The drive from McGillivray Campground to Sandpoint, Idaho, took just over two hours.
I arrived in town around 1:00 in the afternoon, and my first priority was finding a coffee shop where I could settle in, enjoy a good cup of coffee, grab something to eat, and catch up on my blog. I stumbled across a very cute little place called Panhandle Cone & Coffee. https://www.coneandcoffee.com/
It had a completely different atmosphere from the places I had been visiting during the previous few days. There was a young crowd coming and going—teenagers from the area, young families, and people who seemed to know each other. I settled in with my coffee and a snack and began writing. And writing. And writing.
I must have been sitting there blogging for nearly four hours before I finally realized something: I was hungry. Not hungry for another snack. Hungry for a real meal. I started looking around for restaurants and came across what looked like an excellent Thai restaurant just across the street. I hadn’t had Thai food since leaving New Orleans, and just reading the menu made my mouth water. So I walked across the street. It turned out to be a great choice. I enjoyed chicken fried rice and tea and took my time eating while beginning to think about the rest of the evening.
It was Monday night. But this wasn’t just any Monday. It was Labor Day. And I had heard that Eichardt’s had its usual Monday-night blues music. I wanted to make sure the music was actually happening because holiday weekends can change everything. So I called.
“Yes, of course,” they told me. The Monday-night blues were on. That was all I needed to hear. https://eichardtspub.com/
Securing My Campsite
There was just one problem. I hadn’t actually checked into my campground yet. The campground was Garfield Bay Campground https://www.bonnercountyid.gov/parks, and it was first-come, first-served. I knew I wanted to stay out late that evening. The last thing I wanted was to spend the night listening to blues in downtown Sandpoint only to return to an unavailable campsite. So I decided to drive out and check it out first. It was about a 28-minute drive. When I arrived at Garfield Bay Campground, it was nearly empty. I found a beautiful campsite, mentally bookmarked it for later, and felt comfortable knowing I had a place waiting for me. The campground was near Lake Pend Oreille https://visitnorthidaho.com/activity/lake-pend-oreille/, a beautiful body of water that made the area feel even more inviting. Now I could go back to Sandpoint and enjoy the evening. I turned the Hemi around and headed back into town.
Monday Night Blues
I parked about a block from Eichardt’s. When I walked in, the band had just started its first set. The place had a good crowd, and the band was excellent. I found a table by myself, surrounded by people enjoying the music, and ordered a beer. There is something magical about drinking a local beer while listening to a local blues band. The music feels different when you’re actually in the community where it is being played by a local band. For the next couple of hours, I simply absorbed it. The band eventually took a break. I decided to use the restroom, and when I returned, instead of going back to my table, I found an open spot at the bar. That’s when the evening took an unexpected turn.
There was a beautiful woman sitting with a group of friends at one of the nearby tables.
She got up to use the restroom. On her way back, she stopped at the bar and struck up a conversation with me. Before long, her friends left. She stayed. And so did I. We had a couple of beers and listened to the music together. Then I learned something that seemed almost impossible. She was originally from Sandpoint but had moved away and attended Tulane University in New Orleans.
New Orleans. Of all the places. Here I was, thousands of miles from where my journey had begun, sitting in a blues bar in northern Idaho, and I had just met someone who had a connection to the very city where I had started this adventure. We immediately had plenty to talk about. She was a local bartender and knew a lot of people in Sandpoint. Before long, she was introducing me to people around the bar. She knew the band well, too, and after their second set finished, I had the opportunity to meet some of the musicians. The night could have ended there. But neither of us was ready to call it quits.
A Night on the Town
My new friend took me to a couple of other bars around Sandpoint. At each stop she seemed to know somebody. Bartenders. Locals. Friends. People who seemed to know her as soon as she walked through the door. I was getting a completely different introduction to Sandpoint than any travel guide could have given me. This wasn’t sightseeing. This was meeting the people who actually lived there. And then the rain arrived. Not a gentle Northwest drizzle. It was pouring. By the time we decided the night was finally coming to an end, the streets were soaked.
Before heading back to my campsite, I figured there was one proper thing to do. I walked her the couple of blocks back to her apartment in the pouring rain. When we arrived, she invited me inside so I could use the bathroom, see her apartment, and meet the other residents of the household. The other residents were cats. Several cats with cat climbing posts and cat beds aplenty. It was a very interesting place. But by then, we were both exhausted. She needed to get some sleep. And I had a 28-minute drive back to Garfield Bay Campground. So I said goodnight and headed back into the rain.
Back to the Rooftop Tent
The drive back to the campground was an adventure in itself. It was absolutely pouring.
Rain hammered the windshield as I made my way back through the darkness. Eventually, I pulled into Garfield Bay Campground and found my site. One of the great advantages of traveling with the rooftop tent became very obvious at that moment. I didn’t have to set up camp. I simply pulled into my site, and in less than two minutes I had the tent popped open, the ladder extended, and myself climbing inside. Normally, I would leave some of the screens open to enjoy the night air. Not tonight. With the rain coming down sideways and the wind picking up, I closed everything. Screens. Windows. Tent. Everything. I climbed into bed, completely dry, while the storm continued outside. It had been a long day. A very long day. But it had also been one hell of a night. I fell asleep sporting a big smile
A New Morning
When I woke the next morning, the rain had stopped. The sky looked as though it was threatening to let the sun come through. I climbed down from the tent and began thinking about the day ahead. There was a beautiful body of water near the campground—Lake Pend Oreille—and I wanted to explore the area a little more before leaving. So I explored the lake are before I headed back toward Sandpoint. Here, I found another coffee shop called City Beach Organics https://citybeachorganics.com/, settled in with some food and coffee, and spent some time posting a couple more blogs. The routine was becoming familiar: Coffee. Writing. Food.
Planning. Then back to the road. But this time, the next destination was significantly different.
I had approximately 90 minutes of driving ahead of me. My destination was Spokane, Washington. And I had a few things waiting for me there. First, I needed to find a Planet Fitness, get in a workout, and take a much-needed shower. But more importantly, I was going to meet a lovely couple I had met earlier in 2026 during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Once again, this trip was proving that the people you meet along the way can be just as memorable as the places you visit. I climbed back into the Hemi. Sandpoint was behind me. Spokane was ahead. And, as usual, I had absolutely no idea what the next chapter would bring.