Idaho Vacation–Exploration Days

Our plan was to explore the area before skiing on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Our first exploration day was the Libby loop. Our second exploration day was the Kellogg loop.

Before heading out, we got a good look at the mountains and the Pend Orielle Shores Resort.

A condo at Pend Oreille Shores Resort

The Libby Loop

The Libby loop, shown below, included a drive to Libby, Montana, then back to Sandpoint via Bonner’s Ferry.

The Libby Loop

As we approached the intersection of US 2, we debated about going to Libby. I wanted to go because it is a stop on the Amtrak Empire Builder route, so I figured it must have something worth seeing. So we turned right and continued on towards Libby.

Before reaching Libby, we came across Kootenai Falls. The pull off included a little snack bar (which was closed), restrooms, picnic tables, and signs pointing toward a swinging bridge and a viewing area. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to cross a swinging bridge.

Once out of the car and dressed for hiking, we met a couple of locals. One of the men started telling us about the new bridge, which replaced the old bridge that actually did swing. Then he showed us a video that he shot with his DJI Mavic 2 Zoom drone. Andrew considered getting out his drone, but decided that the weather was too iffy. Andrew and I decided to do the hike, while Susan stayed behind.

The hike started off as a paved trail, then quickly became more challenging. After about a quarter mile, we came across a bridge that crossed the BNSF mainline track. We crossed it and thought about how it reminded us of one of our favorite places to go – Picnic Point - when we lived in Bothell.

Standing on the walking bridge across the BNSF mainline

Further down the trail, we came to a split in the path. We passed a couple with two small kids going the other direction. One of the kids was a two month old in a stroller. Wow, getting them out in the woods early. We decided to take the path to the left. Soon we reached the swinging bridge. It was obviously very new and we could see the foundations of the old bridge beside it. It makes me wonder if the old bridge is lying at the bottom of the river.

Crossing the Swinging Bridge over the Kootenay River

After crossing the bridge, we explored a little further along the edge of the river. The river was pretty deep in a canyon with a series of falls connected by rapids. On the way back over the bridge, a BNSF intermodal train passed by.

We crossed the swinging bridge, followed the trail back to the split, then took the other path. At the end, we found the perfect drone spot, but we didn’t have it with us. We took in the scenery, then headed back to the parking lot.

On the cliff over the Kootenai Falls

Back in the SUV, we continued East to Libby. We were getting hungry, so we headed for Riverfront Park to eat the sandwiches we made back at the condo. When we turned off the main road, we caught sight of a sign of civic pride; a large eagle hanging over the street. I had to stop and take a picture.

The Libby eagle

After lunch, we headed West out of Libby. Along the way, we considered the weather and decided that it looked good enough to fly the drone over Kootenai Falls. We found a good pull off and Andrew went to work setting up the Mavic Pro. He launched and flew down into the canyon over the Kootenay River. After flying up and down the canyon, we were hoping for a train to pass, but it didn’t happen. Regardless, the shots were pretty impressive.

Looking down over Kootenai Falls and the BNSF mainline

The next town we entered was Troy, Montana. Troy was memorable because it had a railroad museum with an authentic Great Northern caboose on display. Many former GN cabooses have had their logos painted over, but not this one.

Great Northern caboose in Troy

Nearing Sandpoint, Idaho, we decided to take a side trip up to Schweitzer Mountain. While there, Susan asked about getting a refund for the lift tickets that she wouldn’t be able to use. We also checked out the ski rental options available.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort

Back down off the mountain, we stopped at the Sandpoint City Beach Park. Andrew and I walked along the water front and checked out the train bridge that crosses the lake. It was chilly, so we headed back to the condo and called it a day.

The Kellogg Loop

The Kellogg loop, shown below, included a drive to Coeur d’Alene, Kellogg, then back to Sandpoint via Post Falls and Spirit Lake.

The Kellogg Loop

The last day of January started with us getting up, making sandwiches, and heading out towards Kellogg, Idaho. We planned to ride the gondola up to Silver Mountain Resort and see what else we could find along the way. As we left Sandpoint, I knew it would be a good day of train spotting when I saw a BNSF train crossing the bridge across Lake Pend Oreille. As is always the case, we had our radio scanner with us and were listening to railroad frequencies. We were able to determine the location of two defect detectors: mile markers 11.7 and 8.5. This information would come in useful later on.

At Coeur d’Alene, we got on Interstate 90 and headed west. After several miles of traffic lights, it was nice to pick up the pace. The speed limit of 75 mph was actually difficult to maintain as we entered the climb to Fourth of July Pass. The turns were so tight, I had to slow down, and I don’t really like slowing down on the interstate.

In Kellogg, we parked and headed for the gondola station for a ride up to Silver Mountain Resort. The ride included the cresting of two false peaks on the way up to the top.

The gondola to Silver Mountain Resort

At the top, we toured the lodge and tried to locate the spot from the video from 17 years earlier. I could not find the spot. I imagine many things have changed over the years.

The lodge at Silver Mountain Resort

After walking around and reminiscing for a bit, we got back on the gondola and rode it back into town. I was told that I must stop at Wildcat Pizza and get some pizzas by the slice, so we walked around the village until we found it. Andrew and I each ordered two slices, while Susan ordered a salad. We took our lunch outside and ate by one of the two fire pits. There was also an outside fireplace.

The outdoor fireplace in the village

On the drive back, Susan received an email from Schweitzer. Earlier, she had sent an email including details of her knee injury, including the prescription for the knee brace. Although the lift tickets were non-refundable, the email offered to refund her the full price of the tickets. That was very unexpected and extremely cool of them to do.

Back in Sandpoint, we made a stop at the drugstore, then we once again stopped at the City Beach Park. This time, Andrew pulled out the Mavic Pro and took a flight. In the picture below, there are two BNSF trains. One of the trains was one of the longest trains in recorded history: Three lead engines, two mid-train engines, a trailing engine, and 232 hoppers, for a total of 964 axles. We know the axle count because the defect detector reports it after every train passes by.

Drone shot from Sandpoint City Beach Park

While watching the train, Susan told me that she needed to return to the drugstore, then do some grocery shopping. We returned to the drugstore and then the Safeway, but while there, we kept hearing train horns. We ended up returning to the park and Amtrak station two more times. With all the trains we’ve seen up to this point, we still haven’t seen any Union Pacific or Montana Rail Link trains.

Another train that we hoped to see was the Amtrak Empire Builder. Unfortunately, it was two hours late, which would put it in Sandpoint around 1:00 am. Given our early morning ski plans, we didn’t bother getting up to go see it.   

Click the photo below to see the photo album.