Stay and Play

Fishing is only the most obvious reason to rent a rowboat with a companion. And it’s not necessarily the best. In a canoe, everyone faces forward. The stern paddler stares at the back of the bowman’s head, saying “what?” whenever a word is spoken.

The Coeur d’Alene Library has gone to the movies. Four Wednesdays in a row, beginning on Aug. 6, there will be free children’s movies shown in the Shirley Parker Theater at the library at 11 a.m. “Depending on how long they are, you may get one or two each time,” said Peggy Smith, youth services clerk at the library.

The Inland Northwest is full of prime campsites worthy of a long drive. But when time is short and conserving gas a goal, there’s a surprisingly quiet, wooded alternative that can be reached from downtown Spokane in less time than it takes to drive to the North Division “Y.” The campground at Liberty Lake County Park is often overlooked by those who think good campsites only exist at the far end of long, dusty roads.

It was a trip to Sherman Pass outside Republic, Wash., that got Shannon Ashworth hooked on ghost towns. Using the book “Ghost Towns of the Northwest” by Norman D. Weis as her guide, Ashworth headed north from her home in Rosalia for a day of ghost-town hunting. “The maps in there are pretty dang accurate,” said Ashworth, who’s an office manager for a company in Colfax.

Booking a float trip with a qualified guide on the Spokane River is one of the best recreation bargains around. Travel is minimal – city folks can ride a bike to the put-in for some trips. Guide costs range from free to as low as $45-$60 a person, with all sorts of group discounts and options that can be explored on company Web sites. Five commercial outfitters – a record number – operate on the Spokane River this year, offering services ranging from evening trips that include wine-tasting or dinner to a simple half-day trip for cooling off on a summer day.

When the urge strikes to stretch the legs, Inland Northwest families never have far to go to find a good trail. Spokane and Coeur d’Alene have idyllic escape routes rife with native flora and fauna and suitable for hikers of all ages. Following are two examples to try if you haven’t – and to revisit if you have.