Coeur d"Alene, Idaho

We headed out on US-2 West for Idaho this morning.  Why did the deer cross the road?  Really??  We saw eight deer within 15 miles that decided, despite ALL the land in Montana, that they wanted to eat the grass right along the highway.  Oh, yea, and that grass on the OTHER side of the road looks so much more tasty!  Charlie had to blow his horn at one to get it out of the road because it was too busy looking at the truck that was coming in the opposing lane.  Geez -- made the trip a bit more stressful than necessary.  Especially when Montana marks the site of traffic fatalities with white crosses.

We didn't expect Coeur d'Alene to have a municipal park with a beach and boats and children playing in the waterfalls and young men playing basketball.  It was so nice and had such a nice vibe!  It's the kind of place that I would recommend for someone wanting to leave and start over new.  No worries, though, it's too far from our families and friends.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get any genealogy information at the County court house.  But we did visit St. Thomas cemetery.  My father had two older brothers, John and Eugene, both of whom died within 4 months of each other in 1926.  As a parent, I cannot begin to fathom the grief.  And my poor dad!  He was only 5 years old and must have missed his big brothers so much.  So I cleaned off their head stones a bit, left my own cairn, and said a silent prayer for the uncles I would have liked to have known.

We decided to pass on the Beauty Creek National Forest campsite I had reserved -- no electricity or showers doesn't sound so adventuresome after 28 days! -- and instead decided to stay at an RV site closer to downtown.  I am right now appreciating the electricity and looking forward to a hot shower and a quick trip to Starbucks in the morning.  Yes, life is good, my friends!

I could not resist posting one more picture from Going to the Sun Road, in case you have any question of why they're called the Rockies.

(Photos:  US-2 our guide since Maine; three fatality markers; potted plants on the light poles; note the seaplane at the dock: John and Eugene Ramey headstones; Going to the Sun Road)