And The Race Is On!

We can’t wait!  This April, the 2012 World Jet Boat Marathon Championships are bringing teams from Canada, Mexico, the United States and New Zealand to Idaho for nine days of fast-paced, adrenaline laced racing on four of the state’s whitewater rivers.

First things first.  If you’re coming, you’ll need a place to stay.  Take your pick of the comfortable hotels, scenic RV Parks and Campgrounds, or Bed & Breakfasts here in the valley.  You can book one stay and catch two legs of the race – Leg II on the Snake River and Leg III on the Clearwater River – helpful, right?

Next, there’s at least one pre-race event you shouldn’t miss … the jet boats up close, on display at the Clearwater River Casino; be sure to bring your camera so you can grab a picture with your favorite team.

Then, spend a few days watching the world’s finest racers navigate their way through some of Idaho’s most treacherous whitewater rapids at speeds that will leave you breathless.

After the races, the LC Valley promises night time excitement for you.  Be sure to check our April Calendar for updated listings of all the accompanying race events as they are announced.

Official 2012 Race Dates

April 14 & 15 on the St. Joe River near St. Maries

April 16 & 17 on the Snake River near Lewiston

April 18 on the Clearwater River near Orofino

April 19 no-race day

April 20 & 21 on the Salmon River near Riggins

For more information, check out this Google Map of the Race communities, visit the Official 2012 USA World Jet Boat Marathon Race Page on Facebook or call 208-628-4142.

Public Art in the LC Valley

From Lewis and Clark to wildlife and architecture to water, Lewiston Idaho’s history is commemorated with over twenty installations of public art. Pieces from as far back as 1902 and as new as 2011 are tucked into everyday places and not so common spaces throughout the town. Each one waiting for you to discover and explore a slice of Lewiston’s personality.

Artists including J. Shirly Bothum, Nancy N. Dreher, David Govedare and Keith Powell, Doug Hyde and Sharon Taylor-Hall have several pieces of artwork, ranging from 1911 to 2003, that pay tribute to the LC Valley’s ties to Native American culture and the Corps of Discovery’s journey through our area.

Turn of the century life in Lewiston is found in the more fanciful pieces around the valley. Fish-like cherubs in fountains, seahorse entry posts, grotesques and gargoyles invite today’s touch and provide a preserved bridge over 100 years of Lewiston’s past.

Contemporary people and life are also reflected in several sculptures like David G. Sears’ The Dance, Rip Caswell’s Cougar Beaver Otter Fish and Christopher Fennell’s Canoe Wave.

It’s an amazing thing to be able to touch a piece of art … to feel the textures under your fingertips and to undertand with your hands the form your eyes see. The LC Valley’s public art not only allows this, it asks for personal attention.

Other public displays in or near the LC Valley include the Winter Spirit lights at Locomotive Park, the Lewiston Sesquicentennial Historic Kiosk Series and Maya Lin’s Confluence Project installation at Chief Timothy Park in Clarkston, Washington.

To help you get to know Lewiston through it’s public art, we’ve created the Google Map of Public Art in the LC Valley. On your tour, take a picture with your favorite piece and share it with us on Facebook – we’d love to see what you love most!

~image courtesy NWPassageScenicByway.org

A Taste, A Glass, A Bottle and More …. Wine in the LC Valley

Some people will tell you that the best time to visit a new place is on a weekend.

image courtesy ~TankPhotography

Tour 150 Years of Lewiston Idaho’s History on Foot

Lewiston’s oldest surviving residence dates back to the late 1860’s … wanna visit it?

In 1865, a policeman, the U.S. Army and the Territorial Secretary were not on the same side … wanna know why?

In 1879, over 66,000 tons of wheat was shipped by steamboat to Portland, Oregon … wanna see from where?

Lewiston, Idaho, turned 150 years old in 2011.  A lot has happened in this town over the past century and a half and now, thanks in part to the Sesquicentennial Celebration, you can follow a self-guided tour of its history.  The Lewiston Sesquicentennial Kiosk Series highlights key locations, people and events that have shaped this North Central Idaho town from a gold mining hub, to Idaho’s first capitol, to the state’s only seaport.

Pack a picnic basket, get the dog’s leash, gather up the kids and head out!  Here’s a Google Map, to get you started, so you can do the whole tour at once or visit a few places each day.

At Pioneer Park

• A Cemetery on the Frontier
• Battling the Haughty Demon of Flame
• Doing What Is Best for Kids
• Relic of a Rustic Past
• The Simple Dues of Fellowship and Social Comfort
• Women to Match the Frontier

At Kiwanis Park

• A Confluence of Rivers and Steam

At Nez Perce County Historical Museum

• Lewiston and Abraham Lincoln

At Nez Perce County Courthouse

• Measuring Lines in Pleasant Places

At Lewis-Clark State College

• Oasis of Learning, Mentor to Generations

At Lewiston Police Memorial Park

• Service and Sacrifice – The Early Years

At Normal Hill Cemetery

• The Better Angels of Our Nature
• The Proudest Pedigrees

If you’re interested in seeing more of Lewiston’s historical side, check in to a Ghost Tour from Idaho Historical Tours, download the Historic Downtown Lewiston Walking Tour from Beautiful Downtown Lewiston and plan an extended visit to the Nez Perce County Historical Society Museum

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~ image courtesy LewistonSchools.net

Stay On Course This Winter, Golf the LC Valley

Fore!  Well 5, actually.   Yes, there are definitely 5 places I could golf in the Lewis-Clark Valley . . . but I only frequent 1 of them.

We have amazingly temperate weather here at the north entrance to Hells Canyon in Lewiston, ID/Clarkston, WA, and the number of golf-friendly days we get makes us a year-round destination for anyone with a set of clubs and a love of the greens – all through the winter months.

18-hole courses, surrounded by stunning views and scenery can be found at Lewiston’s Country Club or Bryden Canyon and Clarkston’s Quail Ridge or Country Club.

If buckets of balls and a driving range are more your style, head over to Gateway Golf, on the south bank of the Snake River. That’s where you’ll find me, but I’m not at home on the range. I’m found somewhere between holes 1 and 18 on the fully grassed and manicured miniature golf course.

I take my miniature golf pretty seriously so the sand traps and water hazards make me pretty happy. There’s even a bridge and a running brook. Everything I, as a (waaaay below) average golfer, need to feel like I’m playing with the big boys is right there. I even bring my own club (putter?) which has yet to see the light of day on a genuine course. Harry Vardon I’m not, but a course like this lets a girl dream!

So take a tour of the LC Valley golf courses, grab a Stay & Play Golf Package and come play with us!

Make the Holidays Festive in the Lewis Clark Valley

There are tons of things to do in Lewiston, ID and Clarkston, WA this holiday season.

The Lewis Clark Chamber of Commerce 25th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 3 at 4:30 pm in downtown Clarkston. This years’ theme is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. It’s a great kick-off to the holiday season with marching bands, businesses and many more showing their true Christmas spirit.

Locomotive Park, at 2012 Main Street, comes to life with thousands of Christmas lights, music and the sound of laughter from the Saturday before Thanksgiving to New Years’ Eve. It’s the perfect winter wonderland outing for the entire family. It’s Winter Spirit at it’s best.

Twenty three downtown Lewiston businesses are participating in the month-long Shop Downtown campaign. Do your shopping in downtown Lewiston and visit those businesses to pick up your “passport” for a chance to win the $1,000 Downtown Shopping Spree!

Skaters Welcome In Lewiston Idaho

Who knew?

In a small North Central Idaho town in Idaho, there lies a little known, brand new, concrete mecca for skaters.  One of only three Idaho skateparks professionally designed and built by Grindline, the Mtn. Dew Skatepark is now open in Lewiston, Idaho.

I’m not a skater nor do I play one on TV but I do spend a lot of time walking my dog, Harvey (named for the Rabbit) on the Lewiston Levee by Kiwanis Park where the skatepark is located.  I have to tell you, it’s nothing short of amazing.

First, it’s HUGE!  As a parent, I’ve always been skiddish of the rocket-speeds and congestion that seem to gather in skateparks but there’s room for everyone in those bowls.  Second, it’s open and well-lit so riding doesn’t have to end when the sun goes down.  Third, it’s pretty to look at and fun to watch – I see parents watching young beginners in the upper bowl while the beginners watch more experienced skaters down below.  The smiles on everyone’s face says it all . . . “this place is great!”

Pack up the decks and come to Lewiston, Idaho – skaters are welcome here!

A Walk On The Wild Side

Nestled up in the Orchards of Lewiston, Idaho, is one of my most favorite spaces in the entire Lewis-Clark Valley – the Lewiston Wildlife Habitat.

There are five-acres of paved trails winding through a variety of trees, grasses and meadows that support wildlife I didn’t even know I could see here.   Canaries, hawks, deer, rabbits, tadpoles . . . and that was just on a Tuesday!   At each entrance, boxes are stocked with birding checklists and brochures for the 15-station, self-guided tour of habitat eco-systems and wildlife viewing at spots like the rock fountain and the Aspen colony.

Every season, the habitat offers something to enjoy – from underwater viewing of fish and frogs in the stream to birdwatching in the enclosed blind and rabbit watching in the meadow. Whatever the season, most of my time is spent at the pond. In the spring and summer, I love to sit on the small dock and watch the dragonflies in the cattails and the turtle on the lilypads. It’s where – in the dead of winter – my boyfriend proposed to me with snow falling on the barren, frozen water.  If there’s magic anywhere, it’s here.

There are other preserved nature areas in Lewiston, like the Ruth Modi Park Conservancy, but the Lewiston Wildlife Habitat has something special that draws me back for a walk on the wild side time and time again. Do yourself the favor and stop in – you can thank me later!

Ride Of Your Life Winners!

We sure appreciate your patience with this announcement – we’ve now contacted each winner and confirmed their ability to take the Ride Of Their Life Adventure.  So, without further ado . . . congratulations to:

• Tyler Barkstrom of Spokane, WA, will enjoy the Ultimate Extreme Adventure Tour
• Mary Kukowski of Missoula, MT, will enjoy the Historical Adventure Tour
• Wendi Haught of Hayden, ID, will enjoy the Culinary Adventure Tour
• Melissa Gephardt of Mountain Home, ID, will enjoy the Family Adventure Tour

If you weren’t one of the lucky four – you can still follow in their footsteps. Just head on over to Everlater and find the adventure itinerary of our choice. Happy adventuring!!

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