Back-tracking a bit here, but work has trumped blog these past few weeks and I’m just now getting back to this space I’ve missed so much. And so, Idaho! In mid-October! Did I mention my parents moved to Idaho? They visited Couer d’Alene in May and were so smitten with it that they decided to bid La Pine farewell and embark on a new adventure. And while I relished our time in Central Oregon, I gotta say, North Idaho shows definite promise.
We arrived on a Wednesday afternoon and headed straight to the playground at Falls Park, as Juliette was gunning to go after several hours in the car. She bee-lined to the jungle gym while I checked out the rugged views of the Spokane River.
So happy together…
We grabbed a beer while the sun set over the water and then headed back to my mom and dad’s place for homemade meatballs. Three hours into our visit, I was already seeing the appeal…
On Thursday morning we headed into Couer d’Alene to check out spot #2 on our grand circuit du playgrounds. City Park was beautiful though swarming with aphids, which infest the city’s ash trees for two weeks every year. We took a quick spin on the monkey bars and then moved on.
Oh, and AUTUMN! So good here.
We popped over to McEuen Park next, which was decidedly less buggy. We ate our picnic lunch, Juliette playgrounded with a new friend, and then we took a short walk around Tubbs Hill, which fronts Lake Couer d’Alene.
Can’t wait to get our paddle board out onto this water next summer!
Shane and I sent Juliette home with my parents and then set out to do a little exploring on our own. We landed on the trail at Mineral Ridge, a three-mile hike with a lovely lake lookout.
Day dates are my favorite.
My mom and dad took Shane and I out for dinner that night to celebrate our October birthdays. (Juliette free-loaded.)
On Friday we headed into the nearby farmland (of which there was plenty!) to scout some pumpkins and hot cider. We started at Hidden Acres Orchards, which offered apple trees and a pet pig and a (dinky) corn maze and a two-dollar hayride.
Juliette ate it all up.
We crossed the street to another little patch and settled in at a picnic table to eat our lunch. First though, one more pumpkin. I couldn’t stop!
(This one’s for you, Uncle Doug!)
Juliette and I had just enough energy left after our pumpkin bonanza to get out for a jog/bikeride. We found a perfect stretch of flat, carless trail and she rode like the wind while I huffed behind her.
My parents offered to watch Juliette that evening while Shane and I slipped away for the first grown-up movie we’ve seen in the theater in years. Such luxury!
Saturday was our last full day in Idaho, so I got an early start and headed back out to Tubbs Hill for a walk with my mom.
Idaho, I’m falling for you!
We picked up the guys (and kid) and then drove out to Spirit Lake for a quiet lunch on the patio.
Again with the paddle-boarding possibilities..
The town of Spirit Lake is tiny, but boasts a quintessentially cute Main Street with an ice cream shop and a pottery store where you just slip your payment through a mail slot, so as not to disturb the potter while he’s at work.
We swung by Falls Park before dinner for one last playground romp with Grandpa, master twirler. My dad ended up with a large flock of children around him and he pushed them all on the merry-go-round, trying to tag them at each spin while they giggled and squealed. He’s the funnest.
There were lots of snuggles with Bernie on Sunday morning as we packed our things.
And Grandma! She’s pretty snuggly, too.
I’m going to miss the Bend brew scene and Central Oregon lake life but…Idaho seems realllll nice. We’re going to tear that state up next summer.