Where to next?

 

 

What?  It’s only a hundred miles to Flathead Lake?  We love Flathead Lake.

 

2026 Summer Trip Map link

 

Got one of the last remaining sites at the state park.  When we arrived at the park though, we found out I had inadvertently reserved a walk-in tent site, with an off-level parking spot.  Like way off-level.  The park host was so nice, she moved us to an administrative site that they hold back for emergencies.  Lucky us, we got a nice level site for the night.

 

 

A short walk to the lake.

 

A bit of a slope, to get down and back.  I’ve been careful not to test my healing hamstring but it’s so much better it’s comfortable walking on level ground now, and it turns out a few hills don’t hurt either.  We won’t try any running or jumping before August.  Judy’s knee is good for level ground and uphills.  It doesn’t like downhills much though.

 

We forgot about the smoke.  South again tomorrow.

 

We were going to follow U.S. Hwy 2 across the rest of the northern tier

 

 

But the wildfire smoke turned us south.  We drove through Idaho into Montana and stopped for the night at Thompson Falls State Park.  It’s just a little park with no hookups, but it was wonderful!

 

Super quiet.  Friendly neighbors.  Shady.  A trail from our campsite a hundred yards right to the Clark Fork river.

 

 

 

 

We’d have stayed longer but we could only get that site for one night, and it was the best site.

 

 

A little pond with bullfrogs in it.

 

It was fun to hear them, but they’re not supposed to be there.  The sign said it was okay to eat them, but we didn’t.

 

2026 Summer Trip Map link

 

Northeastern Washington

 

 

Roadside rest.  Hwy 20.

 

 

2026 Summer Trip Map link

 

Stopped at a KOA for the night.  It was nice enough, a forested hillside, but it was a busy holiday place for young families.  It felt like we camped for the night in the middle of a middle school playground.  Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

 

We were very close to the next-door neighbors, but they were wonderful.

 

We accomplished two goals with this leg of the trip.

 

We visited every county in the state of Washington.

 

 

And we drove Hwy 20 from the beginning at Fort Casey to the end in Newport, where it meets up with U.S. Hwy 2.

 

Curlew Lake State Park

 

 

Still state-parking it as we can.  Hard to find state park spots on weekends, but we got this one.

 

2026 Summer Trip Map link

 

 

 

 

We were going to continue east along U.S. Highway 2, but the wildfire smoke has rolled in.  It makes for great sunsets, but we’re going to make up a new plan pretty soon.

 

Over to the dry side

 

 

The eastern slopes of the Cascades.

 

Across the North Cascades Scenic Highway, through the national park.

 

Scenic.  Yes.

 

Our favorite parts were the quiet walks in the deep forest.

 

 

 

 

…and the views from the top of Washington Pass.

 

 

 

 

Ultimately, down to a KOA in Winthrop where camping karma somehow happened again.   At a KOA!

 

Evening light.

 

2026 Summer Trip Map Link

 

Dry.  Yes.  Hot.  Yes.

 

Counties

 

 

 

 

We still haven’t been to all the counties in Oregon.  We did add two on our trip up the Columbia River Gorge this year though.

 

 

 

That top right county in Oregon, Wallowa; it’s not going to be easy.  There isn’t anything there.  I can only see two roads into it, and one of them is a dead end. 

 

 

Washington.  That’s different.  We’ve done great.  We had a bunch of counties to go.

 

 

We picked off one of them on the way up the coast.  We got seven more on the Columbia River Gorge trip.

 

Filling in the puzzle pieces.

 

 

Rasar State Park

 

 

We were only there for one night, but it was so nice it warrants two trip reports.

 

Another look.