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Judith Ehlert

Festival At Sandpoint

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 Trail

Route of the Hiawatha Rail-Trail

Here's a thought for yur personal newsletters. 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 things to do 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/