I love a good road trip. Who cares where we’re going, as long as it’s somewhere? Let’s go the back way so it feels like we’re lost.
We dropped off the dogs and shifted into drive. Our itinerary consisted of two nights in each location: Idaho Falls. Hamilton. Sandpoint. Troy.
Back roads are misleading. There are towns along the way. The 20 feels like a superhighway, without the stilts. First stop, Fairfield, where I met Forrest, of Ballard Mechanical (“and towing” is crossed out on his business card). Gary, who drives a ‘41 Plymouth from a movie I can’t recall. And his daughter, who runs the local library. Then there’s the Longhorn Coffee Saloon and Ice Cream Bar, up on Soldier Road. Looks good, but I haven’t eaten lunch yet. One of my few unbroken rules is “no ice cream before lunch.” And I already drank my coffee. But the six 5-star reviews earn Longhorn my coveted “You Try It” award. Go on, you try it.
Arco’s claim is being the first city on Earth to be solely lit by atoms, back in 1955. Come for the nukes, stay for the BBQ. Rib sandwich at the Mountain View, YES! They’ve got ten 4.8 star reviews, but this one gets the “I Tried It” award. The Mtn View Pig Rig, closed at the moment, is out back in the RV Park. This is Craters of the Moon country.
Up in Idaho Falls, I set off the smoke alarm. Twice. I should give up cooking.
Here’s one for the hat people. Vickers Western Stores. Juan, the hat shaper, is a legend. People come from as far as Canada to have him shape their hats. You know how particular we are about the shape of our hats. I wear a Bob Dylan-influenced black gambler, and Juan installed a stampede strap for me. “No charge.” In Idaho Falls, you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
Spencer Opal Mines. Where your wife wakes up at some ungodly hour and goes digging for gems. Bring your truck or high clearance 4WD to get up the road. That’s what Penny said. I don’t get up that early for anything, not even the dog barking. Incessantly.
Hamilton is heaven. A lot like Idaho, but with dispensaries, casinos, and VW bugs that still run. One block has three coffeehouses: River Rising, Big Creek, and Brew X. Drop by Allison’s Hat Edit in Stevensville for line dancing on Tuesday morning.
Giant inflatable raccoon? That and Montana’s largest fireworks outlet sit right outside the Gray Wolf Peak Casino, on the way from Missoula to Sandpoint.
We should all pay respects to our dearly departed. For me, that means auto graveyards along the route. These rusted hulls have soul. Not like the slick rollers of today.
A cabin in the woods. Sandpoint. Why leave? Coffee at Evans Brothers, that’s why. A boat ride at Pend Oreille to see the castle. Smokesmith BBQ. Chicken leg quarters so good they were gone by the time I came back.
Nine days fly, and so do the miles. Roadtrips are a blur. Home is a stop at the end of the day.