North Fork, Idaho to Lolo, Montana to Kamiah, Idaho

Today was mostly driving. We had two adventures today.

We visited the Darby, Montana bookstore and then library. The bookstore sells books weeded from and donated to the Darby Community Library. We had a great time talking with the ex-board member volunteer clerk running the store. Afterward we visited the library. Since Darby is on the Bitterroot River, fly fishing is big business. The library offers a fly tying station with instructions, tools and materials needed to tie flies.

After Darby, we drove north to Lolo, Montana and turned west along highway 12. Highway 12 is an All American Byway because is offers scenery and history. Highway 12's history is the Lewis and Clark Trail during 1805 and the Nez Perce flight from federal troops in 1877 up the Clearwater River Canyon, i.e., Highway 12.

We camped in Kamiah, Idaho.

Kamaish, Idaho to almost Seattle

We left the campsite and drove across the highway to the Nez Perce site called Heart of the Monster. Heart of the Monster is the Nez Perce creation story. Coyote kills a monster by cutting out its heart. Coyote then cuts off pieces of the monster and flings the pieces around the country. Each piece becomes a different tribe of Indians.  Drops of monster blood are the Nez Perce themselves. Heart of the Monster is one of 38 national park sites scattered across four states dedicated to the Nez Perce. The main site is in Spalding, Idaho. At that site we viewed a film and small museum about the Nez Perce. Nez Perce is French for pierced nose. Their own name for themselves is Nee-Me-Poo.

In 1877, the U.S. Army chased the Nez Perce from their homeland in northeast Oregon, up the Clearwater River valley, i.e., Highway 12 through Idaho, across Yellowstone Park and up to northern Montana. Nez Perce warriors bested U.S. troops in 20 battles and skirmishes, but these were Pyrrhic victories. At about 50 miles from the Canadian border, the Nez Perce had to surrender. Landscape of History video describes this event. Most of the 38 national park sites also preserve this event.

In the traditional/mythic history of this event Chief Joseph is given credit as the military genius behind the Nez Perce's military success. A short history (1964) I just read claims this is a myth. Chief Joseph was a respected chief, but he was not a war chief. Other warriors are responsible for the Indian victories.

Afterward we drove west into Washington state, driving north toward Spokane, but turning west through the rolling wheat and mint fields of central Washington and across the Columbia River basin east of Seattle. Washington is the No. 1 producer of mint oil in the United States. We could smell the mint as we drove past those fields.

Along the way we stopped at a large fruit stand. We bought fresh peaches, cherries and blueberries. Three weird characters were hanging around the fruit stand.

To bee or not to bee a fruit lover.

Smile, when you say you don't like fruit.

There's a fruit fly on your head. Let me shoo it away.

Can you name this actress from the show?

About dusk we stopped at Roslyn, Washington where Northern Exposure was filmed from 1990 to 1995. We only recognized three things from the show: this mural for the Roslyn Cafe, the Brick bar, and the KBHR radio station. In the show, the mural had an apostrophe and "s" added to the end of Roslyn to make the cafe dedicated to one of the fictitious founders of fictitious Cicely, Alaska.

We are now camped at a RV park associated with a golf course about 50 miles west of Seattle.