golfkat Travel Blog

My first trip to Idaho was several years ago to a business meeting at the famous Coeur d’Alene Resort and Hotel.  I heard many things about the famous island green on their golf course.  I also heard awful things about the white supremacists living near the area.  I went with mixed emotions, not knowing what to expect.  Sheri decided not to go, so I was on my own.
 
I flew into Spokane, and was greeted by a luxury van from the hotel.  They were very friendly, offered us cold drinks, and gave us a nice commentary about the area on the hour drive to the resort.  I asked the driver if I might expect some problems, and he pretended that he didn’t know what I was talking about.
 
The hotel is a nice, but not fancy place, after all, this is Idaho. At the time, it was owned by just one man.  Most people don’t know that Idaho has more millionaires per capita of any state.  Public television does not have pledge drives, since the wealthy provide 100% of the funding for their PBS.  After check in, I headed down to the meetings.  I went to meet a famous physician from London, and to find out more about something called transfer factor, used to treat immune diseases.
 
I stayed close to the hotel the first day.  On the second day, I got a tee time with Dr. Bob Albus and his wife.  His brother Jim, played on the Champions Tour.  We were required to hire a forecaddie, who proved to be very helpful on this famous resort course.  For the non golfers, a forecaddie explains how to play the hole, then goes out ahead and locates the tee shot.  He clubs us until we get to the green, then reads the putts as well.  The best part is that he gets our food that we ordered on the 9th tee when we reached the 9th green!  We also learned about the area.  The famous floating green is located here on the back 9.
 
The floating green weighs 5 million pounds, measures 15,000 square feet, and can range from 100 to 175 yards.  The island is attached to an underground cable system.  A small shuttle boat takes the golfer out to the green after you tee off.  I actually managed a par on this hole!!!!  I played a decent round of golf, enjoyed Bob and his wife, and found the forecaddie to be quite informative.  It was a thrill to play this famous course.
 
The Clark Fork River runs into Lake Coeur d’Alene, along with many other smaller rivers and springs.  During the spring runoff, the river is filled with rapids, and hosts white water rafting.  Toward the end of summer, and after the lake rises to its maximum height, the river actually flows backwards!!!  It is one of only 2 rivers in the world to do this.  The other is the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia, which we saw several years ago.  Who would think I have seen the only two rivers in the world that flow BOTH ways.
 
Vintage wooden powerboats take golfers over to the golf course, providing a great view of the lake and surrounding mountains and forest.  The boats were about fifty feet long, and must have cost a fortune when they were built.  It looks like the chamber of commerce photos of Idaho, and the resort.  Some magazines tout this area as one of the 25 best resorts in the world.  While the facilities are just average, the views are spectacular.
 
I was scheduled to go to a big dinner that night.  But I forgot to bring a suit.  Who thought I needed a suit in Idaho?  So, I booked a massage after a short gym workout, and ate a healthy spa type dinner.  The next day, I decided to venture out a little.  I was very apprehensive, after all that I have seen and read about the area.  I was always within a block or 2 of the hotel, and never by myself, even on the street.  Was I just being paranoid?
 
I got bored with the seminars, so I decided to take a cab to a nearby mountaintop golf course.  I got paired up with a young couple and their sister, all of whom work in town.  After golf and several beers, they asked why I was there.  They told me I was crazy for being out alone!!!!  Just kidding.  They assured me it was safe, and that the supremacists stay in their own compound outside of town.
 
I met the famous physician, along with many others.  Little did I know that the transfer factor that was infused intravenously, is now available in a stable oral form.  It has been the key to helping people with immune system diseases.  I have been taking it for about the last five years, just to stay healthy.  Buddy, our dog, also has taken it since his horrible accident several years ago.  Great stuff.
 
Some years later, we took a trip to McCall, Idaho to visit our friend Velma.  She is our dear friend Debbie’s 84 year old Grandmother.  She lives in Vegas during the winter, and spends the summer at her lakeside home near McCall.  It sits right on the edge of the Tamarack Resort, developed and owned by Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.  It is located about two hours north of Boise.  The best part of the trip, besides visited Velma and playing golf:  buying homemade pies and fresh fruit and corn at a roadside stand on the way to McCall.
 
Idaho presents a different lifestyle.  Seaplanes on the lake provide commute transportation to work.  Fishermen and hunters roam the countryside and coffee shops.  Boaters, cyclists, and hikers are everywhere.  The old post war log cabins mix with the new mansions and vacation homes.  It is a part of America that seems to stay straightforward, clean living, and simple.
 
I was ready to leave when the seminar was over.  The ride back to Spokane was easy, as were the flights home.  I learned something about the racial divide this trip.  I learned a little about what my parents must have felt like when they were relocated after Pearl Harbor.  I learned what it might be like to sit in the back of the bus.  Just for a few moments, it was the uneasiest feeling I have ever had.