July 5, 2014 - A Day to Play

Following a good night sleep we were treated to a great brekkie made by Tyler.  A great way to start our day.  Sherry had already left for work but we would see her later in the afternoon.  Tyler took Eric, me and his young son Skyeler into Bonner’s Ferry to check out the farmers market.  We had a delightful time strolling the market and checking out the various booths.  It was large but it was well done.  We purchased some wild rice and a homemade donut!

  

We then walked around the old part of Bonner’s Ferry and checked out a few shops.  There is a lot of history here and we thoroughly enjoyed checking it out.  We stopped at the local brew pub for a light lunch.  After that, Tyler drove us to a local wildlife refuge and we hiked up to the waterfall.  I swear it was a five mile hike – uphill in flip flops J   Not really, it was quite pleasant and it wasn’t too hot.  After viewing the falls, we took a few minutes to read about the refuge and take some more pictures.

 I love goofy pictures.  Good job Tyler and Skyeler!

Tyler took the long way home and gave us a narrative on the area.  It is truly a beautiful part of the country.  We saw deer, hares and other small critters.  Lots of tree farms, hay fields and small ranches.

Back at Tyler & Sherry’s we just hung out and talked.  Sherry got home early from work so we were able to enjoy her company as well.  Skyeler (10 years old) was anxious to set off fireworks.  We only did a few the night before, July 4.  Waiting until today to do the bulk of them when Warchild arrived. 

We were watching Dale’s (Warchild) spot tracker and just before he arrived, we all lined up at the driveway entrance to wave, cheer and give him the ADV salute.  It was great fun! Now, the party can really get in gear!  Waiting for a call to dinner, Eric took some time to play Frisbee with Skyeler.

 I love this picture.  The Three Amigos or The Three Stooges, you decide :-)

Tyler had fired up the smoker and put ribs on to cook.  Meanwhile, Sherry and her daughter Shaelynn fixed a wonderful cauliflower dish loaded with cheese, bacon and onions.  We also had roasted corn on the cob, potato salad, and beans.  Yummilicous!  After pigging out Sherry brought out her homemade Tiramisu.  Oh my gosh – massively decadent.  I think I had two servings!

 More goofiness!

Following our fantastic dinner, it was time to shoot guns!  Oh boy!!!  Tyler set up targets and we took turns shooting pistols and rifles.  I actually managed to hit my targets a few times.  Good fun!

Finally, it was starting to get dark and we were all ready to watch the fireworks show.  Tyler had a good stash but his neighbor’s also had a big stash and were setting them off.  We had a wonderful view from Tyler & Sherry’s backyard.  We watched the neighbor’s fireworks and then Tyler and Skyeler set off what they had.  Yeah,   it was good!  We also had a bonfire going in the firepit and stuff to make s’mores.  The Zimmerman’s really know how to put on a good party!  Not too much later we were all yawning and ready for bed.

  

We had such a wonderful day.  All kinds of good fun, learning new stuff, exploring a new area and hanging with good friends.  Man, it really doesn’t get much better.  A huge thanks to the Zimmerman’s for the wonderful welcome, feeding us great food and entertaining us so very well.

It was also very nice to have a day off the bikes to just relax, wear street clothes, explore, play and enjoy everyone.  I should have planned more off bike days, lesson learned.

Cheers,

Cletha.