Kamiah, ID

Lewis and Clark Resort

May 30, 2013

We left the house at about 8:30 heading for Kamiah, ID. We had not seen some of the parts of Eastern Washington where we were going so we took the roads not so travelled . We took I-90 to Vantage and headed south and then east on Hwy 26. Then it was by Royal City then Othello, then Connell, Kahlotus, Starbuck, Delaney, Houser, Dodge and Pomeroy where we had a real good Lunch at Tonia’s Café,  in case you are ever there, then to Pahata, Alpona and through Clarkston. Next we crossed into Lewiston, Id. which has a very nice downtown area which we didn't necessarily have to drive through, while heading for our destination in Kamiah. It was a total of 354 miles in about 8 hours with the rest and lunch stops. I only had to ask for directions once.  I don’t get how they can call the park Lewis and Clark Resort. I guess if you have a hot tub, a pool even if it isn't open, a cafe and some rooms and cabins you can be a resort no matter what the conditions. It’s not a very nice park compared to the ones we have stayed in the past. The park itself has lots of trees and is kind of dark and muddy in spots. Our site is in the row closest to the road so is a little sunnier and has a great view. It’s only for two nights and $27 total. It has a cool 50's sign at the entrance. It's like going back a few decades. A taste of Americana.

We’re looking forward to sightseeing in the area tomorrow.

May 31, 2013

We drove into Kamiah to see what the population of 1300 does. They have a pretty cool hardware store that was very busy and seemed to have only women employees that were very knowledgeable and friendly. The bakery had about the biggest chocolate chip cookies we have seen so we got a couple for treats. Then back to the park.

We took a hike across the highway to an open field that had paths mowed for walking. It was about 1/2 mile along the Clearwater River. There was a large hill in the middle of it that is a part of the Nez Perce National Historical site. It is called the Heart of the Monster. The legend says that the monster was great coyote that took the fish from the river and animals that were hunted by the Nez Perce. Their story tellers told them to leave it all to the monster so they left. The legend says the  monster was frozen in the ground and what is left is the hill named the Heart of the Monster. Interesting stuff.

That night in the restaurant at the park they had a Prime Rib special. We didn't go but there was a lot of traffic going to it. It seemed like that was the thing to do in town on Friday night.