As I write, huge machines are working in our front yard to replace the sewer line in our neighborhood. We’ve seen the work (and the aftermath) in our neighbors’ yards to the north but evidently, today’s our day. A section of our driveway was sawed, lifted, dropped, then pounded with a massive jackhammer to break it up. Then, they dug a trench. Dirt and roots discarded on a growing pile in the street. I’m praying for our two big maples that provide wonderful shade from the afternoon sun. Seriously. I’d hate to lose them due to damaged roots.
The crew stopped for the day to backfill some of the trench and our driveway. A deep layer of gravel is being dumped on top of the replaced dirt. Our concrete driveway will be replaced when the City repairs our street in a few weeks.
It’s just a mess as we make progress. (I’m sure there’s a story in there somewhere for a later date – right?)
The single most annoying part is the tamping down of the fill dirt. This giant arm with a square metal piece attached presses down HARD, then vibrates to refill the ditch. I’m sure there are words for all these machines but this writer doesn’t know those words. I just ‘feel’ the earth-shaking vibrations. Perhaps I should escape to some peaceful place while they finish. Tomorrow, it’ll be time to do the second half of our yard but until then, this machine is parked just outside my window as if to guard the barricaded ditch. Yellow tape plows in the breeze. Oh my! I can hardly wait.
Please don’t misunderstand. I AM thankful for the work and the crew has been kind but I’ve reached my jack-hammer limit for the day. LOL!
(NEXT DAY) Today it rained a bit, so the crew took the day off. I’ll take advantage of the quiet to introduce you to a quaint little town in central Idaho named Kamiah. A lovely place to visit, but a hard place to pronounce. For months, I pronounced it: Ka – MI – Ya” (short a, long i, short a). The correct way is: “Cami – I” (long e, long I). Locals knew I wasn’t one of them when I pronounced it phonetically. It’s kind of like McPherson. “Pher” is pronounced “fur” (not fear) so visitors are easy to spot. Locals always say, “There’s no fear in McPherson.”
According to local tradition of the Nez Perce tribe, Kamiah means “winter home.” It’s a beautiful place, nestled in the valley along the Clearwater River, and surrounded by land at much higher elevations. Because of the wildfires and controlled burns (typical of this season, they tell me) smoke settles in this valley. We had clear days while we were there, but also had a few when smoke obscured our view until we got out of the valley.
Jim and I arrived in Kamiah Sunday evening, August 25th. We headed home on Tuesday, September 3rd. We packed a lot into those days. So much that I really don’t know where to begin to share, but here goes!
BEFORE I do, though….I missed some gorgeous pics taken before Kamiah. These are too good to not share. The first five pics are near Riggins ID along Highway 95:
That’s the Salmon River (above) alongside our route! It was just beautiful to see as we traveled north. Below is an example of the gorgeous landscape near Lucille ID – a little further north than Riggins:
This (below) is near Midvale at a scenic rest area. I love the prairie grasses swaying in the wind…much like Kansas landscape until you see the mountains in the distance. The signs read: “Snake Area.” We didn’t stray from the sidewalk and kept Shotgun nearby. No need to disturb the natives, right? And, it definitely LOOKED like snake area…but gorgeous, nonetheless.
This (below) is near Whitebird. Check out the road ahead of us (and excuse the bugs on the windshield). North of Whitebird (the town) is the site of the Whitebird Battlefield along the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail. There is so much history in this area. I wish we’d had time to research and explore even more than we did! Rich with history AND SO beautiful. Have I mentioned that?
We continued north, and finally reached our destination just outside of Kamiah. A neat little upstairs apartment over a small shop in the backyard of our hosts. Great Air B&B.
The Clearwater River is at the edge of town, and is unbelievably GORGEOUS. Don’t you agree? Check out these pictures we took by the “Heart of the Monster” park. There’s a story that goes along with that but I’ll let you Google it to learn more if you have the time to do so. Very interesting.
Jim and I hiked down to the river’s edge and spent time just watching it flow by (looking one way, then the other in the pics). I would have LOVED to have had a bench, and could have stayed there all day. Eyes wide open. The river rocks were deep and it was hard to keep my balance on them of course it might have helped if I hadn’t been wearing sandals, huh? But, oh, such a peaceful setting.
The vegetation along the trail was also worthy of a few pictures, too. So much beauty to be celebrated, and we celebrated every moment of our time in the Kamiah area.
This is the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River near Kooskia, a small town a few miles from Kamiah.
These pictures (below) were taken a little further from Kamiah and in the other direction (toward Lewiston). In fact, if I’m correct Pardee (once a bustling settlement) is located on the other side of the river near here. The tracks remain on the far side of the river, though they’re no longer used. Pardee is where Grandma arrived from Lewiston in 1913. The Woodland area, where she spent three months, is high above Pardee.
This has been a picture-heavy post. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of the absolutely STUNNING areas we saw. As I said before, these pictures (and a gazillion other uncaptured Kodak moments) are FOREVER locked in my brain. I’ll be reliving this trip as long as I live. In fact….let me tell you something…
My journal was on my lap during much of our vacation. It always is. My pen was poised – ready in my hand – but I didn’t take time to write because I might miss something outside the windows of our pickup. My eyes were focused on the scenery.
At one point, I was feeling extremely blessed and thankful for the opportunity Jim and I had to visit Idaho. I jotted down four little words: “MY HEART IS FULL.”
Next time, we’ll explore the Woodland area atop the mountains that surround Kamiah, where Grandma spent so much time. Jim and I are indebted to local historian Jerry Johnson. He was a wonderful tour guide and knew so much about the area settled by Kansas Quakers so long ago. We shared a few meals with Jerry, and He is a long-time area resident who helped me research for my book before we discovered we are related. We share the same ancestors a few generations back! What an experience to see and learn so much about this place from one who knows it so well. He pointed out certain homesteads of people mentioned in Grandma’s journal, and told us of landmarks we would have otherwise missed. Then he took us to land he now owns near a high point on the Woodland plateau where he and his family spend a lot of time. It’s such a beautiful vantage point. I told Jim more than once if I had a couple acres up there, I’d probably NEVER come down again.
Then I remembered my kids and grandkids, and I came back to Kansas. LOL!
But stay tuned…there’s more good stuff to follow!
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