HUNTING THE ELUSIVE HUCKLEBERRY

Yesterday we went on a trek onto the mountains in search of huckleberries.  These little berries sell for as much as $50 a quart down here in Sandpoint, which gives you some idea why folks go to great lengths to find them.  Many (some with long beards and guns) hunt them for profit.  Aside from looking intimidating the guns also have a more practical application because the berries only grow up high in places that the local Grizzly Bears live and it so happens they also love huckleberries.

We reached our objective several miles up a dirt and gravel road past the Grizzly Bear warning signs, about 20 miles from the last pavement and at an elevation of almost 6000 feet.  (Back in our backpacking days Arlyene and I often hiked all day to get to places like this.  Just did not feel right driving there in a truck but hey, we don't carry heavy backpacks as well as we used to.)  Our goal was the Roman Nose Lakes which, as you can see from the map below, are a bit out of the way.

Once we arrived at the lake, out came the buckets and Larry's fishing pole.  I carried the bear spray and Larry was at least well enough armed to get a Grizzly Bears attention so that the rest of us could at least outrun Larry.  We expected to find the area well picked already so we were pleasantly surprised to find plenty of berries.  While Larry fished Linda, Arlyene and I picked and we ended up with more than enough for Arlyene to make us a Huckleberry Crisp tonight.  We sneaked back down the mountain with our treasurer hoping the mountain men the area would not hold us up.  They didn't and neither did the Grizzlies.  Never saw one and very glad for that.

It was warm and very smokey from a number if fires in this part of the country.  (At the same time we are mindful of the great suffering going on in Texas.  I think we can put up with some smoke.)  No pictures of the beautiful mountain vistas because they just were obscured by smoke and haze.  It is worse today and this combined with fires in central Oregon have prompted us to make a change in our travel plans.  We had planned to travel with Larry and Linda (they in their motorhome) to Sisters, Oregon for a reunion with some previous business associates and their wives.  In part because of the smoke and fires in that area and in part because two of the couples have had to back out of the reunion for other reasons we are now going to depart from here in northern Idaho and head directly for Las Vegas.  We expect to arrive there about September 17th.

Hopefully the adventure is not over yet.  Between now and September 10th when we plan to leave we hope to do some fishing on the lake and celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary and Larry's birthday with a night out on the town.  Don't worry, it's a small town, we can't get in too much trouble.

Couldn't decided which one of these last two I like best so posting both.