Here’s a car cure for your cabin fever

Staying out of crowds is common sense. The home is safe. One other place is safe: Your automobile.

My wife and I discovered a great activity to “take advantage” of the situation. We decided to take the day and do some exploring.

There are multiple roads we have always wanted to see that we seldom get to explore because of going past them in destination drives to planned spots. So we decided rather than go to the casino or shopping (for toilet paper), we would simply take a drive on roads less traveled.

We went from Rose Lake toward St. Maries, turned off of Harrison Flats on “Hell’s Gulch Road,” and had a pleasant drive through some rural farms and fields, down a very steep but interesting road down the back way to St. Maries. After a great take-out lunch from a quaint lunch/ice cream/homemade candy shop, we took in the historic logging city park.

We then headed toward Plummer, turning on Chatcolet Road through Heyburn State Park. This park is a well-kept secret of great scenery and hiking trails, intercepting the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes bike trail near its western terminus. From there on to Plummer, via a nice paved road up through the voluminous pine forest to the expansive farmland coming onto U.S. 95 near Worley.

We circled the tribal Casino, counting all the Washington cars in the parking lot, resisting the crowds, and then heading off 95 at Mica Bay Road. We decided to explore the famous Kidd Island Bay, thoroughly enjoying all the ranches, small farms, and then the homes around the Bay. Delightful, and very enlightening seeing some rural parts of Benewah and Kootenai counties.

All on a few bucks worth of gas. We haven’t even scratched the surface of the rural roads and interesting places to explore within a day’s drive in all directions.

Try it. You’ll love it.

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Ron Boothe is a Kingston resident.