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/