The Rolling Hills of the Ni-Mii-Puu

Ni-Mii-Puu, Nez Perce Country - this was on our today's itinerary. What a change in the scenery: gently rolling hills, originally grassland, now farmland (grain, canola, lentils, peas), starting to turn green. We drove South on Hwy. 95, mostly straight road, no traffic, just had to adjust the autopilot to 65 mph and could enjoy the scenery.

First stop after a two-hour drive from Coeur d'Alene was Moscow - namend by the first settlers after a town in Pennsylvania - a vivid little university town, seat of the University of Idaho. We met with Gina at the Chamber of Commerce and strolled along main street with neat little boutiques, shops, cafés and restaurants.

The Appaloosa Museum & Horse Club is the main attraction in town. Palouse Country, named for the river, is home of the Appaloosa - a spotted horse breed - and this museum was established to illustrate the history of the Appaloosa horse and its region of origin. It's also called the "Nez Perce Horse" because this tribe has established a refined horse culture and used selective breeding. Shown on the right picture is Chief Joseph, the leader of the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce Indians, a very famous indian chief, who surrendered to the army on the escape of the tribe to Canada in 1877.

On towards the "sister cities", Lewiston/ID and Clarkston/WA – great view from an overlook (see pic) down to the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake River. Have been close to this area about 13 years ago, when we traveled the Lewis & Clark Trail all the way from St. Louis to Astoria.
In the meantime it has become much warmer: up to 60 deg. F. and, for a change, we didn't have any rain today!

We drove down to the Clearwater River and through the Nez Percee Indian Reservation to the Nez Perce National Historical Park in Spalding - which isn't a National Park in the traditional sense. It is rather a conglomeration of 38 sites spread out over four states and it tells the story of the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) people. Following the route of the 1877 conflict, this park is rich in history and culture.
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Leaving Spalding, the landscape changed again, when we climbed up the Clearwater mountains: forest and a little bit of snow again, too. In the little town of Cottonwood in the middle of the Camas Prairie we stopped at the Dog Bark Park Inn - a unique, funny place consisting of a "visitor center", a woodcarving workshop (dog folk art, all breeds, in wood), a sculpture park and a B&B as well as several utility buildings and a truck in the shape of a dog. The B&B is a large wooden dog structure (see pic), with two bedrooms and a bathroom in the body of the dog. Dennis, a self-taught chainsaw artist, and his wife Frances, a carver, too, operate and built this place and were very interesting and friendly people. So was their big yellow retriever.

Last stop for today: the Monastery of St. Gertrude between Cottonwood (a little town which even has a microbrewery!) and Keuterville, on the rolling hills of the Camus Prairie, with a view of the Clearwater and Bitterroot Mountains and the Seven Devils, a scenery, which reminded the sisters of their homeland in Switzerland. The Benedictine Sisters of the Monastery of St. Gertrude originally came from Switzerland, went to Oregon, Washington and from there to Idaho. The sisters were called to educate children in the rural areas. In 1907 the monastery was moved near Cottonwood and in the 1920’s the present monastery - visible from far away thanks to its huge chapel with two towers - was built. Besides schools throughout Idaho, the sisters became active in health care.

Besides the monastery they operate an Inn with four generously sized, cozily furnished rooms with patios (see pic). Sister Corinne greeted us upon arrival and after the evening prayer we drove to dinner with her and sister Chanelle in our car. Only three miles we went, to a very unique, very rural, very rustic pub in Keuderville, a village of 12 (!) inhabitants, in the middle of nowhere, the roads ends here. Besides the special atmosphere (old photos, bearskin, antlers and other memorabilia on walls and ceiling), we were eating great fresh fish & chips (it was friday!). And, the sisters surprised us completely: No habit, they drank beer, we discussed politics (they dislike Trump, too), the pope, the role of women in church, the immigrant situation in Europe. They had their mobile phones in hands and told us that they are on facebook... And, small world: in this bar we met a guy from Stuttgart/Germany who was visiting his bro-in-law here.

Being an agnostic and a non-religious person, I have to admit, that it was good conversation and an interesting evening, also, a great place to stay. In the morning we got breakfast with the sisters in their refectory (buffet-style and neither "quiet", nor stiff) followed by the "grand tour" on the property - including the chapel with its beautiful altar, carved in Germany and shipped over, the Spirit Center, the cemetery and grotto and the museum - before we headed on to Boise.
That was the view we had this morning from our room: