Day 7: Coeur d’Alene and Beaverhill State Park

It starts thundering late in the evening. We are lying in bed and listening to the heavy rain on the roof. It is still raining in the morning, but not as heavily. Swimming is no longer possible, but the campground offers free boats for its guests. The paddle boat is filled with water, but the kayak can still be used. Erik and Rene paddle across the lake with it, but it is too dangerous for David so we stay in the camper. After 30 minutes, they both return. Erik is crying because he also wants to ride the paddle boat, but both boats are being used by other guests. We wait for a moment and then a boat returns. Now Erik also gets the opportunity to take a ride on the paddle boat. Afterwards, he is happy and we start our route for the day.
The landscape is still dominated by pine forests. There are mountains with trees on both sides. Most of the time, the highway is accompanied by a river. After 1 hour, we reach a new state - Montana. In the region before Missoula, the mountains open up and make room for meadows and agricultural use. Residential and industrial areas are also increasing. We stop for a break in Missoula. In Montana, the clocks are set one hour ahead, so it is already 4 PM and we still don't have a campsite for the night. Therefore, there is no time to visit Missoula. Beaverhill State Park is located 20 miles away. Fortunately, we manage to get one of the few spots. The river is only 20 meters away, but fenced off because the current is very strong. Erik wants to go fishing again and the ranger says that there is a pond half a mile away. So we hike there. Erik can fish for about 5 minutes when it starts to rain. At first, just a few drops, but then it gets stronger. We decide to walk back. I push the stroller, Rene carries Erik on his shoulders. We only get a little wet, but a few minutes later it starts raining heavily. A thunderstorm is passing over the park. There is also a lightning strike nearby, as the thunder is frighteningly loud and comes right after the lightning. We stay in the camper for the evening. We watch a movie on the computer, he can't sleep and is allowed to watch it. It rains all night.