Day 6: Steamboat Rock Park, Coeur d’Alene

Fortunately, the children sleep longer today. Just before 8 o'clock, we are all awake and explore the park after breakfast. The sun is shining and many campers are in the park. After the hike, Erik is allowed to swim briefly. We leave the place and continue driving east. It is a barren environment, with few plants and trees. The road leads straight past grasses. There are only a few people living here. Occasionally there is a town. David screams for half an hour. He doesn't want to continue driving, a short stop calms him down for a moment, but as soon as he is back in his car seat, he starts screaming again. Nevertheless, we continue driving. Stopping every few minutes only extends the tour. In Spokane, you can see more people again. The city is big and we pause right on the highway. Originally, a visit to the city is planned, there is supposed to be a small waterfall in a park, but we decide to drive through, as both children have fallen asleep. We leave the state of Washington and drive to Idaho. The landscape is green again and pine forests dominate the region. In Coeur d’Alene, we stop to buy some groceries and find the city very pleasant. It has a promenade and many parks. We look for a parking space and want to walk to the lake. We stroll through a large recreational area with a playground and water zone. Erik is excited and we stay there. He swims in the water zone, there are fountains and water games everywhere. After a few minutes, he gets cold and chooses the playground.

Afterwards, there is no more time for the promenade. We take up quarters at our new campsite. It is a bit outside with a pool and a small lake. Rene and Erik swim in the pool. It's too cold for me again. David splashes his feet in the water. Then I put him in bed. He is tired and just whines. While preparing dinner, he wakes up again and is energetic. He is happy and stays awake until 9 o'clock. Several attempts to get him to sleep fail. He is in a good mood. We now wash 4 washing machines and dry them right away. Erik helps diligently. In the evening, we enjoy the campfire. The campground is full, but also noisy. The mosquitoes sting, the repellent only helps a little.