So here's the details-
- We drove from the Seattle area to a small town near Coeur d'Alene Idaho, called Post Falls.
- We left Friday mid morning and returned Monday night around 9:30pm.
- On our schedule was to spend a day with one of the husband's good friends and his family, go fishing and go to Silverwood theme park- that was it.
- I packed meals from home to reduce the amount of food we ate out.
- We stayed at the Red Lion Templins Inn, the price was under $100 and it had amazing access to the Spokane River.
Day 1- Friday
On our drive, the kiddo noticed a "tunnel of trees". This lead to a discussion about rock blasting, landslides, what trees are used for, why people are cutting them down, wasteful attitudes, appreciation for nature and God's creatures.
We stopped for lunch in Ellensburg, Wa which is an adorable small town with a great country store and rockin' fly fishing shop. We smelled the peaches, sampled the local honey, bought some Huckleberry taffy, discussed the local rivers, got the scoop on the best fishing spots and bought some tackle.
Oh- and we also found grasshoppers. Lots and lots of grasshoppers. Because isn't that what you do while on vacay?
Upon arrival at our hotel, the kiddo immediately wanted to go swimming. We checked out the pool but he was much more interested in the river. So we walked down the hill to the private beach and marina so the kiddo could play in the water. And you just know the husband and I relaxed with an adult beverage as the sun set. It was perfection.
Dinner in our hotel and then we hit the bed early. Seriously- the husband was snoring by 9pm.
Day 2- Saturday
The kiddo woke up super early, so that meant- we woke up super early. We were done with breakfast and out the door well before 9am. Seriously folks- this just doesn't happen in my house. We are NOT morning people!
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| Our view from the hotel |
But something about being on vacation, had the kiddo up and ready to go! The husband needed to "get legal" so he could fish in a different state and after a couple morning phone calls, he found a mini mart down the corner from our hotel that sold fishing licenses. I also found juice boxes for Mom's there too! Sweet!
After our exciting adventure at the mini mart- we decided to explore the town of Post Falls, Idaho. There's not much in the way of businesses- a few chain restaurants, a bowling alley, an Ace Hardware and something called FuK Japanese Steakhouse- that was fun trying to explain that one to the kiddo!
However, as we were heading back towards our hotel, we noticed a sign for Post Falls Park and decided to check it out. Boy- am I glad we did! Why they don't advertise the gem that is this park, I seriously don't know! It was a step back in time as we wandered the short trail- old machinery and equipment circa 1880, great river views, a dam and lots and lots of informational signs that got us talking about hydroelectric power, water ways, electricity and more! An hour at this great little park was worth more then 10 hours in any classroom!
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| The dam at Post Falls, Id |
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| Old saw mill machinery circa 1880 |
From there, we headed back to our hotel to spend the day with my husband's friend, Sticky and his family. Yes- his nickname is Sticky- that's just the kind of friends we have. The kiddo played in the river with his three children- ages 9, 6 and almost 4- while us Moms chatted about childbirth, parenting, health concerns and more and who knows what the husband's were up to! We spent the entire rest of the day here at the river just fishing, talking, swimming and cementing this lifelong bond.
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| Fishing off the dock |
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| Fishing while in the Spokane river |
I want to take a moment and just tell you- this visit was a major reason why we decided to take our trip to Idaho. The husband hadn't seen his friend in almost 15 years and with a recent health scare, we knew we needed to make this trip sooner rather than later. We make the time for the people in our lives that are worth it, some friends will come and go- but some will last a lifetime. So if you have friends like this, cherish them and try to visit as often as you can.
Ok- moving on, that evening we ate dinner in our hotel room and crashed after our long day at the river. It was a good day.
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| Baked Potato Soup, prepped & frozen ahead of time |
Day 3- Sunday
After a late breakfast at our hotel, I bought tickets to Silverwood theme park online before heading out. By doing this, I was able to save $19 per ticket- sweet!
We arrived at Silverwood just in time for rope drop at 11am, which if you go to Disney is a big deal- but here...not so much. Although it was kinda fun and I joked with the husband that I had totally planned it that way. Not....
This was our first visit to Silverwood and probably our last. Not impressed.
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| The Spincycle- "that looks like death Mom" |
We walked all the way to the very end of the park, Roller Coaster Alley, I believe they call it so that the kiddo could scope out the big thrill rides. He decided to try the smaller stuff first and then work his way up to the larger ones.
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| Forever now known as the "hurl-a-whirl" |
Here's something you might not know about me- I hate roller coasters. Seriously- I am not a fan. They scare the crap out of me, I have a heart condition so it's probably not a good idea for me to be riding on these AND they make me dizzy and nauseous. So yeah- I don't ride the big rides like this. Big Thunder at Disneyland- no problem. Aftershock at Silverwood- problem.
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| Aftershock in blue & Timber Terror behind it |
Right before lunch, the kiddo decided he was ready to try a big roller coaster. The funny thing is that both the kiddo and the husband LOVE the coasters at Disneyland. We've been many, many times and on our last trip, they went on Big Thunder Mountain seven times in a row. SEVEN TIMES!!!
We decided that Timber Terror would be the easiest of the big thrill rides. And after bribing the husband with naked favors- he agreed to take the kiddo. NO way in hell was I letting my baby on that ride by himself!
They hated it.
The kiddo came off that ride and laid down right on the street. Seriously, just laid right down and said, "Mom, I need a minute."
And so ended the big thrill rides for this family.
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| The Barnstormer |
Lunchtime!
In my quest to eat something that was NOT deep fried, we found a burrito place and split two burritos and a side of nachos between the three of us. Thank the Lord these burritos were vegetarian (although I'm pretty sure the beans had lard in them!) and not dunked in the deep fryer. Although they did leave something to be desired...the nachos however...seriously gross as they were coated in a layer of fake canned cheese like stuff. Ick. We opted to introduce the kiddo to Dippin' Dots instead.
Yum, Dippin Dots!
We ended our trip to Silverwood by riding the train, which lead to discussions on how steam powered trains work and the fact that this train was 90 years old- very impressive.
And of course, a train ride wouldn't be complete without seeing a Bison pooping. Yeah- I'm pretty sure this was the highlight of the trip for both kiddo and husband. And who knew- there's bison at Silverwood!
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| Riding the train |
On our drive back to the hotel, we saw a sign for Black Sheep sporting goods. Folks- a sporting goods store is to the husband and kiddo, like a good shoe store is to me. And so we stopped. You know we had to.
We had dinner back at our hotel and then the kiddo begged me to go swimming with him. So I did. Because I'm awesome like that. And the husband watched from the comfort of his lounge chair with his whiskey and lemonade- because he's awesome like that.
Day 4- Monday
We had plans to get up and head for home early. However, a major chemical spill had shut down the freeway until roughly noon. So we decided to stay awhile longer, asked for a late checkout and wandered down to the private beach and marina. The kiddo and husband did some fishing while I drank my coffee and read a book. Ah- perfection.
The husband had seen a flyer on Buck Knives, so after checking out of the hotel, we headed straight there! Who knew that Buck Knives had a factory right here in Post Falls? And they give free tours! Sweet! You know this homeschooling Mama was ALL over that educational opportunity! So we hit up the 2pm tour (call ahead for reservations) of the Buck Knives factory and wandered the very small (but still cool!) museum and then I talked the husband out of buying yet another knife.
The coolest thing about Buck Knives- and folks, I'm really not into knives, is that it is 100% made in the USA. You know where you see labels that say, "made in the USA" and you wonder- is it really? The answer is yes- Buck Knives is made in Post Falls, ID, in their factory and you too can tour it, for free! Now that is awesome!
The kiddo enjoyed his first ever trip to a real, working factory and the husband loves knives, so he was in Heaven. I however, was bored out of my ever lovin' mind. But I am still very thankful that we got to experience this and of course, it provided a fun learning opportunity for the kiddo. I'm all about that!
A stop for food at a place I grew up going to on road trips, Zip's Drive In and we were off!
On our drive home, the kiddo wanted to stop and take a closer look at these amazing wind turbines. Sadly, we missed out on the tour at the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility, but now I can plan that for another visit! And you just know that this opened up a whole discussion on wind power- there's some great learning happening up in here!
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| 149 of these in a several mile stretch! |
After getting stuck at Snoqualmie Pass while they shut it down for well over an hour for rock blasting, we were finally, FINALLY almost home.
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| And the kiddo is done |
Towards the end of our trip, seriously- the last hour or so, the kiddo started complaining that he wasn't feeling well. "I'm never eating out again Mom!" So yeah, I learned a valuable lesson on this trip too- next time, pack more food from home!
Well there you have it!
A long weekend trip, homeschool style. Plenty of fun, lots of relaxing and educational opportunities. This is how we travel- have a basic plan and a few things you want to do and then just see where the trip takes you. We found some pretty awesome places and got to see some neat things this way- highly recommend it!
And if you're near Post Falls, Idaho- it's worth a stop. Trust me.
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