A bucket list done...fast...

mother natures benchs... rest of the pictures are below

It didn’t start out as a bucket list items.. In fact I don’t

have a bucket list.. Couldn’t think of anything I really

;ike to do, except maybe ride my bike on the Bypass

Trail…

I had the day to myself… Can’t remember when I had

one so totally to me..  So I figured I would head out with

camera in hand.. maybe take pictures of all the fisherman

fishing for the big fish for the K-K Derby that is in our

area.   But after a trip almost to Clark Fork… on highway

200… there was not one fisherman, not one boat.. Must

be down the other end of the lake.

So I headed back to Sandpoint..went down the Bypass and

entered Sandpoint going to the beach area.  Just before

you enter the beach area… there is two roads. One takes

you to the depot for the train… the other takes you to the

Water Treatment Plant.  That is the one I chose.  Because

you see there is a walking trail.. Pend Oreille Trail. It is

fairly new.. about 3 years.  What I like, just as you go to the first

bend is the mill ruins. There is cement foundation where the

mill use to be.  There is a lot of graffiti on the land side. But

out towards the water, there are forms that you can walk

among and even under. In the winter they are totally exposed.

But with the rains, the water has come up some what. So I

took picture of the ruins… and some of the newer graffiti.

As I stood there taking the pictures, I looked down the

Trail. I have never walked it.  I took a picture of the

beginning… and thought.. that would be a good bucket

list item.  Maybe when my daughter and I do a day

together we could do that. 

Then I saw a table and bench area just beyond the beginning

of that trail, just over a tiny hill. So I figured I would

walk down there and take some more pictures.  And do

it another day..   But then I thought why not try to go

down more.. I walked about 1/3 of a mile to a stack of

rocks that had people’s names on it as they did donations

to the trail. After taking a bunch of pictures.. I thought..

why not go a little further.. maybe go enough until I

could go back, if I was getting tired or hurting. I came

across a woman and a man.. I asked him, how far was

it down to the end.. that I had never walked it before. He

told me.. that the path was 1 and half miles…and I had

gone about a little more than a third.  We bide our good

bye’s after I told them, I thought I would go a little further,

but would wait until my daughter could join me.. At 77,

you never know if you are going to get into trouble. They

said to enjoy myself.  And off I went.. Totally thinking

I would go a little further..

I walked and took pictures from different views. Across

the lake, rocks, logs, and etc. And the benches with also

natures benches of cut logs.  I took a long shot, and thought.

do this… So off I kept walking. Taking pictures of babbling

water coming off the hill…. Of the train going by, with the

sign on the trail telling all of us, not to go any further, as it

Was railroad property with the rail above.. Do not enter.

I must be at least half way if not more.. And then said.. I can

do this…

After walking for quite some time and still feeling good,

I came across a sign…  it said…YOU ARE HERE!!...

Showing the map of where I was.. with about 100 feet

from the end.  YAHOO.. YAHOO.. I was thrilled. I walked

to the gate that said it was private property .. do not enter.

I HAD MADE IT… YAHOOL… so then I came up with

the great idea… take a ROCKY jump picture.. so I got my

camera out to find the timer… so I could put it on the

rock.. As much as I could go thru it.. I couldn’t find it.

Then I saw one that said format.. maybe that one.. Well

It was not that one.. as when I went to get out of it.. it clicked.

IT HAD REMOVED ALL THE PICTURES I HAD TAKEN.

EVERY SINGLE ONE!!  Saying NO IMAGES..  my heart

sank.. Why is it when I do erase my pictures it ask me..

Do you want to erase these… it doesn’t not do it in the

Format area? 

So I stood up… and figured.. I did this.. I walked the mile

and half.. and I feel good, and I am going to walk it back

to the car… another mile and half.. I am not going to let

this get me down.  So I took pictures of everything I

could remember what I had taken before… And later

arrived back to the car… Still feeling good.  Still feeling

great that at the age of 77, I still could do it. See I use

to walk a lot. Always have since I was a kid. But the past

two years I haven’t walk hardly at all.. except in a mall

or store.   SO I was PROUD OF MYSELF… I DID IT.

Thank you God, for keeping this old body going.

So after this long post, here are some pictures. Hope

you enjoy them as much as I did taking them. And

walking.. Next time I go, I want to go on a clear day.

So I can get all the mountains, that you can’t see well

here in the clouds.

This bucket list item…. DONE…. 

 the I CAN DO THIS... moment 

 this is the Mill ruins water side

 the old mill ruins... land side... with graffitii  which changes from time to time. 

 the is the graffitti on the upper ruins... the one below looks like a skull 

 looking across the lake

 At the end.. telling about the old mill and etc..

 at the end of the trail...

 looking back at Sandpoint with zoom lens

 this is the sign that brought me joy.... this is 100 feet from the end.. stating you are here....

 YOU ARE HERE.........YAHOO

 this is the sign at the beginning of the path.. showing where you are at the start..and where you end