Monday, August 22, 2016

Playing "Turists" at Priest Lake





About a year ago, my sisters expressed interest in seeing Priest Lake.  They had never really been to the lake before, so on that Saturday afternoon, we set off in that direction, hoping for the best. 

Well, the best was not to be that day because forest-fire smoke from fires in Washington had drifted that way, leaving little or no visibility anywhere around the lake.  

The trip was not a complete loss, however.  We enjoyed an ice cream cone from Leonard Paul's at Coolin, and, of course, drove by the house which we're pretty sure NBA legend John Stockton owns at the lake. 

We visited the museum along the lake shore and enjoyed dinner after dark at the Nordman store and cafe.

With this past weekend open from scheduled activities for the first time all summer, my sister Laurie mentioned to me Saturday evening that they'd love to do something Sunday afternoon.  I thought about possibilities overnight and figured maybe they'd like to see Priest Lake withOUT all that smoke. 

Of course, they did, as did Bill.  So, off we went, designating this particular Sunday drive as our big "turist event" of the summer. 

We were gone six hours or so, and during that time, we enjoyed a brisk breeze and beautiful sights while strolling and taking pictures the enjoyment to be had along the shoreline at Beaver Creek Campgound.  

Then, we moved on to Hill's Resort for a late-afternoon lunch.  This was a big event for me since I'd never eaten at Hill's nor had my sisters.  

Bill, though, recalled an event years ago when he was at a luncheon at Hill's, which included then Gov. Cecil Andrus who had come to address the group. 

Then, John Stockton walked in, Bill recalled---adding that suddenly everyone's interest in the governor quickly diminished in favor of some upclose and personal time with Stockton.

Well, yesterday, no celebrity sightings at the restaurant during our leisurely lunch but definitely some of the best, cheesiest nachos I've ever had. 

We walked the docks, which were rocking and rolling and definitely giving me the sense that the glass of wine I'd sipped with lunch may have been a mistake.  

When I saw a boat demonstrating about the same lack of stability alongside the dock, I decided maybe the wine had been okay. 

On our way back to Sandpoint, where the rest of our stretch of Liam-proof fence between our place and Bert Wood's cows needed to be completed, we noticed brown skies to the south and the east. 

We learned later that once again forest-fire smoke from three raging blazes around the Spokane area was drifting into Idaho, along with a lot of ashes.  Sadly, homes have been lost and families, displaced. 

Kind of ironic that we and a lot of other folks had been enjoying a clear, beautiful August day up Priest Lake way while others were experiencing one of the worst days of their lives just miles away. 

Hoping for the best for the Spokane residents who experienced so much loss yesterday and grateful for the few hours we spent in a beautiful place where Mother Nature had decided to spare this time around. 

Happy Monday. 



























3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the great pic's! Love Priest Lake and try to spend as many weekends at my cabin as I can. Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Matt

Helen said...

The "museum" you visited was once our home - in 1966. That beach is where the girls learned to swim. I made the red slipcovers on the cushions on the "couch". Fulton Messmore was one of the CCC guys who built it. We had 5 months of living in paradise there before Skip was transferred back to Sandpoint from the PLRS. We think Luby Bay is the best spot on the lake. Lois Hill (Hill's resort) died only recently. The Hill children continue to operate the resort. Priest Lake is really a GEM in the gem state.

Anonymous said...

Helen, Delar Messmore. Not only did my Grampa help build this, he was the super on this job. I think, not sure he was working for the Forest Service then, and of course the cabin was to be the ranger station there. He also rebuilt the cabin on a work boat called the "Clear Jo" which you can find photos of online. It is long gone. It had 4 big windows in the cabin to resemble portholes. Gramps gave the cores cut out of them to my aunts and his wife for use as butcher boards.

I have not been there in years. There should be a table top cut out of a large stump and most/ all the hands signed it and gave it to Gramps, who later donated it to the museum

Marianne, I never really knew you though I know who you are. Most the folks who were friends when I was young were folks such as in George Massing's class, now gone