On day 110 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Bonners Ferry in Idaho over a beautiful route to Spokane in Washington. We drive through beautiful valleys and beautiful nature reserves, along rivers and lakes. There are nice sights along the way where you can stop and time has been planned for lunch and breaks.

The first 30 miles to Sandpoint on US 2 run through the Kanisku National Forest. US 2 is located in a valley with the high mountains of this part of Idaho on either side. The peaks reach up to 2200 meters and can therefore also be snow-covered. It is a heavily forested country, with western red cedar, hemlock, larch, whitepine and subalpine fir, with an understory of huckleberry, huckleberry, dogwood, huckleberry, ninebark, oceanspray, twinflower and fairybells.

Several species of big game live in this part, such as white-tailed deer, mule deer and black bears, elk, mountain goats, big horned sheep, pumas, lynx and bobcats are also found. The area is also home to two very special species; the woodland caribou and the grizzly bear.

Sandpoint is a nice town on the Pend Oreille River to take a break, stretch your legs and have a cup of coffee in one of the restaurants on 1st Avenue. Visit the Cedar Street Bridge Public Market with its nice shops and restaurants.

From Sandpoint we follow the course of the Pend Oreille River to Newport. Along the way we stop at the Albeni Falls Dam between Oldtown and Priest River. It is located on the site of a natural waterfall called Albeni Falls, named after early pioneer Albeni Poirier. The dam was built between 1951 and 1955. The dam produces more than 200 million kilowatt hours of electricity every year. The dam is 27 meters high and 236 meters long. The spillway is 120 meters long. A beautiful dam and waterfall to visit.

After crossing the Idaho-Washington state line in Newport, US 20 begins, also known as the Pend Oreille Valley Scenic Byway, which runs from Newport to Tiger and is 50 miles/80km long. The route follows the Pend Oreille River, flows north into Canada and then turns west to join the Columbia River. The name Pend Oreille is said to come from a French trapper's description of the dangling earring pendants worn by a local Indian tribe. The road follows beautiful river valleys and passes the small communities of Usk and Cusick. Enjoy the ride and where possible stop for a moment to enjoy the surroundings and the beautiful views over the river.

Arriving in Tiger, the terminus of the Pend Oreille Valley Scenic Byway, we turn left and enter the Colville National Forest. This forest encompasses a mountainous region consisting of the Kettle River and Selkirk mountain ranges, and the headwaters of the Columbia River. The mountain ranges and forests are largely located in the Columbia Mountains, which are part of the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The forest has a total area of 1.5 million hectares. This forest is home to grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, cougars, bald eagles, Canada lynx, moose, beavers, and until recently the last remaining herd of caribou.

The route is located on the north side of the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge, which is a wildlife refuge located along the western slope of the Selkirk Mountains. It is located mostly in eastern Stevens County, with a small portion extending east into western Pend Oreille County. It is the only mountainous mixed-conifer wildlife refuge outside of Alaska and the largest in Washington State. This area is home to numerous songbirds, bald eagles, elk, black bears, wolves, cougars, elk, beavers and white-tailed deer. Be sure to stop at Crystal Falls. From the parking lot it's a short walk to a 40-foot waterfall and the nearby pedestrian bridge on the Little Pend Oreille River.

In Colville we stop for lunch at one of the many restaurants on Main Street and visit the Stevens County Historical Society. It is located on a small hill at the end of Wynne Street, in the 7-acre Keller Heritage Center. It is named after the Keller couple who lived there for about 50 years. Mr. Keller donated the house, carriage house and grounds to the city of Colville for use as a park. Since 1975, the property has been maintained as a park with a cluster of historic buildings and, Graves Mountain Lookout Tower, the fire department observation tower.

Climb the stairs to the Graves Mountain Lookout Tower, built in the early 1930s in the Colville National Forest and served as a lookout atop Graves Mountain for nearly 50 years. Graves Mountain overlooks scenic Sherman Pass in Ferry County at an elevation of 6,000 feet. It existed in its original form as a 75-foot-tall pole tower with a 6-by-6-foot lookout hut above and a small log cabin for living quarters on the ground below. You have a beautiful view from the tower.

We drive on WA-25 along the banks of the Columbia River south towards Spokane. We drive through the Spokane Indian Reservation which is located in northeastern Washington state, centered in Wellpinit. The reservation is located almost entirely in Stevens County, but also includes two small parcels (totaling approximately 0.62 hectares) in Lincoln County, including a portion of the Spokane River. In total, the reserve is approximately 615 square kilometers (237 sq mi). The city of Spokane, our end point, is named after the Spokane tribe. The city developed along the Spokane River, within the tribe's historic ancestral lands, but not within the reservation

Spokane is a vibrant city that has much to offer its visitors in every season, from outdoor activities in the nature parks, an abundance of nightlife, as well as museums to enjoy the arts and culture scene, many bars and restaurants and regular events and concerts. . Be sure to visit Riverside State Park. There is a link with more information about Spokane in this review.