~Friday, August 28, 2020~
Day 75 (Travel Day)
What a smooth morning of packing up and moving on to the next spot, Wallace Idaho. We made a record of getting out in 1 hr. 45 minutes. Normally, it takes us about 3 hours. Mind you, we still had to go to the dump station, so add another 20 minutes. I called Wallace RV Park to see if they were able to keep us in one spot the two days we’d be there. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to do that for us. It’s a weekend after all. As we drove out of Farragut State Park, passing Coeur d’Alene, we were sad that we didn’t get to see more in the 5 days that we were in the area. So we’re taking notes of things we didn’t see, like the Coeur d’Alene 35-mile scenic byway or the North Idaho Centennial bike trail that hugs the shores of Coeur d’Alene Lake. When you don’t get to do everything, it definitely gives you a reason to come back. Once we got to downtown Coeur d’Alene, we had to do a quick return of the portable bike pump and one of the 2 tubes we bought for my bike. We decided to purchase the old standard stand-up bike pump instead, which we’ll definitely need on this year-long trip. On the way to Wallace, I also called an RV Resort in Old Town, Florida to see if there were any openings for 2 weeks in January. Luckily they do. Due to the Canadian borders being closed, it’s kept the “snowbirds” from reserving spots, leaving more availability for the winter season. I told her I would call back tomorrow when I’d know more specifics about our dates.
The drive to Wallace took about 1-½ hrs. which went pretty smooth. Jeff checked in with Steve at Wallace RV Park at site #10 and right on a creek called Nine Mile Creek which Sadie couldn’t wait to jump into.
Loving the sights of the forested mountains all around and the gurgling sound of the creek. Set up is definitely getting faster for us, as we’re getting more confident with our specific jobs. The funny thing is, we don’t even have to talk about who does what, we just go to it. However, I’m helping out more with the outside stuff, as I want to have the confidence of knowing all the steps and how to set up everything. I get the hitching, leveling and electrical stuff, but the sewage stuff, not so much. We decided to put the slides out even though we’re only in this spot for 1 night. While I finished setting up the inside, Jeff had to make yet ANOTHER call to Ford. It’s now been 8 days since he left a message and not one returned call. He’s literally spent hours repeating our situation to multiple customer service reps, who can’t really help, but are very good at apologizing for any inconvenience. There has been no progress other than we have our truck back. Maybe they think we’ll break down and give up. He may have made a little headway before the phone call ended. The representative gave Jeff a direct phone number and email for an executive at Ford Motor Company. Let’s hope we can get somewhere on Monday.
There’s a pub right next to the RV park called City Limits Pub and Grill, which sounded great for a beer and possibly an early dinner. We brought the laptop to research a few options for Savannah, Georgia and more details about the place in Florida we’re looking into. The RV Resort manager recommended an orange IPA, which was delicious, and Jeff had a traditional IPA. We decided to eat there after all. Jeff had a Cubano sandwich with sweet potato fries, and I had fish tacos. Dinner and trip planning all in one and the place was hoppin’ . We went back to pick up Sadie and take a walk into downtown Wallace. It looks a little more developed than the last time we were here (around 4 years ago). There are still a lot of old, vacant buildings, but a few more hotels and restaurants have been added. When we were here last time, there was a restaurant that had just opened up, very small with about 4 or 5 tables inside, with authentic Italian cuisine. The owners, Rob and Luanne Weurfel had just been passing through Wallace and were charmed by its quaintness. They also saw a business opportunity with both being involved in the food biz. We knew this husband and wife team had something special, so much that we wanted to come back again. That cozy little restaurant we ate at somewhere back in 2016 is now relocated in another section of town, and quadrupled in size. It’s called Blackboard Cafe and now houses a marketplace as well. We hope to go there tomorrow after our amazing bike ride, and who knows. Maybe we’ll see Rob and Luanne once again.