A Strange Day of Connections in Bonners Ferry

I was staying in Bonners Ferry, ID yesterday and didn’t realize what a connection I had to the place. I knew I had some distant relatives that lived there—and, I knew my Mother lived there at one time, however I didn’t know the timeframe or circumstances. I myself had not been there since I was a kid.

Here is a bit of my day yesterday that you may find of interest. I have a second cousin who has owned a gift shop right in the heart of downtown for twenty years now. I stopped in and walked around the store until she recognized me…..it was quite a surprise—she ended up inviting me over for dinner.

Before I headed to dinner I first went to check-in to my B&B http://www.paradisevalleyinn.com. During check-in I had a wonderful conversation with Kristin, the owner of the bed and breakfast. I then made my way to my cousin’s place (Pamela), however the roads are newly named and the GPS was of no assistance. My Mother happened to call while I was driving around aimlessly…she was a great help guiding me to Pamela’s house. My Mom is such a sweetheart, she actually offered to fly up so she could show me around town. 🙂 Anyhow, en route I interrupted my Mom to tell her I had to take a quick picture of this cool barn…she described it to me to a tee…I said “how did you know?” She said, “that’s a relative…it’s your uncle Bob’s brother.”

I made it to my cousin and her husband’s house and had a lovely evening, which included a home-cooked meal and a lively political discussion…happily we were all on the same page. I ended up learning that my relatives happen to make up half the town’s population. Many people do not know this, but my Mother’s side of the family are all Mennonites, which if you’re not familiar is a pretty devout religion…similar in some ways to the Amish.

On my way out of town I stopped by this gas station to fuel-up before my trek to Banff. As I went inside to pay I noticed a Mennonite woman running the cashier (this is a pretty odd sight as most are hidden away on farms). I know there are a lot of Regehr’s (which happens to be my middle name) and Dirk’s in the area (both popular Mennonite names), so I asked her what her last name was…sure enough it was “Dirk.” And, of course she happens to know my aunt and uncle who farm in a small town outside of Mountain Home, ID.

Anyhow, it was kind of an interesting day of “connections” that I thought I’d share with you all.

Mike Shubic

Mike Shubic is a seasoned road trip travel video blogger, traversing the byways of the world looking for those hidden gems of the road. From unique destinations, unexpected discoveries, creative cuisine, intriguing inns to exciting attractions…the road is his page. The experiences are his ink. And every 300 miles, a new chapter begins. Whether you live vicariously or by example, Mike will do the exploring so you can have an adventure.

2 Comments

Jean Littleton says:

July 21, 2010 at 3:42 am

Hi Mike-I “re-met” you last Feb when your mom brought me & some other school friends over to your home.I knew you when you were very small & she was married to my brother before he died. I have not gone through all your trip pictures & stories yet, but have enjoyed the ones I have & the YouTube ones I’ve seen. I hope you get a lot of sponsors along the way. If you go through Bonners Ferry again, you know there are people you can stay with, instead of the B & B. It is so beautiful up there. I love going up & discovering all the back roads in the mountains. The views are breath taking. A group of us just finished floating down the Moyie river – what a great time -even for us “old timers”.Enjoy your journey. You did not mention all the great art work you do also.Post that on line too.
1. Mike's Road Trip says:
  
  July 21, 2010 at 3:49 am
  
  Hi Jean! Yes, I recall when you guys came by. Thanks so much for posting. Hope to hear you chime in from time-to-time.