The day before we left on our trip, Beth said her glasses were loose, so she and I went to the optometrist to get them fixed.
We loaded up the car and took a quick selfie before heading out.
Going east on Hwy 2 from Seattle takes you through the Cascade Mountain Range and down into eastern Washington.
At one point as you're coming down the mountain you realize the trees are gone. Eastern Washington has a very different climate and topography than Western Washington.
After a few hours we stopped at a little place for lunch. Looking at it from the outside I was a little leery about it but once we got inside, it was really cute! And the food was delicious. Banks Lake Brew. We would definitely stop there again.
With full tummies we headed out again and as usual, Beth fell asleep right away. She's been doing that on road trips since she was little!
Our first night we stayed in Sandpoint Idaho at Fairbridge Inn. It was like a mountain cabin, the rooms were nice and they had a free breakfast. I caught Beth waiting for her waffle to cook.
On the road again, still heading east. Saw this flag from a distance, and it was huge! Look at it compared to the cars.
Drove through a small town in Montana and had to stop for traffic.
It was Montana after all!
Okay, one more hotel. This was unlike any hotel we've ever stayed at. From the outside it looked quite normal. (We arrived at 10pm so I didn't get a picture then. I took this the next morning as we were headed out.) Just your basic hotel, right?
The first thing I do when we get into a hotel room is look out the window. Usually it's a view of the parking lot. So I pulled back the curtain, a sliding glass door? And this is what I saw -
Wait, what?!? You can see the roof in the top right corner, we were still indoors! So we quietly explored this, this... had we been transported to New Orleans?? There were pretend store fronts, lamp posts, rod iron balconies, and a reception room with a dance floor and disco ball.
You might be able to spot Chuck in this photo, he's right in the center, standing in front of our sliding door.
Come to find out, it's an event center that you can rent for conferences, weddings, or any large event. This was the Heritage Inn, in Great Falls Montana. And the place where they had the free breakfast looked more like a restaurant. It was so fun to stay there!
Well, I'll close this for now. Still so much more to share with you! Have a wonderful start to your week!
9 comments:
Wow, it looks like you are on a great trip! I'd love to see Montana, and your Washington STate looks pretty awesome too! I've been to Seattle once for a church conference many years ago, but of course we flew there and didn't get to see many sights, but we did go up in the Space Needle for lunch. That's about all I remember...and rain. I'm glad you are having this wonderful time together. It looks like a great place to visit!
I miss road trips!! Joe and I used to love taking off like that!! I can't wait for your next post, now!! Thanks for sharing! xo
I enjoyed the pictures today. I love the hotels that provide the free breakfast. Did you go swimming in the indoor pool?
What a wonderful holiday your family had! You saw so many wonderful places. And what I really loved was "stopping for traffic." You were ready for a good vacation -- and it looks like you got it!
My gosh, that last hotel was really fun. Have never seen anything like it!! The courtyard does look just like New Orleans. I bet they do a great business with events, birthday parties, conventions, etc.
Nice picture of the three of you. The drive looks beautiful. Lots of cloudy skies. Yes, that place for lunch looks cute. That is a big flag. Yes, our daughter lives in Great Falls, MT and they have those stations. That was interesting about the horse. You did have a lovely view from the room. That was definitely different. Thanks for sharing.
Can’t wait to hear more. Looks fantastic. All of it.
Your driving through some beautiful country! Sometimes those little places along the road are the best places!! Enjoy your trip.
This post is from our "stompin grounds". During the 30 years we lived in Spokane we spent a lot of time on Highway 2 going to Leavenworth and then on to Seattle. Also in Sandpoint. Since one of our sons lives in Helena, we've been all over Montana too. Have you every stayed at a C'Mon Inn? Those are really cool too with waterfalls, several pools and hot tubs, ping pong tables and a HUGE breakfast buffet too. There's one in Missoula, MT and I know there are more too but we always stayed there. We would take our grands as a treat for a weekend once a year. What a fun trip. We're headed to Spokane next month after a week in the Black Hills first. We took our granddaughter to the Black Hills in June for a week. It's one of our favorite places. We're sure missing Spokane this summer and NO humidity. I'm having a hard time adjusting to summers in the midwest.
Blessing and hugs,
Betsy
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