Slight Detour: Road Oft Traveled

This dirt road, oft traveled, is important to me.

Winding its way along a creek northeast of Sandpoint, it helped ignite my love for taking the back roads and the back country within all those mountains that surround our general area.

Grouse Creek Road circa 1968 needed some improvements, and before the actual improvements occur road engineers and their teams of helpers plot the necessary details leading toward a plan.

My partner Mary "Sis" Ballenger from Heron, Mont., climbed up hillsides and down hillsides with survey tape and abnes for several weeks during my first summer working for the Forest Service engineers, some of whom became good friends in real life and later even on Facebook.

Yup, my current FB friends George Agar and Dick "Huckleberry" Creed helped launch my limited knowledge of road surveying along with a whole lot more about understanding and navigating the great outdoors on foot and in a "rig."

Because of that initial experience, where we surveyed nine miles of cuts and fills on this road every 50 feet on several summer days, I began a lifelong passionate love for exploring beaten and unbeaten pathways.

I drove to Grouse Creek last night because Bill was up there fishing somewhere. As usual, I captured some neat scenes along the way.

I never did find Bill and learned later that, because of some brush work going on along the road when he drove through earlier in the afternoon, he chose to go further up the road than usual.

By the time I arrived after dinner, the equipment sat idle, and operators must have gone home for the day. At the time Bill arrived, however, the equipment as still busy, and he did not want to interfere with their work by parking alongside the road. So, he moved on up Grouse Creek.

Meanwhile, I drove to the Wiley Nob trail head (where I once road Lily on a Fourth of July trail ride) and turned around in the parking lot.

Since the late '60s, I'd say my trips back to Grouse Creek could easily surpass the century mark.

The main road and its tributaries, for me, have always been just a fun place to "go back to" and to explore in a rig, aboard a horse, on snow shoes or even just on foot, always quietly reminiscing those first few experiences with my summer job.

Like so many back roads, the Grouse Creek route is pretty, and it has lured many independent souls who prefer to live off the grid or at least well hidden from the craziness/busy-ness of the outside world.

Since those days of discovering the vastness of the back country so many decades ago, I have been fortunate to explore many other similar routes leading to the majesty of the mountains and to many many moments of awe.

Grouse Creek and the memories of those summer days in hard hats and boots, climbing up and down hillsides and exchanging continuous banter with my fun bosses will always remain special.

Good times, indeed.

Camino Update: I think they walked into Spain today. Haven't heard much yet, so be sure to check www.adventuregirlannie.com for the latest news.

Happy Thursday to all.