Alaska – Canada Travels 2014, Libby and Kootenai Falls, MT. Sam Owens Campground and Hanna Flat, ID. September 1st to 3rd.

After leaving Glacier we turn towards Idaho. We've never been there so we’ll spend most of September doing bucket list attractions.

A metal eagle sculpture hovers over the gate way to Libby's down town.
The lettering below the sculpture says "City of Eagles".

We pass through Libby, MT, which proclaims itself the City of Eagles and proves it with wonderful and larger than life metal eagle sculptures all over town. They are beautiful and feather perfect.

On the east side of Libby a giant metal Golden Eagle swoops down toward the cars passing by on Highway 2.

A Golden Eagle dives towards Highway 2 on the west side of Libby. I want one of these for my yard.

Libby, along the Kootenai River, is home to plenty of real eagles and osprey as well and we see them flying along the river.

Libby is also filled with wonderful wildlife murals on many of it's buildings.

Kootenai Falls is west of Libby on US Highway 2. A short hike through the forest leads us to a thunderous roar and a spectacular view. They are truly beautiful and wonderful to photograph because you can walk on the stone terraces that create the falls to get different angles.

Kootenai Falls, west of Libby on the Kootenai River along Highway 2.

Kootenai is a series of terraces that span the river and create some powerful falls.

You can walk on the terraces up river of the big falls but there are warnings about slipping into the fast water so most people don't venture out. Of course we did. 

Standing next to the falls you can feel the air pulsing with their thunderous roar.

The drop of the falls becomes greater as the river pounds its way down the terraced river bed. It's chaos.

The river still churns along below the falls.

Another attraction at the falls is a suspension bridge across the Kootenai River. Even if you don’t think you want to do it, you really do. Don’t miss it.

Jim stands in the middle of the suspension bridge over the Kooenai River.

And me on the bouncy bridge.

A great view from the bridge. The cable keeps it from swaying so it's not scary.

Our first night in Idaho we camp at Sam Owens Camp Ground on Lake Pend Oreille near Sand Point, ID. A very nice campground but the best part was seeing our first Pileated Woodpeckers, the Woody Woodpeckers of the bird world. With a wingspan of 29 inches they are our largest woodpecker.

We see a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers at Sam Owens Campground.

The Pileated isn't shy and hunts for insects near our camp.

Red deer also pay a visit and browse around our camp.

A Red Deer fawn browses near our rig.

A buck in velvet is cautious.

And the family moves on.

We journey on to Priest Lake to visit Hanna Flat, a grove of old growth Western Red Cedars. A quarter-mile trail weaves respectfully through these dignified ancient trees. It’s so peaceful standing in their quiet presence.

The trail through the Hanna Flat Cedar Grove.

Jim and the Cedars.

For those of us who don't have Cedars where we live these trees are spectacular.

Just walking through the Cedars.

We travel in to Coeur d’Alene and find the Centennial Trail US 90, a paved 21-mile trail from the Idaho/Washington state line and along the northern shore of Coeur d’Alene Lake.

In Coeur d'Alenes we ride the Centennial Trail along Coeur d'Alene Lake.

We take an afternoon bike ride along this lovely lake and stop to watch a float plane take off.

We watch a float plane take off from Coeur d'Alene Lake.

Join us for our next post about the fabulous Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, 72-mile paved Rails to Trails multi-use bike path.

Until then,

Jackie