Starting the Selkirk Loop

7/10/2019

Trains didn’t blow their horns overnight so it was quiet at Blackwood Flats. The day started out overcast, so the sun didn’t wake us when it rose a little after 0500. Two of the trailers parked in the seven sites were not occupied. The camper truck next to us left at 0630 and the tenters behind us started their campfire shortly thereafter.

Captured the tail ends of a doe and fawn after they walked through our campsite.  A great blue heron and a bald eagle flew over while we heated water for coffee. Thought we heard a train horn, but it was probably from the double log truck that emerged from the road paralleling the tracks.

Beth’s bug bites seem a little better this am. She was miserable yesterday. Already a little sunburned, she got bit up bad when pulling the canoe the final few yards up the creek two days ago.

Drove up four miles to Libby Dam and wandered around.

We were too early for the visitors center to be open, but an automated sign provided elevation and water flow statistics.

The Corps of Engineers provided some pretty spots for a picnic.

Back under the eagle in Libby we caught up on things that needed cell phone connections like dental and doctor appointments.

I walked to the train station just in time to catch a fast grain freight zooming through.

After lunch we headed out to find Kootenai Falls. Stopping at Zero Uno Zero Robotics, we were disappointed that no one was home. We did peek in the window where there were a few robots in view.

Well worth the short detour, the Kootenai Falls were impressive, and there was a swinging bridge to boot.

I crossed the old bridge (limit 5 people) and watched a crew building a new swinging bridge...

with much more substantial cables and abutments.

The walk was delightful revealing multiple levels of water falls that eventually tumbled into a canyon.

Nature provided some stunning wildflower blossoms in the shade of tall pines.

Even found wild huckleberries on the other side of the river before returning to find Beth.

Unfortunately, you have to cross the BNSF double track mainline on a bridge with open stairs to get to the waterfall and Beth doesn’t do that.

Met a couple with a dog on the way back to the parking lot and the dog wasn’t having anything to do with these stairs either.

A little further along our route, Yaak Falls were much easier to access so Beth was able to enjoy those.

As we headed east on route 2 to Bonner's Falls, we crossed the Moyie River Canyon on the second highest steel truss cantilever bridge in the world (according to Wikipedia). The drop to the river below is 464 feet. A viewpoint and rest area on the east side of the bridge offered a chance to observe before crossing.

The Visitors Center in Bonners Falls recommended going to the nearby wildlife refuge and hiking to Myrtle Falls. The trail had gradual switchbacks with a rewarding waterfall view at the top. We drove the 4.5 mile wildlife scenic road, but very little life was active mid-afternoon.

Back in town we checked out free boondocking at the casino and the fairgrounds, but both were near highways and the railroad line.

We did come up with a plan for the next several days. A map posted in Bonner's Falls had us researching the Selkirk Loop. It looked like our kind of adventure. Passing from Idaho to Washington and British Columbia, we hoped it would provide some unique experiences.

Drove out of town 5 miles to Smith Lake BLM campground and snagged one of the seven free sites.

Terry, the campground host, was surprised we were only staying one night. “There’s good trout fishing in the lake, you might want to stay longer.”

I walked down to the lake after dinner and chatted with some locals for a bit. I did notice that two older women were pulling in lots of rainbow trout while their husbands cast often, but weren’t reeling in any fish while I was there.

The lake is really more of a pond, but it was a pretty and quiet place to spend the night.

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