On Golden Pend Oreille (Pond-er-ay)

We live in what has often been documented as one of the most beautiful areas in America. That's nice to know.

What's even better, however, is that many days out of the year we can have a piece of that phenomenal beauty all to ourselves.

That was the case yesterday when I drove off from Schweitzer Conoco with my Snickers almond bar and French Roast coffee (afternoon caffeine fix) and headed down HWY 200 to take some photos.

I made up my mind about ten miles out that Trestle Creek picnic grounds would be a nice place to stop.

We do have all those turn-outs on the highway between Pack River Flats and Hope, but with the beauty of our Lake Pend Oreille, sometimes it's just nice to get a little more connected----connected with the sound of frigid waves of water slapping shiny wet rocks, with the sight of a Bald eagle eyeing your every move from a limb high up in a tree and with the knowledge that yours are the only footprints making a trail through what's left of last night's snow.

In my walk, I looked for photos and found a few----nothing special, though,  when you consider the infinite array of drop-dead images our lake provides every second of every minute of every day of every year. 

I wanted to blow really hard----even though the wind was already doing that---up toward Schweitzer and send that bank of clouds hanging over the mountaintop on its way.

That would have made a nice picture. The stubborn clouds hung over the basin.

As always along lake and river shorelines,  I scanned my rocky route for arrowheads.  Finding an arrowhead in North Idaho still remains on my bucket list.  I've spent years searching with no luck.

The best part of the entire walk was knowing that the eagle and I, along with a few Canadian honkers,  were the few occupants of that lovely picnic grounds where summers bring hundreds of sunbathers, swimmers, picnicers and boats.

An even greater aspect of yesterday's experience is knowing that I can enjoy that same solitude along several of America's "most beautiful" lakeshore lines many months out of the year. 

And, it doesn't cost a cent---'cept the gas, the candy bar and the coffee.