Those dogs, they're very independent!

Linda had a flex day on Friday so we packed the camper and drove up to the Coeur d'Alene River to stay the weekend. We left early, about 9 AM and were set up by 10:30 AM at the camp located near the gravel pit around Teddy Creek. It was one of the nicer sites we have had up on the river, big area, good clean fire pit, lots of sun, everything you want in a river camp.

Right after I arrived I turned around and sped back to town to attend a lunch at my bosses house. It was my mistake so I couldn't deprive Linda of an early day at camp because I double booked myself. The drive wasn't bad and I ended up arriving at exactly five minutes to 12 noon. It was good that I had taken the time to go, because many of the other Directors didn't attend. I would have been hard pressed to miss the lunch because he is a new boss and I feel it is important to keep the brown nosing at a proper level through his first year here. It also helps that I like the guy and think he is going to go good things for Student Services.

Back at camp I climbed out of the Jeep to a chorus of dog barks. Raina and Terry had arrived with their two dogs and every time the little dogs got excited and barked Baka wanted to join in. Probably no critters would hang around our camp I would have bet. But the dogs did real well and we had a nice time watching Terry round up the two shaggy dachshunds about every five minutes.

Terry and I took the Jeep and went up river to Flat Creek where we followed the road to try to find some dry blow downs for fire wood. About a mile up the road we came across a large blow down where three logs covered the road. The trees had been cut, but left in place so we hooked the Jeep up and dragged them off the road. About 300 yard later we came across the same situation, cut trees laying on the road. At each one of the blow downs we pulled the logs off the road and drove on. At one point we came around the corner and spotted ten elk standing on the road. They scattered as we approached the next blow down. At this point we found a dead tree and cut up firewood for the evening. It was still odd to us that the trees were down, cut, but not moved off the road. A perplexing situation, why would someone carry a chain saw three miles up the road and cut trees without moving them off the road. Why would they carry the chain saw that far anyway? We filled up the Jeep with wood and drove back to camp.

We cooked a dinner of hot dogs and salad, as the sun went down over the mountains. As we ate Raina spotted a beaver directly across the river. He was a big one and, as it turns out, ventured forth each evening to nibble on the bushes along the bank of the river. Bed came early for all of us, we had a great fire, but our eyelids got quite heavy by 9 PM.

Saturday was slightly overcast with scattered sun. We hiked around the area where camp was and then loaded everyone but the little dogs up and drove up Flat Creek once again to do some further exploring. As we squeezed between the blow downs that we had moved the previous day we talked about why there were no tracks and why someone would cut the trees as the had. We came to Svee Falls and that is where our road stopped. There was still a three food snow drift covering the road with snowmobile tracks packed on top. We couldn't get the Jeep through without the possibility of getting stuck so we hopped out and walked for about a mile.

Snowmobile tracks? Well that was the answer. Snowmobiler had traveled up over the road, encountered the blow downs, and then cut them. When they cut them the tree sections would settle down about two feet allowing the sleds to pass over them. All the snow was gone so everything was now settled at the same level. No tracks, no signs of people having been there, mystery solved.

Our hike led us up to where the entire road was covered with snow so we turned back and returned to camp. The ladies settled in ans Terry and I went up Teddy Creek Road and got some wood for the evening fire. When we returned the fire was started and everyone was cozy. I started dinner, Dutch oven pork loin with vegitables. Raina spotted the beaver again, but it turned out to be a big river otter. He worked his way up river and out of sight and a while later the beaver came out again. We ate dinner and Terry chased the little dogs. We had alot of wood so the evening fire was hot. We went to bed at just after 9 PM, boy it is nice to be out for the weekend.