Last Day in Coeur d'Alene

Today was our last day in Coeur d'Alene, and we used it to get a few things done, get a few things cleaned, and take the dogs to one of the two, free, public Dog Parks in Coeur d'Alene.

First thing on my agenda was to run over to the Home Depot and get a better stick of wood to prop the stairwell cover into its closed position so that when Marcia uses the lift, she can step onto it to get into the motor home.  We had a small round stick that we have been using, and it has worked, but I always felt that it was just too small in diameter to continue to the do the job safely over and over.  

For those that don't know...this cover will close or open with a flick of the switch "if" the engine is running, or the air pressure is still built up for it to operate because it runs on a pneumatic system.  Without pressure, it just doesn't do anything.  But if I flip the switch up, and pull it out, then I could place the stick just right so that the platform stays in place.

At Home Depot I found a stick which is not round, but square, like a small fence post.  It is about 1.5" by 1.5".  One stick cost a whole $3.85 (she is worth every penny), and I was able to cut it into two workable sticks, with a small portion left over, right there in the store. 

Now I prop both ends of the platform up by placing a stick under each side.  It is now very firm.

And thanks go out to Skruffy for being so brave as to stand on the platform for me....as for Bubba, well he slept through it all.  (His little "man cave", as we call it, is right behind that fire extinguisher.)

On my way to Home Depot, I took a side road which climbed up over the level of the Interstate to get a few last pictures of Lake Coeur d'Alene.  

Yes, Coeur d'Alene is a pretty lake.  Not my most favorite....I think Lake Tahoe has had a special place in my heart from when I was a child when we camped along the lake.  Crater Lake is very special.  Coeur d'Alene is very nice.

I felt that we should try and do something special for the dogs today.  I went online and looked to see if Coeur d'Alene had any dog parks, the type of parks where you can let your dog run without being leashed up.  Sure enough they had two, run by the Kootenai County Dog Park Association.  So after lunch we loaded up the dogs into the car and headed to Coeur d'Alene.  One of the parks, the Cherry Hill Park, is right off I-90 by taking the 15th Street exit.  

Above you can see most of the dog park...it is very large, which is good.  I only wish it had grass because the dogs, especially Bubba, really like the grass....  If you look to the left you will see a smaller fenced off park.  There is no explanation, but we assume that this is for dogs who might feel a bit overwhelmed if the bigger area is full of other dogs.  It does make a nice transition area for those dogs who have "issues" around other dogs.

Of course, all dog parks have to have rules.  The basic rule is simple....pick up your dog's Skata!  Unfortunately, not everyone did this...but for the most part it was clean.

Ours were the only dogs in the park.  A man with a young girl arrived and came over to talk.  They live in the area and wanted to see the park before they brought their dog to the park.  Don't know if they came right back, but he said they would definitely bring the dog to the park.

Above is a picture of the smaller park.  I have seen some dog parks were this is the size of the park!  I think Coeur d'Alene is doing it right....if they could only get the city to spring for some grass...

We are ready to move on.  I am excited about visiting Glacier National Park because I have never been there, but have wanted to for many years.  We probably won't make it into the park until Monday, since we are traveling on Saturday, and we have already found a place to go to church on Sunday.  But we will be there for a week, so we should have time to see all that we want to see.