Day 269

Winchester Lake State Park, ID to Priest River, ID
We had a great night at the state park. Never even turned on the TV. We just sat outside until dark and enjoyed nature. It rained quite a bit during the night, but it was pretty soothing once we got used to the noise. Seems a lot louder in the pine trees than in the desert. Maybe the sound was amplified by the trees. It was really weird to be surrounded by 100+ foot trees.
Dinky Dawg and I saw a few different types of birds on our morning walk. We also saw a rabbit and a chipmunk. We are used to jack rabbits, but this one was much smaller. We heard a weird chattering sound and hoped it wasn’t a rattlesnake.
There was a Blue Jay in our camp when we were having breakfast. It was so cool because I have never seen a Blue Jay in real life. He was busy eating Bristol’s kitty treats that she left outside. Seemed kind of strange to see a bird eat cat treats.
The park must really be a popular destination since almost all of the spaces were reserved for the weekend. I guess we were really lucky to get a spot for the night.
We decided to drive up US195 through Washington, once we got past Leweston. It was a nice drive, but it seemed like the “hills” would never end. And seriously, who ever heard of making slower vehicles drive on the shoulder when being passed? Couldn’t they afford real passing lanes?!?
Made it through Spokane, WA okay except we got off the freeway too soon. Our GPS lady really needs to be a little more clear than to stay right and veer left. Anyway, we made it okay.
Got to my Brother Bruce’s house about a half hour before he got home from work, so we sat in his front yard while we waited. Of course his neighbors came over to make sure we were okay. Nice to know that he has someone looking out for him.
We were thinking of going through Oregon on the way home, and it looks like we made the right decision since there was so much rain that US95, the main North-South highway through Idaho, is closed due to mudslides.
I saw 2 deer walking down my brother’s street at dusk. Awesome! Hoping to be able to get some pictures tomorrow. That darn Dinky Dawg barked and scared them away! Guess I’m going to have to learn him about missed photo opportunities.