Travel Notes: Salmon Lake » Garnet, MT » Idaho

I was at a crossroads here. The signs were telling me I could go north, to Glacier National Park, about 225 miles distant, but if I did that, I would also have to go to Banff National Park in Alberta, as missing it when being that close would be inexcusable. Neither had been in my plans…and I made the difficult decision to head for Vancouver, as I had originally planned. I recalled seeing a sign for a ghost town on the drive to Salmon Lake, and I decided to visit it right away. The drive up to the mountaintop was not difficult, though it took around 25 minutes. I explored the deserted town for a half-hour or so. There were a few old buildings and many artefacts - utilitarian things, as well as mining and logging tools. Tattered wallpaper still hung in places. Old furniture, the most recent dating from 1912, could be found in some rooms of the hotel and its surrounding buildings.

I left the town to head west, and some signs pointed me in the direction of the Interstate. I assumed this was the "recommended" way back - perhaps it would be shorter. But it wasn't! Instead, I made my way down a narrow, one-lane mountain road through the misty forest. It was unsafe to turn while travelling any faster than 5 MPH in most places. Sometimes the road was muddy, while other times the gravel was very loose. Eventually I caught up to a cement mixer, though I have no idea why it was on this road. The dust cloud it generated was nearly impossible to see through. Eventually, after something like 15 miles, I was back on the interstate and bound for Missoula.

I stopped to rest just before crossing into Idaho and was confronted by a swarm of hungry rodents! I tossed them some bits of my lunch (radishes and crackers) and found that they were brave enough to run up and grab these things from my hand, if offered. One fat creature bullied the others but then refused to take the radishes; the others were not so picky. I stopped again briefly to take a photo of the Idaho mountains. The highway took me past Coeur d'Alene; I was satisfied just passing through. I then began descending into eastern Washington. That was to be another surprise…