Road Trip to Seattle - Day 3

Day 3:

We woke up in the butt - er, Butte, Montana - and headed west into the mountains.  And after we stopped to get some 5-Hour Energy, we were really off.  It was the only time on the trip I had any, but it was so necessary that morning!

I figured that since we were driving through the Rockies, we would see snow.  Nope.  Only snow was at Mount Rushmore.

We both really enjoyed seeing landscape so unlike the flat that is home.

downhill, on the side of a mountain

*note:  click on any picture to make it bigger...*

And we made it into IDAHO!

State stereotype of Idaho:  Potato fields.  I was disappointed to not see any fields.  Where do they grow all the potatoes???  The entire 78 miles of Idaho we drove through was mountains.  I believe it was somewhere in Idaho we crossed the Continental Divide, but there was just a small road sign.  I was really hoping for a nice photo op, but no.

We stopped at a restaurant that had been on +Guy Fieri's  Diners, Drive-In, & Dives:

Capone's inn Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and we had Idaho nachos (nachos on waffle fries!).  So so yummy!  Good call Guy!  I've now been to three places featured on Triple D, and all were great!

From there we drove to Washington.

Here's the deal:  I'm disappointed in you, Washington.

• First of all, you put your state sign on the left side of the road, instead of the right, which resulted in a lost photo op!   
• Secondly, once we got out of Spokane metro area, the state was all flat-ish and brown.  My state stereotype of Washington was lush, fertile, green, with rolling hills and lots of apple trees.  I am so incredibly disappointed for much of the afternoon that we spent driving west through Washington.  Oh, and guess what state produces the most potatoes in the US.  Not Idaho.  It's Washington.

not what I expected, Washington...

• Thirdly, and probably the most egregious error on your part, Washington...  There is a stretch of interstate, out in farm country, where the name of the crop in the field is marked on the fence.  "Cool!" we thought.  We were wrong.  Why were we wrong?  Because on more than one occasion, a corn field was marked "PEAS".  Peas?  Please!  We are farmers' daughters and we know better!  But all those other people who only get into the country when driving the interstate, now they think that peas grow on corn stalks.  You had one job!

But I digress...

Once we got to the Columbia River, we were definitely impressed.

panoramic shot

sister selfie with the river!  maybe I should dial down the "softness" filter on my cell phone...

Tina showing Mendota pride at the Columbia River.

once again, a plant growing out of a rock...

By the time we made it to Seattle, it was time to get some dinner (at the hotel restaurant) and look at the computer so we knew what we really wanted to do the final full day of our trip.  Day 4 = Seattle Tourists!  Stay tuned...