After buying gas in Sandpoint, Idaho on Wednesday (regular/87octane is good for our new Subaru Outback) at $3.24 a gallon (one of the most expensive prices we had paid for gas on this trip), we headed west to Washington. We planned to see what kind of accommodations were available in Omak and in Okanogan, Washington (the two towns are very close to each other) for just one night.
We left Sandpoint at 9:15 on the International Selkirk Loop by the Pend Oreille River to Tiger, then to Colville by the Colville River to Kettle Falls. We crossed the Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake and the Columbia River. We climbed through the Sherman Pass (5577’) Scenic Byway (Sherman Creek) through Kettle. It was a lovely ride on Hwys. 20/395/21. Tall pines gave way to grazing land and sage brush in Tomasek. We bought gas (again 87) at the higher price of $3.29 a gallon in Tomasek (but we were getting 29.1 mpg in our new car).
Our slow travel routes got us to Omak/Okanogan, WA in the afternoon. We stopped at one place in Omak and pushed on to look at what was available in Okanogan. After making a cursory survey of our options we decided to stay one night at Okanogan Inn and Suites (11B Apple Way, Okanagan, WA 98840, tel. 1-877-422-7070, or 509-422-6431, e-mail: reservations@okanoganinn.com, web: http://www.okanoganinn.com/). The woman working the front desk was willing to give us their suite 330 at $60.34. It had two rooms both of which had queen beds in them. The larger of the two rooms also had a sofa, a recliner, and a table and chairs (which we used as a desk for our computers). The Okanogan Inn was old and unrenovated but it served the purpose. There was a refrigerator (no microwave, no coffee maker that we can remember and no hair dryer--fortunately Audre carried a hair dryer). There was a bucolic view from the double windows and it promised to be quiet. After Dimitri changed the light bulbs (yes, we carry 100 watt bulbs), the space got brighter and more comfortable.
That night for dinner we went to The Breadline Café (102 South Ash St., Omak, WA, tel. 509-826-5836). We spent $33.86 plus tip and shared everything as usual. We ordered one Zeus Platter: which included garlic lamb chops, spanakopita, rosemary potatoes and a feta cucumber salad ($17.95). We each had a glass of the house wine: Stimson St. Michelle Cellar Wine, Columbia Valley, WA $4.50 for each glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. We also had the Brandied Brand Pudding ($4.25) described as "Just like Grandma used to make, fresh from the oven with raisins, topped with cream and nutmeg." We can't remember the meal or the place, frankly. But check out their website, it is really charming: http://www.breadlinecafe.com/index.shtml.
After dinner we went back to the room, watched some TV, did some computing and went to sleep. The Okanogan Inn's continental breakfast even had a fresh banana. We ate the cereal that we carry, with the fruit that we carry and drank the Okanogan Inn's coffee. It was fine. We left Okanogan on Thursday morning to check out Winthrop, Washington a town that had been recommended to us by a couple who we met in the hot pool at Thermopolis, WY.
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