Idaho Vacation 2008 - Part I

Steve and I took a vacation to Sandpoint, Idaho Aug 10-14. We stayed at the Lodge at Sandpoint and used that as a base from which we did day trips to various places. We also kayaked everyday and really enjoyed the experience.


Aug 10-11, 2008

The lodge is situated adjacent to the long bridge that spans Lake Pend Orielle. You can walk across the bridge to get to Sandpoint, or to just enjoy the breeze on the lake. We also kayaked under the bridge to get over to Fry Creek, which is great for kayaking.





The lake is deep blue and is 1100 feet deep in the middle. It's a very large lake that was formed as part of the flood of glacial lake Missoula. We actually went to the site of the ice dam the last day of our vacation and I'll post those pics later.








This is the direction we headed each morning on the water over to our favorite kayaking spot. The water could be very calm, but mostly it was a bit on the choppy side in the mornings.








The buidling on the left is the lodge. We stayed up on the top floor and had a nice view of the lake. It was very quiet and the accommodations were very luxurious and private.








Steve's taking photos of the setting sun.











The updraft off the lake was full of small insects. Cedar waxwings, swallows, and swifts were feasting on the bugs. The area between the two bridges was chock full of spider webs as well.









Sunsets each night were lovely. It was so peaceful to just sit and watch the show.










I loved the play of light off the water, too.











Yep, I like this view a lot.












Steve is a bit out of focus - but that's the best image I took with my camera.










The next afternoon we took a dessert cruise on Lake Pond Orielle, which was also listed as a eagle watching excursion.






I never did take a photo of the boat, but the owner's wife saw our binoculars and suggested that we go up to the bow so that we had a good perch for birding. To get there we had to crawl through a space below the pilot's cabin and up through a hatch to the platform. Our desserts and drinks were delivered to us up there. It was quite a nice evening, and this was the perfect spot for birding. We saw a lot of birds out on the water, including great views of the eagles.





It was also nice to see so many sail boats out on the lake in the late afternoon sun.











If we could afford it, I'd love to have a summer home on the lake. It's out of our financial range, though. Rats.











Some people are rolling in money, though. Here's a castle under construction. Jeez!









Our cruise destination was Eagle Island where there is an active Bald Eagle nest site. This is one of this year's three juveniles that survived. It takes a couple of years for the head and tail to become white.







Sunset on the lake was viewed from the boat. Lovely!