Posts Tagged With: Myrtle Falls

Bonners Ferry, Idaho September 2

Switching from museums, we have been enjoying nature instead. Friday the first, we left Great Falls and headed north and west. Mountains became a frequent friend, watching over us from either side. No driving on narrow, curvy mountain roads yet.

Early on in our planning for this trip, we made a conscious decision to skip two likely stops; in Browning the Museum of the Plains Indians and Glacier National Park. For Glacier, we have been there before and currently the crowds have mandated the use of a timed entry system. It added it up to probably not enjoying the trip so maybe another time. For Browning, I don’t know, we just weren’t in the mood.

So our journey took us around the east, south, and west sides of Glacier, going through towns that the Amtrak Empire Builder stops at: East Glacier, Essex, West Glacier, Libby. No Empire Builder seen but we glimpsed several freight trains, sheds used for train protection from snow avalanches, the Libby depot, and rail crews working to maintain the tracks. We even saw two of the red shuttles used to transport people around the Glacier Park area. West of Libby we stopped at Kootenai Falls.

Kootenai Falls is one of the largest free flowing falls in the Northwest since so many other rivers have been dammed for flood control and hydropower. Actually partially a falls and partially a rapids, it drops 90 feet in a distance of less than a mile. The trail to the falls is only 1/3 of a mile but involves climbing a 65 step bridge over the double tracked BNSF rail lines. The trail involves rocky terrain but the end result is quite pleasant as one gazes upon the falls.

Another trail takes you to a 220 foot long suspension bridge 30-40 feet above the Kootenai River. I had no plans to go over the full length of the bridge, knowing I would get dizzy. It would likely give a different glimpse of the river so we headed that way, took our photos and returned to our car.

The Yaak falls were a minor falls not far off the route to Bonners Ferry. Nothing dramatic but a pleasant diversion that continued our weekend theme of avoiding museums and seeing natural wonders.

Arriving in Bonners Ferry, we checked in at Northside School B and B. As the name suggests, it is a former elementary school. We were greeted with homemade cookies (delicious) and shown to our room. The place has an in-ground swimming pool and school memorabilia throughout.

We had dinner at Mi Pueblo, another very pleasant dining experience. Entering Idaho, we had started on Pacific time and went to bed early for Pacific time but we were tired.

Saturday morning breakfast was exquisite, but probably typical for most B and Bs. Fresh fruit, an egg dish, and the first scone I have ever eaten that was soft and moist. (It was huckleberry.) I had two. I even had my own carafe of milk- not as large as the own in Chicago back in March but large enough.

Bonners Ferry has a Saturday morning farmers market which we visited. It did not take long and we made no purchases. From there we drove west of town to the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge. There was one small creek but whether because of drought or because of maintenance, there was no water in the ponds and therefore practically no waterfowl.

Just across the road from the wildlife refuge was a waterfall that required a hike up through the woods. The waterfall was high but in several stages and not fully visible from just one viewpoint. Pleasant, glad we saw it but no big shakes.

Instead, the highlight of the morning’s drive was gazing upon one of the biggest fields of hops under cultivation in one location. Anheuser Busch owns Elk Meadow Farms. Elk Meadow has 1750 acres of hops growing in this valley. In contrast, Minnesota statewide grows just over 100 acres while Wisconsin is about 300 acres. It was the first time I have actually seen hops under cultivation. Hops plants grow to 15 feet in height so the sight was impressive.

We stopped at a Menonnite store, again no purchases. Wandering downtown Bonners Ferry, we purchased two books. One by Nora Ephron Chris is reading now and bursts of laughter every minute or two indicates she is enjoying the book. Other than dishes of huckleberry ice cream, we came across nothing else of interest to buy so we came back and took a nap.

Surprisingly, downtown Bonners Ferry was busy for a town of 2500. A band was set up across from the farmers market location and had drawn a crowd. We noticed numerous small groups of young people having a night on the town. Most tables were occupied in our restaurant.

Tomorrow we hit the road for Wallace and Kellogg Idaho, home to a ski area where we plan to ride a three mile gondola.

Ed and Chris, Bonners Ferry, September 2