In Idaho we did what I imagine many Idahoans do: not much. Which is not to say it was unenjoyed – quite the opposite. We recharged at Lake Coeur d’Alene (the honeymoon capital of the west! or so I’d read somewhere). Our campsite, at the Bell Bay campgrounds, was a fair hike (and by hike I mean an hour plus drive) from the city of Coeur d’Alene, but the remoteness was well worth it. Of wildlife, there was plenty. On the drive in we saw our first moose of the trip. We saw countless deer (including some dangerous encounters driving back from Coeur d’Alene at dusk!), a bird that looked a bit like a bald eagle, and some kind of fish jumping out of the lake. And the campsite itself had a stunning view. We got a spot right on the lake’s edge. It was perfect for writing, reading, sunset watching, star gazing (great stars!), it was a short walk down to swim, and perhaps best of all it was dry so we were able to dry out our molding (gah!) tent. My only complaint is the bees. I had never experienced bees like this before. They hover around you and your things incessantly, yet don’t appear to want to eat anything. Even when our oatmeal bowls lay out they would check them out and then come back to buzz in our ears! It brought back flashbacks of my high school cross country team incident (one of my teammates stepped on a nest while trying to pee in the woods and half the team got stung. Two girls had to be taken to the hospital, one of which had a bee lodged in her ear canal! So buzzing by my ears totally freaks me out). The bees reminded me of what an annoying toddler might be like, constantly by your side, all “what are you doing? What about now? What’s this? What does that do? How do you spell obstreperous? Do dogs have feelings?”

::blogging with a view::

::those pesky bees::

::idaho, udaho::

::moose!::

::lovely sunset at our home for the night::

::reading by the fire::

::sunset nigh two! idahoan sunsets do not disappoint::

We spent two nights in this soul searchers paradise of a campground. On our full day in between we drove down to the city of Coeur d’Alene and spent much of the day blogging. Not terribly exciting, but we were at least escaping the bees at a really funky coffee shop called Calypso’s. Great spot for chai and pretty good cheap-ish sammies if you find yourself hungry in Coeur d’Alene!

Want to know how to feel so happy you laugh until tears stream down your face and you snort for air? Drive down the coast of a beautiful lake with the top down and your best friend by your side and go nuts on the air guitar at the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird. Like, real nuts. (Also do this late night after a great friend’s wedding. Apologies to Barb’s parents for our debauchery on the balcony!)

Oh, and because we were in Idaho we of course picked up some LOCAL taters to cook up for dinner. SCRUMPTIOUS!

So Idaho was not eventful, but certainly fulfilling. I found this quote to be quite fitting: “I think probably one of the important things that happened to me was growing up in Idaho in the mountains, in the woods, and having a very strong presence of the wilderness around me. That never felt like emptiness. It always felt like presence.” Marilynne Robinson