17 July 2019 Antoine Peak

It was the right time of year for huckleberries.  I had remembered there was a restaurant on Trent that offered huckleberry shakes in season.  They also closed after the lunch service.  My local staff member and I agreed to test their huckleberry shakes and burgers.  The burgers were average, but the huckleberry shakes rocked.  The restaurant also had an old car theme and filled the place with oldies music.  It was a different lunch, but worked out well.

I set aside this evening for a long hike at one of my favorite parks in Spokane.  At the start of the rise up the trail I was surprised to see two adult turkeys in the brush and pines near the trail.  They were with six or seven poults moving through the thick undergrowth.  Turkeys are usually quite skittish when the young ones are along.  This group was mostly oblivious to me as I watched.  There was a lot of scratching for food as they moved along.

After the Iller Creek hike the evening before, I wasn't expecting to see any wildflowers on this hike.  I was pleasantly surprised.

I was really surprised to spot mariposa lilies along the trails.  I had only spotted them once before on my visits.  That spotting was two plants at Dishman Hills on a rock formation.  I have been back to that formation and not seen them again.  This evening, there were dozens of plants along the trail.  It was a surprise as I have been here so many times and never seen them.

I made it to the peak which would have been the point where I would have left the trail and visited much tougher terrain.  I was hoping to make a large loop and return with cache finds for some of the tougher hides.  Unfortunately, there were black clouds rolling in from the west.  With no rain gear, I turned to the still blue skies and quickly made my way off the peak.  The longer distance caches would need to wait another year.

16 July 2019 Iller Creek

I met a friend for a short hike and caching at Iller Creek after leaving the office.  The warm weather and a spirited hike were a perfect recipe for the evening.  The views were great and there was still some clarkia in bloom along the way.

Someone even left me a clear marker to help me find the parking lot after the hike. 😉

Back at the hotel, it appeared that someone had just found a 63 Impala to restore.

14 July 2019 Missile Site Hike

Snow was still visible on the peaks as the last leg of my flight made its way to Spokane.

With a Sunday arrival and a lot of daylight, I was hoping for a long walk in the heat.  An old Atlas missle site seemed a great plan for the afternoon.  The wilflowers were still strong as summer moved forward.

The actual missile site is now private property, but some remains of structures supporting the launch site are still used by the military with occasional glimpses of some areas available in the distance.  The of these missile sites are used by private individuals for storage.  They also have a following among preppers.

A chipping sparrow keeping a watchful eye while I find a cache.

I had spotted a few logs with another cacher's name from earlier in the day.  I was walking to the cache hidden near the nice view below and spotted someone approaching.  It was a really hot day on the trail and this was the first person I met on the trail.  He passed by despite my holding the iPhone and a gps so I assumed he didn't want to meet other cachers.  His caching name was on this remotest cache.

It was a tremendous, hot afternoon and a great time in Pend Oreille County.

17 December 2018 Return to Spokane Bluffs

I was back in town for work with an afternoon arrival.  I had a small window before the early sunsets of Spokane.  I decided to return for a quick walk at Spokane Bluffs. The steep trails of the top are more manageable in the lower elevations of the park.

Abandoned, wrecked cars are almost part of the landscape in Spokane parks.  This 62 Valiant met a harsh end.  It is a little weird that locals have decorated the back of the car with newer stickers.

Unlike other cars I have found in the Spokane parks, the Valiant's slant six motor is still present and near the car.

This park is a two-for one with a second old Chrysler product sitting nearby.  A white 65 Coronet sits flipped and slowly returning to the earth.

The walk was not all about visiting old, junk cars.  I managed to enjoy other sites and find a few caches.

24 October 2018 Dishman Hills

Early sunsets in late October make it tough to enjoy even a short hike, but this evening I was able to leave the office in time for a visit to Dihman Hills.  The trail was grand.

After my hike I remembered spotting an old Lark sitting on Sprague Road with a for sale sign.  I'm not looking for any old car to buy, but I'm always interested in looking.

It was a weird stop as some guy also came by while I was there.  He was looking at the car and telling me of having one this color in his youth.  He appeared to be looking for specific things with the car to see if this might have been his.  Who knows?  It was fun talking about a unique, old car.  I hope it found a home.

23 October 2018 Spokane River Walk

Late October in Spokane gives little opportunity for after work exercise.  I had just enough time after leaving the office to visit the Spokane River for a short walk.  There are pleasing views and some river access along this stretch of trail so it made for a pleasant, if short walk.

Spokane's vegetation doesn't offer much fall color.  Some of the best is seen along the Spokane River.  Besides the views and some exercise, I was able to hunt for a geocache I had missed finding on a couple prior walks.  Tonight it was a quick find.

The walk was only about twenty minutes, but the light change from out and back was very noticeable.