Gold Hill Trail

Today has been a lazy day. I spent all morning waiting the for cable guy to hook-up my internet and as a result got glued to the tv and Cesar Milan's show "The Dog Whisperer." There was a dog who was obsessed with rocks! After the cable guy left I swore I was going to go enjoy the day, but then I got glued to my laptop and being reconnected to the internet. Now it's raining...

I'm also a little worn out from the hike I did yesterday on the Gold Hill trail. It was significantly longer than the other hike with a gain in elevation of about 1200 feet. The view was amazing. It was awesome to see the Long Bridge, Lake Pend Oreille and Sandpoint from above. We got a early start to avoid the heat of the day, which also means we had the trail to ourselves most of the way. That was nice, as Buck could be off his leash, except that I started to imagine scenarios where I was attacked by a Grizzly Bear or Black Bear and Buck had to run for help just like Lassie. At the end of the trail we cooled off with a dip in Bottle Bay.

A few nights ago I met some locals at Eichardts downtown. I received great recommendations about trails, places in town, nearby places to visit and possibly even a friend to help me repair my chronically difficult bike.

Here is a link to some more pictures of the trip out here and the area. There is a cool map feature I used that will show you where the pictures were taken! http://picasaweb.google.com/eknugent/WelcomeToIdaho

Mineral Point

At the Ranger’s Station I received a great packet full of different trails in the area. I decided to try an easy 4 mile hike with Buck. I can barely remember the last time I went hiking, and I was not sure how Buck would behave on the trails. I set out for Sagle, which is about 5 miles south of Sandpoint. Between the winding back-roads, my driving, and the poor shocks in the back of my car Buck got carsick. I did not realize this until we got to the trail head (after being lost for about 20 minutes), but I do remember at some point during the drive wondering why this part of the county smelled like dog food. Thankfully, I have a blanket on the backseat for him and it was easily cleaned up.

While on the trail I was constantly wondering how to describe what it was like to hike with Buck. The best analogy I came up with was a car. The dog simply has no cruise control. He is one of those cars that trails behind you, but does not pass you. If you move to let him pass, he cruises by, but then slows down to a crawl, or better yet, stops completely. I do not know how many times I ran into him, or he stepped on the back of my sandals. The positive side to it all was that I could let him off leash, and he stayed close by.

Visually, the trail was stunning. I kept coming around corners to see a view of Lake Pend Oreille stretching before the Monarch Mountains (I think). The trail led us to Garfield Bay and a very sparsely populated stone beach. There were only four other people that I spotted. The water was crystal clear, and refreshingly cool. Buck was in heaven. There were not a lot of waves and as a result he was much more comfortable going in the water. I started throwing him his ball, but he kept bringing it back to me (like a good boy!), but then he would shake his coat right next to me. I started throwing sticks and driftwood which lead him to create a little stock pile behind me as I kept grabbing new ones to throw.

On the hike back Buck had a surge of energy from cooling off in the water and was a much better hiking partner. He ran ahead, stopped, ran back to me, ran ahead, stopped and waited for me, ran behind me, and ran ahead of me the whole way back to the trail head. Good thing was that if I called him to me, he gladly came. Overall it was a good trip. No pain for me, Buck behaved, and some gorgeous pictures. I am going to miss this once works starts!

Meet Buck

Many of you know I was planning on getting a dog once I moved out here. Well, it didn't take me long. On Thursday I had a "play-date" with Buck and on Friday I took the little rascal home. He is...just great. I do not think I could have described a better dog. He's at home in the backyard alone for the first time right now. I can't stop thinking about him! Do you think he's lonely? I know he is.

He is a bearded collie - terrier mix. He's 10 months old. He was a stray at a "kill-shelter" that no one came to claim. A woman who runs a Second Chance Pet Rescue snapped him before his time and cleaned him up. His coat was mangled with fleas and he could barely see through the mess of hair that covered his eyes. He was rough and wild when she got him, but through the Cesar Millan method she had him behaving within a week!

He rarely tugs on the leash when we walk, and if he does, I lightly tug back and he heels without me saying a word. He has such a desire to please me and be loved. Oh, does he want to be loved. The little guy cannot get enough of it! If I sit on the floor he sprawls into my lap and rolls over so I can rub his belly. He also does not bark, unless I leave him in his crate when I leave the house. He follows me everywhere! I had to set the limit on the shower - but it's good to know it may be easy to get him in there to get cleaned up! I walk him down to the lake to play fetch, or on one of the many bike/pedestrian trails around here. We also took a trip to one of the state parks.

I also took him to the farmer's market on Saturday where I got homemade jam and fresh peaches. He stayed next to me and let everyone pet him without jumping up. He was just happy to be included. I ran into my new boss and new supervisor while I was down there and if he behaves he is allowed on the campus with me - so cross your fingers.

There was so much I was thinking about writing, but now that I'm finally at the internet cafe and writing about Buck, all I want to do is go back home to him! We're going to walk over to the ranger's station when I get home (about a mile from my house) to get some information on hiking in the area - maybe Schweitzer's?

"there's no place like home..."

I made it!! The drive was pretty uneventful. I remember the stories we heard better than the landscape! We brought a couple of books on CD with us and as a result the majority of the time we were lost in other worlds. Illinois, Minnesota and North Dakota had us navigating the Canary Islands as an oceanographer searching for a buried city with two dolphins named Pete and Susie. While driving through the other half of North Dakota and the beginning of Montana we were lost in northern New Hampshire listening to a family grow through loss and grief. We are still finishing the last book, "The Kite Runner," that took us through Montana and into Idaho. I read it last summer, but my mom and Bill are on their first go-around and find it "spellbinding." After dinner we've spent our evenings here in Sandpoint listening the book from my laptop. It feels like we're in the 1930's sitting around an old radio waiting for the next chapter and what will come next. Honestly, it's kind of fun.

Right after pulling into town on Sunday we went driving around in the rain and snooped in all the windows and yards of the places I was lined up to see on Monday with the rental agency. The one I was crossing my fingers for looked great. It even had a fenced in yard for my potential new pup. My appointment was at 1:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon and by 1:50 p.m. my lease was signed, with approval from the landlord to have a dog. ABF Moving did a fantastic job and my trailer full of material possessions looked exactly as I had packed it and was sitting in front of my little cottage waiting to be unloaded. I recommend them to anyone making a long distance move. It's about the same rental price as U-Haul, but they pay for gas and do all the driving. Considering the mountain passes we were driving through - the small difference more than paid for itself. Almost everything is unpacked now and we're thinking about grilling in the backyard tonight on the Webber grill my dad snapped-up for me right before I left Royal Oak. In all honesty, it's going to be more of Grilling 101 session. I have a few things to learn.

Sandpoint...is everything I remember it being from my interview visit. I know it's only been a few days, but there is this calmness that overcomes me being in this part of the country. I now understand why they call the area of Montana close to here God's Country. In the mornings I've been walking to the Long Bridge that spans Lake Pend Oreille and I cannot even find the words to begin to describe it. My instinct is to say that it is "breathtaking," but the feeling is more the opposite in that I want to breathe deeply and somehow take into my body all the beauty that's before me. My mom compares this view with that of Lake Zurich in Switzerland. I think the view seemed the most idyllic to me when the coal train started chugging by us on the other bridge spanning the lake. It somehow all seemed too beautiful to be real. Pictures are forthcoming.

I did not realize I would write so much! There is grocery shopping and unpacking that needs to be done. But what I am really looking forward to is wiping my feet on my new doormat with two ruby red slippers on it that reads, "There's no place like home."

a celestial event of cosmic debris

Some people have to remind themselves to stop and smell the roses. I literally stop to smell the roses quite often, sometimes maybe too much. Perhaps a reminder more suiting for me might be to stop to watch the shooting stars. My little cousin was talking about the meteor shower throughout the night as we were eating the best popcorn ever and watching a cute romantic comedy. She and my aunt were going outside to take a look and even though I was thinking how every meteor shower is the same and that I really wanted to go home and start the last Harry Potter book my cousin just gave me, I decided to go take a look, too. We laid down on the deck all snuggled up in blankets and staring up at the sky. I started to think of the other meteor showers I had taken the time to watch in my life. They all seemed to be surrounded by the theme, or idea of slowing down and taking the time to actually live my life, to suck all of the marrow out of it, if you will. It seemed to be a fitting reminder as I am getting ready to embark on the next big journey of my life. I know it will be tempting to rush into my new world to try and make it everything I am expecting, but what if I could just slow down and let it show me everything it has to offer me first?

I've been thinking for days how to write this first entry. I guess it's done now. It wasn't that hard, but I'm still gnawing over how I am going to describe the experience of this past week as I said my goodbyes. There are all these crazy metaphors running through my mind, but it has been hard to give clear, concise words to it. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe a metaphor will just have to do.