In & Out and Other Stuff

We've been spending a lot of time this past week going in and out-traveling the Queens Highway # 3 (beautiful, of course) and popping in to the USA for gas...a huge savings! I'm a bit tired and Jack says it's all the "wows"-that you just can't take another spectacular something in and he may be right. Anyway, we're spending a few days in Bonners Ferry, ID, for some relaxation (read: casino for Jack) & rest. And, I can catch up on my email and blogs....

Jack found this pretty little garden right next to the Community Hospital-what a great idea! In all the hospitals I've been in or worked at I'd never seen such a place...

There's a lot of loving work, keeping this up. While we were there, many of the staff came out to have lunch or just take a break.

There's a section for children-Jack is holding up the tree fort....

There's a gazebo where you can just sit quietly and watch the river...how nice!

We're always looking for the "side trip"-like "I wonder what's down this road?" type of adventure...This field of canola led us to the sturgeon hatchery...

These are fertilized eggs, spinnning around and when they hatch

they slip up and over into the tank.

At one day old they look like little tadpoles.

Three days old ...

And at one year, they're beginning to look like sturgeon!

Yep, that's my hand, feeling the top of the fish! Our tour guide Jack showed us that it's the only place where there's bone..

The little hair-like whiskers are feelers that when food found the sturgeon opens his mouth and sucks it in, like a vacuum.

Now here they are a few years old and ready to go back to the river.

jack was an excellent guide and he invited us back next year in May to help fertilize the eggs-another fascinating process! This is the only sturgeon hatchery of its kind, completely run by the Kootenai tribe.

After that, we went to the wildlife refuge in search of moose.

Didn't see the moose but the four mile loop was worthwhile, just for the scenery. So. now we've "rested" and we go north in earnest-after all it's the first of July and we only have 10 more days to the Stampede!