days off around the 4th of July so we made some very ambitious plans and decided to go camping! Chris has an awesome coworker that lent us his family tent - perhaps one of the most expensive aspects of camping. After pouring over maps and scouring campsites to see where there were available spots on such short notice we went ahead and finalized our plans. We would basically head half way up Idaho and stay at Winchester Lake State Park, just south of Lewiston, for one night. Next we would head to Round Lake State Park, about 70 miles south of Canada, and stay there one night. Then back to Winchester for a night on our way back home. Yup, three different set ups and tear downs of campsites. With two kids and a dog. Nope, we don't do anything the easy way.
Oh, did I mention I had never been camping before?
Be forewarned - this is a long post.
We started our trip bright and early in the morning on Thursday (the 4th). We had some serious traffic to contend with.
I guess everyone was heading out of town for the long weekend.
We figured our first pit stop would be in McCall. McCall really is an all season area. They've got the skiing in the winter and then the lake for the summer. It is really stunning.
Always nice to drive up to a view like that.
We got out to stretch our legs. McCall is around two hours north of Boise - okay, probably more like three when you have kids with you. Little Lady was totally wearing her pj's.
Seriously, look at this place. Have you made your reservations yet? Really. Look at it. Seriously.
And the water wasn't freezing. It was certainly warmer than the ocean. People were getting their boats ready and we saw them loading the barge up with fireworks for the evening. We were even serenaded by someone blaring Sisco's "Thong Song" as loud as possible from their boat. Party time.
Nicest. Public. Restroom. Faucet. Ever.
At all the intersections they have the best system. There are flags on each side of the street. When you want to cross you just grab a flag, stick it up, confirm that the drivers have seen it, and walk across. Then put the flag in the holder on the other side of the street. Brilliant and it works and it is cheap and totally gets kids excited about the process and makes them pay attention.
They were getting ready for some festivities for that evening. People were driving these little fellas everywhere. Again, people actually use these out here. Anywhere that isn't a "big city" (hehe) like Boise is.
We fueled up the car, fueled up on coffee (made with almond milk!! Go Idaho!), drained our bladders and stretched our legs. Then we were back on the road. We went past White Bird. You might remember our explorations there, if not you can read about them here.
I can't really describe how diverse the landscape in Idaho is. Once you get past White Bird (Hell's Canyon) it seems to start to get green. But then you also get flat farm land - then hills again - then mountains - then forests. You can just look at the following pictures to see how the drive was so vastly different just between McCall and Winchester.
I've got to interrupt here just to point out the size of those mountains.
You see the white cars in front of us, but do you then see the white car way up after the turn? Does that help give you scale? They are massive.
See? So staggeringly different. There were also fields of beautiful yellow. Apparently it is canola.
We finally got to our first camp site, Winchester Lake, after probably around 6 hours.
The view from our campsite made up for the long drive.
We got all set up and were then ready to look around.
Tents are pretty much baby proof. I would have been happy with a nap at this point, but that wasn't going to happen.
With this beautiful (stocked) lake we had to do some fishing.
Papa bought Little Lady her very first fishing pole just for this trip.
It was a very successful fishing pole! Rainbow trout and salmon!
Papa grilled them up with a wine marinade. Little Lady refused to eat any. I had a couple bites and Papa and Mika enjoyed the rest.
That evening was, um, not as restful as desired. There was a VERY large group site right across from us - think big camper, several tents, barka loungers set up, and jello shots. It was also the 4th of July, so you could hear fireworks and firearms being set off in the distance. Of course, Little Man basically slept with/on me all night. At 3 or 4 in the morning you could hear a ton of coyotes start yipping away.
When we got up it was time to pack up and move on to our next destination.
She did a great job of looking at her books while we loaded up.
We did a last glance at the campsite across from us and felt thankful that we wouldn't be right across from them when we were staying here on our way back.
We then headed north! Through several Indian reservations - my favorite being the Nez Perce because there was an awesome little grocery store with the BEST rotisserie chicken. Hey - eating paleo on the road is not easy.
We went through Couer d'Alene - more on that later - and finally ended up at Round Lake. The campsite was totally full. I had looked at it earlier and there were no available spaces, but then looked at it again just a couple days before we left and there was ONE available for reservations. I grabbed that up. It was a much larger campground than Winchester and much nicer too. LOTS of families but also lots of older couples in there campers as well. We set up camp and then changed into our suits to check out the lake that was supposed to be a great swimming lake.
We were not disappointed.
Beautiful. Warm, see through water. Surrounded by trees. Beach to play on. No big waves.
Perfect for kiddos.
They had canoes available for rent and also a wall with tons of life jackets you could just go up and use. I put one on Little Lady (we had left ours at the camp site) and she had a blast bobbing around in the water in it.
Wonderful surroundings. Dogs weren't allowed on the beach, so we took turns hanging with Mika right next to the beach. She was enjoying the water too and playing with other doggies.
We saw some bald eagles hanging around the lake too.
That night, Little Lady enjoyed some smores and we chatted with the families at the sites around us. One family was from Billings, Montana. They were "glamping" - as they called it. Basically they had a trailer camper. Very friendly, brought over a ball for Little Lady to play with, asked lots of questions about Mika. She certainly attracted a good deal of attention over the course of our camping trip. The other family was from Post Falls, Idaho. A man that had gotten his son out camping for the weekend. He asked Papa several questions about nursing (his ex was going to school for it). Talked fishing. Little Lady was EXHAUSTED by night fall - although that is pretty late.
That night was much quieter than the previous night. It probably would have been more restful if we hadn't set the tent up on a bit of a down slope. We had the sensation of rolling down hill all night. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that - but sometimes people need to experience things themselves before they are ready to acknowledge that they could be an issue. Mika snuggled up with Little Lady each night. Her pup.
The next morning we, again, packed up. We got an early start so we could explore north a little more before heading south again. We came to Lake Pend Oreille, and crossed the bridge to Sandpoint.
The lake is HUGE and DEEP. They even conduct submarine testing there because of it's depth. It is the fifth deepest lake in the US.
I was super surprised by Sandpoint. It was like a cute, beachy town. I had no idea. There was a giant farmers market going on. There was a drive through espresso stand with our choice of almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk or regular milk. Can I tell you how much I love the espresso stands of the Northwest? That sounds like a coffee table book. Espresso Stands of the Northwest. I wonder if anyone has done that yet.....
We drove past Sandpoint a bit and around the lake.
It is really beautiful up there. Very green. The landscape is exactly was Papa has always described as his ideal landscape. Pine trees, hills, and water. We will need to do more exploring up north. I think we could seriously consider land there. We have been very hesitant about northern Idaho because, quite honestly, it has a bad reputation. A couple bad apples can give an entire area a bad name. It is really stunning.
We then turned around and headed south, stopping in Coeur d'Alene. There is a lake there too. A huge lake. It seems like basically a resort area.
A nice main street, not too crowded, lots of nice shops and restaurants.
And, of course, the lake. Another great one. Warm water. Look at the crowd. Look at the crowds in ALL the pictures. This was 4th of July weekend!!!! The stores were talking about how busy they were! I love "busy" in Idaho.
Sightseeing planes. Got to see it land on the water and everything. Pretty cool.
She was digging it.
So was he.
You could see through the water in the marina. IN A MARINA! And it wasn't clear because it was cold. It is just clean!
I also have to mention that as we were walking back to our car there was an old white sedan with red rims sitting at a light blasting "Country Girl (Shake it for me)". The driver? Probably a seventy something year old man with his hair spiked up with gel. He started banging his arm on the door yelling "YEAH!" - seriously. I'm not lying. Little Lady then told us that he had a really nice car. These people know how to party at these lake towns.
We then set off, back towards Winchester, making a mental note to plan a long weekend in Coeur d'Alene.
We went back through Lewiston. They are known for their paper mill. I now will also think of the Lewiston grade when I think of it. The road north of Lewiston is crazy steep and full of truck runoff ramps. However, it does give you a neat view of Lewiston.
When you're driving north into Lewiston you notice a smell. It is apparently from the paper mills. Someone in my tots group I'm in here said her father always told her it was the smell of money. Of course, when I think about that I don't know that it makes sense. Money is made from cotton, right? After looking around online it looks like the "paper" for money is still made in a mill, although I'm doubting it is made in the Lewiston one.
A shot on the way back down. Can you see the railroad tracks connecting the hills, right above the tall tree in the middle?
So, we then arrived back at Winchester Lake State Park. It was Saturday afternoon and our last night of camping.
This sign made Papa laugh. Given that we are in Idaho, it CAN'T be a coincidence.
We pulled into the campground and started circling the loop looking for our reserved spot for the night. We knew we were not across from the large group again. Turns out we were right NEXT to the large group. You know what though? It was a pleasure. They had been partying on Thursday night but were very mellow that evening. The kids that were with the group came right over and asked Little Lady to come play with them.
They included her in their glow in the dark ring toss, even though she clearly wasn't at their skill level. They saw Papa struggling with a tent stake and brought over a hammer (we forgot one). They came and showered Mika with love and affection and told us (again) about how one of them had a dog that looked like her
This was a really awesome part of camping. Papa would ideally like to go to remote, hike in places to camp, but knows he has to take baby steps with us. I can now attest to some of the draw backs of park camp sites (noise, crowds) but for kids it can really be great.
She had a blast playing while we set up and I made dinner (hot dogs) and we waited for the fireworks that were scheduled for that evening. There was also a band somewhere off in the distance we could hear.
BOOM! The fireworks finally started, over the lake. We just stayed at our site and we could see them well enough. Little Lady was so exhausted and grumpy at that point, she seemed underwhelmed. Little Man fell asleep in my arms during the finale. Papa was sitting behind the tent keeping a freaked out Mika as calm as possible. It was then time for all of us to turn in. Everyone was so exhausted at this point we should all sleep well, especially since we made sure we were on a nice, flat, no hill surface - right?
Well, I was apparently the only one in our group that was awoken by someone that arrived after dark at the site on our other side (not the group) and then proceeded to have a heated discussion on the phone with a lady friend at about 1 in the morning. I did feel kinda bad for the guy because he basically found out she was cheating on him during that call, but dude - take it somewhere else. So that lasted 'till about 2am. Then at 3am, cue the coyotes. Then at 6am, baby wants up.
This sums up their morning habits. One is up and happy and ready to go, the other wants more sleep. Why couldn't I have ended up with two that like to sleep in?!
Well, I guess I technically DO have two that like to sleep in. How do men get away with this? Well, I guess I let him. He is busting his tail for us, so between work and school and being a Dad, I can't ask anything more from this guy. Go ahead and sleep. Someday we'll both get to....when our bodies will probably want to get up at 5am anyways.
Since it was our last day we had a nice, relaxed morning. We didn't need to pack up 'till after noon. We had a morning fire and heated some water in my handy, dandy water bottle to make some coffee.
I hauled out the pack and play so he could watch but I didn't have to carry or wear him,
and I enjoyed a campfire cup of coffee (with almond milk Papa had grabbed at a store).
She needs her morning cup of coffee too. She is sooooooooooo not a morning person!
I made us a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sweet potato hash and we just sat back and relaxed. The young man from the camp next to us asked me if he kept me up and said I should have shouted for him to shut up. He looked rather embarrassed when he came out of their tent - I'm thinking that since he came when it was so dark he probably was chatting on the phone right next to our tent, not realizing he was so close to it until he saw everything in the daylight. He was with his family and they were there for the rodeo. They were bull brokers (?). Not entirely sure of what that is - maybe they provide the bulls? The Mother was super friendly and invited us to come to the rodeo. Said she would find a place for Mika to rest in the shade and everything. She told Little Lady ALL about Llama's (Little Lady is seriously into them) and even told us to stop by her friends house on the way to Boise and she would let us see her llamas. Did you know that llamas do not ovulate regularly? Male llamas have to really intrigue a female llama to get her to ovulate. Did you know that when a llama goes into labor, all the other females surround her and "sing" to her and rub their necks along her belly, helping with the contractions? Did you know llamas have a split lip so they can select one specific blade of grass if they want? Did you know llamas are great at keeping coyotes away? It was a very educational morning.
We got in a little more fishing.
She got in some more time playing with worms. Look at her eyes. Can you see the exhaustion?
We then packed up and headed home. I dressed Little Lady in her swim suit. We figured we would take a break in McCall again and she could play in the lake.
There were even LESS people in McCall at this point. We enjoyed the beach and also the splash pad they have there as well. After eating some grub we picked up at a grocery store there we headed back to Boise. We passed on the rodeo and llama visit because we wanted to get the kiddos home.
We got back after dark and I took the kids right in for bed. I tried a bath but Little Lady adamantly refused one so she got put in her bed basically as she was. We were all (I think I still am) running a huge sleep deficit at that point and were happy to be back in our beds. It took several days for the kids to get back on schedule, but exhaustion soon caught up to them.
Five minutes before this she had randomly said to me "I not tired."
Not tired at all.
So the camping trip was a success. It is tough at Little Man's age. I had to wear him in the Ergo a lot and I didn't get to do as many of the "fun" things, like fishing. He is still at the point he wants to put everything in his mouth and whenever I let him on the ground it was just a constant battle to keep rocks out of his mouth. It was a super ambitious trip, but we did it and accomplished our goal of seeing Northern Idaho. I'm glad we did it and we will certainly be doing it again!
