1. After a quick trip to the insurance office to pay the adjusted annual premium, I dashed over the hill to CdA and Byrdman and I headed out to the Indian Painted Rocks trailhead north and west of Spokane. Upon arrival, we talked to a park ranger who explained that the trail was closed so that crews could cut down leaning trees, making the trail safer. So, we left and went in search of another trail. Our first venture was at a Spokane River boat launch. We followed the trail through a marshy area close to a pond, saw a couple of guys fishing, and, after about a half a mile, came to the trail's end.
Our hunger for a premium outdoor experience was not satisfied by this hike. We piled back into Byrdman's Sube and eventually parked in a lot on West Carlson Road in Riverside State Park. Here we hit a hiking trail jackpot, the Centennial Trail. It climbed steadily up and down through a forested area with awesome views of rock formations, cliffs, and ravines. The Spokane River was below us, but we didn't see it much because of the trees. We saw a deer. We got a pretty good workout in. This trail rewarded our efforts to find an excellent place to hike.
2. After our hike, Byrdman and I cruised down to Waddell's just north of Francis Ave. on Cedar. We promptly ordered a splendid Left Hook IPA and decided to split an order of brisket nachos. The nachos totally hit the spot and we yakked about a bunch of stuff, but I particularly enjoyed reminiscing about the old Back Door Tavern on Appleway in CdA. I might have only been there once, but that one time was on the night before getting married in Sept. of 1976 and it was a blast. Byrdman played on a softball team sponsored by the Back Door and had more extensive experience there and it was fun talking about all of that.
3. Back home in Kellogg, I accepted Christy's offer for dinner -- ham and bean soup with dinner rolls. The food was superb, but I didn't eat much because I was still pretty full after eating the late lunch nachos. Christy, Everett, and I watched the Zags patiently wear down the Hornets of Alabama State, winning by a convincing score of 95-64. I trust this will be a strong Gonzaga squad, but against lesser teams like the Hornets and, at this early stage of the season, it's difficult for me to gauge just how good the Zags will be this season. I got the most enjoyment out of seeing how Corey Kisbert has matured now that he's a junior. Tonight, he not only was a sharp shooter from the outside, but he made a few assertive moves to the basket, including two thunderous dunks.
After the Zag game, I tuned in to the overtime battle between the Zags' rival, the St. Mary's Gaels, and the always strong Wisconsin Badgers of the Big 10. I didn't see a lot of this game, but St. Mary's eked out a win, 66-63, and, in the those selected minutes I saw, I concluded that the Zags will, as is often the case, have tough games when St. Mary's pops up on their conference schedule.
No comments:
Post a Comment