At Newport WA we crossed the state line into Idaho. At the Northern tip of Idaho (called the panhandle) it is not very large so we anticipate a short visit to this state. We are now in the Selkirk mountains and our destination is a Harvest Host in a very tiny town called Laclede. The Hwy follows the Pend Oreille river which leads to the larger Pend Oreille lake further along – a very pretty area.
The Riley Creek Blueberry Farm, our host for the night has a great set-up. Detailed instructions and welcome notes are posted on the barn wall/office Along with the large blueberry (pick your own) field, there is a small raspberry patch and on the perimeter of this patch are signs for the campers and each site has a picnic table.
The farm was busy with people coming and going, obviously a popular farm, and some staff who live on-site in trailers were sitting in the shade enjoying a chat. Our host lives up a long laneway in a proper farmhouse and drives a golf cart around. He came to greet us and chatted briefly. The little farm store was selling frozen blueberries and other local made items. I bought a blueberry jam, some fresh blueberries, and a handy soap-on-a-rope that I thought was perfect to use in our RV bathroom. There were also a few farm animals in a fenced area and we heard roosters crowing. Cedar was a little scared to approach the farm animals and started barking and backing away.
The weather has been hot, hot, hot, and we decided to find a campsite with water for a couple nights and give Cedar some much needed play time. The Pend Oreille area has several Army Core of Engineer Rec sites and we were lucky enough to snag a site for 2 nights at Riley Creek. No surprise it is directly across the Hwy from our Host site of the same name. So, with a short distance to travel and time to kill, the next morning we drove to check out the Albeni Falls Dam. We decided after to head to the campground and park at the day use until check in. The camp has a dog friendly beach area, so it was a great spot to hang out for a few hours before driving to our site. Cedar had a great time chasing sticks in the water. Our site was nicely wooded and there was a great breeze at night so we all slept well.
Completing our short drive through Idaho we go through more lake country and the town of Bonners Ferry which is nicely situated near the Kootenai forest and along the Kootenay River. The town was named for the ferry service which started here in 1864. With a population of approx. 3000 it is a good size town with all the needed amenities and some nice parks. A little further along we cross a 450 foot-high bridge over the Moyie River which was once a raging force, but is now dammed.