Sunday, May 28, 2006

The ride got called on account of rain. Drove down to the trailhead on the Res, to be met with light black skies. Decided to drive to the end of the lake and see if it was raining. Looked up the lake to the train bridge where it was pouring. Decided to drive up the St. Joe and ride from Avery to Calder on the lower end of the Hiawatha Trail, about 60 miles, all told. Rained all the way up to Avery and all the way back down. By this time my snit was complete. And full! I was in a full complete snit! BUT as things happen, I did come upon my cultural heritage, right there on the river road, the Marble Creek side of Calder. BTW, these guys were massively hung over and all chewing snoose. And I am not related to any of them, to my knowledge.


JBelle
Bellemaison
The 'Kan EWA

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

What cultural heritage did you come upon the road today? And, more importantly, what's the "snoose" business?

Inquiring memorial minds want to know.

JBelle said...

ha. City girl. Those "boys" in the road. They represent my cultural heritage as a child of North Idaho. Had a wheel/axle issue they were sorting through and in the absence of a jack, something one normally travels with, they drag some big rocks over from the side of the road and pile 'em up just right, then two of 'em lift the front bumper of the truck up while the other one shoves the rocks under to lift that side of the truck up. Just broke me up! And the truck! A pseudo lover for one, heck maybe ALL, of those guys. Click on the picture and it will enlarge and you can see the facial on these guys and that they have spray painted "Mad Mama Do It!" on the front bumper of the truck. When I u-turned 50 yards up the road and came back and hopped out, they were quite puzzled as I didn't appear to be anyone who could help them with their particular truck trouble. And when I asked them if they were okay and could I maybe take a picture of their cool truck, they all nodded head immediately, oh yeah! yeah! then looked sideways at each other, gathering consensus, you bet! you bet! then proudly repositioned themselves in a row situation, still saying No problem! no problem! I thanked them, NO THANK YOU!! they say and then hey, don't worry this is no big deal here (I think it really was; I don't believe the truck was driveable); we were camping up by Avery and it's cold and wet so we're going back to town. (No self-respecting North Idaho man would ever admit to car trouble that he couldn't/hadn't fixed.) All chewing snoose and smelling to, Sweet Chocolate Christ, hiiiigh heaven.

Yep, those are my people. Unless, of course, they were more angels sent by the natives, telling me to turn back. ? :)

JBelle said...

Currrrt, You silver tongued devil. Idaho is so gorgeous and so special. Have you been here before?

Anonymous said...

OMG, too fuuny. Your story behind the picture sold me.

Guess what I've got as my laptop's background right now? Yup.
They'll be good for a smile for a while.

JBelle said...

Curt, Aren't you glad you did that?? A coming of age odyssey. I did not do those things at that age and think it somehow delayed my full emotional development. Your parents said, well, fine, Curt; just be careful. ?

And you have a keen eye, my friend; that picture is taken smack dab in the middle of the St. Joe National Forest, but I never could have imagined CurtCON(n) might know that! wow. And yes, Glacier is special in a way that words cannot describe. :) I'm so glad you've been there. If you like Glacier, where you really want to go is Lake Louise/Jasper in Albert/B.C. Canada. Glacier to the 10th....you can't even being to imagine!

JBelle said...

Wendo, yes think of me when you turn your computer on; those boys could be my brothers!

:)

JBelle said...

Curt, Many people say the first Big Sky visit is a going home experience for them. I know it was for me the first time, and I'd lived next door all my life. You lost your journals! oh! oh! oh! that's wrenching....I still think the native people have a firm spiritual grip on their lands and sometimes when you have a certain experience, a going-home experience,say, it's them, being them, and extending themselves in some manner. I want to line up an extended read of the native people of the northwest, because I think I would understand living here better.

green libertarian said...

Man, I got the idea the first time, but shit-howdy, how opening that pic up full screen REALLY told the story. At first I thought they were just stopped in front of a rock slide, not uncommon on that road (been on it many times), but actually they were PROPPING up the truck! Hilarious!!!

Glacier Park is outstanding, now there's a an example of Nature's Church, I've only made it as far as a brief visit to Lake Louise, near Banff, but I want to go back and drive that Icefields Parkway.

JBelle said...

Those Icefields are one of the most awe-inspiring sights I have ever seen. I always get the feeling of being timeless there because everything is ancient, huge, and magnificent in the real sense of the word. One of my 3 favorite places on earth. I am so glad you have been there, too. You know what I mean. I ride my bike in and around Lac Louise and I feel rich, rich, rich and utterly decadent because it's such a ... privilege to be in those trees and meadows in those mountains, with the bears lurking.;) I am at home there more than any other place on earth, including North Idaho. I don't
know exactly what to make of that, gLib. It is what it is! Glad you enjoyed a glimpse of my cultural heritage.