Kiaya and I have been best friends for probably twenty years which feels like forever. We did sports together, went to the same elementary school and high school together, and hung out every chance we could. We have been through it all. A few months ago, we talked about having a little normalcy and doing something we have not done, a girls’ birthday trip. My birthday is on May 19th and Kiaya’s is on May 25th, so it is the best excuse to get away and have some girl time. So, it was decided a road trip it is!
After a couple of months of getting some ideas by creating a shared Pinterest board, an idea came to me. We wanted to be kids again and to escape the adult life for a weekend. What better way to be a kid again? Amusement parks. Where is the best amusement park close to Washington? Silverwood, located in Athol Idaho. Kiaya thought this was so exciting and we were just ready for some adrenaline-pumping rides and fun games. When it came to where we wanted to stay, we chose Coeur d’Alene, Idaho because it was a close enough location where we could venture out and do stuff on the days we were not at the park. I personally do not have a lot of experience with Airbnb but Kiaya was quick to jump on and find the cutest little cabin. We planned on being gone a total of three days giving us time to go to the park, do some shopping, and explore.
The day finally came when I headed to Ephrata, Washington to be with Kiaya! I spent the night at her and her husband’s new home and we made food and got ready to hit the road the next morning. Kiaya of course took over as DJ while I drove. No road trip is complete without a full hour of Disney’s best on Pandora Radio. Yep, were those kinds of 27-year-old women. We finally made it to Spokane, Washington, and stopped downtown at one of my favorite spots, The Onion. One of the oldest restaurants in Spokane, they have such amazing food. Next, we made a stop at Trader Joe’s. I have never been to Trader Joes; I have only seen hauls on Tik Tok. I see the hype now. It’s my new favorite store. So many amazing, yummy things! After that stop, it was time to hit the road for a while longer to get to Idaho. My favorite part about Idaho is a lot of the cute vintage shops they have. Kiaya and I love to go to these places, so I was able to take her to a couple in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Once we finished vintage shopping for the day, we headed over to our Cowboy Cabin and got dinner.
We stayed at an RV park that had rental cabins and these were literally 20 minutes away from Silverwood. Our cabin was called the Cowboy Cabin. It was a small cabin that was decorated with all the cutest western décor and felt so homey. It was nice to have such a small cabin because we were able to hang out a lot more and not feel so separated, it was so cozy. The cabin was surrounded by lots of trees, so we loved to go on walks in the evening.
It was finally the day, Silverwood day! We were so ready to hit the park and have such a fun day. We started by doing the touristy thing and getting our picture because it’s Silverwood! Then it was off to start finding all the rides. I think we rode everything except for one. I even went on rides that go upside down which I absolutely hate, but you do them to get out of your comfort zone and have fun with your best friend. After the rides, we hit up some games and won some prizes. By the time we finished, we got hit with a massive rainstorm that turned into thunder and lightning. By then we were there most of the day and it was time to head out and grab a yummy dinner at Red Lobster. We got back to the cabin, got comfy, and watched a movie.
On the last day, we cleared out of the cabin and hit the road to travel back to Spokane and do some shopping! In between, we hit up Panera and had a little lunch to get us fueled up for more shopping. Once we shopped till we dropped it was sadly time to head home. Time to head through all the traffic and head back to reality. Crank up the tunes, and take in the last moments of an amazing trip.
The best part about trips like these is all the memories, the talks, the photos, and the experiences we gain. We get closer to our friends. We take the time to stop being busy and just go with the flow and have fun. Take time with your best friend. Take the road trip. Make the memories. Have the experiences. Those are the best things to collect in life.