Jessica Knapp
Communicator

With summer arriving in full swing, the prospect of a few days off for the much deserving collegiate means a necessary amount of sun, relaxation and good food to be had all in a day’s time.

All the necessary ingredients needed for a perfect day in the sun include a reliable (and hopefully economical) car, a trustworthy Washington/Idaho road map ($5 at the local gas station), fun friends or a special someone and a $30 budget.  

The day starts around 8 or 9 a.m., heading North on *Division Street out to Highway 2.  On the way up, a inexpensive and delicious breakfast starts at Frank’s Diner, located a block north of Nevada Street on Highway 2.  Any entree, including their famous short stack of pancakes or Three Egg Omelets along with a cup of coffee or a glass of any juice will kick start any day.

It’s back in the car for an hour or so drive to Priest River, located just across the Idaho border from Newport.

Along with the gorgeous scenery come many opportunities for a fun-filled summer afternoon. Swimming, hiking, and even lazily floating down the river with dollar floatation devices from Wal-mart. A packed lunch with meat, cheeses, fresh french bread, fruit, chips and even some Jell-o ((made before hand of course) from the grocery store on the way out of town all come in handy at this point for convenient snacks and lunch throughout to top off this fun afternoon. 

At around 3 or 4 p.m. (or whenever the group feels like it since it is a day off), hop in car again and for the adventurous souls, head south of ID Highway 41 until it meets I-90, to merge into Coeur D’ Alene, ID.  Here, hungry tummies ready for more find many choices including the local favorite Moontime pub, affordable lake view seafood place Cricket’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar and favorite burger joint Down the Street near Downtown.

All locations have equal opportunity for affordable tasty dinners for the travelers. After dinner, work off that beer or wine with a sunset walk down the beach or even quick swim in the lake. For those that are still full of energy after such a long day, head back into Spokane and hit up any of the music venues, including Caterina Winery, The Blvd. and The Knitting Factory (formally known as The Big Easy) for any of the almost daily local music shows going on around Spokane over the summer.

You can contact the writer at staffwriter@spokanefalls.edu