A Sunday Outing . . . .

Everyone came out of the woodwork, it seemed, as we enjoyed a break in the rain yesterday.

It was an "instant happy pill" day, of sorts with coats generally cast aside and even one pair of outdoor adventurers challenging the elements and pushing February into summer mode by floating down the Moyie River from Meadow Creek campground to the Moyie dam. 

Yup, when we pulled into an area where we could see the falls up close and personal, we encountered a couple of guys in their insulated suits loading a large pontoon float boat into the back of their pickup. 

They told us the river, which is high and mighty this time of the year, was great for their outing, which took an hour and a half. 

We said good bye and headed by foot on the road up the river, picking our way through mud puddles and melting snow pack.  Turned out to be about a 2.5 mile roundtrip walk with the reward of some open spots where we could see large ice chunks in the river. 

We also met a couple of guys who had taken their 4-wheeler up the road to do some target practicing. 

Bill wanted to check his favorite fall fishing stream.  It will be a while before it recedes to levels or clarity where a fish could spot a fly floating atop the water. 

Still, it made for a nice early, early spring hike, after Bill's initial disappointment that the road leading into a "put-in" place on the Kootenai River just inside the Montana border off HWY 2 was blocked from snow. 

We took the back road from that point along Old HWY 2 and before Moyie spotted some elk enjoying their afternoon in a farmer's field. 

Twas a nice adventure yesterday, topped off with hotdogs loaded with sauerkraut, relish and mustard at Bonners Ferry's Zip Trip.  Bill, the convenience store "ready-to-eat" aficionado, has been telling me for some time that I needed to see the spread at the Zip Trip.

So, now I've given it a try, and I agree that the hotdog varieties (which even include cheeseburger flavor) along with the wide array of condiments make for a tasty and inexpensive dinner on the road. 

And, so it's Monday, and it's raining again.  That's okay because there's the weekend ahead, which will be filled with many more adventures and plenty of sun with my sisters.

I think I'd better keep that camera battery charged up cuz the photo album should grow by leaps and bounds before it's all over. 

Happy Monday.