Day 4 - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Earthship Le Van Gogh Diary

Day 4 - Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

(It’s actually September 5th but I couldn’t get a signal where I was yesterday. For that matter, I can’t get one now as I eat breakfast at a cute little restaurant further on down the road. You might not see this for a bit…)

(It's now 1730 (5:00 p.m.) and I'm set up at my next stop in St. Regis, Montana. This is the first time I've been able to get a signal. Oh, well.)

Anyway, yesterday I was up with the sunrise in my little spot by the lake and sat for a moment sipping coffee and marveling at the sky. I wasn’t the first up - the huge camper across from me already showed signs of life and a fire was already crackling in the stone ring. The Bendy Men, kitties and I just relaxed and watched the day unfold, or I should say, I did. The Bendy Men were still sleeping and the cats were eating their breakfast. I watched, anyway, and just relaxed and meditated before I began making preparations for departure.

The desert texture of the scenery I had passed the day before now gently smoothed into rural farmland and the beauty of the surroundings so affected me that I had to get out and take some pictures. Because it was near the end of the season many fields were already cleared while others still lay waiting for the harvester. It was stark and very bleak, even harsh, but it had its own textures and colors and patterns that were simply lovely. It appeared to me that the gods had sewn a large patchwork quilt of muted hues and hand stitched rows that crisscrossed the pieces in incredible patterns resembling a large Japanese garden. Indeed, the hand-raked patterns of the gods that were touched by the early morning light sprang into sharp detail and if there had been a place to turn off so I could take a picture I would have done so. Sadly, I was on a small, two-way connecting road taking me back to 90 and there was too little space for my van to safely park. I did take some other pictures from the side of 90 but they cannot do justice to the colors I saw. Some day I’ll get the hang of manipulating my photos. Sigh.

I noticed yesterday before I reached Cle Elum that the crops on both sides of the road were in many stages of growth, from corn no more than two feet high to fields still not quite ready for harvest. Soybeans and hay were likewise at different heights and I envied an area that could coax three plantings from the fertile grounds. In Maine the only two-harvested crop I saw was hay but the growing season was so short that everything else was lucky to reach full growth in one season. The potatoes and cranberries were naturally of one season and the family gardens reached full growth near the end of August, individual vegetables and fruit notwithstanding. And in Kentucky and Illinois I only saw one growing season for the corn and soybeans, so eastern Washington was fortunate, indeed, to have three! Amazing! It was either that or the drought delayed the growth of these immature crops. I like my story better, though. Happier endings always work well for me.

I noticed also that the land, which maintained its rural leanings as I drove along, changed sharply when I drove over the Spokane county line. A sprinkling of fir trees sprang up which quickly became very thick in growth as I headed east. I wondered if the firs had been told that it was illegal to grow beyond the boundary. The ground hadn’t risen sharply or even at all and yet here we were, the line of demarcation suddenly catapulting me into fir city. Interesting. Lovely, but interesting.

I took a nap just outside Spokane and awakened refreshed and made the last few miles easily to Coeur d’Alene. I’m glad I had the rest, however, because I went out and beyond the city down 90 and deep into gorgeous mountain scenery trying to find the Wolf Lodge Campground. Charmagne was doing her best to get me there but once again, she dumped me in the middle of a road and pronounced me at my destination. Hmmm… I saw no sign for the Lodge and decided to check out a nice gravel road far up into the hills while looking for something to give an indication of the location. Even though I was tired I wasn’t sorry I made the extra drive because I passed the most incredible surroundings, long, green valleys with horses grazing, wild flowers swaying everywhere in the breeze, and the patterned light gently touching the firs and trees surrounding the fields. I stopped at a modest house to ask for directions and was greeted by a very nice goat, five chickens and a ferocious watch dog who came shuffling up to me with tail wagging and a big grin on his face.

“If you’re the watch dog, someone’s not getting their money’s worth,” I laughed, as I gave him a rub and assured him that he was a very good dog even if he wasn’t much in the way of security. I walked around looking for someone but even though the garage door was open and the back of the SUV parked in the driveway was flipped up, no one answered as I called out. I shrugged and gave the ferocious dog one more rub, stroked the nose of the goat who liked the taste of my fingers, and left with the sound of the pitter-pat cluckings of the chickens in my ears.

Eventually I saw an Idaho DOT truck heading towards me and I waved it down. The young man driving it gave me the proper directions and I thanked him and drove on. On my way out I saw a female turkey and her almost grown chicks sauntering around in the grasses on my right. Yep, I could live here, alright. Never mind that every house in the area had their own bulldozer for winter snows and some of the driveways were sloped up to the road making it all but impossible to get out in an ice storm. Maybe they didn’t want to get out. I wouldn’t. What a gorgeous place to live!

I visited northern Idaho briefly while I was stationed in Salt Lake City as a medical officer recruiter. The powers that be had arranged for a conference up in a small lodge and I don’t even remember which one it was. I do remember how beautiful it was and now I could confirm that memory of loveliness around me and in me, so healing to see and feel!

(Pause to go outside and take some morning photos of the surroundings.)

Ok, I’m back. I have far more photos than I can upload to my blog. I’m only aloud three per blog and yesterday I was given the option of thumbnails only. You can’t click on those and get a large view of the photos that way so I’m going to start an album on Facebook with the others. I wish I was a better photographer so I could do justice to the scenery around me but I have no doubt there are professionals out there who have taken some of the area and made a far better job of it. It is what it is, I suppose.

Today I’m heading to St. Regis, Montana, about halfway between Coeur’ d’Alene and Missoula, Montana. I’m only going to go about 100 miles a day because 200 is wearing me out. Plus, I want to get out and explore as I go along and I can’t do that if I’m constantly preparing to get to the next stop. That’s not what I planned, that’s for sure!

The kitties are fed and in their traveling positions, the Bendy Men are back after a night on the town and sleeping it off, and I’m going through my morning ablutions, including writing a blog. May your day be as blessed as mine!

Until tomorrow!

Lessons Learned:

That just because you want to dump your tank at the next stop because you feel too lazy to do it this morning doesn’t mean that there will be a dumping station at the next stop.

That you should always dump when the opportunity presents itself.

Always.

Forget being lazy.

That Charmagne is good with the broad scope but not so hot with the particulars.

That if the address doesn’t have a cross street, you’re going to end up in the middle of the road.

That forgetting to turn the shower nozzle off completely will lead to copious amounts of dripping in the lavoratory.

My cup runneth over.

I needed to mop the floor anyway.

That it’s not a good idea to let the kitties out when your spot lies directly in the path of dog walkers.

That just because the dogs are required to be on a leash doesn’t mean that they won’t give the kitties a heart attack.

That the normally docile, friendly doggies, even the miniature dachshund (think Jaqq) wandering by, believe themselves to be ravening beasts at the sight of a little white cat cowering on the top of the picnic table.

That I should check the location of the dog path before I do this again.

That if you want the furnace to blow hot air you must first turn the propane valve to ‘on.’

And don’t forget to turn it back off.

Observations:

While passing some of the tilled, dusty fields I noticed what appeared to be wisps of smoke going straight up into the clouds. There were numerous little smoke stacks dotting the fields on both sides and it looked like tiny puffs of steam bursting from the ground. While driving close to one I saw that it was actually a tiny tornado drawing the dry ground up into its little vortex. And off to the right was yet another. And another. Must be the spirits of the gods dancing in the fields!

On the far side of the divided highway, a statue of David painted in the bronze hues of a Native American man with a loin cloth draped modestly around his hips.

Two streets noted in Spokane named Freya and Thor. Must be the the Norse Gods behind the patterned fields. Perhaps it's Loki who's out dancing with the wind.

A young pregnant woman and her husband(?) with a sleeping hound dog sitting in the sun at the top of an exit ramp just outside of Spokane holding a sign that said, “broke and stranded, please help.” Probably a scam but I gave them $5.00 anyway because the dog had such a great smile.

Before Spokane a road sign saying Cheney Medical Hospital. I had visions of small groups of patients in swimsuits and bloomers lining up by the lake for a healthy dip in the healing waters while Cheney stood by nodding benevolently.

I have been plagued by nightmares about this ever since.

Just kidding.

I have no idea what day of the week it is. I know what time it is and the date, but that’s it. I don’t suppose it matters, actually. I rather like it.