Fun and Sun

Twas a gorgeous early January day yesterday and no appreciable snow in the valleys around North Idaho.  A lot of ice, though.  Bill had been hearing enough about eagles, so he wanted to go see the sights for himself.  That meant my third trip to Bayview and Farragut this week.  We met a lot of folks along the trail after leaving our truck at the parking area.  "Eagles have left," most told us, adding that we may see a few out over the lake, which we did. Never mind that the eagle population had decreased; the sunshine made up for a disappointing eagle-watching venture.  And, when we had done our stroll along some trails and the shoreline and climbed back up to the viewpoint, what did we see?  A lot of folks from Sandpoint.  While some were still there, I lined 'em up for a class picture, so to speak.
That would be Bill, Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodriff, and Dr. Randy and Donna Cope with their 7-month old pup.  I learned from Randy that everyone in town but him knows he's retired.  He's still practicing at his internal medicine practice.  Randy and I first met in the M & J Foodmarket nearly 37 years ago when our firstborns, Willie and Jeremy, were just months old and riding in the shopping cart.  We've been friends ever since.  So, there was a lot of note comparing among this group on "what the kids were doing."  After they went on their way, Barry, the new Panida manager, walked up, and we visited with him. 

Bill's taking the lead on a trail up the hillside after our stroll along the Lake Pend Oreille shoreline.  It was an especially fun outing as we reminisced several times about our first meeting at Farragut more than 40 years ago. 

We met this guy and his family, along with a lot of other dogs and their peeps. 

The boat launch at Farragut near Sunrise picnic ground. 

Two heads lookin' for eagles.

Can't beat the beauty of the lake and mountains at Farragut.   Well, maybe out at Hope or in Sandpoint or Sunnyside----is there an ugly place on Lake Pend Oreille?  I don't think so. 

Bayview is to the left of this photo, looking north on Lake Pend Oreille. 

On our way home from Farragut, Bill wanted to stop at one place to show me something.  I figured it was a geocache.  There was one there, but this was something similar, called a "letterbox," an activity dating back 150 years.  He said you don't take stuff from a letterbox, just look at it and stamp a log book with the stamp inside the box.  He pulled out a document from this letterbox; it happened to be the Sandpoint Magazine cover story I wrote in 1998 about Farragut Naval Training Base.  Pretty cool. 

We were in a bit of a hurry to get back home to feed horses and then hurry to my sisters' house for yet another phenomenal ZAGS victory, but the stunning late afternoon sun rays on the Cabinet Mountains from Sandpoint City Beach called for a quick side trip.
No, I don't think there's any spot on Lake Pend Oreille that fails elicit total awe, especially on a day like yesterday.  The sun certainly performed its magic in God's Country.