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Monday, August 3, 2015

Our Latest Adventure

This past Saturday we returned from a quick getaway to Idaho.  It was a very unusual couple of days!  As you probably know, it's hot and dry here in the Pacific Northwest. Most people think all it does in Washington is rain.  WRONG!  East of the mountains the climate is very different, hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. The one constant, however, is "the mountain". Natives know THE mountain means Mount Rainier, but the strange thing is that you can see it lots of different places, like east of the Cascades on the way to Idaho.




Even though we are the Evergreen State, it's ordinarily dry in the summer, especially this one.


Lots of sage brush can be seen as well as many wind turbines and irrigation systems! When you reach this landmark, you know that you've crossed the Columbia and are on your way farther east.

The Columbia is a beautiful river and flows all the way to the Pacific Ocean. We were intrigued to learn that the first road was built way below along the edge of the river some time around 1918. That must have been a tough job!


We stayed in a condo at a ski area on Schweitzer Mountain.  Not a trace of snow could we see, but the views were beautiful, especially on the night of the blue moon!  You can see Lake Pend Oreille in the distance.


I got a lot done on a couple of my knitting projects when it was too hot to do much exploring.


It was fun checking out the nearby town of Sandpoint.  We did a little walking, a little shopping and a little eating.



We found a great place for pie, and a nice yarn shop that was in an old train car! And then we drove part way around the lake.


But what we will probably remember most about this trip, is that our dear Mazda decided it was time for us to part ways.  It started acting up on the way into town, that very first night, and by the next day we knew it wouldn't get us back home.  Nor was it practical to get it repaired or towed back to Bellevue. (It served us well for almost 17 years and carried us over 200,000 miles!) Our plan when it was "time" was to donate it to a local charity, but here we were in a new place nearly 400 miles from home.  Would you believe that within walking distance from the car rental place was a Union Gospel Mission church that gladly takes car donations to support women and children? It also has a car repair training program!  I guess it was meant to be.  And now you know what we will be doing this week in addition to taking care of the lug of peaches we picked up on the way home! (Little did we know when we took this photo, that it would be the last picture of our car.) We hope our trusty car enjoys its new life.


14 comments:

Araignee said...

Incredible photos! So sad about the car. They do become members of the family, don't they.

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are beautiful. Love the one of you knitting. :-)

So .....what kind of new car will you choose?

Caffeine Girl said...

Looks like a nice getaway. Nothing wrong with a lot of knitting time!
So sad about your car, but at least it lived a long and happy life. I was hoping to get 20 years out of my Prism, but a drunk Badgers football fan totaled it after a game a few years ago. :( Luckily my dad had just stopped driving so my parents gave me their Honda Accord, but I still miss my trusty little Prism!

Rian said...

What a lovely holiday. I have never been to that part of the world. I have seen "the mountain" though. From the waterfront in Seattle. It's a funny thing when you let go of a car after so many years...it's like part of your family. I recently bought a ten year old car and I wonder if I ever pass the person who owned it before me.

kathy b said...

Meant to be with your car donation! Did you get a new or used car to replace it? The mountains must be hard on transmission UP there. I love the shot of you knitting in the hotel.
Love the thought of a train yarn shop!

Love all your blue sky images JUDY!

Tired Teacher said...

I don't believe in coincidence, so I'm positive your car was meant to be left in that town and with that mission. The Lord must have a special purpose for it.

Love the scenery photos: you vacationed in a beautiful area.

Yummy, fresh peaches!

Barbara C said...

What lovely photos of your trip, you really did have an adventure.

karen said...

you are generous to donate your beloved car, I hope finding a new one is fun!! love your photos and your getaway!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the great pics. Your car didn't owe you a thing, did it? I hope you find another that will last as well.

Lynn said...

Sounds like a lovely trip, pie and yarn included! Seems like it all worked out well with the car, well except that now you will probably need to buy another one. We have a couple of high mileage cars, I'll be kind of sorry to see them go.

elns said...

What a great get away. I love the photos. The views are lovely and you guys are just too cute. I am sorry you and the Mazda had to break up but not only does it sound fairly amicable but it really must've been meant to be, finding the local charity that can do SO much good with it. Good luck on your next car adventure. :)

Mereknits said...

It sounds like a wonderful trip. especially that yarn store in the train car. So sorry about your car but it sound like it ended up in the perfect place.
Hugs,
Meredith

Unknown said...

Pretty scenery. Sounds like your car ended up in the perfect spot. A blessing to all.

Merry said...

What a fantastic idea for the car program…I have never heard of anything like that. Thanks for sharing your terrific photos. So love the horses on the tops of the hill, I had to go in for a close look to see they are art work.