Saturday, May 27, 2006

The silver mountains loom in the far distance. The view at the trailhead lays it all out for you so there is no mistaking your mission: you ride down to the lake, up and over the lake on the train bridge, through to Harrison, up the north side of the Harrison flats to the Rose Lake plain up the Coeur d'Alene River valley to Enaville, Kellogg, Osborn and Mullan,on the other side of those mountains you saw 72 miles ago. Where by the way, if Idaho were Germany, there'd be passion plays and beer festivals in the fall to which international tourists would flock. But Idaho isn't Gemany, so once you get 72 miles up the trail to Mullan, you turn around and ride back to the Res at Plummer, where you started. If Idaho were the Sonoma Valley, there would be charming inns and cafes dotting the trail, where you'd stop for repast and revival; but Idaho isn't California so we make bread and butter with cheese sandwiches at home and we carefully tuck them into our backpacks with green grapes and water bottles frozen with lemonade. We throw in a bottle of frozen water for good luck. We feast all the way up and all the way back.

We see freshly hatched duck eggs. We see myriads of blooming wildflowers. At points, the trail is obscured by drifting cotton from the cottonwoods trees. We see pastured dairy and beef cows. There are still plenty of deadheads in Coeur d'Alene Lake. The river is alive with moose, deer, heron, eagles and hawks. Even, we see unlucky individuals who have tried to master the trail, but sadly, have failed.

Not us, though. No failure for us. We're so on this. And we have a new nano, programmed and fully loaded with 1106 explosively powerful songs. North Idaho, here we come.


JBelle
Bellemaison
The 'Kan EWA

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why Schmeebs....I didn't know you had a blog. How delightful.

Have a fun weekend. Catch you on the down low (wink wink, that "other" place).

Wendalina Jolie, the Mohrenhabicht Messershmitt, hee hee.

Anonymous said...

Well, Schmeebs, now that I've read quite a few of your entries I am quite annoyed at not being made aware of your site and its beauty/brilliance earlier.
Well!

Now could you please tell me what The "Kan EWA" means?

Nanos rock!

Wendalina, again.

JBelle said...

Curt! Wendo! You made my day! :)

The 'Kan EWA is that not so mytical place The Chow Nation calls home: spoKANe EasternWAshington? The Seattle journalists were the first people to coin the phrase The 'Kan but the Chows took it up as their own and I agree with them, it works quite nicely to describe their hometown.

So, similarly, do you have your own blogs? The Chows were asking as they like to be conversant and apprised of the most up-to-date witty and keen blogs. They are not dogs who watch Oprah but instead prefer to indulge in intelligent discourse and discussion. I'm just the messenger....

;)

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad I brought a smile.

I'd like to say I have an interesting and amazingly creative blog for the Chows to derive further grist for their intellectual mills but I don't. I only have this:

http://spaces.msn.com/vendellavonmessershmitt/

It's a free, goofy, little experimental thingy I threw together a few weeks ago after reading an article about the rise of msn spaces.
It ain't no thing. Don't want it to be. Don't want to put my being into it...don't feel the need...just playful, mindful and mindless bullsh*t. Haven't a clue how long I'll play with it.
If they Chows can't do Oprah, they might not enjoy themselves. Maybe they should visit the site of that other man who shall remain nameless (cough) for wit, political discourse and the occasional violence of emotional abuse.

Girls just wanna have fun, baabaay.

JBelle said...

Wendo, Oh those Chows. Before I could work with them, go over the culturally acceptable notion of permission, those Chows linked your blog here, 'Wendoful', because they just loved it. They like Dr. Phil, especially Cleo, but detest Oprah, as gratuitous, self-adulation. And, they refuse to be like Mormon housewives, who never miss Oprah. They are what they are, I guess. They say Dr. Phil cracks them up.

Now about that goofy little experimental thingy you got going on over @ msn: I think you're on to something. Keep going. Keep it just for you and just for fun. Stay the course on the abandonment of the art form. Intimacy gets all nicked and clouded up by the most innocent of things, doesn't it?

And there's a certain girl in my life, whose birthday is coming up very soon, who makes my phone ring "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" when she calls....

NB: lists blew the door off the joint here. Latter: nothing too formidable there than I can see. When do we start?

(yeah, but you probably already knew that: I'm a fixer.) (eyes rolling) (if my children are reading this, scurry your tailfeathers over to Wendoful and finetune. Get back to me. )

Anonymous said...

I've been linked?! (smile) Is this the current euphemism for "now I've arrived"?

Good lord.

Schmeebsy, a term of endearment I will now feel free to use as you have felt free to rename me here (which means, in my world, we like each other, feel comfortable and are now kin, lol), I don't watch Dr. Phil (because I work!) and haven't got a clue who Cleo is. Perhaps you could advise.

Most importantly, if people are going to read my pseudo-sociological experiment, please tell them to read the comments. It is here they will find the meat.

Thanks, I think.

Love,
Wendalina Jolie-Pitt
(since Angelina Jolie had her baby and named her "Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt" I guess I should show some temporary solidarity, huh?)

JBelle said...

Wendo, I do not watch Dr. Phil as I work out of the home, as well. The Chows point out that barking at the mailman and keeping the north 40 free from interlopers is damned hard work and if I don't think so, I should stay home sometime and just try it out. I am always put in my place. They say they catch Dr. Phil when they are on snack break. Cleo points out that he is the Black Member of The Chow Nation and that he will have Sylvie, the Cinnamon member of The Chow Nation, post a picture soon. Cle gets things done with a minimum of fuss. And yes! Angelina, The Other, had her baby! All the gorgeous women in the world, most notably YOU, should show solidarity. Or comment on your blog.

Anonymous said...

Oh Schmeeeeebs.

I tried to pimp your blog and, as Curt said quite humorously I might add, the address on your site did, indeed, refer me to a vacant cooking site.

Uh, I checked and rechecked and the addresses are the same. Do you ever experience a sense of dissociation...perhaps other identities "taking over' your personality from time to time...?
Ahem.

Wondering, just...wondering.

Wendo-full (because she recently ate dinner)

Anonymous said...

The last post for today, I swear!

I found and corrected my error regarding your blog address as you'll read "in that other place".

1's and l's look too similar in Times New Roman font.

Breathing in, seeking peace
Wendo

Out.

green libertarian said...

"Intimacy gets all nicked and clouded up by the most innocent of things, doesn't it? "

Holy smokes, that is the most compelling and true little phrase I've read in a LONG time. Wow.

JBelle said...

gLib, if you life is like mine, you have to guard your intimacy with a stick practically. My thing is making every an art form. Some things are properly an art form, but some things are better left just as they lay. Keep reminding me....