By Katie Banning
St. Maries, Idaho, is a quaint little town nestled in the St. Joe Valley where the St. Joe and the St. Maries Rivers meet. There are spectacular forests and rivers, Little League games and farmers markets.
Bonners Ferry, Idaho, is also a quaint little town in far North Idaho and serves as a picturesque international gateway for throngs of visitors every year yet remains the small, quiet town that locals still call home.
It’s a 128 mile drive between the two Idaho towns.
Joy Larson and Bob Diananda loaded up their 2016 Dodge Ram pick-up for a weekend road-trip to Bonners Ferry from their home in St. Maries to attend Joy’s sister Brook’s wedding to Jesse Dunham on Saturday, June 7.
Three stops and three hours later, they made it to their destination. They pulled into the Kootenai River Inn and Casino and stepped out to begin unloading their belongings for the weekend when a distraction sounded.
“Meowwwww!”
Both looked up, suitcases set down without realization, attention focused on the cries of a creature in need of help. Without a word they parted ways, going car to car to find and rescue the source of the plaintive cries.
After several minutes of searching, they met again at their truck … and much to their surprise, out poked the head of small and very familiar black and white feline.
“PIPPY!!”
It was their cat, Pippy, who had unbeknownst to them hitched a 128 mile ride in the undercarriage of the Dodge, not revealing her presence until they’d reached their destination, where was received and celebrated as the princess she is.
For two days, Pippy enjoyed her lush Tempur-Pedic mattress and her fluffy down comforter. She even got a new and luxurious litter box out of the deal, and was celebrated as a surprise maid of honor at a beautiful Bonners Ferry wedding, a small patch of gold under her chin qualifying her as dressed appropriately in calico.