Beautiful Corner of the World: Road Trips

Yesterday we did a stop for lunch at Frater Lake on Tiger Highway, northeastern  Washington state. 

JEJ and I love to take drives and short road trips. We decided years ago that the best places to enjoy were in our own beautiful corner of the world. It is a cheaper way to travel and it gives us an appreciation of northeastern and north central Washington state, northern Idaho, southern British Columbia, and  western Montana. We have seen incredible scenery, taken hundreds of pictures, and enjoyed the drives, conversation, food, and the companionship of our dogs.

We took a refreshment break after exploring the grotto yesterday. We had saved our bottle of wine from the Tulip Valley Winery for a special occasion.

Earlier this year I got really interested in the International Selkirk Loop. We knew all about it, and had been to many places along the loop, but I thought it would be fun to visit a new place on the Selkirk Loop each month. Trips so far have included Bonner's Ferry, Sandpoint, sourthern British Columbia, Kalispel Lake, and the Pend Oreille River. Here are some photos of our road trips. If you want to learn more about the International Selkirk Loop go here. Above are the tundra swans.

 British Columbia in February and Connie's Resturant in Sandpoint in January.

Two Word Essay: Tundra Swans

After traveling the International Selkirk Loop in Janurary we were intrigued with the whole loop. We made a decision to take a trip to somewhere in the loop each month. After reading more information, the tundra swan migration at Callispell Lake caught my eye. Calispell Lake is near Cusick and Usk Washington.

 The lake is surrounded by marshlands that attract tundra swans, all kinds of ducks and geese, and other wildlife during different parts of the year.

The challenge is finding a place to get close to the birds. Most of the lake is surrounded by farm land and lots of No Trespassing signs. We did find a few spots to get closer to the birds, but I relied on my zoom len and tripod most of the time.

When I researched about the tundra swans I learned how noisy it would be. When you have that many swans in an area like this, it is loud. They are a noisy bunch of birds.
I I loved how the different types of bird hung out together. They seemed to enjoy this place to rest as they migrated to their next location. The whole area we explored today was not full of people. It was serene except the honking of the birds. It was a place I would like to return to.

For more information on the International Selkirk Loop go here.

The International Selkirk Loop: Connie's Cafe in Sandpoint

 The International Selkirk Loop has been called " one of the top ten scenic destinations in the Northern Rockies". I agree. I live on a side trip of the Selkirk Loop and recently when we traveled to Sandpoint and Bonner's Ferry we read brochures about all the places you can visit on this loop.

We made a decision that day  to visit a part of the Selkirk Loop each month. On Janurar we enjoyed the beauty of Bonner's Ferry, Sandpoint, and Priest River.

One of the surprises of our trip was Connie's Cafe in Sandpoint. When I was growing up in Kellogg, Connie's Cafe was well-known in our parts. When sports teams traveled in that area, they always got to stop at Connie's Cafe. I heard stories of the great food, but never got to visit the cafe.

Connie's Cafe changed hands, closed for awhile, but now has new owners. We had breakfast there on our trip and really loved the diner atmosphere. The decor was perfect and the food was amazing. It is part of the La Quinta Hotel in Sandpoint, so it made sense to try it since we were staying there . We want to return to try lunch or dinner.


If you are interested in more information on the International Selkirk Loop you can go here: http://www.selkirkloop.org

In February we traveled the Canadian part of the loop. Next we want to observe the tundra swans in Cusick and Usk in March.