News Alert!

The truth is out.  Weather forecasting is NOT (and I repeat, NOT) an exact science!  It’s a good thing we’re watching the weather on Gary’s new Windows phone because he has The Weather Channel app and is able to watch the radar moment-by-moment (oh how he loves that) so we figured today would be a good day to take a car ride on the Coeur d’Alene Scenic Byway (by the way, Coeur d’Alene is pronounced:  core-da-lane). 

The Coeur d’Alene area is surrounded by dozens of lakes left behind by the glaciers of the ice age. There are more than 55 lakes within easy driving distance of Coeur d’Alene, but none more scenic and full of activities than Lake Coeur d’Alene which is known as one of the world’s most beautiful lakes.  It is a natural lake in the Idaho Panhandle and spans 25 miles long, ranges from one to three miles wide and has over 109 miles of shoreline.

The scenic byway is 35.8 miles long, traveling south along the eastern shoreline of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  It continues through gentle hills and dense forests to the charming town of Harrison. We returned to Coeur d’Alene (easily another 30 miles) going north on Route 3 passing a number of lakes:  Black Lake, Cave Lake, Medicine Lake, Killarney Lake, Bull Run Lake and Rose Lake.

There weren’t all that many turnouts from which to take photos, but I was able to catch some good views of small sections of  Lake Coeur d'Alene.

 

We got “suckered” by a “Wildlife Viewing Area” sign and took a detour that led us to this very swampy, marshy area with LIMITED wildlife to view.  

I did manage to get a picture of this egret (anyway, I think it’s an egret!).  Not a great picture, but a photo of wildlife is a photo of wildlife … know what I mean?

 

Then we headed into a very pastoral part of the drive.  Gently rolling farmlands surrounded by towering pines.  So beautiful. 

By the time we hit Highway 95 we were starving.  It was about 2:00 p.m. and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast so we stopped at Rose Lake Restaurant and enjoyed a hearty late lunch before heading for home. And when I said "hearty" I mean it was a lot of food and we didn't eat dinner that night! 

Psalms 95:7 // For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.