Mosaic Monday #29 - Three States in a Day

Did you know you can cross Idaho in an hour?  Yep, you surely can, if you take the northern route.  Just take a gander at this map of Idaho.  Doesn't it make you wonder who drew state lines?  What could possibly be the purpose of the little sticky-up bit between Montana and Washington State?  Maybe it's just there so the achievement types (no, not me, no sir!) can check Idaho off the list … Well, now I can say I have been to and through the Gem State!  That's good enough for me!

Yes, we have completed our road trip, 450 miles, 5 days and enough memories that it felt akin to a couple of weeks.  But that's kinda our modus operandi - we don't just visit a place, we VISIT.  So, I'll spare you a blog post the length of War and Peace; I will split our mini-vacation into several segments.  Here we go with Day One.

Spousal Unit planned this trip, and he deserves high marks for his research and execution.  Rather than scoot through Idaho with nothing but a wave at the potato farmers, we cruised to Coeur D'Alene.  French-speaking fur traders named the lake/town in the mid-1800s; legend says the traders believed the local Indians to be sharp traders, and thus they bestowed the name that means "their hearts were sharp as an awl".  The French translation is beaucoup more romantic, no?

World's Longest Floating Boardwalk at Coeur d'Alene Resort

The Resort also features the world's only floating green as part of

its golf course.  On the 14th hole, the green measures 15,000 sq. ft.

and weighs almost five million pounds.  It can be moved on the

surface of the water to change to distance from the tee to the hole.

It's almost impossible to visit the city without engaging Lake Coeur D'Alene, 25 miles long and featuring 135 miles of shoreline.  In our case, we traded our truck for our bicycles and pedaled 12 miles of that shoreline.  Such variety - world-class resorts to open vistas to elegant lake-side homes (collage below).  A captivating peek into the routines of this quaint city.

Loading the bikes back into the truck, we pointed our noses westward, destination Spokane, WA.  Yes, Montana in the morning, Idaho in the afternoon and Washington State in the early evening.  We dropped the bags at our hotel and navigated to the Night Market, through throngs of people with the same notion as us - to relish the season opener of the Market, known for fresh local produce, pickles, jams, soap, jewelry, tea, baked goods, food trucks and live music.

Given the grey skies, we opted to nibble our food and sip our beverages on the covered patio at Nectar, with a view of the Spokane River and even an osprey nest perched high atop a tall pole.

On the way back to the hotel, we spotted this mural and decided to take the advice.  We dropped into the Globe Bar and Kitchen, and boy, that bartender shook a mean Manhattan! 










All of these murals decorate one wall of the Globe, located in a former historic hotel that has been in downtown Spokane since 1908.  I think there is some pithy advice here for everyone - take your pick!  


And so concluded Day One - watch for future posts about the rest of the trip!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

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