Do you often find yourself on the road again? Well, lucky you and safe travels!
If you are traveling with your RV, take a look at our list of 10 Items You Should Have On Your RV Camping List before you hit the road.
2022 Cross Country Road Trip Stop 10
Lucky for us we struck up a conversation with a fellow hiker while waiting for the shuttle bus in Glacier National Park the day before we were leaving for Stop 10 of our cross-country road trip, Spokane, WA. She told us that we would be passing very close by Kootenai Falls Park and it was really worth a visit. We were so glad we followed her suggestion and did stop here.
The trail she mentioned started right behind the information posters which was to the right of the parking lot and just past a restroom and small stand selling snacks and souvenirs.
There were a couple of spots along the trail that were very picturesque so we stopped a few times to take pictures and take in the beauty.
The trail was an easy trail but not easy enough to make it handicap accessible.
Then we came to the bridge. It was one of the longest and nicest suspension bridges we have ever been on.
The views from the bridge were incredible.
Once we crossed the bridge, we headed to the falls where we were treated to more amazing views.
We were all very glad we stopped here. Now it was time to drive through Idaho where we were stopping for lunch. None of us had ever been to Idaho. Our criteria for being able to officially say we have been to a state is to vacation, stay over or, at the very least, have lunch in the state. We were not vacationing or staying over in Idaho so that left have lunch.
We googled and found a restaurant in Priest River, Idaho but it was closed. We wound up instead at AJ's Cafe and had one of the best meals of our entire cross-country trip!
Me and JT are still talking about the delicious, huge homemade biscuits that came with our lunch.
After eating our delicious meal, we were back on the road again. We had two more stops to make, Walmart and Costco, before finally getting to our campground. We were really tired after our long day so after setting up, eating dinner and taking showers we were all ready to call it a night.
The following day all we had planned was a walk around Spokane Riverfront Park and checking out the downtown Spokane. We were not in a hurry so we had a leisurely pancake and bacon breakfast and prepped for some of our other upcoming meals.
Then we were off to see the city that our Japanese great-grandparents settled in for a few years many years ago.
We had no idea exactly where they had their alteration shop but we were just happy to be in Spokane after hearing about it all our lives. Without really knowing what we would actually do or see here, we researched and thought that the Riverfront Park sounded like a nice area to check out.
There were lots of things to do and see here. We crossed the pedestrian bridge over the Spokane River and saw the country's largest urban waterfall.
The Looff Carrousel that has a home here in the park was beautifully hand carved back in1909. It was a magnificent work of art.
The clock tower behind me, built in 1902, runs the way it did when it was first built. Someone walks up 5 flights of stairs 99 times a week to crank the clock. I would not want that job.
The Riverfront Rotary Fountain, shown here in back of the riverfront sign, shoots water from 5 stainless steel columns 24 feet high and can be very refreshing to jump into on a hot day.
We ventured out of the park when we came to the opposite end of where we came in. We were now in downtown Spokane. It was a bigger city than we imagined it to be.
After walking around the city and shopping in a few of the stores, we walked back through the park to get to our car. There was still a lot more to see. One area we missed was the Sister Cities Connection Garden. Here you can learn about Spokane's sister cities. This harp reminds us that Limerick, Ireland is one of them.
And this marble monument represents the bond between Spokane and sister city, Cagli, Italy. I asked JT to pose for me by this monument because of his bond to Italy via his Italian parents.
And when we saw this replica of Imazu Lighthouse from Spokane's oldest sister, Nishinomiya, Japan we knew that our great-grandparents were with us as we explored this special city and we had found the perfect place to find them.
Thank you, Hi obaasan and Hi ojiichan for welcoming us and for showing us around Spokane. It was a dream come true to visit the city that you settled in when you lived in America. We had a great time!
Find a campground here before you venture out on your next road trip adventure!
State By State Guide To State And National Park Campgrounds
Where do you go when you take a road trip? Do you travel near or far? Let us know where you usually wind up when you find yourself on the road again!
