Atomic, Idaho

Our recent trip through Idaho took us into some very interesting areas. Along the way we chanced upon the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, an actual drive in movie theater that features the world’s largest potato in the city of Driggs but the most impressive item that we encountered on our trip was the small former nuclear town located at Atomic, Idaho. This town was directly on US 26 as we headed west out of Idaho Falls.

I had to search my memory high and low trying to determine when and where the government conducted any of its earlier nuclear experiment in Idaho. Previously Atomic City was known as Midway more then likely due to its location between the towns of Arco and Blackfoot. Initially the town was home for the government’s experimental breeder reactor and it is the site of the first nuclear reactor to ever generate electricity. The nearby Pickle's Place cafe is the home of the "Atomic Burger".

Atomic City was once the most impressive city actively promoting a nuclear future however today it is nearly a ghost town and the only remains of its past glory lies in its name. There are currently only about 25 people that still reside in the town for most of the population has long ago moved elsewhere or past away. Those families that remain are retired and therefore do not need to actively work. The main street of town remains unpaved since there are not enough citizens to actually accumulate the necessary funds to repair public roads and streets. Since the median income of the town is less then $10,000 dollars it certainly doesn’t have any extra money to go around.

This isolated ghost town has an old gas station which no longer is permitted to sell gas due to the underground tank regulations established by the government. It also has a post office as well a local bar. The old abandoned Atomic City Raceway is now nothing more then weeds although occasionally in the summer you may find a few stock car races taking place. If you are a photo nut then you will certainly enjoy the many opportunities to take pictures of the past age signs that are abound as you enter the town.

As we entered the ghost town we saw several of the locals that were casually sitting on their porch and they waved to us in a friendly manner from their double wide trailer. We stopped to talk to several of the locals and they certainly seemed friendly enough in fact they even offered us a cool beer from their nearby cooler which we graciously accepted.

Although there really is nothing of value to see here it is well worth the drive merely to talk to some of the local citizens and get a different view on the area.

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Beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

After leaving the Spokane airport we motored down Interstate 90 to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We had decided to spend the night there after the long flight and to split up the 5 hour drive to Kootnay Lake. After checking in at the Hampton Inn we drove around town. The town is surrounded by forests and mountains and sits in a spectacular setting on the north shore of one of America's most beautiful lakes, Lake Coeur d'Alene. It is no wonder that Coeur d'Alene has been called the "Playground of the Northwest". It seemed like everyone was sailing, boating, skiing or swimming, trying to take advantage of the beautiful summer day. And there are two major ski resorts in the nearby mountains for winter fun.

We had an early dinner at Beverly's on the 7th floor of the huge Coeur d'Alene Resort. As you can see the view was fantastic. We sat at one of the tables by the window and enjoyed watching the boaters come in to the dock and the kids jumping off the 20' rock cliffs into the lake. There were also several double decker boats offering dinner cruises for the tourists.

Although Beverly's is a five star restaurant their food was well above our expectations. The desk clerk at the Hampton had given us a couple of free Beverly drink tickets and while we were enjoying our before dinner drinks the chef sent out a couple of lobster corndogs. They were a small piece of lobster on a stick, dipped in corndog batter and fried just like corndogs at the carnival. Never seen anything like them but the were delicious!

Beverly's has a several thousand bottle floor-to-ceiling wine display with a two million dollar wine inventory, so needless to say we ordered a bottle of our favorite Ken Wright Abbott Claim Vineyard pinot noir for dinner. They had three different vintages on the wine list!

I started out with their Sweet Onion Soup which was the best, richest French Onion Soup I have ever tasted and Susan had the Caesar Salad with shaved Parmesan-Reggiano cheese. For the main course Susan had the rack of lamb and I ordered the Muscovy Duck prepared three ways- Chinese five-spice roasted breast, caramelized leg and seared foie gras on jasmine rice.

We thought we were through but then out came a complimentary dessert. It was absolutely unique. Continuing with the carnival theme they made a hollow tower of cotton candy and inside the tower was a scoop of homemade blueberry ice cream with a birthday candle on it. By then it was dark and the candle flickered through the cotton candy in a charming way. We had to eat our way through the cotton candy to get to the ice cream. Tough job but we did it!

Coeur d'Alene is a fascinating place to visit and Beverly's a delightful dining experience. Highly recommended.

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