Spokane

From Wednesday to Sunday we had visited the oldest bars in Utah, Montana, and Idaho, but we still had one more state to go, Washington, before heading back to Maryland, the land of pleasant living. Before heading west to Spokane we took a detour to Lake Pend Oreille, a short 20 minute drive to the east from our hotel in Spirit Lake, Idaho. Our good friend back home in Annapolis, George, has told us about his experiences while working on submarine projects at the lake over 50 years ago. Frankly, we were more than a little skeptical that there had been submarines cruising around a lake in northern Idaho, so we had to go check out George’s story while we were in the area.

During our investigation we came to learn that Lake Pend Oreille is over 1,150 feet deep in some parts, and the majority of the shoreline is non-populated. We also came across the Navy’s Acoustic Research Center, at Bayview, Idaho, which uses the lake’s unique characteristics, such as its depth and quietness to conduct research, development, testing, and evaluation of submarine acoustic stealth and propulsion design. His stories checked out completely, and it is amazing that the Navy still conducts the same kind of research there that our friend George did a half century ago!

After leaving the picturesque lake we headed to Spokane to spend the night and then fly out early the next morning. Around lunch time we stopped in the Iron Goat Brewing in downtown Spokane for some local brews and nourishment. We even spent a little time enjoying the warm sunshine and getting some relief in their spacious patio. After lunch we dropped off our Avis Kia Soul at the airport and took the hotel shuttle over to the Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino. Our hotel driver, Rico, was awesome! He gave us the 411 on the hotel and the Seattle Mariners, along with tips on how we could spend our evening in the area. He also took the initiative to schedule our 5:00 AM shuttle ride back over to the airport. The resort & casino was terrific. The place was new, immaculate, and VERY reasonable in price. Our room was huge and beautiful…and did I say reasonably priced? The facility was so nice we didn’t bother to head out and explore the area. We ate and drank in the Three Peaks Kitchen & Bar, where we met bartender, Ryan. He kept our glasses filled and us entertained with his lively banter. He was apologetic in telling us that their array of 20 drafts had recently risen in price from $2 to $3. We weren’t phased at all by this news as we’ve become accustomed to the typical 8 to 10 dollar drafts on the east coast. Both Ryan and Rico treated us like family and made our last night on the road a great one. We highly recommend the Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino if you are looking for a great place to stay in the area! As always, I thank God for traveling mercies!