It has been said (by someone, sometime) that there is nothing like being on the water with the wind and sun on your face.
Or you could just opt for a nice little nap if you don’t really buy into all of that hype about the wind and the sun.
G, D and their two Furry Kids visited and they brought their pontoon. We had two and a quarter great days out on the water with them. It is official. We can now say that we have SEEN the lake. The WHOLE lake.
Our first evening together was a sunset cruise around the islands of Kalispell, Bartoo and Four Mile.
At dinner, we also learned that it was a good idea to always check your shoes before you give them to Goodwill (just in case your friends had decided three months earlier to hide a ‘Thank You’ inside of them).
The next day we journeyed northward past Indian Painted Rocks (which, best we could tell, were quickly becoming a blank slate).
We wandered into the great wide open waters of lower Priest Lake and
into territory we had not seen before.
These homes at the entrance to the Thorofare are the last ones you will see.
Unlike Lower Priest Lake, the Thorofare and the Upper Lake remain quiet, rustic and relatively untouched (save for the impact from boaters, campers and hikers).
We had heard that the 2 1/2 mile stretch of the Thorofare was a great place to spot wildlife (especially moose who like to bathe in its calm waters).
So, we remained vigilant observers and kept our eyes peeled and cameras ready.
It is a good thing we were so alert or we might have missed this tree root that
kinda sorta looked like a moose!
We also found this great cabin. Unfortunately, it was not to scale.
Exiting the Thorofare into Upper Priest Lake was literally like entering another world. Gone were the water skiers, tubers and radio players. The shoreline was absent of homes, docks and revelers. Instead, the mountains quietly met the water and Mother Nature went on relatively uninterrupted.
Well, we just realized that we’ve had a busy week and forgot to finish this post before coming to the library. So, for now…
That’s all she wrote!
