Priest Lake & Spokane

Susan and I spent the last four days visiting Spokane and Priest Lake, ID. Our family spent many years at Priest Lake and I worked at Elkins Resort in the mid 1970's. Grandpa and Grandma on my Mom's side had a cabin just north of Nordman, that was eventually passed down to Mom and Dad.

When our family owned the cabin it was very rustic; no inside water or plumbing and just a wood stove and fireplace for heat.

This is what the cabin and property look like now. The owners were not home so we could not go inside, but the pot-belly wood burning stove is gone as is the outhouse. They have propane heat, indoor plumbing and a new covered front porch.

There is a new awning above the door on the side of the cabin.

The outhouse use to stand where they built their shed.

Several trees have been removed, which makes the property look much larger than it did before.

Every summer, for as long as I can remember, we would plant flowers in this rock bed. I was surprised to see that the new owners did not remove it.

The woodshed we used is gone now, replaced with this one.

They built a very nice cover to protect their 5th wheel.

When we were kids, there was a large, wood road sign where this one stands now. We use to climb up and sit on top of it and wave to all the logging trucks that went by.

The store and bar at Nordman is just .9 mile from the cabin and as kids we use to walk back and forth all the time. The outside of Nordman has changed very little since the 70's. The inside of the little grocery store is exactly the same, in fact, some of the merchandise looked like it had been there since the 70's.

While the room has changed a little, the actual bar is exactly the same.

There was a shop on the other side of the laundry where we kept our motorcycles. We couldn't tell what the building is being used for now.

This restaurant entrance on the north side of the lodge was not there when we were kids.

The main thing that has changed at Nordman is that now you can rent rooms in this little hotel.

The library is now on the list of historical properties.

Elkins Resort has not changed very much either. The gas pumps have been moved, and there is a gift shop now, but the lodge and cabins remain the same, at least on the outside.

The lawn in front of the lodge looks exactly the same. It is a wonderful view if you are eating dinner in the restaurant.

We were surprised to find out that the old resort at Kaniksu has been torn down. The new name is Kaniksu Sands, which offers private homes and condos for sale.

From what we could see, things are not selling very well.

This picture is of the bay located across the lake from Kaniksu Sands, where my Grandma and Clete Boyer had a cabin. We did not have time to drive around the lake to see if the cabin is still there.

Susan stopped the car so we could get a picture of this creature just outside of Newport. Do you know what it is?

While in Spokane, we drove up to see if the house my Mom lived in as a child was still there. Notice how steep the steps are leading up to the house.

In addition to finding the house Mom lived in, we also found the apartment Susan and I shared in the early 70's.

The fall colors are just spectacular right now on the east side of the state.