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Despite an early strike, Clark Fork keeps its
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July 2012 | FREE | www.RiverJournal.com
THE RIVER JOURNAL It was a frightening night twenty-five years ago, but worth every second. A happy, happy birthday to you, Dustin.
Nothing’s better than Summer in North Idaho!
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Jinx Beshears; Gil Beyer; Scott Clawson; Sandy Compton; Idaho Rep. George Eskridge; Lawrence Fury; Nancy Gerth, Dustin Gannon; Matt Haag; Nancy Hastings, Ernie Hawks; Kathy Osborne; Gary Payton; Paul Rechnitzer, Boots Reynolds; Lou Springer; Mike Turnlund
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.� Aristotle Proudly printed at Griffin Publishing in Spokane, Wash. 509.534.3625 Contents of the River Journal are copyright 2012. Reproduction of any material, including original artwork and advertising, is prohibited. The River Journal is published the first week of each month and is distributed in over 16 communities in Sanders County, Montana, and Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties in Idaho. The River Journal is printed on 40 percent recycled paper with soy-based ink. We appreciate your efforts to recycle.
July 2012
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4. LOGGING IN FARRAGUT A betrayal of community input? 6. MEET THE CORN MAN Jim Cadnum talks 20 years of growing maize in North Idaho 8. A TEAM AND A FIELD Clark Fork residents continue to work toward a team—and a field—of their own. 10. SEEDS OF CHANGE Northern Lights, Inc. provides seeds to those in need. 11. SUPREME COURT DISAPPOINTS Health care wasn’t the only issue considered by the Supremes. Michael Harmelin says when it comes to ‘Stolen Valor,’ they failed. 12. THE BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD Mike Turnlund says don’t use this species as a parenting model. 13. THE BURDEN Sandy advises that at times, it’s best to lay it down. The Scenic Route. 14. THE LITTLE CRITTERS Matt warns it’s time to keep your eyes peeled for unwanted visitors in the woods. On the Game Trail.
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15. STAYCATION LANDSCAPING If the price of gas is keeping you home, your back yard may be a good investment. In the Garden. 16. STORIES TO BE TOLD Gil provides understanding of the costs paid. Veterans’ News. 17. LESSONS IN JUDGEMENT A buffalo—or is it a bison?—reminds Ernie about expectations. The Hawk’s Nest. 18. FILLING A LAKE Rep. George Eskridge explains the politics behind Lake Pend Oreille’s levels. A Seat in the House. 19. IN THE MINE FIELD Paul Rechnizer sees little to brag about in the Bonner County courthouse remodel. Say What?
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22. OBITUARIES 23. SPEAKING FOR THE TREES Gary’s Faith Walk reminds him to keep hope alive. 24. WAY TO GO, GRACE! Jinx finds a partner in her unique brand of adventure. Jinxed 25. NORTHWEST TALES OF THE SURREAL There’s even a Wampus cat! From the Files of the Surrealist Resarch Bureau. 26. THE PROBLEM WITH GARDENING When you’re Jinxed, of course, there’s more than one problem. 27. THINGS TO DO IN HAWAII Scott’s list for fun in the sun 28. ROUGHING IT For Boots, this involves a motor home.
20. CALENDAR Find out what’s happening in Downtown Sandpoint
COVER PHOTO: James Vogel pitches at Clark Fork’s inaugural softball tournament. Photo by Trish Gannon
21. ROCK LAKE Despite what she’s said before, Trish says this is not an easy hike. But it’s worth it. Politically Incorrect
PHOTO BOTTOM LEFT: Kasi Snider as catcher, in a Clark Fork/Noxon game.
THE BEST PART OF REACHING THE TOP IS THE VIEW. WE CAN HELP YOU GET THERE.
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July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page
A Betrayal? Lakeshore Logging in Farragut State Park Farragut State Park is a favorite recreation destination for locals and out-of-town visitors alike. Its miles of beautiful lakeshore are graced by a mix of old growth ponderosa pine and Douglas fir trees and other native plant species… at least for awhile. Unfortunately the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has begun to log their land along the extremely popular Idlewilde Bay lakeshore. You can imagine the shock and dismay of some Farragut neighbors, who hike through the park regularly, when they discovered that the view point at the north end of the park, at Jokuhlaup Point (formerly known as Blackwell Point) had become a three-acre clear-cut. Old, mature Douglas fir as big as 33 inches depth breast high and plainly not obstructing the view, were sawed down. Heavy logging occurred on 10 adjacent acres, also within the lakeshore boundary. Long-time Bayview resort owner Gary MacDonald said, in a letter to Farragut
State Park Manager, Mr. Randall Butt, “Our trust was put in you and others in similar positions and we have been totally betrayed by the heavy-handed butchering of the landscape that was perpetrated at the view point.” The Back Story: In April of 2002 a Draft Work Plan for the park was announced for a Ponderosa Pine Restoration Project. An open house was held August 2002 in Bayview, Idaho to explain the project and receive comments. The vast majority of those in attendance vigorously opposed this plan, which called for extensive logging of mostly old-growth Douglas fir, and controlled burns on approximately 165 acres of the lakeshore area, that went from the shoreline to an elevation of 2,213 feet from Buttonhook Bay to Jokuhlaup Point. As described in an article in the Spokesman-Review (9-17-03), the project would log off about 350 log-truck loads of trees, according to Department of Lands estimates. Popular biking and
hiking trails and roads would be used to transport the logs out of the area. Due to the public outcry the project was put on hold and a Citizens Advisory Committee was formed by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. A Citizens Advisory Committee is typically used to bring public opinion into the planning process for activities contemplated by a government agency. Kootenai Environmental Alliance was represented on the CAC by then Executive Director, Barry Rosenberg, along with six other individuals, including an independent consulting forester, representatives from Coeur d’Alene and Bayview Chambers of Commerce, and a representative of the Audubon Society along with two park users and neighbors. Three government agencies also participated in the CAC: IDPR, IDFG and the Idaho Department of Lands. Monthly meetings of the committee began in December of 2002. The CAC met for almost a year. Field
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page
a guest opinion by Kootenai Environmental Alliance trips were taken to look at other “restoration” projects, and information and scientific data was gathered from numerous experts. A public meeting was held where testimony, opinions and recommendations were recorded. The overwhelming opinion by the public was strongly opposed to any logging in the lakeshore area. After extensive discussion, negotiation and compromise, the members of the CAC came to a consensus and in September 2003 announced its list of findings and recommendations to the public, which included that, “There should be no logging in the lakeshore area, a high use area for park visitors with many trails, campgrounds, picnic areas, playgrounds, swimming and boat launch area and for concern for maintaining aesthetic values associated with the existing forest.” The lakeshore area extends from Idlewilde Bay shoreline, up to an elevation of 2,231 feet. The area incorporates the steeper lakeshore property visible from Lake Pend Oreille, plus areas of heavy recreation use including Whitetail, Snowberry, and Buttonhook campgrounds. Additional recommendations were made for outside of the lakeshore area to address specific forest management strategies related to tree species, work scheduling, fire risk and noxious weeds, as well as impacts on park visitors in user friendly areas. Fast forward to fall of 2011 Since the lakeshore logging has begun, people are asking, “What’s next?” Since much of the shoreline property is under the jurisdiction of the IDFG, questions were directed to that agency. Dave Leptich of IDFG was asked, “Does this mean that you plan ponderosa pine management (logging) along more of the lakeshore area?” His response in an e-mail was, “Generally speaking yes we intend to continue restoration of ponderosa pine with the Farragut WMA (Wildlife Management Area) including our shoreline parcels per the long-term management plan.” (emphasis added) Answers to the question “When?” were evasive. Leptich said that he didn’t think logging would commence again until 2014. As Barry Rosenberg said when the CAC recommendations came out back in 2003, “We hope the Department of Parks and Recreation will take us seriously. We were invited to participate and it seems to me it would be disingenuous for the agency to ignore our recommendations after we spent so much time and energy.” In regard to recommendations for the lakeshore area, both IDPR and the IDFG are dismissing as “advisory only” the CAC’s findings and recommendations that no logging be done. It is no wonder the public feels they are being both manipulated and betrayed. Kootenai Environmental Alliance is working with Friends of Farragut and other grassroots groups to explore the options available so the public has a say about what “management” practices will be implemented in future “restoration” projects— in Farragut State park and on all of OUR public lands. If you’d like to speak out and help preserve Farragut State Park’s natural beauty call Paul Chesney with Friends of Farragut at (509) 279-0911 or email chesneyp(at)televar.com or Harvey Brannigan (hbranning(at)care2.com. You may also contact the Kootenai Environmental Alliance at www.kealliance.org. The Citizens Advisory Committee recommendations are viewable at /forest. For more information on what is happening in the park you can visit www.farragutpark.org. Photo (left) by David Blaine (Spokane) via Wikimedia Commons
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This Area’s ‘Hidden’ Celebrity, AKA The Corn Man, Talks Food, Farming and his Delicious Product Those of us of a certain age carry a memory of summer that will never be erased—the sheer anticipation-laced joy of hearing the ice cream truck as it rolled onto your street. For some of us who end up in the Sandpoint area in late summer at just the right time, that feeling is matched by the arrival of The Corn Man at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market. A mob forms as soon as he’s spotted unloading those large, burlap bags filled with golden goodness, and those late to the party stand in the line anxiously, hoping they’re close enough to buy a dozen ears before they’re sold out. It wouldn’t surprise me if some enterprising youngster develops an app to announce The Corn Man’s appearance. The Corn Man also goes by the name Jim Cadnum, and he lives and farms up in the ‘north country’ of Bonners Ferry. He took a little time after a day’s work in the fields to answer a few questions about his journey to becoming the area’s most appreciated fall celebrity. Q. What is your background? Are you a native or a newcomer to the area? How long have you been farming? A. I grew up on a small farm in northern Ohio. My father grew sweet corn so I learned how to pick when I was about 12. My
two younger brothers and I spent a large portion of the summer months hoeing corn. I moved to Boundary County in 1976. I first started selling sweet corn at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market in 1995. I grew an experimental crop in 1994 but I only sold about 600 dozen that year. So I have been farming here for 18 years. I was in my late 40s when I began and now I’m in my mid 60s. I can hardly believe that it has been that long. Q. Do you do anything other than grow corn? A. My profession is forestry. I worked for many years for a timber company. Beginning in 1995 I became a consultant forester. I still take on an occasional job but I’m mostly retired from forestry work. Beating the brush at my age is not as easy as it was when I was in my 50s. Q. Corn isn’t particularly easy to grow here in North Idaho. What kind of set-up do you have for growing? A. You’re correct that it isn’t easy growing corn here. All the cool weather and rain in May and June make it difficult to get the plantings started. Once the warmer weather arrives in July, the corn takes off. I’m fortunate to have good soil on the northern edge of the Kootenai Valley. The location generally experiences warmer temperatures than are found in many
Page | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| July 2012
Boundary County areas. I have an excellent well so there is no shortage of water for irrigating. My operation is large enough to require equipment. I have a tractor, plow, disk, drag, cultipacker, cultivator, roto-tiller, and rotary mower. I also have a grain drill. I sow peas as a cover crop where I grew corn the previous year. I use the grain drill for sowing the peas. I don’t have much competition because most people aren’t foolish enough to invest in so much equipment in order to grow a couple of acres of sweet corn. Q. It’s an old adage that corn should be ‘knee high by the 4th of July.’ Is that true in this area? A. That old saying is more applicable to field corn grown in the Midwest. I have five plantings spaced about 10 days apart, so the final planting is usually barely up by July 4. Even my first planting won’t be knee high on July 4 this year. Conditions have been worse than usual this year. The ornamental corn is a field corn and it is nearly knee high now. Q. What type of corn do you grow? A. For many years I have grown a yellow, sugar-enhanced variety called Kandy King. The seed company has discontinued producing this variety. This year my first three plantings are Kandy King. I am trying a new variety—Honey Select. It is supposed to be even better-tasting than Kandy King. The problem is that Honey Select takes about a week longer to mature. I will have to find a new variety for the first planting in the future. Then I will use Honey Select for the rest of the plantings if people like it. I have enough Kandy King seed to use for the first planting for the next two or three years. After then it will likely not germinate very well. Q. Do you have any tips for local gardeners on how to get a corn crop? A. Proper location is the most important requirement for growing corn in northern Idaho. Areas in Boundary County are generally better suited for growing sweet corn than those in Bonner County. There are varieties of sweet corn that mature in about 60 days in the Midwest. A home gardener should look for an early maturing variety. The ears will be smaller and less tasty, but at least there will likely be a crop to harvest in cooler locations. The early maturing
varieties are not sugar enhanced, so they are not as sweet as the later varieties. An early variety that has been around for many years is Early Sunglow. Q. Do you grow more than corn to sell at market? A. My three crops are sweet corn, ornamental corn, and pumpkins. Sweet corn is my major crop. I grow 2.25 acres of sweet corn compared to just .15 acre each for the pumpkins and ornamental corn. I generally sell around 2,000 dozen ears of sweet corn per season, depending upon growing conditions and when the first hard frost hits. In some years I have sold as much as 2,700 dozen. I take the pumpkins and ornamental corn to the market on the final Saturday in October (Harvest Festival). Most of the ornamental corn goes to the markets at Greenbluff near Spokane. Q. When is the best time for someone to catch “The Corn Man” at the Sandpoint Farmer’s Market? A. The corn is usually ready by late August and available into October until it is killed by the first hard freeze. The market is open on Wednesdays from 3:00 until 5:30 and on Saturday from 9:00 until 1:00. It’s best to get to the market at opening time because I often run out in late August and early September. Later on the novelty wears off a little and I have more corn to sell. I’m not as likely to run out in late September and into October. Q. It’s an old adage that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and your daughter (Brenda Woodward) is the President of the Famer’s Market. How’d that come about? A. Cadnums have been farmers since my great-great-grandfather Robert Cadnum migrated to the United States from England in the 1850s. Like many characteristics, I believe that love of farming is partially acquired from environment and partly from genetics. Brenda acquired the “farmer gene” from both sides of her family. Brenda lived with her mother in her teen years, and her mother is passionate about gardening.
Q. Anything else you’d like to say to people? A. I really appreciate all my loyal customers. I feel fortunate to be able to produce a crop that is so well-received. Years ago I told my father that I was thinking about growing sweet corn. He told me that I wouldn’t be able to sell very much of it because there wasn’t the customer base here. I wish that he were alive today to see the people lining up to buy my corn. A big “Thank You” to all of my customers!
Never had The Corn Man’s Corn (or any fresh corn) and want to try it? Send us a paragraph explaining why you need this experience and we’ll pick one lucky winner to get a dozen ears free in September. Email your entry to trish@riverjournal.com, mail it to the River Journal at PO Box 151, Clark Fork, ID 83811 or put it on our Facebook page and one of you will get to experience one of the best tastes in the world!
SIDE WINDOWS & MIRRORS WINDSHIELDS • TINTING
How’s Your View?
Q. Do you have any wise words about food? A. It seems that generally what tastes good isn’t good for you. Fortunately, fresh sweet corn tastes good and is fairly good for you as long as you don’t load it with too much butter.
Photo of Jim Cadnum, left, by Brenda Woodward
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July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page
One Strike But Lots of RBIs
Clark Fork is determined to have a softball team and a field to play on
The crack of ball on bat has a history in Clark Fork, but it doesn’t really have a present—at least, it didn’t. Then last year, as part of Clark Fork’s centennial celebration, the town put together a team and hosted a softball tournament in honor of its history on the diamond and the idea stuck. Adults liked the idea of playing on a team, and they liked the idea of having their children growing up playing ball in their hometown. The sticking point?— Clark Fork’s baseball field. Although an ‘official’ city park, the baseball field at the town’s Memorial Field is a field in name only. Infested with knapweed, it’s a hodgepodge of gravel, dirt, grass and weeds that’s hard on the knees of anyone looking to slide into home plate. In true Clark Fork tradition, however, a group of people saw a need for a hometown team, and they formed one. And another group of people (many of them the same as the first) saw a need to improve the field, and they’re working on doing just that. And so the Clark Fork Parks Commission was born. An official ‘department’ of the city of Clark Fork—albeit one with no funding— the Parks Commission is not only looking to improve Memorial Field, located at the end of Pine St. in front of the senior center, but also the town’s traditional
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park located near the old railroad depot. “I remember playing little league in Clark Fork,” said Corey Vogel, a member of both the team and the Parks Commission. “Now I have a son who’s 13, and I’d like him to play too. But right now, if a kid in Clark Fork wants to play ball, they have to travel to Sandpoint to be on a team.” “We really want to promote the use of this field,” added Will Seay, also a dual member of team and commission. “This gives people a chance to get out and play, to get exercise and get out of doors. We want to give our kids what we had when we were young, to get away from the television and video games, while we also promote our community.” The baseball field, however, is a first priority. The group has already received a $1,000 grant from the Idaho Community Foundation from the Betty Ann Diehl Greatest Need Fund for Bonner County. They’ve also received funding (part of a grant to the city itself) from the Bonner County Weed Dept. to control the knapweed (an invasive plant) that dots the field. That’s not to say the path to field improvements has been smooth. The group’s first efforts involved the donation of 14 cords of birch hardwood from Sagle’s Marv Chapman to be sold to support the fundraising for field improvements. Then the local chapter of the American Legion (Clark Fork Post 146) stepped up and offered to donate the labor to cut, split and deliver that
Trish Gannon
wood, so it could be sold to raise money to improve the field. Problem was, once the wood was sold, and the group looked for the money, the local chapter told them there wasn’t any. Turns out they paid for that ‘donated’ labor and associated fuel and equipment costs, and none was left to put toward the field project. Based on the amount of wood sold, the group estimates it lost between $1,500 and $1,700. “This was devastating,” said Kasi Snider, who helped head up the fundraising program. “I can’t tell you how it feels when people in your own community go back on what they’ve said to you.” “I was so incredibly embarrassed,” said Corey Vogel, a member of the Parks Commission who asked his friend, Marv, to donate the wood. “I don’t understand how people can do something like this.” The group went so far as to ask local law enforcement about charity fraud— given that both those who purchased firewood and the man who donated the logs were told all monies would go to the field improvement—but there’s no written agreement and, so far, the sheriff’s department has not filed any charges. For the group looking to improve the field, that’s past history now. That money is gone, and they need to look to future sources to accomplish their goals, which includes not only softball for adults, but re-establishing a little league program so interested kids in Clark Fork don’t have to
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July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page
travel to be a part of a team. On top of the grants they’ve already received, the group raised $3,220 in a charity auction to support field improvements, and are actively seeking other fundraising opportunities. Additionally, in support of that goal, the team is hosting a tournament on July 14, their ‘second annual’ so to speak, and invite all area softball teams not already signed up to play. Those interested can call Corey Vogel at 290-6119 or David Broughton at 290-6577 (both area code 208) to sign up to play. The proposal to improve the field includes leveling the field itself, creating a dirt infield (so bases can be moved to accommodate different skill levels for games), removal of knapweed, hydroseeding for a grass surface, building two dugouts, purchasing needed maintenance tools like hoses, infield drag tools and the like, installing an underground watering system and, at some point, lighting for evening activities. Total cost for improvements is estimated at around $50,000. “We’re gathering people who know what they’re doing, to help guide us in developing this project and who are helping us to achieve our goals,” Corey said. Clark Fork has a history of biting off big projects and then making them happen, from the construction of a field house at the school to the creation of a library (long before it was supported by county tax dollars), the support of an EMT system and, most recently, the reconstruction of facilities at the football field at the school. This lends support to those working on the softball field improvements, as they know that once the town supports a project, it tends to make it happen. The ball field, which only takes up about half of the area of Memorial Field,
Clark Fork’s current ball team, known as the Misfits until an official name is chosen, gather after a recent practice at the field. Photo courtesy Kasi Snider. is used for several activities currently, a really cool thing.” including the 4th of July fireworks “We’ve got a survey going out in the celebration and afternoon activities, next water bill,” Kasi Snider explained, Easter activities (including the Easter Egg “asking residents what they want Hunt) and could be used for much more, from their parks in town. As a Parks including concerts, family reunions and Commission, we’re looking to do more more, which could be additional funding than just recreate a ball field... we’re in sources to the city’s budget. this for the long haul, to create the parks “We’re our own thing,” Corey Vogel our community wants to have.” clarified. “If you donate money to us, it If anyone wishes to contribute to this goes to the parks, and not into the city’s project, you can write a check to the Clark general fund. We recognize the city is Fork Parks Commission and mail it to PO strapped for cash and we don’t want to Box 10, Clark Fork, ID 83811. If you want place an additional burden on our local to donate materials or labor, or even taxpayers. We know the city is broke. But softball equipment, call Corey Vogel at we have a lot of kids coming down now to 208-290-6119. play, who have never had a chance to play in their hometown. This is a really good...
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July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page
Providing Seeds for Change
Back in 2009, the Board of Directors of Northern Lights, Inc. formed the Northern Lights Community Trust. Managed by a board of seven NLI members, the trust provides funds to non-profit groups and members throughout the service territory of the local electric company. One area the trust focuses on is hunger, and not only are dollars raised distributed to area food banks and those in need, but a series of distributions of food takes place as well. Recently, in fact, over 6 tons of food was distributed in North Idaho. At the urging of Wayne Nishek of Bonners Ferry, a director with the community trust, the group has also begun distributing garden seeds to those who request them. Over 600 packages of organic seeds donated by a company in Washington (Northern Lights pays the shipping) have been delivered to area food banks, extension offices, and directly to those in need at agricultural fairs this year, in a gesture reminiscent of the adage to “teach a man to fish.” “So many people [who have received the seeds] have thanked me for this chance to provide their own food,” Nishek said. “I hope we’re able to do this next year, too.” It’s likely the need will still be there. An article in the Idaho Statesman in January this year reported, “Idaho has set its own record, as the number of people receiving food stamps rose from about 87,000 in 2007 to about 229,000 in 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Now, 15 percent of Idahoans get food stamps.” And a 2010 report by the USDA found that Idaho ranks 36th in the nation for “food insecurity”—11.6
percent of Idaho’s residents experience, at some point during the year, a lack of ready access to nutritionally adequate, safe food. Gardening is one path to increasing a family’s food security, providing that family has a place where they can grow a garden. “But seeds can be relatively expensive for people who want to do that,” Nishek said. While gardening can be as simple as tossing some seeds into dirt, reliable production of food requires at least a little bit of knowledge, and that’s where Idaho’s Extension Service (through the University of Idaho) can come into play, offering support for the first-time gardener. This is also one place where the seeds from Northern Lights can be obtained. As more and more people struggle with a less-than-robust economy, gardening is growing in popularity. Not only do local garden resource businesses report an increased number of people beginning to plant a home garden, the National Garden Association has reported increases in the number of home gardeners nationwide for that last few years. That association, by the way, maintains a website at www.gardening. org, that offers a lot of resources to those interested in home gardens. An update of the 40s victory gardens (which were a promotion of the U.S. Extension Service), today’s new backyard (and front yard) vegetable plots are often called “recession gardens,” and the internet is full of ideas for “no-cost” gardens, and ways to scavenge gardening items you might need. While a home garden can offer
immediate, caloric benefits to those struggling with our current economic climate, often overlooked are the other benefits it brings, as well.
There’s the time spent outdoors, at least a limited amount of exercise, the quality of the food eaten, and the sheer empowerment that comes with being able to provide even a small portion of your own food. As Nishek said, “These seeds motivate people to get outside. They just won’t leave a packet of seeds laying around on the kitchen counter.” If you’d like to help Northern Lights in their efforts to provide seeds to make a positive change in peoples’ lives, and you are a Northern Lights Cooperative member, participate in Operation RoundUp (rounding up your bill to provide funding for the trust). If you’re not a member of Northern Lights, or if you want to provide more support, consider a direct donation to the Northern Lights Community Trust, at PO Box 269, Sagle, ID 83860. If you’d like to learn more about starting your own garden, contact your local Extension Service office for more information. -Trish Gannon
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July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 10
Real Veterans Shafted By Supreme Court Michael Harmelin The Supreme Court of the United States has thrown out the Stolen Valor Act, in lieu of the First Amendment and Freedom of Speech. Well, excuse me for finding your decision contemptible. The Supreme Court is in contempt of every honorable and truthful veteran who has ever served this great nation. Not one of the current members of the Supreme Court has ever served in a war, or in a hostile fire zone. Breyer, Alito, and Kennedy have served in the peacetime military—two in the Army Reserves, one in the California Army National Guard. To simplify the above problem, what about the fact that these phony heroes/ veterans are committing an act of fraud by representing him or herself as something they are not. FRAUD: Fraud is commonly understood as dishonesty calculated for advantage. A person who is dishonest may be called a fraud. A false representation of a matter of fact—whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by concealment of what should have been disclosed—that deceives and is intended
to deceive another (from The Free Dictionary by Farlex.) By its definition alone, these perpetrators of lies and misrepresentations should be brought before a court and fined/imprisoned or made to do community service and their picture should appear in newspapers, television and all military magazines with the caption beneath their picture, “LIAR.” For the Supreme Court not to be aware that these misrepresentations by these frauds hurts all other honest veterans, as well as the public, is ridiculous. Not only that, but these liars are definitely doing it for personal gain. Be it for status in the community, to run for political office espousing their alleged military experience(s) and decorations, or to get free meals or for whatever their sick purpose may be. Vietnam veterans that I know all feel that the only thing we have is our good word. We truly believe that our word is our bond and that if we say we will do something or be somewhere at a certain time, then we do it. That’s pretty much all that most of us have left, our good name
and that what we say is true. Now, we don’t even have that left to us due to this recent Supreme Court decision. Solution: out these phonies by name and with their picture so that all the world can see these liars. Also, if someone claims to be a veteran and to have received: the Medal of Honor (our Nation’s highest honor, that now means nothing because anybody can say they were awarded it); Navy Cross; The Distinguished Service Cross; Silver Star; USMC Brevet Medal; or Air Force Cross, you can now look up on your computer as to whether what this person’s claim is true or false. There are websites, such as Medal of Honor recipients; Distinguished Service Cross recipients; etc. These sites break it down by war, person’s name, year received. You can also look up the medals by war. For example, Vietnam Medal of Honor recipients; Iraqi Medal of Honor recipients; etc. In my humble opinion, I believe that each and every veterans’ organization should not only object to this miscarriage of justice, but provide solutions for prosecuting and outing these phonies. Submit these solutions to Congress, publicize what has been submitted to Congress to rectify this unacceptable situation and follow it through to a positive resolution.
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Don’t miss the 9th annual Montana Baroque Music Festival, right here at Quinns Hot Springs! July 17, 18 and 19. Make your reservations online at www.quinnshotsprings.com or call 406-826-3150 July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 11
A Bird in Hand
Michael Turnlund
The Brown-headed Cowbird: the ultimate in hands-off parenting
In my many years of birding, there are two things that I have learned. First, common does not mean boring; just because a particular species is common does not mean that it is not unique in some way. This is certainly true for this month’s featured bird, the brown-headed cowbird. Second, some species are tough to love, let alone like. For example: house sparrows, aka English house sparrows. What pests! I actively work at figuring out ways of discouraging these miserable creatures from visiting my backyard. And another species that is also tough to enjoy is the brown-headed cowbird. I will explain this in a bit. What does a brown-headed cowbird look like and where does it get its name? To begin with, the cowbird is a type of blackbird. Indeed, it looks like a blackbird with a brown-colored head (the males, anyway), though from a distance the brown coloration might appear black, giving the bird the overall appearance of a small, stocky, short-tailed blackbird—which is exactly what it is. The females are a uniform, drab, gray-brown color without streaking. The birds sport a relatively large, conical beak suited for eating seeds and insects. They will often visit your backyard feeder in small flocks. The cowbird gets its name from its prior association with the bison of the Great Plains. Huge flocks of these birds
would follow the wandering herds of bison, feeding off of the insects that the great animals would flush up through their grazing. With the demise of the buffalo herds and the western expansion of human settlement, the cowbirds followed the settlers with their domestic herds of cattle. The species now exists coast to coast. You’ll also note that the call of the male sounds like an abbreviated version of its red-winged cousin: distinctly blackbird-like. It was probably this dependence upon the constantly-moving buffalo herds, by which the brown-headed blackbird adopted its unique reproduction methods, that makes this bird so difficult to like. This bird is a nest parasite. That is, the female lays its eggs in the nests of other birds to be brooded and raised. The female cowbird waits for a prospective host to leave its nest for a moment and then quickly swoops in and deposits an egg. A female cowbird can lay between thirty and forty eggs a breeding season, none of which it will raise! The most common victims are songbird species, such as warblers. The cowbird egg will hatch before the host parent’s own eggs and will then outcompete the other hatchlings for food, often causing them to starve to death. Horrid! The problem with this species is that its presence in an area can lead to the decline of songbird species, as the host species might experience a decline in reproduction success. Nonetheless, some species have developed strategies to deal with cowbird nest parasitism. Some birds will simply abandon the nest and build another one elsewhere. Others will build a new nest on top of the old one, subsequently burying the cowbird egg. Still others will kill the invading egg or physically remove it from the nest. Yet in spite of these strategies, enough cowbird eggs successfully hatch to not only perpetuate the species, but to allow it to expand as it has. This expansion of the cowbird range has forced some birding societies to actively cull cowbird numbers through trapping or shooting in order to protect rare and declining songbird species in specific places. Nest parasitism: who would have guessed it? What an interesting and unique reproductive strategy. And repulsive, too! Gosh, keep your eggs in your own nest! But brown-headed cowbirds have no parenting skills whatsoever, just like some people I know. And now you’ll view that innocent looking bird with new eyes. Welcome to my world. Happy birding! Michael Turnlund is an educator, published author and avid birder. His books are available at Amazon. com. You can reach him at theturnlunds@gmail. com.
Texting/Cell Phone Bans Now in Effect Don’t forget! As of July 1, texting is illegal in the state of Idaho, and talking on your cell phone is illegal in Sandpoint city limits! Page 12 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| July 2012
The Scenic Route
A few weeks ago, a man came walking through Sandpoint carrying a cross. I don’t know much about him, but I know this. He was headed east, a pilgrim for Christ, I would guess, by the shape of his load. At the intersection north of Sandpoint, he took the road less traveled, Highway 200. He made the 35-mile walk along the lake and up the Clark Fork to Montana in two days. The cross he carries is made of two softwood four-by-fours held together by lag bolts. Since he began his walk, wherever that was, he has worn the lower end of the long leg of the cross off and replaced it by lagging a new piece on. At the juncture of the four-by-fours, silver duct tape holds a small foam pad in place, a spot for him to shoulder his burden. I know this because, when he got to Montana, he left his cross leaning against a roadside reflector post next to my driveway. There is a lot of symbolism in a wooden cross. Most people who live in our culture react to it in one way or another. The Ku Klux Klan, for some perverted reason, uses the symbol to show their ignorance and intolerance. If you think about that long enough, it makes you dizzy from the lack of logic. There is no connection between the two, if the cross symbolizes the life and death of Jesus. I don’t think Jesus was racist. In fact, if you can believe what you read about him, Jesus was a big advocate of tolerance for different cultures, a man ahead of his time. When I found that cross on that Wednesday evening, being curious, I went out and took a look at it. The tracks the man had left with his Vibram soles led me to the conclusion that he had come to my gate, and for whatever reason, put his burden down and just kept walking. The cross was still leaning there the next morning, so I figured I had come to the
The Burden right conclusion. I liked that idea; that when we are ready to, we can lay down our load and just keep walking. In fact, I rejoiced in the thought that he had picked my driveway for the site of his epiphany. I need that kind of reassurance to assist me in laying aside my own burdens. The hard part is getting ready to put them down, getting detached from all the weight we carry around, the load that holds us earthbound, keeps us from flying. We have to give up the fears that keep us isolated from the rest of the world, the ideas that we have been loaded up with since the first time it was pointed out to us that someone else is different from us; worse, better, worse off, better off, smarter, stupider, uglier, better looking, faster, slower, a different color. Of course, we are all different. The human race is the most interesting species on the planet because of our diversity. Looking into the faces of a crowd is a study in difference. In each set of features is a story very much like a lot of other stories, but also unlike any other. Stretching out behind each face is a somewhat visible line of ancestors, contributors of noses, ears, cheekbones, eyes, hair, skin, smiles and even wrinkle patterns. If we could see those lines of ancestors stretching back into time, we would see that the lines are convergent toward a common point, way back there somewhere. We would also see that the lines are braided, twisted, plaited together like rope. Our commonality is undeniable, even in our differences. Reflected in each face is our own personal burden, and our own intolerance is part of the load. We carry it on our back like so many rocks and it keeps us from having a spring in our step. It is fear, pure and simple, and fear is as heavy a load as can be picked up. The morning after I found the cross at my driveway, I left for a few days and
Sandy Compton
when I came home, the cross was gone. I assumed the highway department had picked it up, but I found out I was wrong. My brother, who lives 30 miles east of me, told me he had seen the man carrying his cross through Thompson Falls. It seems he had only laid aside his burden for a while. My guess is that he went though my place down to the river to rest and wash himself and prepare to go on. He who left his load at my front gate for a small while is packing something other than that cross, I’d guess, but I doubt I’ll ever know what it is … specifically. Generally, I would guess it consists of guilt, anxiety, worry, shame, confusion, anger, angst and fear; all the normal parcels we humans gather up and carry around. And, somehow, I would guess, they are taped to that cross, riding his shoulders across the West. I wish him well. I thank him for reminding me to leave the cares of the world at the gate when I get home. I wonder what he is shedding along the way, what he is laying down in the ditch to dissipate behind him. I hope he comes to a place, maybe out in the open on the other side of the Divide on some long, shimmering stretch of road where he can see all the way to Heaven, and realizes his burden is completely his, and that he gets to decide what to keep and what to throw away. Then, I hope he lays down that cross and flies away home. Sandy Compton’s newest book, The Friction of Desire, will be available at area book stores as well as at www. bluecreekpress.com on August 1, 2012.
Go for Baroque!
The 9th Montana Baroque Music Festival July 17, 18, & 19 at Quinns Hot Springs Resort
Three spectacular nights of thrilling baroque performances by some of the world’s greatest musicians including world-renowned violinist Monica Huggett, ecorder virtuoso Matthias Maute, Adam LaMotte, Greg Ewer, Carrie Krause, Vicki Pich, Joanna Blendulf, Daniel Zuluaga, and Curtis Daily.
www.MontanaBaroqueFestival.org July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 13
The Game Trail
Matt Haag
Whether we are hiking, biking, riding ATVs, picking berries or bird watching, being in the outdoors always poses risks that we should be aware of and prepared for. I get a lot of calls from people who want to know how to protect themselves from grizzlies, wolves, and lions. It’s funny how we have an inherent fear of big hairy things with teeth and claws when the reality is, we die from other things in the outdoors way more often than being munched by a predator. According to the Center for Disease Control, on average, 856,0303 people die from cardiovascular disease every year and 48,441 people die from transportation related accidents. So you have a better chance of the old ticker giving out or getting killed in your car before you even get to the outdoors. An average of two to three people die every year from a bear attack, so you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning! One statistic that we hardly ever pay attention to is tick borne illnesses that affect people across the Unites States. West Nile virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme’s Disease, and other tick and related disease kill and harm people way more than large predators. So here is some information on our local ticks, how to remove them, and what kind of diseases they carry if they do attach. First, let’s look at the type of ticks we have around our parts. Many of you have probably have seen the Winter Tick or Dermacentor albipictus on our elk and moose, especially during March and April when the ticks engorge themselves on blood meal. They fall off at that point, lay eggs underground, and then lie in wait for their next host in September and October. These ticks pose no threat to humans or our pets. For more information about the winter tick, read my article from a few years ago in the River Journal. The Brown Dog Tick or Rhipicephalus sanguineus is found around here and most of the United States, especially in the southwest U.S near the Mexican border. Dogs are the primary host for the Brown Dog Tick for each of its life stages but it may also bite humans or other mammals. The Rocky Mountain Wood Tick is another blood sucker we may find in our area and is more common than others. The adult ticks feed on all mammals and
Watch Out for Little Critters is largely responsible for the transmission of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. And finally, the Western Blacklegged Tick is mostly likely to be found along the west coast of the U.S. but it has also been found in southern Idaho and may be moving north. The Western Blacklegged Tick can carry Lyme’s disease, however you are more likely not to come across this tick in North Idaho but I thought I would throw it in here as a possibility. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is pretty rare in Idaho but it can happen and have severe consequences if left untreated. The tick needs to be attached to the person for more than four hours for disease transmission to occur, so it behooves a person to check themselves regularly and thoroughly. Symptoms can include: sudden onset of fever which can last two to three weeks, severe malaise (general discomfort), deep muscle pain, severe headache, chills, sensitivity to light, rash that develops on the third to fifth day, starting on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet and then spreading to the trunk of the body. Tularemia is also rare in Idaho. Tularemia (rabbit fever) is caused by bacteria that spreads to people from infected rodents or from the bite of a tick. Symptoms include: high fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, headache, nausea, a skin ulcer at the site of the tick bite, sometimes, swelling of the regional lymph nodes. Symptoms generally start three to five days after an infected tick bites and can last for weeks to months and can be very serious. Tularemia is not spread person to person and can be treated with common antibiotics. Lyme Disease is caused by a bacteria that spreads to people from the bite of a deer tick. The species of deer tick that transmits Lyme disease is not native to northern Idaho. However, according to the Panhandle Health District, several cases of Lyme disease have been reported in the five northern counties from people with no travel history. It’s not known if the species of hard tick present in northern Idaho can spread the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. A tick needs
to be attached to a person for at least 24 hours before it spreads an infection. Symptoms include: bull’s-eye-like rash at the site of the tick bite, fever, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, stiff neck. Symptoms typically begin three to 32 days after a bite from an infected tick. Untreated, the symptoms will escalate into long-term chronic symptoms that can include arthritis, pain and swelling of joints, nervous system disorders and severe headaches. What can you do to avoid ticks attaching to you? Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and pants, wear shoes and hats to prevent ticks from attaching to the skin, wear an approved tick repellent and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, walk in the center of trails to avoid overhanging grass and brush, and after spending time outdoors, conduct a tick check of your body and don’t forget your little ones! If a tick does attach, follow these steps to remove the little sucker, and please don’t listen to the old folklore of painting the tick with nail polish or putting heat to the tick, waiting for it to back out. Your goal is to remove the ticks promptly and carefully. Use tweezers to grasp the tick’s mouth parts as close to the skin as possible. Try not to crush the tick’s body when removing it, and grasp the tweezers as close to the skin as possible to avoid leaving the tick mouth parts in the skin. Slowly and steadily pull the tick away from the skin. Wear gloves, if possible, when removing ticks. Be sure to thoroughly wash the bite site and your hands with soap and warm water after removing any ticks. If you develop any symptoms listed above, be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick. Leave No Child No Inside—and be sure to check them for ticks when they come home! Photo: James Gathany/CDC Matt Haag is a Conservation Officer with the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game. You can reach him at matt.haag@idfg.gov. or call at 208-946-0671.
Page 14 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| July 2012
Get Growing!
Nancy Hastings
Once again this summer, the “Staycation” is gaining traction and popularity among over one third of 3,500 people surveyed recently by the Today show. For many it has become quite literally an exercise in re-discovering their own backyard. Instead of investing their vacation dollars in a far-away place, they’ve taken a fraction of that amount, and improved their homes in many ways they find brings them great enjoyment all year ‘round and most certainly will pay the homeowner back when the time is right for resale. Real estate research has shown that improved and maintained landscapes can add as much as 10- to 25 percent more value to your home price when you decide to sell your house. The real bottom line of home landscaping should also be what joy and value it brings to you every day you wake up. Many folks have opted for adding a hot tub or a water feature in their own back yard. When it is installed in a great garden environment with privacy hedging, many homeowners feel they don’t need to go anywhere to feel
Staycation Landscaping like they are at the Camelback Spa… no waiting, no airports, no crowds. Perhaps a staycation is just what you need to turn your home into your own daily retreat. Begin by taking some pictures and measurements of the area you’d like to renovate. Because we do live in a fourseason environment, don’t forget to think about plowing paths. Will you be using the area year-round? Where does your roof drop the snow in heaps? What would you like to see out your window from this area? Perennials are great for heavy snowload and plowing areas, because these soft tissue beauties go dormant in the winter and even gorgeous, three-foot poppies and five-foot ornamental grass can take a beating to the ground and bounce back ever more beautiful next year. Are you working around any obstacles including tree roots, utility poles or boxes? Make notes of your goals: more outdoor lounging/entertaining space, more vegetable growing space, less lawn to mow, more privacy or more year-round
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color for example. Whether you are thinking of a new deck, new footpath or a new perennial bed, it’s best to do a bit more planning before you dig in so you stay within your budget and once underway, the project goes smoothly and you have all the supplies needed. Breaking the project into segments will make it more reasonable and relaxing: 1. Demolition 2. Hardscape installation: Rocks, irrigation, decking etc. 3. Landscape planting 4. ENJOY!
Nancy Hastings grew up on a 300+ acre farm and now is co-owner of All Seasons Garden & Floral in Sandpoint, She and her husband John have been cultivating environmental awareness and sustainable communities through horticulture for 15 years in North Idaho. You can reach them with garden questions or sign up for classes at allseasonsgardenandfloral@gmail.com.
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July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 15
Veterans’ News
Gil Beyer
This month’s column is going to consist of some house-cleaning and a really astounding tale of dedication and courage. First, the catch-up: The final results of our ‘shaking our cans’ in front of Safeway, Super 1 and Yoke’s on Monday, May 28 was just a tad north of $1,700. That total does not include the anonymous check for $1,000 that the DAV received the week before. To all who gave the DAV two hours out of your holiday weekend, my sincerest ‘Thanks’ for a job well done. Now, for some house-cleaning chores: First, I blew it big time last month. On Saturday, June 16 the local VVA held the largest ‘Stand-Down’ in the area and I didn’t even mention that it was scheduled—my bad! Thanks go out to all concerned, especially Russ Fankell, who was in overall charge and spent many hours doing all the things that are required to put on a success event. Several hundred people received services and support during this one-day event at the Bonner County Fair Grounds. Here are some fun facts from this year’s Stand Down: 901 veterans were served, consisting of 851 males and 50 females. Add in 250 spouses and 131 children. Local area dentists saw 42 veterans, providing 18 extractions of 1 to 3 teeth (a total of 30 teeth). The dentists made two referrals for work that needed to be done, and there were five vouchers for $100 issued by the Idaho Dental Foundation to veterans for treatment at a future date. Among those volunteering at the ‘Stand Down’ were Boy Scout Troops 104, 111, 141,171, 188 and 308. A special ‘Thanks’ must be given to John Davis of the Spokane Homeless Veterans program and the 215 volunteers who put this event together. These volunteers worked hundreds of hours on Thursday and Friday, all day Saturday and several hours on Sunday cleaning up after one of the most successful Stand Downs in years. A hearty ‘Well Done’ to all involved. In last month’s article it was intimated that no civilian could understand the stresses placed on a service man or woman’s family when that service member is deployed. I wrote: “The only situation that I can come up with that is close is a single-parent household having to deal with all of the above scenarios, but it falls a short when it comes down to the souldeadening, 24/7, worry of the potential death or wounding of that absent spouse.” Then I became aware of an even more isolated group—our gay service members
Stories to Be Told serving under Don’t ask! Don’t tell! The military community has developed—through necessity—a very extensive and varied support system. The military community knows their families encounter unique demands when a spouse is deployed and, to large degree, have been successful in helping spouses handle these circumstances. The one glaring hole in this system is that a gay service member couldn’t even make it known that he or she has a spouse! Imagine not even being able to say ‘Goodbye’ in public when your spouse is going into harm’s way. Not being able to welcome them home with a heartfelt hug and a kiss along with the rest of the unit’s spouses. These men and women were not allowed to even list their spouses as next of kin. Their spouses have no access to base facilities such as Exchanges and Commissaries. They cannot be issued ID cards. They had no access to the various support groups because under DADT, they literally couldn’t be known to exist. Imagine this scenario: The love of your life cannot be publicly acknowledged or officially supported and you are being sent to a place where there is an excellent chance that some ne’er-do-well will be either shooting at you or planting IEDs in the roads over which you will be traveling. Couple this with the fact that if you are killed or wounded, the spouse at home will not receive any official notification. Nor will that spouse be allowed to publicly grieve in the event of death or even be allowed visitation at the medical facility their partner may be in. That is what all gay servicemen and women dealt with at the height of both the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The repeal of DADT didn’t become effective until September 2011, so for almost the entire war period these serving men and women had less rights and support than any of their ‘straight’ comrades-in–arms. Okay, so DADT was officially ended in late 2011, and it is now okay for these dedicated, honorable men and women to be seen in public with—in many cases—their longtime partners. Are they now free to apply to get all the support, benefits and services that are available to their heterosexual comrades? The answer to that is, ‘NO’. They won’t be eligible to obtain dependent status for their spouses until the Defense of Marriage Act is overturned and their unions can be legally recognized. Every member of the military that I’ve talked to or corresponded
with is ready for this. The hang up on overturning DoMA seems to be within our national civilian leadership. Now, let me introduce you to Master Sergeant David L. Brunstad, USAF. MSgt Brunstad began his military career in 1984 and served in the Army through Operation Desert Storm until his discharge in June of ‘91. He had advanced through the ranks to Platoon Sergeant and served as Battalion S-3 NCO. After he was honorably discharged from the Army, he joined the Idaho National Guard unit in Moscow, Idaho. David was discharged from the Army National Guard in July 1993. He joined the Oregon Air National Guard unit in Portland in July 2003, where he serves to this day. Since joining the Air Guard he has been deployed three times: once to Spain from December 2006 to February 2007; once to Oman from January 2008 to March 2008; and, once to Kirkuk, Iraq from December 2008 to August 2009. His current assignment with the Oregon Air Guard is as Combat Arms Training and Maintenance Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge for the 142nd Security Forces Squadron, 142nd Fighter Wing. He is responsible for the weapons training of the Air Guard Security Forces and must maintain his own qualification status on all the weapons used by those security forces. His list of awards and citations is lengthy, dating back to his service during Operation Desert Storm, and include the Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, the Air Force Expeditionary Medal with Gold Border and Air Force Commendation Medal. He has also been recognized as being proficient in all the weapons he is responsible for training the security forces on with the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with Bronze Star. In others words, MSgt Brunstad is a warrior—a warrior with a long history of dedicated, proud and honorable service to his country. And, up until September of last year, a warrior who could tell no one that his spouse was a man named Darin. And, that he and Darin had been a couple for almost his entire military career. Theirs is a story that needs to be told but I’m running out of room. I’ll continue their story in next month’s issue. Until then, may all our returning warriors receive the welcome they’ve earned and the benefits they’ve been promised. Gil Beyer, ETC USN Ret., can be reached at vintage40@frontier.com
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 16
The Hawk’s Nest
Ernie Hawks
I must admit a bias against elitism. With that disclaimer I still heard myself say, while driving into Yellowstone Park, “I don’t want pictures of male deer, elk, or moose. I’ll wait until their racks are full grown.” We were wrapping up a road trip back from Virginia and spending a little time in the park before heading home. Linda, at the wheel, asked if she should even stop if we saw something. “Let’s take a look, but probably not.” “What about bear?” “This early in the spring and being on the main road, pretty unlikely.” “Babies?” “We won’t see them from the road this early, maybe some buffalo but that’s about it. This will be a landscape day and the light looks to be pretty good for that, too.” So as the early morning sun climbed over the mountains and backlit the mysterious mists of Yellowstone, we drove into a glorious day of picture taking. The clouds rising from the paint pots and hot mud created a spiritual sense as we started our adventure. A car had stopped and was looking at a cow elk feeding on grass. “Want to stop for a photo op?” Linda asked as she maneuvered around the car. “No, I don’t need another shot of a cow. If she had a calf I would, but that isn’t going to happen from this road. Maybe I’ll come back in the fall and see if there are any bulls with full racks.” “Well aren’t you the elitist photographer.” She does keep me honest but still I didn’t want to stop. I knew today was a good day to get those interesting Yellowstone photos, taking advantage of the early light. Near a steam-shrouded river a herd of buffalo grazed. I got a few good shots. “See, you get wildlife from this road,” came a voice from the driver’s seat. “Okay, some buffalo maybe, but a car doesn’t threaten them.” Then she said, “You know, they are really bison and not buffalo.” I thought to myself, “so who is being elitist now?” A quick check on the iPhone proved her right. However, I almost get a point since “American Buffalo” was first recorded in the 1630s and the scientific name bison wasn’t given until the 1790s. Not only that, but what would we call
Lessons in Judgement Buffalo Bill Cody? Don’t forget the football team the Buffalo Bills; should they be the Bison Bills? Sounds like a big, overweight shaggy animal that stands around and lets you take its picture. Not exactly dramatic or intimidating, is it? I also knew I would get the last word because I was going to write the story. As we followed the buffalos, at less than two miles an hour, one mama stopped right in front of us as started nursing her baby. I asked, as we waited, if that was a mama bison or mama buffalo? Linda said, “It doesn’t matter. When there is a hungry baby, she is just a mama.” So I recorded some images of “buffalo” and some calves in their brown, baby coats, admitting quietly—very quietly to myself—she was right. A little later we were stopped by a herd on the road. One made us wait as it left a sample of buffalo chips on the center line. At Gibbon Falls, where the Gibbon River drops into the caldera, we watched and recorded the sun squeezing shadows out of the canyon. At Victoria Cascade the water looked to be flowing over the back of a steeply held cheese grater for several hundred yards. It was a good day to snap the shutter, even if the wildlife chances were slim to none. As the road wove through a mountain meadow above a steep valley lined with deep green spring grass, several vehicles clogged the way. People with camera phones halted all travel. Looking for the interest, I got out. Deep in the valley were a couple Black bear too far away to get a good shot with my telephoto lens. I snapped off one anyway and looked. All I had was two black spots that, with some imagination, looked like bears. I got a little testy listening to folks sound like great hunters closing in on prey. There wasn’t a shot there with anything less than a thousand millimeter lens. I couldn’t understand all the excitement. Linda pointed out that these people probably don’t have bear in their yard each summer as we do; this might be the only time they will get to see bears in the wild. Again, she manages to keep me honest. By the time we were through the traffic jam the sun was getting higher and hot, and soon the light for pictures would be getting flat. We found a side road with not much traffic; it took us
along a steep, treed hill on the left. On the right was a grassy opening with downed, gray weathered logs and marshes. The hills and forest made the light a little more interesting. As pretty and refreshing as the place was there were no real photos. We talked about the trip we had been on and this beautiful valley. There were some deer to watch but too far for a shot. A turkey vulture caught an early thermal and spiraled up looking for breakfast. We came into an area where a few trees stood between us and the opening. A movement caught my eye: another cow elk very near the road. She turned a little and took a step which revealed a very young calf. Linda hadn’t seen her. I pointed and she slowed to a stop. To my surprise the two of them were moving parallel to us with the calf between me and its mother—good shots. Sitting in the pickup I could shoot out the window, maybe that is why she stayed. She stopped and nuzzled the little one, splashed slowly through a marsh, then moved toward us and crossed the track close to our bumper. As she did Linda thanked her for giving us some time with her newborn, then they were gone. We headed toward Mammoth and home. As we wrapped up the trip we talked about how expectations or our judgments of them can be so inaccurate. We were in one of the natural wonders of the world and I was trying to limit the experience by pointing out what I thought we would see. At the same time I was limiting the events of others, who were thrilled at their find. I take offence when that is done to me. It was time for me get honest. In the end we saw wonderful landscapes, falls, geysers and steaming bubbling mud pots. There were bear, elk with a baby and, don’t forget, the buffalo.
Ernie Hawks is a writer, photographer and motivational speaker. Reach him at michalhawks@gmail. com, and check out his photos at www.PhotosbyHawks.net
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 17
A Seat in the House
Rep. George Eskridge
Water, all this rain and water, so why isn’t Pend Oreille Lake full? A constituent sent me an e-mail shortly before Memorial Day expressing his disappointment in the lake level, stating: “This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, which for most people marks the symbolic start of summer. Here in Bonner County we won’t be able to enjoy our lake for Memorial Day Weekend because it is projected to be more than three feet below full pool level.” He goes on to state that Lake Coeur d’Alene already has a full lake and asks, “why is Coeur d’Alene full and Lake Pend Oreille empty?” My response to the question was in part as follows: The level of Lake Pend Oreille is dependent in part on the operation of Albeni Falls Dam in coordination with other hydro projects on the Columbia River system, including not only dams within the Northwest U.S. border, but also in coordination with dams on the Columbia River system on the Canadian side. The operation of Albeni Falls Dam is based on a multi-purpose use concept, with the number one priority identified as flood control, both upstream and downstream from the dam. Other uses include operations benefiting electric power generation, recreation and fish interests. Electric power generation used to be second in priority. However, since passage of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act on December 5, 1980 (since renamed the Northwest Power Act), fish mitigation competes with power in terms of the second priority and recreation is on a competing basis with power generation
“The
How to Fill a Lake
as well. Given this, the Army Corps of Engineers with input from a multitude of special interests, attempts to balance all of these uses as effectively as it can. As an example, the fall and winter operation of Albeni Falls has been influenced by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to recover the Kokanee population. Given all this however, flood control remains the major decision factor on refill of Lake Pend Oreille for the summer period. The COE is obligated to ensure that the lake level in the spring and early summer period is low enough to absorb the spring runoff of the winter snowpack and anticipated precipitation levels to avoid flooding. They also have to account for inflow into the river from tributaries such as Priest River that impact Pend Oreille Lake and River levels. Before responding to the constituent’s question, I asked the COE for information relative to this year’s Pend Oreille refill operation. I was informed that at that time (Memorial weekend time period) that COE was “filling the lake gradually to allow for safety margins to accommodate late snowpack runoff and a high amount of rainfall over the past few days to avoid flooding.” During this time Priest Lake was also reaching full elevation, adding to the inflow to Pend Oreille River from Priest River. In preparation for this article I obtained more information on water supply in the Panhandle and its relation to lake refill and the concern of the COE relative to flooding issues. On June 1, the Panhandle’s snowpack was just a little more than half melted. Our rivers have seen multiple stream flow peaks as our snowmelt rates have varied up and down, and sporadic and heavier than normal June rainfall has added to the problem. As of June 1, Lake Pend Oreille was at 77 percent of capacity, Coeur d’Alene at 87 percent capacity (not full as it may have seemed) and Priest Lake at a “little more than its normal rumors of my retirement are summer capacity.” The June 1 information greatly exaggerated.” with a nod to Mark Twain also stated “the June-
July stream flow volume forecasts are 125-150 percent of normal for Moyie, Smith, Boundary and Priest Rivers; other streams are 107-116 percent.” Our normal summer pool lake elevation at the Hope measuring station is 2062.5 feet; on Saturday, June 30, the lake elevation was 2062.3. At the same time the COE Public Affairs Office issued the following press release: “Due to near record rainfall in northern Idaho and Montana, Albeni Falls Dam released water at a rate as high as 98,000 cubic feet per second, and while flows are slowing, Army Corps of Engineers park rangers urge caution at Pend Oreille beaches.” The COE press release went on to state that “the river basin (Pend Oreille and Priest Lake, etc.) just got hit with two storm systems. Current precipitation for the month of June is 6.6 inches, more than 294 percent of the June average, which is 2.44 inches.” During the later days of June, as a result of snowpack runoff and higher than normal rainfall, we have been informed of potential flooding downstream from Albeni Falls. Not related to this basin, but in support of the COE’s conservative operation of Albeni Falls, we are experiencing near flooding on the Kootenai River because of abnormal rainfall and various melting regimes of the snowpack. I realize that all of us look to a full lake as early in the spring and as late in the fall as possible and would like to see a different refill program then the one the COE follows, but hopefully this description of this year’s operation will help provide an understanding of the complexity of operating Albeni Falls in a manner that prevents flooding while maximizing the other competing uses of Lake Pend Oreille. Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to contact me. My home address is P.O. Box 112, Dover, Idaho, 83825, by email at geskridge(at)coldreams.com and phone at (208) 265-0123. George
George Eskridge, is the Idaho Representative for House District 1B. Reach him at 208-265-0123 or P.O. Box 112, Dover, ID 83825
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 18
Say What?
Paul Rechnitzer
Since the sun is always shining somewhere, it can be said that things are not always bad. It may be a stretch to say this, but not having a bypass has enabled me to observe the Egyptian-like developments on First Street at what we call the Bonner County courthouse. The outward changes are fascinating. For a while I thought we were going to have a new gabled roof, perhaps in the Norman style as in Spokane. Then all that changed as new walls went up, obviously creating new interior space. Fences went up and fences went down. The monument to hysteria (or is it diversity?) disappeared. And that is what could be seen from the road. All these exterior changes in the name of asbestos removal! There is a lesson here. Have to wonder what the final exam is going to look like. But I forget that it is taxpayer monies paying for a renovation gone amuck. Creating things has always been one of the joys of my life. Whether it be making a concept come alive or building a new home or adding a new service station to the landscape, there is immense satisfaction in bringing into being an object of value. It can be something that hangs on your wall or something into which you drive your John Deere. It really doesn’t matter the purpose or the scope. However, before starting any project, it helps to have a budget. This reminds me of a quip attributed to Sophie Tucker when discussing her life. She said famously, “ I have been poor and I have been rich and rich is better.” So it is with building projects. A couple times I have come up short and believe me, not coming up short is better. If you have problems making up your mind, you need to get a grip before you start a project. Changes are a deadly rite. If you believe the right to change your
A Remodeling Mine Field
mind is a virtue, then a building project building a new courthouse. I heard that can be a mine field. A mine field, for those the unbudgetable costs of renovation/ who are not acquainted with the term, is expansion, etcetera would be less than a a parcel of ground sown with explosive new building, estimated to cost a mere 6 devices. That they are planted at random million bucks. is what makes the situation tricky. So Now the only way to make this is building without a plan or budget. So reasoning reliable would to have had is remodeling without a firm plan and a valid bid from a contractor. (You budget. Limits are good and limits are can imagine what would have been bad. Sort of like a pointed gun. involved in getting the electorate to Once in the mine field, the problem is stand still while this idea was massaged.) to get out alive. When you start building So justifying the uncertainties or remodeling, the problem is always how accompanying asbestos removal by to get the job done without being killed. comparing that to an unplanned The devil is in the willingness to make courthouse doesn’t make any sense. changes. Once the project is underway As the renovation/remodeling/ the current is flowing. It can’t be stopped rebuild program proceeds, the cost of easily because you really don’t want to that unplanned courthouse has risen to and because the change is so very logical, 8 million and change. It is unbelievable Since the project is underway, you just that the Commissioners could delude keep going. themselves into this kind of reasoning. The on-going remodeling of the I can only assume that when you are Bonner County courthouse is a mine working with monies taken from tax field. When you start a project of that payers you don’t have to think too hard. magnitude, you are like an old film star Nothing worse than a headache created going into the plastic surgeon’s office. by a monetary shortfall. It must have Where do you start and when do we been the hunt for loose change that quit? No wonder some old movie gals are prompted the Clerk to explode. That unrecognizable. there might be a stash here or there is Our new/old courthouse has soaked alarming. up so many of our tax dollars as the If you don’t get the minefield analogy, Commissioners try to figure their way fault me. If you care about how your out of the mine field that we will need money is spent, get concerned. Planning a guided tour of the new/old structure. can be a painful and tedious affair but so We are now in the fifth stage and change is traversing a mine field. You don’t have order #23. The shortfall is 2.5 million to think your way through but it beats What is hard to understand is why, not doing so. when they found the first “mine,” they It is going to be interesting to see how didn’t stop to reappraise the situation. the blame is spread around. When the Now, I don’t know any more than you bypass is opened, I won’t be reminded do. All I know is what I have seen and what a mess looks like. Now that is a read about in the Bee. What I understand mixed blessing! is that when the Commissioners found Paul Rechnitzer is a well-known themselves in the mine field they relocal conservative and author. You grouped around the unanticipated can reach him at pushhard@ costs of remodeling as opposed to nctv.com increase nutrients, such as nitrogen and Council website at tristatecouncil.org.
The Scotchman Peaks
This septic pilot project is being introduced in order to comply with water quality standards as determined by the Federal Clean Water Act. Designated to protect water quality, the plan, known as a “Total Maximum Daily Load” for Lake Pend Oreille, addresses nutrient issues
Keep ‘em wild.
For our Families, For tomorrow. In addition, many lakeshore homeowners participated in a survey www.ScotchmanPeaks.org in 2007 concerning a variety of water
issues. As is turns out, their Friends of Scotchmanquality Peaks Wilderness
Hay’s Chevron Gas • Convenience Store Unofficial Historical Society
Oil Changes Tire Rotation by appointment
208-266-1338
The River A News Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol 17 No. 18 || November | Page JulyJournal 2012| -The RiverMagazine Journal - AWorth NewsWading Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com Vol. 21 No.2008 7| Page 19 5
DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT EVENTS SANDPOINT EVENTS
Classic Boat Festival!
America’s Pride - a Salute to our Veterans! Classic boat parade plus flag parade
July 14
10 am to 3 pm
July
12 Festival at Sandpoint Art Unveiling at Dover Bay. 208-265-4554 13 Great Sandpoint Flat Water Regatta. Rotary Club third annual canoe & kayak races, Sand Creek, 10 am 208-946-6079 13-14 The Music Man, Panida Theater, 208-263-9191. 14 Classic Boat Festival, 10-3, Sand Creek. Sandpoint.org/boatfestival 14-15 Dog Days at Dover Bay. DogDaysDoverBay.com 20 Paul Thorn and Band. Panida Theater 8 pm. 208-263-9191 21 Mountain Music Festival. Schweitzer Mountain. www.Schweitzer.com 21 Grease Sing-A-Long, Panida Theater, doors 6:30. 208-263-9191 28 Crazy Days. Downtown SAndpoint merchants open early and offer big deals in the annual Crazy Days sidewalk sale. Sponsored by DSBA. 208-255-1876 28-30 4-H Horse Show at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. 208-263-8414
August
1 First Wednesday Foam Fest obstacle course, strolling performers, live bands, sidewalk sales and restaurant specials. 208-255-1876. 2-12 Festival at Sandpoint, live music Festival at Memorial Field. Visit www. FestivalatSandpoint.com. 4 Long Bridge Swim. www. LongBridgeSwim.com 5 Huckleberry Festival. Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Schweitzer.com 10-12 Artists’ Studio Tour. www. ArtTourDrive.org 11 Celebrate Life Fun Run/Walk, Sandpoint Long Bridge. Learn more at BonnerGeneral.org. 11 Wings Over Sandpoint Fly-In 208-2559954 11-12 Festival of Quilts, Sandpoint Community Hall 10-6 Sat., 10-4 Sun.
Experience
Downtown Sandpoint!
Visit www.DowntownSandpoint.com for a complete calendar of events
PLUS:
Trivia every Tuesday night at MickDuff’s. Tuesdays with Ray, Trinity at City Beach, 6 to 8 pm. Sandpoint Swing Tuesdays at 6:30 pm, $3. Bongo Brew/Earth Rhythms Cafe 208-610-8587 Bingo Night: hosted by The Loading Dock, every Thursday, 5-8 pm. Winery Music - Live music every Friday night at Pend d’Oreille Winery Sandpoint Farmer’s Market, Wednesdays 3-5:30 pm, Saturdays 9-1, Farmin Park downtown. Lounge Music with Neighbor John, Thursdays 6-9 at 41 South. Live music, Coldwater Creek Wine Bar, 7-10 on Fridays. Old Time Music Jam, Cafe Bodega @ Foster’s Crossing, 6-8 pm first and third Thursdays. Summer Sounds. Free concert series every Saturday 4-6 pm Park Place Stage Wacky Wine Wednesdays. Di Luna’s Café 4-6 pm. 208-263-0846
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 20
Politically Incorrect
Trish Gannon
I recently read some studies that suggest willpower is a limited resource. They seem to show that when you exercise willpower in some manner, less willpower is available to you the next time you need it. It has to do with glucose resources, and other complicated things I won’t go into here, given that I’m using this as my excuse for taking a day off of work. You see, a month or so ago I promised myself I wasn’t going to work weekends anymore. Given that I’m now about four years into my mid-life crisis, I have decided that certain things are going to have to change if I’m ever going to have a chance at becoming a normal, productive, relatively decent human being again any time soon. One thing that will have to change is my tendency to work all the time because I’m freaking too old for it! So no more working weekends. Therefore, one Sunday morning found me deep in one of a myriad of ‘projects’ I had decided had to be finished that weekend (yes, I need some work on my followthrough) when Brenda Haase invited me to join her on a 4-H hike up to Rock Lake the next day. “Absolutely not!” I told her. “I have way too much work to do.” Later that afternoon, Rayna Longstreet cavilled at my lack of participation, and I snapped. Not at her, of course... I snapped at myself, as I sat and worked my way through a time period I had promised myself I would no longer work through. I had already used my store of willpower. “You’re right,” I told Rayna. “Forget work!” though that wasn’t actually the “F” word I used. Which is how I ended up hiking up to Rock Lake one fine, stormy Monday morning. This was not my first trip to Rock Lake, nor my second nor my third. Rock Lake has always been a favored destination, for a number of reasons. First, it’s a beautiful hike in the astounding Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. Second, it’s pretty much an easy drive to the trailhead, which is important given how many times my vehicles have broken down on the way to or from a hike. Third, it’s an area that might be inaccessible to us in the near future, if the Rock Creek Mine is ever established. Fourth, it’s a favored area of grizzly bear, which I both want/don’t want to see on the trail. And fifth—I’ve always thought of it as a relatively easy hike. From the trailhead, the hike is around four miles one way, and climbs 2,800 feet
Rock Lake
to one of the many gorgeous, fresh-water lakes that populate this area. The first three miles or so are a mostly easy upward slog through the magnificent Rock Creek Meadows and up to some old mining equipment. At that point, the trail morphs into a somewhat steep, switchbacked trail up to the lake. Or so I used to think, before my hypothesis that a year of pretty much doing nothing but sitting in front of a computer doesn’t improve your level of
Instigators: Brenda Haase & Rayna Longstreet
fitness became an accepted truth. This hike promised adventure from its start, in the form of a posted notice of a deer carcass directly on the trail and the griz who had been feeding on it. Although the carcass had since been moved, bears have a prodigious memory for where they’ve found food and tend to keep those spots on their itinerary for a while. Almost at the start of the Rock Lake trailhead (trail #935 for those who want to know) hikers must cross a rushing stream that crosses the trail. We’ve had a lot of water this spring, and this stream was about calf high (it was thigh high on the return trip), moving fast, the only footing slippery rocks, and the ‘stream’ was actually about four of them as the original was moving far outside its normal bed. It will now be known by the name Rayna gave it: “Lost Flop Creek.” It was my flip flop that was lost. Hikers know you don’t wear flip flops to cross a fast-moving creek but the velcro has worn out on my Tevas so that was all I had. And I didn’t expect the creek to be quite so high. It was no great loss: finding your footing on rocks is easier in bare feet than in flip flops that get ripped off said feet, or it would be if the water weren’t so cold that you can no longer feel your feet. Of course, with so much water up high to come down, the trail in late June featured ‘water crossings’ about a halfdozen times, which meant my hiking boots (given I had no flip flops to wear) were
soaked. And watching the water pour into Rock Lake, I learned (thanks, Rayna!) that the difference between a waterfall and a cascade is only an inch—because a cascade becomes a waterfall if the water falls (as opposed to moving down the rock face) more than 30 feet. Or maybe it was 40. Anyway, getting there was a climb. Despite what I said earlier, let me tell you now the Rock Lake trail is a steady, upward, hellish trudge that uses every muscle you have in your legs, and you’re going to feel every one of them. On the last leg of the trail with Brenda (the kids and Rayna had long deserted us) all I could do was sing that song from “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”: put one foot in front of the other. I tend to lose things on the Rock Lake trail—I once lost a $45 dollar canister of bear spray, which kind of ticked me off, and sure enough, I lost my bear spray on this trip as well. Luckily, the kids (who were way ahead of me at this point) found it on the way down, mere minutes before they spotted the grizzly. She was gone by the time Brenda and I got there, though. All in all, I gave up most of an entire work day to go on this hike; to push my body to do what it used to be able to do with ease, to enjoy being out in the midst of this glorious place in which we live, to spend some time with people I enjoy and see on way too rare a basis. And of course, it was worth it. It was worth it every step of the hellish trip down, it was worth it when the snake tried to attack me from the side of the trail and Brenda made fun of my “freaking out” (her words). It was worth it the next day when my hip flexors froze into iron, followed thereafter by tensor fasciae latae (thigh), tibialus interior (front calf), gastroc nemius (rear calf) and knee joints. I’m hoping I will get a little bit better at meeting my intention of no longer working weekends. I’m hoping I can go out into the woods in the future, without hurting afterward because I’ve spent too much time sitting at my desk. I’m hoping Rock Lake will remain fully accessible to all of us for a long time to come, and that you have friends who will persist on your seeing it until you’ve used up all your willpower in saying no. Trish Gannon can be reached at trish@riverjournal.com.
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 21
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PASSAGES
Donna Lou Taylor LEEN March 24, 1938 - June 10, 2012
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Edwin A. CORNAGEY May 14, 1927 June 4, 2012
www.LakeviewFuneral.com
www.CoffeltFuneral.com
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Alexis Victoria Goodland JOHNSON June 4, 1928 - June 11, 2012
Bernice Marie Koch ESTEP December 9, 1930 - June 5, 2012
www.LakeviewFuneral.com
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Robert E. ‘Bob’ McINTYRE July 8, 1936 - June 30, 2012
www.LakeviewFuneral.com
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Delilah Lorraine HARRIS January 11, 1936 - July 1, 2012 www.Lakeview Funeral.com
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Betty Lou TURNER October 15, 1923 - July 2, 2012 www.LakeviewFuneral.com
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Robert James MALSBY January 1, 1917 - June 1, 2012 www.CoffeltFuneral.com
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Murial Ann Johnson TOCHTERMAN April 16, 1932 - June 3, 2012 www.CoffeltFuneral.com
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Lois Jean Rohlf BELDEN August 11, 1925 - June 19, 2012 www.LakeviewFuneral.com
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www.CoffeltFuneral.com
Calvin Kern SHERIDAN September 5, 1925 - June 4, 2012 www.CoffeltFuneral.com
Rev. Robert E. ‘Bob’ NALE November 16, 1926 - June 8, 2012 www.CoffeltFuneral.com
And they don’t have to—after all, don’t believe if it’s ours, it’s ours •we Americans Susan Davis RITCHIE andJanuary we can 28, do 1945 with it- June what9,we want? Or 2012 www.CoffeltFuneral.com is and we want it, then • Mickie D Pierson McGhee youJanuary have to17, give it to- June us and you don’t, 1943 23,if2012 www.CoffeltFuneral.com then you sponsor terrorism and we’ll •
Ray Allen is available for private parties, weddings, restaurants, and all corporate events. Ray Allen plays acoustic guitar and sings jazz standards, pop tunes, country, and originals from the 30s through the 70s. Music for all ages. Includes use of my PA system for announcements. Clean cut and well dressed for your event. PA rentals for events. Call for my low rates and information.
Call 208-610-8244 They have ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ and ‘touch the face of God.’
James Oscar ‘Red’ By the way, China wants that oil as KRASSELT well. Remember China? The people who February 21, 1939 loaned that money? China’s oil - Juneus 23,all 2012
www.CoffeltFuneral.com consumption is around 6.5 billion barrels a year, and is growing at 7 percent every • year. Jacqueline Faeabout Duffy3.6 billion barrels It produces Julyyear. 12, 1924 - June 26, 2012 every Does this math look good to • www.CoffeltFuneral.com anyone? Can anyone other than Sarah and George •PalinJoseph Samuel Bush believe we can drillKASSEBAUM our way out of this problem? Anyone whoDecember doesn’t think we better hit the ground 30, 1923 - June 29, 2012 running to figure out how to fuel what we www.CoffeltFuneral.com want fueled with something other than • oil Craig Alan deserves BLOOM to go back to an probably
January 19, 1958 - June 30, 2012 www.CoffeltFuneral.com
: I could go on forever, but you’ll quit reading. So one final discussion for the American public. First, let’s have a true, independent analysis of what happened on September 11, 2001. The official explanation simply doesn’t hold water. This is one of those “who knew what, when” questions that must be answered—and people/institutions must
Espresso at Annie’s Orchard
Speaking of accountability, you might be surprised to learn that I would not with your an hosts Terryto & Carole Chowning support effort impeach President Bush after the November elections. First, Coffee and other because that’s too drinks, late, and second, specialty because more than Bush have been pastries & more involved in crimes against the American people. What I would like to see are Hwy 200 1 mile west of Clark Fork(at• the 208-266-1245 charges least, charges of treason) Bush, Cheney, Open Monday-Saturday 7brought to 1 •against Sunday 8 to 1et al. Bring the charges and let’s let the evidence of
Coffelt Funeral Service helping those who are left behind. P.O. Box 949 • Sandpoint, Idaho
208-263-3133
www.CoffeltFuneral.com Moon Chapel Pinecrest Cemetery Member by invitation only Moon Crematory
Page 22 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| July 2012
Gary’s Faith Walk
August 2-12, 2012
I Refuse to Lose Hope
FeSTivAl ATSAndpoinT! The
Gary Payton
Challenges in our contemporary world can grind you down and leave you hopeless. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio +20, concluded just days ago, failing to produce binding agreements on a host of environmental and social crises. Debate over TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf Coast rages on. Energy hunger collides with concerns for water purity and health issues. In Bonner County, a classic confrontation pits business and snowmobile recreationists against the US Fish and Wildlife Service plan to protect woodland caribou. Global, national, local… three examples of alternative visions from our world where human population has swelled beyond 7 billion. I refuse to lose hope. In my faith walk, a vision of the peaceable kingdom (Isaiah 11:6-9) shimmers on the horizon and a child is in its midst: The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like an ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Three years ago, I hiked amidst cactus and desert flowers in Saguaro National Park, just west of Tucson, Arizona. The day was glorious with a crystal blue sky above and skittering lizards at my feet. Wrapping up the day, I wandered into the visitor center bookstore and for the first time encountered “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv. The subtitle of the book is “Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.” While my children and grandchildren have been raised with backpacks, hiking boots, and all manner of summer and winter non-motorized activities, the book opened my eyes to the disconnect between nature and so many young persons today. I vowed to do my small part to make a difference. So, recent summer days have been spent “in the woods” with our 4-year-old grandson, Alec. Whether parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, or friend, you know the wonderful routine. It’s a routine many of us are blessed to share: touching together a diamond of raindrop in the center of a blooming lupine, bending low to smell a pink wild rose, urging stillness to better watch the doe and her fawn walk by, and glimpsing the snow still atop surrounding mountains. Why do I refuse to lose hope? The answer came on a descent of the Mickinnick Trail just northwest of Sandpoint. As Alec and I walked slowly through a cedar grove, he climbed atop a long ago cut stump and declared for all to hear, “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees!” In his children’s book, “The Lorax,” Dr. Seuss created a tale of greed gone mad, destruction of habitat, and the redemptive story of a child restoring the environment. With themes of a peaceable kingdom, the story concludes with a message for us and the next generation “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” And so, I hope. Gary Payton’s Faith Walk takes him all over the world. You can reach him at gdp.sandpoint@gmail.com
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Jinxed
Jinx Beshears
I grew up thinking my name was Grace. Not necessarily grace in a good way. More like grace-LESS. It was a family joke. Drop a dish? My family would laugh, “Way to go, Grace.” Fall UP the stairs? “Way to go, Grace.” Laugh until milk comes through your nose? ”Way to go, Grace.” Accidentally get your dress caught in your panty hose above your bum after leaving the rest room when you have to walk all the way up to the front of the church to play the piano with the entire congregation snickering while the whole time you are trying to figure out WHY? “Way to go, Grace.” Family is ruthless. I will admit that clumsy has always been a way of life for me and if you read very many of my stories, you will know the truth of the whole clumsy thing. If I can fall off of it, up it, into it, over it or under it, then I probably have. In my mind, every time my clumsiness comes into play I can hear my family: ‘Way to go, Grace.” My daughter Jamie is the proud mommie of my third granddaughter, five-year-old Gracie. I think I might have forgotten to tell Jamie the whole “Grace” story. Either that or she just seriously “jinxed” her child! Because I am such a bumbling person, I have tried to surround myself with people who are more agile than I am, but I have noticed it hasn’t worked much. Because I am so prone to spontaneous decisions that sometimes confound people, I try to surround myself with people with more common sense than I have, too. That hasn’t exactly worked out for me, either! To prove my point, last week, my friend Joy Harris and I decided to see how far we could get up Lightning Creek Road since it had been raining all week. (Lightning Creek Road is my very favorite road to play on!) The last time I had been up the road I hadn’t been able to even cross the wash out, but a bridge had been built since then and I was anxious to see how far we could make our way up. I thought we would take MY truck up the road, as I am not afraid of scratches or dents, but Joy insisted on taking HER nice rig up. The one that doesn’t have any dings or pings. That should have been my first clue that Joy was as lacking in the common sense department as I am. Joy hadn’t been up this particular road and I was excited for her to see some things that I had “found.” First, I showed
Way to go, Grace! her a cave that is about four miles up. I have been inside on a few occasions, but not very far in because I freely admit to being afraid of the dark. What I didn’t expect was for Joy to lunge out of the car and practically race up to the cave to disappear inside. My left knee still isn’t in tip top condition and uneven ground isn’t a great venture for me yet. Joy, however, with no flashlight, head lamp or even a rock in her hand as a weapon for Pete’s sake, just dashed inside a pitch black opening in the side of a big mountain. That should have easily been my second clue. Joy burst back into the light, laughing in delight. “ I cant wait to send my husband and son in there!” I learned a long time ago from Bob Hays that it isn’t really even a cave, it is an old mine and probably not the safest place to be goofing around in. I had already forewarned Joy of this, so for just one minute I was wondering how she really felt about her family. Then I remembered taking Stacey to it when I first found it. And I just laughed at Joy, knowing she didn’t have a death wish for her kin, but was just “wowed” by the sight of the cave. Onward up Lightning Creek Road we went. No matter what time of year it is, I always manage to find rocks to pick up along the way. Unfortunately, because of my knee, I am unable to actually get them, so I had to assign Joy the task. Of course, the rock was half way up the mountain side and Joy slipped and slid up and down to get the rock for me. This should have been my third clue that common sense was not running rampant in our moment. I did however, get my rock and it was an awesome rock. On the way down from the mountainside, Joy glimpsed a campsite she felt we needed to investigate, to decide whether or not it was a place we might want to camp later on. We turned into the camp’s drive and there was a good-sized mud puddle in our way. “Do you think we can make it?” she asked me. I looked around to see if she might be asking someone else in the vehicle, because no one ever asks me if I think we should make it through a puddle. Joy gunned the SUV, I held on for dear life and lickity split we literally crashed our way through the mud puddle. “Oh yeah,” Joy giggled. “I forgot we don’t have 4-wheel-drive. Here we are just a “tweeling” along.”
I must have looked dumbfounded, so she explained tweeling to me. It’s driving up a road on 2-wheel-drive that seriously needs to be driven with 4-wheel-drive. Tweelin’. Did I mention she is from Texas? The fourth clue should have reached out and slapped me. Common sense? What a unique idea! I just shook my head as we both got out to look at the mess behind us. “That was a little deeper than I thought it was,” Joy announced. I was just looking at her, still stunned that she had asked my opinion about our ability to get to the other side of a mud puddle which was almost the size of an Olympic pool without 4-wheel-drive once we got out to view it. I turned my head for just one second, just as Joy asked, “I wonder how deep it really is?” I looked back as she picked up a stick and leaned over to “measure” how deep it was. I mean, really? Even I knew that was a bad idea.( Fifth clue!) But as I was about to voice my thoughts, she hit the edge of the puddle and tried to stop herself. At this point, I admit it, I laughed and I laughed really hard. The occasion seldom comes along that it is not me falling butt end first into mud the consistency of a Sonic slushy! “Ugh!” I heard her groan, between my peels of laughter. I could actually hear her body slurp out of the mud. I didn’t really know what to do to help her. It’s not something I experience much, to have someone else on the end of the clumsy stick. Joy jumped and looked at herself, then at me, put her hands on her muddy hips and said, “ MY STARS!” Which started another stage of chuckles from me. Then, Joy turned and headed for the river. My breath caught in my mouth. What was she about to do? It was like watching a piece of film from my own life. Joy took in a deep breath and literally threw her sticky body into the river. At some point I quit counting clues. You would think I would catch on to the fact that I obviously need supervision in the friend department! Joy’s little body was floundering in the river. She was gasping and grasping for the rocks. I don’t believe I have ever heard a shriek quite so shrill and loud from a human mouth. Her skin Story continued on next page Jinx Beshears lives in Clark Fork and is always in search of adventure. You can reach her at jinxbychoice08@yahoo.com.
Page 24 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| July 2012
Flathead Monsters, Mima Mounds & Wampus Cats Strange News from the Northwest FROM THE FILES OF THE RIVER JOURNAL’S
Surrealist Research Bureau
In paranormal/cryptozoological news from around the Pacific Northwest recently, there’s been a lot going on, including the resurgence of Montana’s Flathead Lake Monster, the coming to an area near Boise of the television show “Finding Bigfoot,” plus a local Sandpoint group formed to help investigate paranormal occurrences. The Lake County Leader, a newspaper out of Polson, Mont., reported the sighting of an aquatic animal some 25 feet in length with a whale-like tail. The May 18, 2012 edition of the paper had a front page article detailing the sighting by Pam Moriarty, her daughter Laura and friend Justin Lagemann, who all observed the beast swimming against the current of Flathead Lake for a full five minutes just 50 yards offshore. Montana’s Flathead Lake Monster has a long, if spotty, history, with the last known sighting nearly a year ago prior to last month’s Finley Point observation. Simply Googling Flathead lake Monster should get you a few sites for more information. You can read the Leader story here: http://tinyurl. com/79acf27 The Animal Planet’s television reality show “Finding Bigfoot” is now in Pocatello filming an episode based on a video shot by high school students who saw a large, hairy, man-shape watching
them from a crest line before lumbering off into the woods. The students went to the area later and found numerous large footprints which they also photographed. To see the original video footage before the Animal Planet edits or enhances it, you can go to localnews8.com. No word on when the Idaho Finding Bigfoot episode will air, but my own unofficial estimate of their prep to air time is about two months so it shouldn’t be too far away. Sandpoint’s Bonner County Daily Bee ran a front page story (http://tinyurl. com/8xaysfw) on June 20, 2012 about some potential Sasquatch prints found along the nearby Trestle Creek drainage by resident Bonnie Thompson. She made plaster casts of two of them but didn’t report finding them ‘til some 30 years had passed. The Bee’s website has a photo of one of the plaster casts. And on the Web: The website strangeusa.com has a collection of a dozen or so Sandpoint area UFO reports, plus a new (to me) paranormal research group has begun locally to look into “strange northwest anomalies” called the Sandpoint Idaho Paranormal Society (look for them on Facebook). Another spook-based research group, which recently investigated hauntings of Sandpoint’s Panida Theater is Inland Northwest Paranormal Research (also
immediately turned a blistering pink, and I knew it had to be as cold as a glacier in that river. I could hear her yelping and yipping and I couldn’t quite figure out why she wasn’t climbing back up the rocks toward the warmth of the car. Then I realized what had happened. Joy has been losing a lot of weight. The comfortable pants she had worn were so big they were falling off of her legs in the frigid water. I got as close to the edge of the river as possible, safely. I didn’t want to ask her if she needed help—what was I going to do? My knee was still unstable and all I could do was watch. Joy sputtered, and spit, and squealed, finally pulling her pants off and crawling up the slippery rocks to safety. Standing on the edge of the river, her wet pants in her hand, panties dripping off her legs, Joy looked at me and said, “that was a
bit nippy.” I tried not to laugh, really I did, but she stood there, the campsite not really far off the road, shaking like a pissed off banty hen, looking at her pants like they were a foreign object. I could see her wheels turning, wondering how she was going to get her soaked pants back on. I climbed back into her rig, and listened to her pulling and tugging, trying to inch those pants up her legs. Okay, and I snickered a bit. (I snickered a lot!) After a brief fight with her pants she did manage to wrestle them back on. Joy climbed back into the car and chirped, “ I don’t think I want to do that again!” Joy backed out of the campsite with such speed I barely had time to hold onto the side of the door. We splashed through the muddy flood waters backward onto the main road. While I thoroughly expected her to turn right towards home,
Jody Forest
on Facebook). Finally, while living scarcely a football field away from Clark Fork and the home of the Wampus Cats, I was pleasantly surprised to find them mentioned in one of my favorite websites, cryptomundo.com, which discusses the history and lore of these fabled mythological (?) creatures. You can read the story here: http://tinyurl. com/7kcywyl Finally, a quick mention of a truly unknown local phenomena, that of western Oregon and Washington’s bizarre geological anomalies, the Mima Mounds, those million or so unexplained round mounds for which no satisfactory explanations have ever been put forward. William Corliss’s “Unknown Earth, A Handbook of Geological Anomalies” puts forth some 30 different possible proposed solutions, none of which fit the facts. For instance, built by gophers? Fine, but there are no gophers in the Mima Valley! The list goes on. (Check out this great story from the Seattle Times on the mounds: http://tinyurl.com/5avleh) ‘til next time, keep spreading the word, Soylent Green is People! All Homage to Xena! Jody Forest will be tracking Bigfoot in the Selkirk Mountains in early July. You can reach him at joe@ riverjournal.com when he returns.
Joy made a left, looked at me and smiled. “No reason to let a frozen rear end and sopping pride stop us from exploring.” Wow, it was like talking to myself. I grinned from ear to ear, I couldn’t help myself. With much glee I spoke what I had been trained to hear my whole life. “Way to go, Grace!”
Rock Out Cancer July 14 • 4 pm
A concert on the lawn at Beyond Hope’s Del Lago Restaurant on the Hope Peninsula.
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 25
Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness
Summer Stewardship Projects Trail maintenance and restoration top the priority list
After a winter of looking for rare forest carnivores with Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness returns to the hiking season and summer partnerships with the US Forest Service on ranger districts in Idaho and Montana. This makes for an exciting summer for FSPW volunteers and staff. In addition to a plethora of volunteer-led hikes, there are a half dozen distinct FSPW stewardship projects in the
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Scotchmans this summer. “This is our most ambitious summer stewardship program to date,” said FSPW summer project coordinator Bonnie Jakubos, “including beginning the restoration of Star Peak lookout and reconstructing the historic tread to Star Peak, the biggest trail project FSPW has ever undertaken.” The Scotchman Peaks are part of the Cabinet and Three Rivers Ranger Districts on Kootenai National Forest and the Sandpoint District on Idaho Panhandle National Forests. On both forests, FSPW will help rebuild and maintain trails on four different projects. On the Cabinet District, FSPW will also help monitor and deal with weeds; construct trailhead signs; and begin work on restoring the Star Peak Lookout. Summer projects kick off with a workday on Sunday, July 8, inaugurating the rebuild of the old southern approach to Star Peak, abandoned decades ago in favor of the road that currently makes up the lower portion of Trail #998. This is cause for celebration. “Let’s just say that hikers are not fond of that road,” said FSPW program director Sandy Compton. “The new/old tread will be much more user friendly for walkers and present views that are spectacular. It’s going to be a great trail!”
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Another project involving Star Peak history is the restoration of the lookout cabin on the peak. The Nine Mile Mule Team, an authentic Forest Service pack string, will spend two days, July 31 and August 1, hauling materials for the project to the lookout. A limited number of FSPW volunteers — just five each day — will get to help pack and unpack the mules, a once in a lifetime experience for some. FSPW is also funding two visits by Montana Conservation Corps youth crews, who will work with Three Rivers District personnel and FSPW volunteers to rebuild portions of Little Spar Lake Trail #143. The MCC crews will camp at Spar Lake Campground and work on the trail July 23 through 27 and August 6 through 10. FSPW volunteers are welcome to camp with the crews (and share meals provided by FSPW and MCC). “This is an opportunity to spend time with high-energy kids who will benefit by the presence of adults who are good role models,” said Compton. “Not only will we be doing some sorely needed trail work, but I think this will be a very satisfying project to be involved in on physical, emotional and spiritual levels.” Additionally, FSPW and the Cabinet District plan a three-prong workday on July 28 to deal with weeds on Pillick Ridge Trail #1036, set up trailhead information signs and rebuild parts of Blacktail Creek Trail #997. To round out the season, FSPW plans a workday with the Sandpoint District on National Public Lands Day, September 29. Maintenance will be done Morris Creek Trail #132, particularly rebuilding portions of the lower trail which was destroyed by flooding in 2006. “It’s going to be a great season,” said Jakubos, “We invite anybody who has a passion for wild country and great trails to come help. Volunteers not only make a difference on the ground, but in their own lives.” To volunteer and learn more, write to trails@scotchmanpeaks.org or visit www. scotchmanpeaks.org/hiking/currenthiking-schedule. Photo by Darklich14 via Wikimedia Commons
Page 26 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| July 2012
A few of the many ways to Have Fun while on the ‘BIG ISLAND’ • Get really burnt. This sounds difficult but it only takes a few minutes. Then... • Go take the ‘C-note Tour’ in Gravel Girty’s hand painted Yugo, upholstered in old coffee plantation burlap. Bring gas money, umbrella, walkin’ shoes and SPF 900 sunblock. When you get back, you can … • Do a round of golf after hours with a croquet mallet, cut-offs and cowboy boots. • Body surf immediately afterwards in the same attire. • Try to pet a mongoose. • or a hula dancer. • or break any of the other local rules just to see if ‘the City of Refuge’ still functions like it did in the ‘olden days’. • Drive around for a few days in shorts until your knees glow like the tail lights on a ’63 Ford Falcon, then … • Go to a Lu’au (a really good one) and on your way home, pull over any rig with a little blue light on its roof, to give aloha and ask directions to either of ‘Pu’uhonua o Honaunau’ (City of Refuge) or ‘Pu’u Wa’awa’a’ and ‘Laupahoehoe’ streets. Have navigator take picture of expression (use flash). Vanish into darkness. • Read children’s books down in Captain Cook at the ‘Up Country Bakery and Café’ while sipping coffee (Kona) and enjoying a bagel & tuna. (Seriously!) • Take a short nap afterwards at any beach (old lava flow) in such a way that when you get up from your slumber, you look as though tie-dyed. • Go to ‘Magic Sands’ beach to display knees and cool new ‘Speedos.’ Then... • Walk into ‘Bubba Gump’s’ in Kona and ask Mike for the “Seafood Extravaganza.” Mention my name and receive really good service anyway. After that, if you can stand
up, you could… • Get even with those pesky upstairs neighbor cows pretending to be human but clomping their hooves endlessly above you during your attempts at rejuvenation after too much sun, surf, sand, map reading, mai tais, walkin’ and hard-to-pronounce street names. You can do this by filling up a large manila envelope with a can of aerosol whoopin’ cream*, seal the flap, let stand a bit to set up, razor-cut the end (carefully so as not to remove too many fingers), tippy-toe upstairs and slide the cut end of the envelope neatly under the door of the cattle pen, ring doorbell to get full attention of herd, yell “who wants pizza?”, then slap the flattest, heaviest object (a Seattle phone book works pretty well) di-rectly on that envelope. Run to your already running vehicle and try to make the ‘City of Refuge’ before getting caught. If you make it, ask the ranger running after you for immediate forgiveness. He may laugh at your story but don’t count on it as I’ve yet to meet one with a sense of humor even way out here. *the original recipe my cousin Will and I got out of a Green Bay Packer handbook back in 1970 called for shaving cream. We found this to be in bad taste (literally) as opposed to ‘whoopin’ cream. You be the judge. • Lastly, thou should go snorkeling with Manta Rays, but before you do, try a little practice first if this activity is new to your noggin. Here are a few tips I managed to retain in all the excitement. • Always go with a ‘buddy’. This gives you at least a 50/50 chance of not being lunch. To improve odds, add more ‘buddies’. • Keep your eyes open. This will help you fill out the forms necessary when one of your ‘buddies’ disappears in a cloud of bubbles.
• Try not to look like food. • Practice holding your breath for ten to twelve minutes as this is the approximate length of time it takes an adult octopus to mate and release the average tourist. • Keep yer nose in an airtight container. • Shrimp- or barbeque-flavored sun block is not really sun block at all but some kinda sick joke. • Flippers are important, even if you have big feet. They won’t help you outrun (sorry, outswim) a predator but the rubber gets stuck in their teeth, making it hard for them to eat anyone else. Side note: put ‘em on and take ‘em off at the water’s edge as seeing someone try to walk, run or even skip to the loo in flippers is so hard on the stomached muscles of onlookers that it too is one of the local no-no’s. Now that you’re actually in the water… • Do Not stick any part of your body into any hole, no matter how small. • If you simply have to enter a cave or deep overhang due to a low I.Q. acquired at birth, re-read tip #1. • If you are fortunate enough to be afflicted with vertigo, you can test whether or not you also have the underwater version by paddlin’ out to the open abyss. Be prepared for the same tightness in the chest, hard and fast breathing, bulging eyes and the audible clapping of your sphincter muscle. Relax, this is not the sound of a hungry shark nearby. That old soundtrack will come to mind when you head back in. Do not look over your shoulder as this apparently looks uncool. • ALOHA!
Scott Clawson
acresnpains@dishmail.net
July 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| Page 27
Roughing It “Roughing it” is a term loosely used by someone camping out with little or no overnight camping gear. In our case however, we had all the elements one could ask for... almost. We had a motor home and it was equipped with everything one could imagine, even a shower, just in case you had talked your wife into going on a camping trip. Dave Lisaius is the world-famous sportsman mentioned several times by Pat McManus in his stories of the great outdoor sportsmen of North Idaho and parts unknown. I myself am of lesser-known ability when it comes to my handling the great outdoors. However, each year on opening day of Walleye season on the upper arm of the Spokane River, we have always descended on it in full force and purpose. This year, however, our wives reneged on the trip, claiming previous obligations. This was just too good to be true. It meant us guys would have the motor home all to ourselves. We could eat guy food and pass gas without being thrown out of the motor home for such foul etiquette by our wives. Their excuse for not going was they had volunteered to help clean out all the Indian casinos of all their loose change. I spent the night at Dave’s Villa on his sprawling estate just outside of Spokane. This was so we could get an early start on our fishing trip; any time before noon is fine with Dave, who likes a leisurely breakfast on the veranda with coffee and the stock market report. Dave is so confident in his ability to catch and release several times his daily limit of fish, he doesn’t feel the need for rushing, even though there was some concern about parking space. “That’s why we are arriving a day early,” he said, “to get a choice parking spot overlooking the great lake.” We have previously stayed at casinos that cost a hundred dollars a night; of course, that included breakfast and lattes delivered to your door by some scantily clad young lady with a lot of silicone showing. This, however was not one of those camp grounds. This was a governmentrun establishment. It once belonged to a Meth lab that blew up, leaving a large hole that was used later as a toilet to be pumped out every two to three years. Now going into its fourth year, the government toilet paper that was supplied the first year had long sense been used up. I’m not saying this toilet was in need of repair, but the dirty jokes in there had been written back in the 50s. There were flies older than my grandchildren. While they were standing around in the smoking aftermath of the meth explosion, it was decided this would be a great place for a campground, so the government seized this property. They seemed to be oblivious to the fact they were standing on the downhill side of a mountain. Even the water in the toilet bowls was listing to the downhill side.
From the Mouth of the River
When we arrived we discovered all campsites were taken but one. We were second in line for that one until Dave accidently kicked the walking cane out from under this blue-haired old lady and before she could be retrieved from rolling down the mountain and into the lake, we claimed the campsite. Backing down the campsite, we noticed our brakes were locked but we only skidded a foot or to and came to rest against a large tree at the end. This was when we noticed none of the amenities would work if the motor home wasn’t level. Looking around we noticed all the other camper trailers and motor homes had brought tons of blocks and lumber just to do that very thing. We set and drank coffee from our thermoses and watched this elderly couple across the way level their twenty-four-foot camper trailer. It took them four hours to jack it up twenty-four inches the first two times. Both times it teetered and fell down. We were taken aback by the fact there was no screaming or cussing one another when things would go wrong, not like other couples who would turn purple and scream at one another because Dad would turn the steering wheel the wrong way and run over the dog that was tied to the bumper. We sipped our coffee while leaning up against a tree and admired our new neighbors for their patience and understanding while finally leveling their trailer on a stack of teetering boards over two feet high. We admired their doing all of this without shouting and cursing at each other. “I hope when my wife and I get that old we can be that understanding and patient with each other,” Dave said. “What do you mean, “That old,” Dave? You are that old!” It was at this time we looked up, just in time to see the old woman grab the old man by the throat and yank him out of the truck and on to the ground, kicking and beating him with a board. Now I know why they were not cussing one another; they’re deafmutes. It wasn’t until Dave made a sandwich and the meat kept sliding out from between the slices of bread that we decided maybe we should just get a motel.
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Page 28 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 7| July 2012
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SAtUrdAy, AUgUSt 4 $
4995
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Dance concert
SAtUrdAy, AUgUSt 11
with
Plus Tax & City Parks Fees
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4495
with
$
Plus Tax & City Parks Fees
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family Concert “Pinocchio”
grand finale “french accents”
With ;OL :WVRHUL @V\[O 6YJOLZ[YH
SUndAy, AUgUSt 5
6
$
comPlimentary wine tasting
SUndAy, AUgUSt 12
34
$
95
Plus Tax & City Parks Fees
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