We took the 4000 mile car trip to the northwest only twice before. In 1983 on a three week national parks tour when both kids were still young. In 1996 when hm's family got together in the Blackhill for her 50th birthday celebration. This time Ray and I decided to drive so we can bike the 71 mile paved bike path of Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. We stayed at the Osprey Inn in Harrison, a town of 267 people with only 3 city blocks and 3 restaurants, but it sits right on the SE corner of the magnificent Coeur d'Alene Lake. The 6000 sq. ft. Osprey Inn BnB was built in 1917 and has 5 rooms with private bath. New owner Sherry and Larry enthusatically sharing their love and stories about their home. They made sure our stay was comfortable and enjoyable. We celebrated July 4th in Harrison, enjoyed the music in the park and watched the firework over the water. The bike path from Mullen to Harrison was mostly downhill and flat, but with the temperature at a record high of near 100 degrees, I tired out quickly. Fortunately we could stop at many of the wayside rest stops to relax and read interpretive signs of local history. We even encountered two cute chipmunk begging for treats. This region of Idaho is the world capital of silver mining. The mining and logging - the two main industries - caused some environmental damages in the past. The government stepped in with stricter regulation and cleaned up the area, the populations declined but tourism picks up. The Coeur d'Alene bike path was a rails to trails project and was paved with asphalt to contain the heavy metals in the road bed. The result is a pristine trail alongside lakes and wetlands full of water lilies and wild rice, a perfect home for song birds and animals.   The biking from Mullen to Harrison was all downhill and flat, we did it in two days, visited the museums in both Mullen and the historical mining town of Wallace. We spent one night at Kellogg and was surprised to find a Chinese restaurant in this town. After biking for two hot days, we decided to rent a jet ski and spent sometime on the water. Coeur d'Alene is a long and big lake, lots of osprey nesting on posts in the water. Even with all the boating, skiing, kayaking activities on the lake, we never felt crowded as the Lake of Ozarks. The breeze was cool and the water was calm most of the time. We both enjoyed our first jet ski ride.

We stopped by Bellingham, Washington, a town about 40 miles from Vancouver . We met two friends for lunch there and really like this town. With several coffee/ bakery shops, two CD/ Vinyl musical stores and one Dungeon and dragon game room, this downtown is vibrant with a touch of nostalgia to it. We also took a nice morning stroll in the beautiful Whatcom park to see the waterfalls. If we ever decide to move west to be closer to the grandchildren, this town would be an ideal place for it.