Day 5: Kennewick to Coeur D'Alene, ID

Kennewick to Tekoa—154 miles
Tekoa to Coeur D'Alene—49.3 miles

Here's a lovely and soothing way to spend the day. In the morning we drove from Kennewick to Tekoa, both in Washington, through some of the most beautiful farmland in the country. The narrow road meanders up and down over rolling hills blanketed with pale gold fields of ripe wheat, interrupted by dark strips of fallow ground. There was mostly wheat, but also hay and lentils, a crop that mottled some green fields with gold. I took lots of video on the iPad, my knees scrunched against the dash and my arms stretched out to get the best perspective. At critical junctions, I switched from the camera to the mapper to confirm the directions.

The Hardy Place in Tekoa, WA

We arrived in Tekoa about 1 p.m. There we visited our old friends Anne and Wayne Hardy. Anne is an honorary member of the local tribe of Coeur D'Alene Indians and gave us an interesting report on how the community is using its gambling income, in particular how they are supporting health and education. It was inspiring. She served us a tasty lunch. After lunch we sat in their back yard and Dan took some photos.

Anne and Wayne Hardy

The afternoon was hot. It seemed okay to me at first, but after eating a lot of nice food, it became unbearable. I couldn't wait to get back in the air-conditioned car.


The ride from Tekoa to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho was equally beautiful to the morning's ride. At first there is more rolling farm land, but then the land rises and enters a rich green conifer forest, a wonderful contrast after hours of pale fields. After an hour or so, beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene came into view.

We had hoped to swim in the pool at the Coeur D'Alene Inn—the Best Western, not the fancy one—but it was too crowded. So we had a drink in the lounge and viewed the video I had taken during the day. Later we transferred to the restaurant and had dinner. Dan enjoyed an excellent little steak, and I nibbled at the salad bar.