We begin our journey on a hazy day at one of my favourite airportsâ€â€historic Felt’s Field. An art-deco lover’s delight, until just after WWII this is where you would have caught an airline flight into or out of Spokane.
Climbing out with Beacon hill and Upriver Dam in the background. Just downstream but unfortunately out of sight is No-Li Brewhouse, one of the best brew-pubs in town. Go for the calamari and beer, stay for the view of the river.
Still climbing as we approach Coeur d’Alene, which I’m also using as my first nav checkpoint. If you’re right on course (which I wasn’t quite), you’ll pass just north of KCOE and Lake Hayden. Lake Coeur d’Alene is a terrific place to go boating or swimming.
Although it’s not standing out well in the haze, if you look close you can see Silver Mountain Resort’s ski runs (which is actually on Kellogg Peak). The valley this mountain overlooks, Silver Valley, was a prolific silver, lead, and zinc mining area once upon a time. Even today two mines still operate here.
Passing over my second nav checkpoint, the little town of Noxon Montana, on the Clark Fork river. Some 13,000-15,000 years ago, the river valley the Clark Fork passes through held part of ancient glacial Lake Missoula, source of the flood waters for the Channeled Scabland floods in Washington.
Just up the hill from Noxon are the Cabinet Mountains. The highest peak (just behind the plane here) is Snowshoe Peak.
Nearly there as we approach the Flathead Valley. Ashley Lake, my last checkpoint, is to the left (and apperantly frozen right now). If you're going in a stright line between SFF and GPI you'll pass to the north of it, though since they usually give you a straight-in to runway 2, it can be advantageous to pass just to the south. Glacier National Park lies just to the east of the valley.
