Monday, December 05, 2011

Kootenai Valley Elixir


Works almost every time.
A walk through virtually any portion of the vast Kootenai Valley serves as an antidote to the blahs.  
Yesterday was no exception.
I was a bit disappointed that we arrived late to our destination, the gateway to the Nature Conservancy's Ball Creek Ranch.
Arriving late on any winter afternoon in that area is gonna play havoc with sunshine.
Tall mountains of the Selkirk chain block out the sun by mid-afternoon.
It was about 2:30 when we set off on the trail, across the big stretch of open fields. 
Most of the trail once served as a dike back in the pre-Libby-dam days when the valley endured annual floods. 
So, the walk from west to east provides uninterrupted views for miles to the north and south. 
I snapped a few photos as we began and then figured the day would be remembered more for the brisk walk and fresh air than any photos.
Once more, my assumption proved happily wrong.
As the trail began to wind northeast, other side trails took off from dike-side toward the river.
While Bill went on the main trail with the dogs, I made my way to the bottom land and explored some spots I'd never seen---though we've taken that walk a time or two before.
And, the picture opportunities opened up.  Even though the sun was hiding behind the Cabinets, its rays were sneaking off across the sky.  
The effect was magnificent.
I also looked up after hearing some noisy geese coming from the north. 
Unwittingly, they provided me a little something different for a photo.  
The moon helped out too.  At that moment, I figured that if ya can't depend on the sun, the moon will come through.
All blahs from Saturday's gray day disappeared, thanks to that 3.5-4-mile late afternoon walk.
At one time, while Bill was walking below along the river with the dogs, hoping to scare up a pheasant, I watched to the north as two unknown critters far, far way raced at top speed across a portion of the huge valley.
With all that emptiness, I wondered what had triggered their need to run.
Maybe they felt fully alive just like I did and were running out of pure joy.
Yes, the Kootenai Valley,  with its rich farmland,  provides endless amounts of nourishment for animals and humans.
More importantly, for me, however, is its constancy in feeding my emotional needs virtually any time of the year.
Indeed, the place is a wonderful spot on this earth.

3 comments:

live love laugh hope said...

Beautiful!

laurie said...

these photos are simply breath-taking! the first should be framed - i could look at it forever.

MLove said...

Thank you, Connie and Laurie.