I
get antsy when my study and sewing is neglected. Mike gets antsy when we have a
dry spell without geocaching.
Our
last geocaching excursion was December 23. I remember it well. It was the day
Hallie and Nick left after our Christmas celebration. That being six weeks ago,
Mike had been watching the weather for a good opportunity to get out. Yesterday
(Saturday, Feb. 9) was the day.
After
breakfast I packed snacks for man and dog, the camera, and my cell phone. Mike
had his GPS, his phone, some maps, and also the old “Gary Fisher” mountain bike.
And so, the three of us set off for a fun day of geocaching along the Potlatch
River at Kendrick, 23 miles east of Lewiston, where the defunct railroad track
has been converted to a hiking/biking trail.
First,
we left the mountain bike in a ditch on the trail east of town, across the
highway from the old Brammer home. (The house and grounds surely miss the
Brammers.)
Then
we drove two miles to the other side of town. Here’s Mike at a cache on Little
Bear Creek behind the school. Note his “geocaching
pants” with pen and stamp in a pocket on the leg.
Then
we parked the Dakota at the point where this series of caches began.
It’s
winter and things weren’t always as they should be with the caches. Some were
water damaged. For some, the clues were meaningless, such as “yellow flowers
behind leafy bush” or “silver leaves.” Other caches were exposed or just plain
missing.
“I
hope the dog isn’t bored,” remarks Mike as we walk along.
“You
hope – the dog – isn’t bored?”
Here
Mike and Nellie locate a cache on the other side of the fence.
After
logging the last cache in the series, Mike rode the bike back to where we left the
Dakota. In the time he was gone, Nellie and I walked to the city
limits where Mike picked us up.
With
that, you might think we’d be finished and ready to return home. No-no, not us!
At Juliaetta, the little town about three miles west of Kendrick, we turned
onto McGarry Grade where Mike had marked another three caches to visit. The
views were spectacular, such as this one of Juliaetta.
This
photo doesn’t quite capture the epiphany I experienced while hunting for this
cache. Mike was bent double searching in the rocks, and I had just joined in
the search when I happened to look up. “Ahhhhhhhhhhh,” sang the soprano angels.
And
then we discovered that if we continued to the top by way of McGarry Grade and then
down the other side of the ridge, we would come out at Cherry Lane Bridge. So,
we did that, stopping only to order a veggie calzone from Papa Murphy’s for our
supper. By the way, the calzone was decorated with pepperoni, which seemed a
bit of a contradiction if you’re going vegetarian. KW
5 comments:
We almost always go the McGarry Grade when going to Orofino. It's steep on the Juliaetta side, but as you say, the views are spectacular (but can only be noticed if you're not driving!). Sounds like a fun day; you were energetic and I was lazy! :-)
I had never known about McGarry Grade, but then from Orofino, Mother preferred the Cavendish / Troy route to Moscow.
The walk was very slow, so I didn't feel energetic -- or energized.
Is that a picture of Nellie being bored? Are you going vegetarian? What's in a veggie calzone?
In the picture, Nellie is watching Mike log the cache. She may well be bored but she didn't say so.
Papa Murphy's veggie calzone is our favorite. It's built over spinach, mushrooms, olives and ricotta cheese and covered with shredded mozzarella and cheddar (or something). It's a lot of bread. We treat ourselves very occasionally.
No, we're not vegetarians nor will we be, but I have discovered that if one researches diet relative to healthy hair, regularity, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc., the list of foods is much the same - lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, oils, seeds, etc. If I eat those things, there's not much room in the diet for anything else. I'm not a purist or a hypocrite. We will have treats and enjoy our food.
In the long ago, we went the Cavendish route, and I still love it. When Dan was in charge of the seed orchard at Cherry Lane, he would just go over the bridge and up and over to home, and since he usually drives to Orofino that's the way we go now. I don't mind it at all. Except that I'm not crazy about looking down, down, down on the Juliaetta side! :-)
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