Monday, Aug. 31, 2026 - Traveling north through
Idaho to The Canadian Border, then back downeast into
Montana - YES, MORE National Forests, mountains, and rivers! After 352 miles (and 19 Post Offices), I checked into the
Baymont in Whitefish, MT at 7 PM (Mountain Time):
19 Post Offices. No need for a "comparison map" - basically driving from New York City up to Albany, then to Boston (The Mass Pike does dip down a lot):
Lake Pend Oreille near
Sandpoint, Idaho:
So, I'm driving along and I suddenly notice that I am on
US Route 2 West:
It turns out, to quote Wikipedia:
U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway spanning 2,571 miles (4,138 km) across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments on either side of a portion of Canada. Unlike some routes, which are disconnected into segments because of encroaching Interstate Highways, the two portions of US 2 were designed to be separate in the original 1926 highway plan.
The western segment of US 2 begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) and State Route 529 (Maple Street) in Everett, Washington, and ends at I-75 in St. Ignace, Michigan. The eastern segment of US 2 begins at US 11 in Rouses Point, New York, and ends at I-95 in Houlton, Maine.
As its number indicates, it is the northernmost east–west U.S. Highway in the country. It is the lowest primary-numbered east–west U.S. Highway, whose numbers otherwise end in zero, and was so numbered to avoid a US 0. Sections of US 2 in New England were once New England Route 15, part of the New England road marking system.
WHAT FUN! Needless to say, I have been on MAJOR PARTS of this Road.
Crossing over the
Kootenay River, just north of
Bonners Ferry, Idaho:
Pretty country up near The Canadian Border:
I was so off-the-map, they gave me a "Welcome to The United States of America" sign!
Love the "Scenic Byways", and THE VIEW RIGHT BEHIND THE SIGN:
So, a lot of this "Northern Drive through Idaho" has been on
U.S. Route 95, which runs the (vertical) length of the state. It is a LONG ROAD (and quite beautiful), and I was at the Northern End:
In mid-afternoon, I crossed into
Montana:
The
Kootenay River looks BEAUTIFUL:
I have noticed that many beautiful open areas are under protection. This is the
Smith Lake Waterfowl Production Area - you can see the complexity of maintaining the beauty of our country:
At 7 PM I checked into the
Baymont in Whitefish, MT:
They have a fun map in their lobby:
Thank you God for this wonderful IDAHO and MONTANA Adventure Day!
Music for today:
Hotel room - The Rolling Stones -
More Hot Rocks (and Fazed Cookies) (2 cds), 1972 album, last heard 7/30/2020 - wonderful collection of Stones material:
Sade -
The Best of Sade, 1994 greatest hits album, last heard never. I like her stuff a lot, and this "greatest hits" album is a way to get a lot of nice material:
Time to hit The Road:
Work Money Death -
The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises, 2024 album, last heard never. Characterized as "Free Jazz, Fusion, Post Bop":
Jimmy Buffett -
You Had To Be There (2 cds), 1978 live double album, last heard in a blog never. Of course, Jimmy was A LOT OF FUN IN CONCERT:
Meat Loaf -
Bat Out of Hell, 1977 debut album, last heard never. I recently ripped this, and it is a lot of fun to hear while driving down the highway. fyi "Bat Out of Hell has sold over 43 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.":
Michael McDonald -
The Ultimate Collection (McDonald), 2005 compilation album, last heard never. Very nice collection, and I like hearing his Doobie Brothers stuff interspersed with his solo-and-other material:
Natalie Merchant -
Retrospective 1995-2005, 2005 compilation album, last heard never. Nice collection of her solo material:
Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink:
dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/
