The season was late summer, beginning of fall 2009 and I was supposed to head into the wilds of North Idaho, where you have no idea what you might run into (human or critter) and find a 3 ac parcel. I kept putting it off until the client's irritation finally shoved me out the door. I told Jim, a realtor friend, where I was going in case I wasn't seen again and off I went. Eventually, I'm deep into forest service land, past the sign explaining what a grizzly looks like, and something runs across the road. My brain tells me it's an animal, but my eyes tell me another story. I'm in disbelief as it registers that I'm looking at a very young child in a diaper, t-shirt and barefoot. I sat there momentarily as surely there would be an older brother chasing after him.
He appeared to have come up from the river side of the road and huddled crying in the ditch against a steep hill, feeling cornered as this threatening stranger approached him. I picked him up and asked where mommy was and in sparse baby talk through tears, he pointed up river. I walked up and down the road trying to calm him enough to hear distant calls, but to no avail. I figured my only option at that point was to put him in the car and go to cell range. Of course, getting into a strangers car was a big no, no and brought even more crying. Once driving down the road, I flagged a passing pick up and the driver, whose mouth fell open even more than mine, said there were a few houses back up in the hills and he would knock on doors for me. We must have been a 1/4 of a mile past where I found him when a woman came running up from the river side of the road, sweating like a hog and in an obvious panic. She said they were camping by the river and distracted while working on their car when the baby must have tried to follow his dad. He was visably calmed as I put him into the arms of his aunt.
I never did find the property and ended up giving it to Jim. My procrastination put me in the right place at the right time and I figured the reason I was there was just to find that child....not the property.
Have you ever experienced the energy and excitement surrounding the Festival at Sandpoint? Sandpoint, Idaho is home to this internationally reknown music festival held at Memorial Field in late July, early August. The non profit, open air concert is in its 26th year and going strong. It is very audience friendly with its rows of chairs and picnic blankets, coolers, restaurant vendors, wine bar, childrens concerts and more.
The first time I attended the festival was no less than magical. We had our cooler with wine, homemade goodies, low plastic chairs, and light blankets for covering against the coolness of the evening. We set up our picnic with wine glasses and all, anticipating the concert to come. Heads turned toward the sky as a circling Osprey whistled her warning to let us know she had a nest teetoring atop one of the tall ballpark lamp posts nearby. Soon the darkening sky revealed the silhouetted peaks of the purpleish and blue lighted tent housing the entertainment to come.
The first concert began with magnificent sound and excitement. Children danced about with those illuminated glow sticks around their heads or tossing them into the air to create a multi-colored, phosphorus fantasy against the star studded ceiling
Just prior to the concerts end, flashing lights brightened the sky around the tent as a thunder storm emerged in the distance. It only added to the already magical evening as the night came to a reluctant close.
For your own festival experience, check out their website at www.festivalatsandpoint.com. Just a few of the amazing musicians for this years concerts are Boz Scaggs, Poco, Clint Black and more. Maybe we will set up our chairs and blankets next to you....don't forget to wear your glow stick. August 6-16
Route of the Hiawatha Rail-Trail
Here's a thought for your personal newsletter. This is an article I wrote for my newsletter that had good comments from prospects who decided to come here to take this little bike ride. I'm trying to feature more things having to do with local activities from a personal point of view.
Trail of the Hiawatha
Let's see...where could I take the grandkids that would get us outdoors to see some amazing scenery, experience history's legacy, get exercise (but not too much), stop to picnic and talk to one another....all while creating treasured memories?
Three years ago, I found just that in the Route of the Hiawatha bike ride about 2 1/2 hours southeast of Sandpoint near Wallace, Idaho. We rented bikes at Lookout Pass for 3 adults and 3 children and then drove to the top of the East Portal for the easy 3-4 hour ride down the mountain.
We passed through 10 cavernous tunnels, including the 1.66 mile long Taft tunnel, and over 7 sky high trestles while taking in the wonders of the railroad building days gone by. We did the 15-mile journey at our own pace as we stopped to take in a waterfall, awe at the vastness of the Bitterroot Mountain range and read interpretive signs while munching on pieces of watermelon. At the bottom of the trail, we took the shuttle back to the car at the top of the mountain. How easy can that be?
Bankruptcy of the Milwaukee railroad in 1977 and abandonment of the railroad tracks, lead to a collaborate effort of private and government funds to create the rail to rail bike route between Montana and Idaho. It's a definite must do. For more info, go to http://www.skilookout.com/hiawatha/
The oddest situation I have come up against happened when showing a farm home near Priest River. Myself and my clients walked through several feet of snow to enter the vacant home. The first person through the unlocked door yelled "there's a cow under the floor". Sure enough there was a cow in the crawl space more startled than us. We figured he (or she) charged through the unlocked door not realizing the entry floor boards were still missing from the former unfinished remodeling project, fell into the crawl space and the door slammed shut. He couldn't climb up out of the crawl space and there he was until we arrived. It was a happy ending with the rescuing of the cow by his owner...at least that's what they told me.
I bet you have a story. I'd love to hear it.
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Tomlinson Sothebys International Realty...yes, it's a mouthful. Not only the largest name, but the largest real estate office in Sandpoint, tops in sales year after year. That's why I'm here
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