Out & About

OUTTOUR

Pedal through tulips

What: Tulips and Bays Bike Tour.

When: April 9-12. Registration deadline, March 12.

Where: Birch Bay near La Conner, Wash.

Who: Group tour for cyclists ages 21 and older organized and guided by Spokane Parks and Recreation Dept.

Cost: $399, includes transportation, lodging, food, guide.

Info: One of several bicycle tours offered this season by Spokane Parks and Rec, (509) 625-6200; www.spokaneparks.org.

OUTHUNT

Tough old bird

Perhaps the old bird finally opted for a roaster instead of a nursing home.

The banded Canada goose shot in the Columbia Basin in late January by Ivan Lines of Spokane was nearly 17 years old. Information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated it had been trapped and banded near Grande Prairie, Alberta.

“Even the gravy was tough on this one!” Lines said.

OUTBID

Idaho outfitters donate adventures

Idaho Outfitters and Guides are donating a stunning range of outdoor experiences in a fundraising auction Saturday, starting 5:30 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Casino.

Trips involving whitewater rafting, trout and steelhead fishing, snowmobiling, deer and elk hunting and much more will go to the highest bidder in a benefit for the Children’s Village of Coeur d’Alene. More exotic offerings range from a mule to an African safari.

Or how about a stay at the private Simplot Ranch on the Middle Fork of the Salmon?

Info: (208) 342-1438; www.ioga.org.

OUTHIKE

BLM gets access to Juniper Dunes

The Juniper Dunes Wilderness – a fascinating undeveloped landscape of desert sand dunes and juniper forest just northeast of Pasco – finally has dependable access through the surrounding private lands.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently signed a lease with a Franklin County landowner to provide access from Peterson Road on the southwest side of the area.

Congress designated the core of the area as wilderness in 1984, but a large area of public land outside the wilderness is open to off-road vehicles.

Info: BLM in Spokane, (509) 536-1200.

OUTLOOK

Best fishing times

Lunar tables from the U.S. Naval Observatory list peak fishing times. Be fishing at least one hour before and one hour after given times. Applies to all time zones.

(* indicates best days.)

Through March 11

* Today

12:30 a.m., 12:55 p.m.

Monday

1:10 a.m., 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday

1:50 a.m., 2:10 p.m.

Wednesday

2:30 a.m., 2:50 p.m.

Thursday

3:10 a.m., 3:35 p.m.

Friday

3:55 a.m., 4:15 p.m.

Saturday

4:40 a.m. –

* Next Sunday

6:35a.m., 6:50 a.m.

See the Hunting-Fishing Report

every Friday in Sports