Day 50 - Saturday 31 May

We started the day with a tour of Helena's Capitol building,  followed by going to the Cathedral of St. Helena,  and then a stroll and lunch in the main street,  Last Chance Gulch.

We then drove to Butte, where Our Lady of the Rockies overlooks the city, once considered to be the mining capital of the world.

We then drove to Three Forks, where nearby the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers converge to become the Missouri River.

After dinner in Bozeman we drove to Livingston for the night.

Day 49 - Friday 30 May

In the morning we drove south along the beautiful Lake Coeur D'Alene to Harrison,  where we had lunch.

We then drove east to Lookout Pass, where we entered the Big Sky state of Montana.

We had a short stop in Missoula, and had a wander down their main street,  which had some nice art deco buildings and interesting shops. There were also some surfers and kayakers in the river.

We then drove to Montana's capital city, Helena, where we took photos of the Capitol building, before retiring for the night.

Day 48 - Thursday 29 May

A very pleasant day.

We spent the morning walking around Spokane's downtown, where we had a look at 2 theatres, the art deco restored Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, and the Bing Crosby Theater (Bing was brought up here). We then walked to the beautifully developed Riverfront Park, through which runs the Spokane River over the Spokane Falls.

In the afternoon we drove a short distance out of Washington into Idaho, where we stopped at the delightful city of Coeur D'Alene, where we walked around the shops and the lakeside, before having a delicious modern Asian dinner at http://www.cdaresort.com/discover/dining/bonsai-bistro .

Day 47 - Wednesday 28 May

Eastward Ho!

After a couple of wonderful weeks driving around Washington and Oregon, we're finally moving on.

Today we had a long driving day via the North Cascades scenic byway. Whilst we experienced all types of weather today, the drive was very enjoyable.

We had several stops during the day, including the delightful Ladder Falls, Lake Diablo, the quaint frontier town of Winthrop, the Coulee Dam, and finally Spokane, where we spent the night.

Day 46 - Tuesday 27 May

Another spectacular day of driving, in beautiful sunny weather, along 3 scenic byways.

First we headed west to Mukilteo, where we caught the ferry to Whidbey Island, then north, with stops at a gorgeous hotel in Langley,  then a walk across the bridge at Deception Pass.

After departing the island, we drove north, then west along the Mt. Baker Highway,  with several photos stops,  including Nooksook Falls. The 2 famous mountains in the area are, not surprisingly, Mt. Baker, and Mt. Shuksan, which apparently is the most photographed peak in the world. Since there are so many snow-capped peaks in the area, with no signs for which is which, we assume we saw them.

We then drove back down the mountain, east to the coast, where we drove south along the Chuckanut Drive, looking out at the San Juan Islands.

We decided to again spend the night at nearby Everett.

Day 45 - Monday 26 May

We had ovenighted near Everett, north of Seattle, so we drove to nearby Snohomish, a lovely town with a street full of antique and interiors shops.

Bill risked leaving Di here whilst he drove to nearby Mukilteo, to go on a tour of the Boeing plant.

Bill returned to Snohomish, for lunch with Di, and was relieved that no serious 'damage' had been done.

We then drove to the spectacular Snoqualmie Falls, before returning to near Everett for the evening.