Good to Be Home Again

This summer has seen its share of travel, when the wife and I thought that perhaps it would be a time of primarily staying home. So much for that. Now that August is well under way, we're looking at the start of school again, but we can look back to some good times, fun traveling, and quiet summer moments enjoying friends and family. There's more to come this month.

I got back the day before yesterday after a long ride home from Sandpoint, Idaho, a ride of over 1200 miles. That, on top of the ride out there with my brother Jess, through Wyoming and Montana, through Glacier Park, into Idaho and back. Photos are online here.

The biggest surprise for me? The beauty of Sandpoint, on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, a town I thought was going to be a dusty, windy, backwoods western village that would explain why some of my ancestors left there years ago. To the contrary, it was a hip, attractive, tidy town full of tourists and upscale shops, some happening night-spots, where the highlight was a little brewery featuring Truck Mills, who we heard playing as we walked by. When we went in, we saw it was a saz he was playing, and things got better as more musicians came to join him as he moved to a guitar, including a bassist, another guitar player, a harmonica player, and finally a trumpeter! It was a real treat.

We also saw some wildlife on the ride--lots of deer, but also elk, a grizzly bear in Glacier, and a moose. Finally, only a few miles from home, I saw a mountain lion crossing the road two miles west of Fedora. We also saw lots of people heading for Sturgis, which I passed through on my way out and again on my way back. Although tempted by the Bikini Bike Wash, I figured more bugs were to come anyway and kept on truckin'. Lots of folks there.

Good times.