Day 10: Bonners Ferry, Idaho to Asotin, Washington

Chinese Fire Drill! An unexpected down pour of rain rousted Matthew and I out of bed to pick up all of our belongings outside of the RV. We forget that we are in the northwest and summer showers are common, and we don’t have an awning on Delphina to protect the rug and tables and everything else we set outside our “home”. The rain does make this camp smell even better than it smelled before and we have pretty much gotten it down with the dogs and wet paws, I clean the RV daily, and preparation before hand is essential… but we forgot about the outside. Its funny how you can smell the rain coming from a mile away out here, there isn’t anything distracting the air like smog or car pollution. So after the mad dash to protect our belongings, we decide to go back to sleep for an hour before we have to get ready to head back on the road. The drive is nice and easy and the rain cleared up until were about 45 minutes back down the 95, than it is consistent for the next hour. The rest stops that we stop at to let the dogs out are more like state parks, beautiful and tree lined with rolling grassy knolls to roll down, ha ha. The dogs think we have reached our destination! Driving into Moscow is a drive through big wheat fields and perfect blue skies with the fluffiest white clouds you have ever seen, about every hundred acres there is a red barn and handful of gorgeous horses, very surreal, like a movie. We pull into a construction mess as it looks as thought he city is renovating the roads onto main street. We go to the first thrift store we run into and Matthew finally got a flannel that he’d been wanting, and I found another plaid shirt which has been our theme. We all decide to park it and head into downtown, we are park right across the street from Hotel Moscow where the farmers market happens but we are to o late for that, too bad. We stop into a place called Mikey’s that has a tie dye shop in the very back where the halls are thick with patchouli incense aroma. The women that make the tie dye are behind a little manufactured wall that separates the store, and their conversation is as entertaining as the shops’ merchandise. After picking up some much needed clothes, ha ha we get make our way back onto the perfect sunlit downtown sidewalk and check out the shops and movie theatre. As we approach 6th street we head into the Ally Cat, a nice big downtown pub to check out the locals. A different variety than we found in the tie dye shop, some red necks and liberals and artsy types. After our beer we walk up 6th to Jefferson Street, and make a right passed the old church up to my old homestead. I recognize everything like it was yesterday but the houses are smaller than I remember. it’s a fortunate day because 627 South Jefferson Street is empty and the door is open. I head right into the living room and fond memories are aplenty! The fireplace, dining room, kitchen, study and mom and dads room downstairs are almost exactly the same, but run down. The rooms are smaller than I remember and the house has a slight lean. The upstairs where my room is, is exactly the same1 The boys room has changed and Jason’s little nook with the perched bed is now a bathroom and the door has been sealed from the boys room. JoAnne’s room with the sink is still intact, there are some old stickers stuck to the mirror from previous renters, but otherwise its as I remember. There is an old phone book downstairs and I looked up the Schmidts, Bob and Terry still live down the street, same phone number and everything. Weird! After taking some pictures we check out the basement and backyard, looks like there was a fire in the basement, bummer, I think this house will either be torn down or completely renovated, its in sad shape. So many good memories there in every part of the house. We take a stroll back down Jefferson and check out the library and Russell Elementary School. The walk seems shorter than I remember and the hill not quite as severe, ha ha. We head beck into downtown to get a drink at Hotel Moscow and talk to the bartender who tells me the Nobby Inn is no longer. It went under about 8 years ago and is now the garden club or something. East City park is still around and they have a lot of events and concerts in the park. Its getting closer to 6pm and we need to start out if we are gonna make Walawa Lake before dark, so we hit Roseaurs on the way out of town, I love that grocery store, half of the store is organic and vegetarian, I am in heaven. We all really like it here. Its around 7pm now and we are back on the road heading to the lake through Lewiston and Clarkston. Somewhere along the way we don’t catch the 129 down into Washington, instead we stay on the 12 West to Snake River Road at sunset and as we drive along the river in the canyon I have never seen such glory. The sky is amazing and the shadows on the hills are unreal, the pictures don’t even capture the magic of it. The road begins to narrow and all of a sudden we are driving on a dirt road and the lightning begins to light up the purple sky, that rain smell I was talking about has been looming for about a half hour and I think its about to pour. Matthew pulls over to switch out his contacts to glasses and the night is coming fast so I take over driving. Rocks are now falling into the road from the cliff side and conditions are very sketchy. After a good 30 to 40 minutes we see an RV park sign and seize the moment, we are also getting low on gas and need to reevaluate our plan. The sign says “no key RV Park” so we pick a spot and decide to call it a night. Sleep was heavy until the rain picked up again and than it was on and off the rest of the evening. We’ll pick up the rest of the drive in the light of the morning and hopefully make our destination, but for now we are safe in our home.