Kalispell
Indian John Hill Rest Area at mile marker 89 on I-90 is the first rest stop east of Seattle, which is a long way to go for Seattlites who practically take coffee on an IV drip. But it has a beautiful view of Mt. Stuart away to the north, and just a few miles further east the trees just stop, like turning off a light. Sometimes it’s just nice to have a change of scenery. This change is instantaneous.
After skirting Ellensburg I-90 climbs over a desolate pass adorned by dozens and dozens of big quiet windmills at the Wild Horse Wind Farm and then drops to cross the Columbia River at Vantage. There it climbs again sharply, presenting spectacular views, to reach the Columbia plateau. This is a vast arid land reclaimed for agriculture by irrigation. At George, Washington (heh!) the freeway goes straight as an arrow for seventy miles, punctuated only by the city of Moses Lake halfway along. Signs tell you what crops are growing. Another rest area is found in the rolling treeless prairies that exist beyond the irrigated areas. At Ritzville the freeway does a gentle bend northeast to make a beeline for Spokane. Small lakes are seen along the freeway here. Stop in the very small town of Sprague for gas and lunch. A sidetrip from here will take you over to Steptoe Butte. Approaching Spokane, the pine trees begin to be seen again in slowly increasing density.
Crossing into Idaho you enter the beginning of the Rocky Mountains. This is the skinny “panhandle” of Idaho, only about seventy miles across here, but very beautiful and mountainous, highlighted by the jewel that is Lake Coeur d’Alene. All the towns here (Smelterville, Kellogg, Wallace) are strung out on a very narrow line that hugs the freeway as the walls of the Rockies rise close to each side. The freeway climbs up to Lookout Pass, 4725 feet, and at the top a blue sign says, “Welcome to Montana”. Wife says, “What’s different about it?!?!?” Then down, down, down, 33 miles to St. Regis, where you get off the freeway, gas up again, and began to travel back roads. Helps to know your way.
From St. Regis to Plains, the road hugs a winding river. Then you climb some hills and drop down into the flats which mark the southern terminus of the Rocky Mountain trench. This huge chasm goes north right up into Canada. The road goes on and on, straight as an arrow through farm country, upsy-downsy, then makes a 90 degree bend to the right and travels through a beautiful but nameless flat valley bottom that meets the close mountain walls with hardly a taper. The wild west incarnate. And this “lost valley” road takes you directly to the shores of Flathead Lake, the largest lake in the Western United States, bigger than Lake Tahoe even. Left turn, drive past a house built on top of a rock a goat would blanch at, and you end up in Kalispell, which qualifies as a big city in these parts.
Kill Bill vol 1 (2003)
Terminal Cruise 