Having a cup of tea this morning on the balcony overlooking the river.
Closeup view of the boats
This was taken sitting on the bed in our room.
The scene in front of Walmart and the little grocery market. I might not mind going to Walmart so much if I had this to observe on the way.
and this
and this
It was a lovely 3 block walk down to the Full Circle Cafe for breakfast. There were mounds of large yellow loosestrife.
A cute little camper with the emphasis on “little”.
And beautiful roses
My oatmeal
Cathie's “kick hash” breakfast bowl
and Connie’s grilled cinnamon roll
The town of Salmo has seven unique flagstone murals depicting Salmo’s mining history.
The “rock project” began in 1990 when quarry owner Iris Lamb was looking for a way to rejuvenate stone sales. That was when the Stone Masonry Training Institute opened. Stone murals artist Charlotte Planidin and student masons used the rock by number technique to place the different colored stones.
This mural located at the corner of 4th & Davies has two life sized springboard loggers on the side of the building. This is a prime example of the type of logging that was done in the past. This mural, created in 1990, was the first project of the Kootenay Stone Masonry Training Institute.
The mural on the back side of the Salmo Hotel has two miners on it. The mural gives a good impression of mining as it was in this area in the 19th and 20th centuries. The rock in the ore cart is actually real ore that was donated by Maxine & Doug Lukey. This mural was completed in May 1990.
Salmo Community Services has two bighorn sheep on one side of the building and an elk on the other side. Both animals are very common in Salmo and the surrounding area.
On the back of the museum there is a 22' by 28' mural of a placer miner. This was the first mural to be completed in town. The construction was part of a government funded project prior to the Kootenay Stone Masonry Institute projects. This mural is also part of a mining exhibit complete with a cabin and a push cart and rail.
Completed in October 2020, this mural is part of the Art Wall on the fence of the Recycling Depot located in Lions Park.
Depicting salmon swimming up the Salmo River, it was designed by local artist Tia Reyden, and made possible by a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust and donated stone from the Kootenay Stone Center. Two beautiful painted murals by Ms.
Reyden are featured on either side of it.
I must say these murals were absolutely amazing!
Before we know it we have left Canada and are now back in Washington, USA.
This is the first ISL sign we’ve seen.
If you zoom in, you can see a couple of fishermen on the right end of the lake.
And would you ever believe it? There’s a Bigfoot festival going on in Metaline, WA. Of course we have to stop! There were big foot cutting boards, keychains, necklaces, magnets, t-shirts, plaster footprints, signs, pillows, just to name a few. If you could put a Sasquatch on it, they had it. Did we buy anything Bigfoot related? No. š
I think this church is confused. It’s the Congregational United Church of Christ.
When they told the guy to paint the church something that would match the roof, he took it literally and “matched” the roof š¤£. I love the entry stone and door though.
Fuchsia
Snow in summer
Jo Anne, I couldn’t resist this photo of an awful paint choice on this old stove. I knew you would like it! š¤£
Notice the bird sticking his head out of the birdhouse with the “purple” roof.
Another ice cream break.
Coconut Cream. I would tell you what the other two had but they are asleep so I can’t ask them. š I think it was mocha cappuccino.
An eagle was circling overhead as we returned to the car.
The closest I could zoom in
Orange honeysuckle
Our next stop is Sweet Creek Falls
The middle of the trail is an interesting place for a picnic table.
The frigid water served as a natural compress for my foot.
Time to dry off the feet and move on.
We sat on a bench here for a few minutes and I wrote down some thoughts about the sounds, smells and sights.
Thimbleberry
Box Canyon Dam from the bottom
And from the top - notice the train tracks above the dam
Flowery Trail Super Side Trip
80 miles / 129 km
Tiger, Colville & Chewelah, WA
This mountainous, scenically stellar route took us up and over one of the ridges of the Selkirk Mountain range twice. The roadway is newly resurfaced and adequate for any type of vehicle. At the junction of Hwy 20 and 31 is a historic building that is all that remains of Tiger (the Tiger General Store). A public rest stop and museum at this junction is also the beginning of this Super Side Trip. Turn west onto Hwy 20 toward Colville.
At the junction of Hwy 20 and Hwy 395 is one of Washington’s oldest cities. It lies within Stevens County, which was recently awarded a “Preserve America Presidential Award”, one of only two counties in Washington to receive this award. Colville is known as a leader in historical preservation with a large museum and the Keller House, a well-appointed reminder of the turn of the century.
We stopped at one more waterfall today - Crystal Falls
South on Hwy 395 toward Chewelah, we travelled through a lovely wide valley of mixed cultivated fields and coniferous forests.
Chewelah displays a pleasant blend of the past and future. As far back as the early 1870’s Chewelah established itself as an agricultural and later a commercial center with the opening of manganese mines during World War I. With its moderate climate, dry land, and irrigated farming, ranching and dairy farming were mainstays for many years. The hills and countryside around Chewelah are regarded as Washington State’s best bet for bagging big game. Upland birds, including wild turkeys, are plentiful.
East of Chewelah on Flowery Trail Road at the top of the pass is 49 Degrees North Ski Resort. Beautiful views unfold around graceful curves as the Pend Oreille Valley comes into view, rejoining the main route at Usk.
The restaurant was extremely noisy, and the rhythm of the music made my head throb. Had I not jotted down my reflections while resting on a bench near the waterfall, I might have overlooked how blissful that experience was.
The fragrances of the forest—pine trees, blossoms, and water—filled the air, while the sounds of the waterfall and the river winding around the boulders and cascading over the rocks surrounded us. The serenity and calmness of this place compelled us to sit for a moment and reflect on the grandeur of God's creation. The song, “It Is Well” began playing in my mind immediately and for the rest of the day (when peace like a river attendeth my way). Two verses come to mind.
“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.”
Isaiah 66:12
When the Messiah returns in glory and triumph, the peace of Jerusalem will be like a gentle, powerful river that is never disturbed. But not Jerusalem alone; the Gentiles too are like a flowing stream.
“Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
Isaiah 48:18
In light of His power and love for Israel, God laments their unfulfilled potential, unfulfilled because of their disobedience.
If they had only obeyed, then their peace would have been like a river. Peace as flowing, bountiful, and life-giving as a river.
If they had only obeyed, then their righteousness would have been like the waves of the sea. Righteousness as certain, as unending, as reliable as the sea.
It is sobering to think what unfulfilled potential we have, and what disobedience or unbelief keeps us from everything God has for us,
a continuous, reliable, and abundant source of peace. God's peace is not fleeting or temporary but a constant presence in the lives of those who seek it.
