Saturday and Sunday, November 14-15, 2020

Days of rest.  Kenny and Jessica didn't have work. Nice.  This was a fun few days of rest and relaxation.  We decided to walk a path in their little town of Juliaetta from the Juliaetta Centennial Park to the other end of Juliaetta.  One and a half miles later, this is a really cute little town; we reached the end of Juliaetta. The trail does continue into the next little town of Kendrick.   It was a beautiful day and Kenny and Jessica had never walked it so it was fun for them to see their town in a different perspective. The path walks alongside of the Potlatch Creek.  Let's get you oriented.....Kenny and Jessica live on Middle Potlatch Creek Road and that creek spills into the Potlatch River which feeds into the Clearwater River (the road that we took coming in to see them) and that flows into the Snake River at the border of  Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington.  So much water, San Diegans....you wouldn't believe it.

Anyway the paved path we took was along the Potlatch River and there was a lot to see in that stretch:

Farms with cows

A Juliaetta branch of Stella Jones Pole Yard with machinery to create untreated tapered poles which eventually are used by utility companies. The standard utility pole in the United States is about 40 ft long and is buried about 6 ft in the ground. (In case you were wondering) Also, Foresters comb through forests to find the perfect trees: between 10 and 20 inches in diameter; at least 30 feet tall; straight, healthy trunks; and with few limbs. The trees that have all the requirements are marked with spray paint to be cut.  After being cut down, they are transported to a mill. They are cut into specific lengths, debarked, and sorted according to width and length. 

In the above picture of Kenny you can see the large white silo of Juliaetta.  It is a historical landmark - built in 1958.  In June of 2017, shortly before Kenny moved to Idaho, the previously repaired cracks in the silo gave way and the stored lentils poured out.  The sound of the silo coming apart was heard up and down the valley.  To get a feel for the size of this silo, look a the door at the bottom.

Stock Photo of Lentil spill....

Walking further down the path (which was actually the old railroad track) we could see the ridges of Juliaetta and where the Little Potlatch Creek flowed into the Potlatch River

Little Potlatch feeding into the Potlatch River..

From this walk you can see where Kenny and Jessica's house is located.  The red arrow points to Kenny's red workshop roof....

Then later in the afternoon, Kenny took us in his Polaris to explore up the American Ridge Road which goes above their house.  The area is know as the Palouse which is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes.  Of course, at this time of year the land is dormant but still quite beautiful rolling hills and in the far background of some of the pictures you can see far away snow covered mountain ranges.  Rolling hills on top of the world!  With an occasional farm house and barn.

The road goes on for miles and miles....

Check out the mountains in the far background.  You can see for miles and miles....(anyone break out in song?)

The contrast of the dark rich soil to snow was so pretty.

In the evening we played cards and Mexican Train Dominoes, ate Jessica's great meals and played with the pets....oh, the pets.  You wanted to hear about the pets...well, here they are:

Kamikaze....the most loving cat....he always wanted to be picked up and loved:

Jax:....don't see anything?  Neither did I.  He ran as soon as we got near him...sorry, no picture.  He is a beautiful bengal type cat.  Trust me...

Cooper.....

Cole, waiting for someone, anyone, to come through the front door.

Cole, inspecting whatever you might have on the table.....just in the odd chance there might be something for him.

Cole, helping Jessica in the kitchen.  She just subconsciously worked her way around him as if there was not a 90 pound dog in the way.

Roxie....Kenny took Roxie in back in 2008 when her owner couldn't keep her any more because of the economic downturn....she has adored him since....

And last, but not least, Miss Oatie...the pig....this is her nighttime feed and it is dark and chilly.  Kenny is lighting up her little piggie house using his cellphone so I can take the video.....

And one final pet not mentioned before....fish...Kenny did a great job setting up his fish tank (yes, he brought the tank out sans fish from his move from Ramona.)  I especially like that he has real plants and that artsy log.  You might have to zoom in to see details.