Thursday, July 7, 2011

A Friendly Weekend

 We were thrilled to be able to see our best friends, who are from Poulsbo, when they came to stay at an RV park near Spokane. We had not seen them for over a year. We drove into Spokane on Saturday to see the sights. Mr. Keith got out at one point to look over a cliff at the Spokane River, and I noticed on my iPad map program that at the bottom of this particular cliff was a street called "Wilson". Of course we had to go there, so after lots of ins and outs trying to get around various freeways and the river which were blocking the entrance to this street, we finally made it. It was a short, peaceful, shady street with the cliff on one side. We chanced upon this Wilson Woodchuck who ran away from our car and positioned himself on the cliff rocks to stare back at us.

In 1974 I attended the World's Fair with my mom and aunt and my kids. I still have fond memories of that exciting event. It's always fun to go to Riverfront Park now, where the Fair was, and tour the grounds, which are beautifully kept with the Spokane River as the centerpiece. We rode this little train and took a tour of the park. Our guide had lots of stories and information about when the Fair was there, and about what the city has done with the grounds since then.

 I remember this Pavilion, but not what was displayed inside. At the World's Fair it was covered with white canvas, but now is left with the 'skeleton' only, still an amazing sight. It's used to house amusement rides now. In this photo you can also see the old clock tower, built in 1901 as part of the Great Northern Railroad Depot. From the bridge in the photo we looked down on the raging Spokane Falls, truly an awesome sight. Seated in the little train I wasn't able to get as many photos as I'd have liked.

On Sunday we spent most of our day in Coeur d'Alene. The streets were jammed with tourists, most celebrating the 4th of July weekend. We walked the boardwalk, the longest floating boardwalk in the world, and enjoyed views of the gorgeous lake and the many boats, and we ate lunch at a table on the sidewalk, where we got up close and personal with the people passing by. What a great day it was for "people watching"! I imagine they were eyeing our buffalo burgers, as well! 
Away from the busy Coeur d'Alene streets, we took a drive along Fernan Lake, one of our favorites. This lake does not have houses and private property along the way, so we could really get a good look at the water, and at this parking area, the lilypads. The end of the lake is full of them. All in all, our 2 days were wonderful with our friends. We could only wish for more time!

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