Three Beautiful Thing 08-23-19: Hiking Cranky Gulch, Friday Family Dinner, Nightcap at the Lounge

1. This morning, I hadn't fully recovered from hiking to Lower Stevens Lake on Wednesday, but by early afternoon, with the temperatures moderate and a the skies partly cloudy, I took off from Kellogg and drove to the Cranky Gulch Trail.  All I really knew about this trail was that its trailhead is right at the point on the Moon Pass Road when the asphalt road becomes a gravel road and that the hike begins at a gate, visible from the road. I walked on a road for a short distance and then the trail (#39). To my left, a narrow creek whispered through the thick foliage of wild flowers, berry bushes, and a variety of trees. Its sound calmed me, but the vegetation was so thick, I rarely got a clear view of the creek, a tributary of Placer Creek. The trail steepened gradually as I progressed. It had rained Thursday in Shoshone County. I quickly realized that I wouldn't be taking creek pictures, but that I could take close-up shots of flowers, leaves spotted with water drops, and berries.  You can see some pictures at the bottom of this post.

Because I was still recovering from Wednesday's hike, I decided to hike this trail for about an hour going out and then turn around and return to the Sube. I enjoyed this hour on the Cranky Gulch Trail a lot. The trail's lushness invited me to look at things growing very close to me. Rarely was I able to gaze very far away. My guess is that vistas unfold as the trail winds higher into the mountains, but I didn't get that far and enjoyed the feeling of being closed in by the copious variety of trees, berry bushes, and other plant life thriving all around me.

2.  After I enjoyed a small pour of Hisbicus Gose at Radio Brewing while Debbie sipped on a glass of red wine, we headed to Carol and Paul's for a rare Friday evening family dinner. Carol treated us each to a mojito garnished with mint from the Roberts' garden and before long she brought out a beautiful grilled salad featuring a variety of vegetables she and Paul harvested from their many beds. For a main course, we had slow cooked pork, jalapeno heated cole slaw, and tumeric rice served with small flour tortillas within which we could wrap any combination of the foods before us. The meal was refreshingly light and simple, tasty and satisfying, healthy and nourishing.

3. After dinner, Debbie and I stopped in at the Inland Lounge. The place was just emptying out as we arrived and our visit was a quiet and relaxing one. Jim O'Reilly and Harley and Candy Birchmeir came in after wrapping up another successful burger night at the Elks and I learned that Jim had made a most impressive debut as the evening's grill master, subbing for Keith, and had handled the demands of cooking up ninety-seven burgers with skill and grace.

*Here are some pictures from my Cranky Gulch hike. I also posted an album of Cranky Gulch pictures on flickr, here.