10. Washington

    For this leg of our journey, we were actually in Washington twice. We flew into Seattle on Thursday night and spent the night to catch an early morning flight to Spokane on Friday morning on our first Southwest Airlines flight. The baggage claim in Spokane looked like a roulette wheel. We rented our car in Spokane and drove to Idaho and Montana. We drove back to Spokane on Sunday when we flew to Seattle. We had a few hours in Seattle so we rented a car and drove downtown to see the space needle and then to the pier to have a late lunch at The Crab Pot.

We selected the crab and shrimp combo since neither of us are mussel or clam fans. This was the first disappointing meal we have had on this adventure. Don't get me wrong, it was good but I'm a Louisiana girl who likes her seafood seasoned. The crabs and shrimp were plentiful but there was no seasoning on them or the corn and potatoes. The sourdough bread was, however, very good. If you don't like seasoned food, then this is the place for you. We drove back to the Seattle airport for our evening flight to Oakland. Who says you can't have a meal on a Southwest Airlines flight? Remember the doggie bag from the Lolo Steakhouse? We both enjoyed our leftovers as we flew to Oakland. Once in Oakland we had to somehow get to the San Francisco Airport for our late night flight back to Dallas. We contemplated on the BART or a shuttle van but opted for a private driver. We negotiated to what the shuttle would have cost and was on our way.

Leg 4 -
     4 days
     5 flights
     630 miles driven
     1 private driver /car
         = 3 states visited
                      40 states to go!

9. Montana

  Missoula is about 100 miles past the state line with nothing in between except for a few liquor store / casinos. As we entered Missoula we called the bed and breakfast for directions. The Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast is nestled on the side of, you guessed it, Blue Mountain. As we turned onto the snow covered street/trail we were glad it was still daylight. We followed the signs as we wound around the mountainside to what would be our home for the next couple of days. Brady, our host, promptly greeted us as we exited the car. After a quick tour around the home and recommendations for dinner we settled into our room.

Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast

   I'm not one to go overboard on recommending a place to stay, but I'm compelled to tell you all I can about this wonderful inn. If you ever find yourself near Missoula, you must stay here. Brady and Elaine are the perfect hosts and the standards they have set, others can only hope to achieve. I had chosen the Syringa Suite because of the view it offered, location in the main house, and because it had a king bed. The room is named Syringa after the flowers that are abundant on the property. (A note to my third graders - the syringa is the state flower of Idaho.) The decor was Asian which was a pleasant surprise. Every room is different and you will need to view the website to determine which you would prefer for your stay.

 Brady is an excellent chef and takes great care in preparing each and every breakfast. We had settled on a 9am breakfast time (so I could sleep in) and the aroma greeted us as we walked down the stairs. We sat down to a half grapefruit garnished with an orange. Brady soon served the main course which was absolutely scrumptious. Nothing is plain when it comes to Brady's cooking.The German pancakes were topped with huckleberry and apple, the scrambled eggs were just right and the sausage was flavorful.  Huckleberries are like a tiny blueberry, only in my opinion, more tasty. Did I mention the view? Brady had us seated at the table so we could look out the picture windows for the spectacular view of the snow covered valley. Brady sat with us as we discussed plans for the day and past adventures. We truly felt like guests in someone's home and not just customers. This was the perfect beginning to a wonderful day. We prearranged Sunday morning breakfast to be served at 7:30am since we needed to drive back to Spokane for our flights home. The breakfast Sunday morning was just as delicious. The smell of the blueberry scones welcomed us to the dining room. We began with a frozen berry sorbet. The main course was asparagus gratin, blueberry scones, and Montana bacon. "Hmmm... I wonder if I can fit Brady in my carryon so I can take him back to Texas to cook for me?"  The Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast is a wonderful gem. They have it perfected and I can't wait to stay there again. Next time I want to visit during the summer so I can see all the birds and enjoy the gardens on the property.

     For dinner on Friday we chose the Lolo Creek Steakhouse which was just a few miles away and we knew the beef from Montana would be excellent. As we walked into the log cabin steakhouse we quickly realized this was a trophy hunter's dream. There were more wild animal trophies then I had ever seen. There were moose, bison, elk, deer, and bear just to name a few hanging on the walls. There was a large grill right out in front for all to see. The cast iron skillet with mushrooms on the grill was already beckoning me. The wait was not long and our waitress, Allison, was extremely helpful. We both chose strips but instead of the normal baked potato, upon Allison's suggestion, I chose the sweet potato as my side. This was a true sweet potato, not, a yam. It was served with honey butter and brown sugar. Yum! The sauteed mushrooms were a pleasant accompaniment to a perfectly cooked steak. It's a god thing we had a small refrigerator in our room since we each needed a to go container.  Dennis still saved room for a pit stop at the local DQ. We even made it back up the mountainside without spilling a drop.

     After the scrumptious breakfast on Saturday morning, we headed to Travelers' Rest State Park. Travelers' Rest State Park is a verified campsite for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. During the winter they offer a storytelling series. It is a Native American age-old tradition to tell stories during the winter since there is much work to be done in spring and summer. The storyteller for this particular Saturday was Allen Pinkham, a Nez Perce tribal elder. There is no way I can spell his Nez Perce name. Coincidentally, he was also staying at the bed and breakfast. His stories ranged from how he was given his English name to how the Nez Perce believe animals were created and given their names. Stories of the coyote were also prevalent. After a much enlightened hour of storytelling we walked around the visitor center and viewed the exhibits of early life in Montana. The rest of the afternoon was spent driving up to the National Bison Range. Part of the range is closed during winter

due to driving conditions but the remaining portions are well worth the trip if you get there right before dusk which is feeding time. We drove for a while on the lookout for any animals and the first animals we saw were deer. Once we drove as far in as we could drive we spotted bison on the hillside. The drive back to the front gate brought us more deer sightings and then elk. The car was so muddy that you couldn't get out of it without getting mud on your clothes. A trip to the car wash once we reached town was on the list. It snowed off and on throughout the day.

     We arrived back into Missoula a little early for our dinner reservations but decided to see if they would  be able to accommodate us anyway. Brady had made reservations for us at The Red Bird. The Red Bird is located in the lobby of the Florence Building. The Florence Building was once a hotel but is now an office building. The lobby has been refurbished to its original art deco style. Dennis loved the phone booths while I was fascinated with the water fountain. The Red Bird, perfect for a romantic night on the town, offers a wide array of regional gourmet selections. We began with their house made sausage. I am accustomed to a brown or dark meat sausage, but to my surprise the sausage was light in color. The sausage was scallop based with tuna and salmon served on top of a spicy shrimp bisque and served with hushpuppies. It was a mouthwatering combination that I would never have thought of for a sausage. For the main course, I chose the pan seared pork loin with fontina sauce and prosciutto while Dennis selected the New York strip with potato and crab pierogies and caramelized baby carrots. Both were delicious but the sausage made the top of my list. Driving back to the bed and breakfast we made a few stops so Dennis could find one of those hats with ear muffs attached. A new fashion statement for him. Of course no evening would be complete without a stop at the local Dairy Queen. So far, Montana has been one of favorite visits on this adventure. Probably because we took our time and really enjoyed the weekend.

http://www.bluemountainbb.com/

http://www.lolocreeksteakhouse.com/

http://www.redbirdrestaurant.com/

Dennis's Take on getting to Idaho

Thursday Feb 18^th

     After a week of checking flight loads, Lisa calls me to say we were going to head to Seattle since the flights there had been boarding standbys whereas the flights to Portland had not been able to clear standbys all morning, plus there were more flights to Seattle. This trip is loaded with firsts (firsts for this year long adventure that is), first time we did not get on the flight and had to be rolled over to the next flight (glad there was another one), which led to a short ride on the Skylink to Terminal C and then the wait began. Lisa had her iPad and was watching as our names moved up the list and were finally called as we got the last two seats for our first night time departure and our first flight of more than 1 hour and 30 minutes. Three hours and 52 minutes later we arrived in Seattle. This is the first time we had reached our destination and did not have a hotel for the evening. We had one in Portland, but remember we ended up in Seattle. LaQuinta had the most reasonable rates and even offered an airline rate with shuttle service to the hotel and back to the airport in the morning. Seven hours later we were back at the airport for our short flight to Spokane. Finally, on Southwest Airlines for the first time of this year long adventure. We get to our gate an hour and a half before departure and were issued boarding passes as the flight was not booked to capacity. Pulling into the gate was our plane which was none other than Silver One in its new livery with the Silver One logo on each side. Since we had boarding passes and the plane was in the gate I decided to cancel the car reservation for Seattle. We had that just in case we couldn’t get to the Spokane area and had to drive to Missoula, Montana. All set for boarding and the Ops Agent advised the plane had a mechanical issue and the mechanics were being called. First delayed flight and the first words from Lisa were, “you just cancelled the car reservation and now what if the flight cancels?” I assured her that the flight would go since it was continuing on to Portland, with connections to Las Vegas and on to Oklahoma City. and all those flight were booked full. Our 8:30 departure time rolled past and at 9:15 the agent made the announcement that if you wanted to stretch your legs or go get a bite to eat that we had approximately 20 minutes before we knew if the flight would go with a 10:00 departure. The agent makes the next announcement that they had found another plane and we would now be boarding at the next gate. So much for the ride on Silver One. Once we got on, there were plenty of seats since 27 connecting passengers were rerouted. It was only a forty minute flight to Spokane. Once we were on the ground the captain told us we would have to wait for a gate since we were late and ours was taken.  It would be about ten minutes for the gate to be available. Glad to be in Spokane and we were only an hour and 35 minutes delayed. Off to the get the Alamo car when another first comes along. The agent said the car was brand new and we would be the first to rent it, it had all of 3 miles on the odometer. We opted for insurance since the driving conditions would not be the best in the mountains we were getting ready to drive through and after the rock to the windshield on the previous trip, I felt we needed it. Lucky for us we did not have a need for the insurance, however, it was reassuring as the roads were snow and icy along the way through the mountains. Since Southwest got us to the area I told Lisa I would have to do my first entry on the blog. Glad we got to Spokane and then to lunch in Idaho, a short 30 minute drove to the east.

8. Idaho

     We flew into Spokane, Washington and rented a car for the drive through Idaho to our evening's destination in Missoula, Montana. I'll let Dennis recap our adventures getting to the Pacific Northwest.

   First stop in Idaho was a small city, Coeur d'Alene, just on the other side of the state line. Our mission - to have lunch at Capone's. Capone's is a neighborhood sports bar and grill. The decor is all sports related and a number of the tables are covered in tickets to various sporting events. Our table had fruit crate labels on it. My favorite part of the decor was the fireplace with the flat screen TV over it and football helmet on the mantle, perfect decor for a mancave. The roasted garlic chicken pizza was just what I had imagined. The sauce was light and the combination of chicken, garlic, and artichoke hearts blended in a true Italian fashion. The fish and chips was the daily special, the chips being french fries made from Idaho potatoes. The condiments were served in a six pack carrier. What else would you expect from a sports bar that has over 41 beers on tap.

  The drive along I-90 was snow lined. We drove through two mountain passes that had snow covered pine trees on both sides. Imagine one of those Christmas winter scenes complete with trees covered with snow and that's what we drove through. It was absolutely beautiful. I was ready to pick out our next Christmas tree. We stopped along the interstate to see Cataldo Mission, the oldest standing building in Idaho. The picturesque view from the hillside was breathtaking.
   It snowed along the way. First there would be snow showers and then all of a sudden it would be like a blizzard. Thankfully, no ice. Dennis maneuvered the driving conditions extremely well despite being a Texan. Montana at last!

http://www.caponespub.com/

7. Missouri

    We left Kansas and drove across the Missouri River to Missouri. We drove into Independence, Missouri which was home to Harry S. Truman, our 33rd president. The courthouse in Independence was inspired by Independence Hall. Across the street is Clinton's Soda Fountain (sort of ironic) which is where Truman held his first
job. The Truman Presidential Library was a
great place to warm up and gain a little
knowledge about history and our 33rd president. 

   We had worked up an appetite for a late lunch and couldn't wait to get to Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor for some of their famous pan fried chicken. This old farmhouse is home to some of the best fried chicken, just like my momma used to fry up in her cast iron skillet. We decided to share the family style chicken dinner. Dinner began with a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup, the perfect beginning to warm up our bodies. Next came the entree -  pan fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. The portions were so generous that we had to leave some mashed potatoes behind. For those of you that know Dennis, you know this is hard to believe. We just didn't think we could get them through security at the airport. The pan gravy was thick and delicious, just what my arteries needed. Oh well, you have to enjoy life, I'll walk it off next week. Stroud's also has its own version of cinnamon rolls, not like what you and I are used to. They're actually more like a biscuit consistency with cinnamon sugar on top. We shared one and packed up the additional three to take home and enjoy later. Lunch was wonderful and the view of the snow covered out-buildings was like a scene from a painting.

   We headed back to the airport to catch our flight home. We arrived home just in time to watch the 2nd half of the Super Bowl game.

Oh...about that insurance we took out on the rental car. Dennis said it was the best $27.50 he ever spent. Driving on Interstate 435 a rock or piece of ice hit us and chipped the windshield. Moral of the story- always go with your gut instincts.

Leg 3 -

     1 day

     2 flights

     112 miles driven

           = 2 states visited

                     43 states to go

    http://www.stroudsrestaurant.com/

6. Kansas

February 6, 2011
    Yes, we left 54 degree weather and headed north to 34 degree weather. As we arrived into the Kansas City airport everyone warned us about the expected snow and ice. We had just spent four days in Texas with snow and ice and here we were about to encounter it again. The snow already on the ground was absolutely beautiful and the roads were clear. At least some states know how to handle snow and ice. We opted for the insurance on the rental car (something we never do) just in case the weather did get bad. We spent the whole day in Kansas and Missouri and it never did snow or rain. We considered ourselves lucky.

   Our first stop was in Leavenworth, Kansas at the Santa Fe Depot Diner for breakfast. It was the beginning to our artery clogging day. The diner is set inside an old depot. My favorite were the signs on the doors for the "Men's Waiting Room" and "Women's Waiting Room". At least times have changed and Dennis and I could eat together. The "Iron Horse" breakfast came with eggs, meat, hashbrowns, and a half order of biscuits covered in pan gravy. I chose ham as my meat and Dennis had the sausage. There's nothing like a good piece of country ham. The biscuits and gravy were so large I wondered what a whole order would look like. There was such a generous portion of thick, tasty gravy that it would be impossible to eat it all. I'm not a biscuit and gravy person but I thoroughly enjoyed trying to decipher what all was in the gravy while I searched and ate the biscuits. We had wanted to try one of their cinnamon rolls that we saw when we walked in and we were glad when our waitress had forgotten to bring it to us. We took ours "to go".

   Leavenworth is a neat little town with beautiful architecture. There is even a carousel museum, although it was closed when we went by. We drove by Leavenworth Penitentiary. I was surprised at how interesting the architecture of the building is. It looks like this big government building sitting out in the middle of nowhere. No, we didn't go in, I was scared enough just driving in the front driveway to take pictures. Next to the prison was a field with buffalo. I can't remember when I've seen live buffalo, at least not in a zoo setting, and especially in the snow.

    Time to cross the icy Missouri River and head to Missouri.

http://www.santafedepotdiner.com/