Coeur d’Alene, The Lake Tahoe of Idaho

This IS the Lake Tahoe of Idaho. What a beautiful place. My question is, who in their right mind puts a University right on the lake?????? I’m sure there is no shortage of candidate students, regardless of curriculum.

Named after the federally recognized tribe of Coeur d’Alene People which translates from Salishan to mean “heart of an awl” (no not owl – awl) reflecting their shrewd negotiating skills.  Coeur d’Alene is home to some 46,000+ people who enjoy the good life living on one of the most beautiful lakes in the US.

We arrived a little early for our check-in so we decided to cruise the lake and see the sights. First thing we found was no available parking, pretty standard for the tourist towns we’ve hit so far, so we continued to do the drive thing. Very nice area around the lake with several businesses offering everything from float plane rides to lake cruises. The lake cruise boat was offered at $999.00 for 2hrs which seemed a little expensive.

Time to check-in to the Blackwell B&B. Located in a major tourist town how could it be anything but stellar? Well, it can. First we were met by a nice young lady named Emily who walked us through the do’s and don’ts of the B&B. She pointed out that no one from management would be in the B&B at night so if we needed something, call one of the three numbers on the bottom of the welcome page. Huh? No one from management will be here? The tenants are in charge of the hotel, that’s a first. She also told us there is no parking available so find a place on the street – but not the street in front, that’s not safe. What? What’s not safe about this location? She said that she thought we would prefer the side street, under the trees instead of on a busy street. Why am I belaboring this point? Because there was a driveway on one side of the B&B that could easily fit 4-5 cars and a cement parking pad on the other side of the B&B that could fit 6+ cars. But, no guest parking, only staff gets to use the driveway.

Next we were led to our comfy abode for the night. Straight out of college days! The mattress was on a frame that was about 8” off the floor. Remember when you were young and just slept on a mattress on the floor? Well when you’re retired sleeping on the floor generally comes with a chalk outline and a coroner’s report. Not exactly the most comfortable arrangement but it worked. We settled in and decided to hit a local brew pub for dinner.

Short walk to Crafted Tap House & Kitchen (chic “GastroPub” restaurant) from the B&B.  With over 50 taps from breweries around the world and Gilroy Garlic Fries as an appetizer, we’re in! Except we really don’t drink much beer anymore and garlic fries just before beddy-bye time might be a risky thing. Not to worry, plenty of other good eats and yes they did have wine so all was good. All-in-all pretty good place to eat and a nice place for socializing around the fire pits.

Strolled back to the B&B and hit the sack. Since it was so far down, hitting it was the only way I could make it. Hope Collette gets up first so she can help me get up.

Next morning we rose to a good cup of local coffee and really nice breakfast. Packed our things and off to Seattle but not before stopping at a car wash to get the tree sap off the car. Even tough Emily swore no one ever had that happen, it happened to us. Well, off for about 5hrs of driving.