Salmo-Priest Divide...and some other stuff

A couple of weeks ago Nancy and I went up to Sullivan Lake for the day and took a drive over the Salmo-Priest Divide into Idaho and down to Priest Lake. We took Walter and his sister Lily and mom Ruby. It was a poodlefest.

We had a nice lunch at Noisy Creek and then headed up on the Noisy Creek trail. Nancy wanted to walk by a creek but the first mile of the trail is up the side of Hall Mountain and then it drops down into the creek valley. I had no map. We had one bottle of water. We planned on being along the creek immediately. We never made it. But, we had a great photo op of Nancy with the poodles.

The day was really an exploration sort of day. I have never been up to Sullivan Lake and have always wanted to take the drive over into Idaho. It is on a narrow, virtually one lane, road that goes over Pass Creek Pass. We were in the Suburban and when we met other cars coming on Nancy had to pull the mirror in on the driver's side. We always somehow managed to squeeze past. She drove so that I could hang my head out the window and look at the mountains. They were really beautiful with big black clouds hanging over them. There were spots on the road that were sort of scary, like straight down with just weeds between the road and the side of the hill.

There are quite a few mountains on my 50x50 list that are up in this area and I saw the trailhead for several of them. I don't think I will be getting up there again this year. It really is quite a drive and is pretty close to the Canadian border.

Once we got over the pass we went from the Colville National Forest to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest (even though we were still in Washington) and the road totally changed. You can tell what state has more money!!!! The Idaho side was really rough and not maintained as well. I would not advocate going up on the Idaho side.

We stopped at Stagger Inn, a small campground in the Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars. That was pretty cool. Granite Creek cascades down through a very narrow canyon and there are trails to waterfalls. We hiked up to the upper grove and that was way cool. The dogs liked it. By the time we got to Priest River we were both starving so we stopped at the Village Inn and had breakfast. By the time we got back to my house we had been gone for 12 hours.

This last weekend (Memorial Weekend) I went paddling on Fishtrap Lake with my friend Michelle. It was good to have daylight. Then the next morning I went paddling on the Spokane River and then did some more painting in my kitchen. I worked a half day on Memorial Day. And then I think I took a nap.

Today Walter and I went up for a short hike up on Mt. Spokane. I started on

110 at the entrance trailhead. I had never been up that part of the trail before. It is nice and comes pretty close to the road in several places. It is just over 1.5 miles to the junction with the Mt. Kit Carson loop road. The first 1/4 mile is a lung bursting, leg screaming, dusty, rutted mess. The mountain bikes have thoroughly trashed the trail on the lower section because it is so steep. It really pissed me off. Funny, I never see any of those monkey asses going uphill, just down really fast. Humm...

Pictures: Nancy and the Poodles above Sullivan Lake; two shots along the road over the pass; Nancy and the poodles at a big cedar; me trying to get the poodles to pose nicely at Lower Granite Falls.