Anniversary Outing To Sandpoint

Thanks largely to @generikat, I keep learning about interesting places in this area that I'd never heard about in the 20+ years I've lived here. Her recent post about Pine Street Woods definitely piqued my interest (you really need to read her post, by the way), thus settling the big question of where to go for our 40th anniversary outing yesterday.

Following directions I found online, we easily found our way to Pine Street Woods, just outside of Sandpoint, Idaho. From this sign along the road, a rather steep, narrow gravel road with an impressive hairpin turn climbs up to a very nice parking area complete with picnic benches and an outhouse. As described by @generikat, a horse trailer was at the edge of the parking area, so I was sure this was going to be an interesting outing.

My husband doesn't get around too well any more, so we chose a nice, wide, graveled path, which lead us to this lovely meadow.

My nose told me we were nearing animals. Sure enough, we soon came to a herd of assorted ruminants, clearing underbrush and weeds the natural way. We saw llamas, one-hump and two-hump camels, yaks, and goats. Small kid-goats were scampering around, and all the critters were nibbling on vegetation or lounging around. And we were definitely downwind from a billy goat.

This baby camel, just 1 1/2 months old, is an orphan, so the animal herder/keeper has been bottle-feeding it goat milk. I saw him nab a goat and milk it, and then he poured the milk out of the bucket into a soda bottle, added a rubber nipple, and lead the baby camel over to us. He asked if we'd like to feed it! My husband said "no, thank you," but I said "I would!" before his words dissipated in the air. My dad always raised sheep and goats, and we often ended up with a bottle baby for one reason or another, so this was just like old times for me. Bottle feeding a baby camel was definitely the highlight of the day for me! My hubby doesn't know how to operate my phone, so I don't have a photo of that, but I did get a decent photo of the baby camel. At the time, I didn't notice the goat in the background, neatly framed by the curve in the camel's neck. It amuses me.

I took a photo of the animal keeper/herder, but I didn't ask his permission to use it in a blog, so I won't post it. He looked quite young, maybe 30-ish, and was incredibly tanned and physically fit. His long hair was scraggly and his beard was unkempt. He was barefoot, and wore only a pair of shorts. He was very pleasant, and willing to chat with us oldsters. He said he does this all year, even in the winter, and he loves his life outdoors. He has obviously has taken the idea of minimalism to new heights.

After our fun stroll in the woods and meadow, we drove back to town and ate dinner at Hydra Steakhouse. We each settled on less-expensive menu items which turned out to be very tasty and satisfying. We stopped at a grocery store on the way home and bought 25 cent ice cream cones for dessert. It was just enough.