Out & about
OUTFIELD
Ladybugs swarm Mount Spokane
Tom Kimbrell of Spokane was rewarded with surprise discoveries for skiing over the lingering snow to the top of Mount Spokane last Sunday afternoon.
“What a photo opportunity,” he said of his visit to the old stone structure at the top of a closed for the season chairlift. “The mortar in the walkway and on the south-facing side of the Vista House was crawling with thousands of ladybugs.”
A similar summer phenomenon in Montana’s Mission Mountains Wilderness has been known to lure grizzly bears to the top of McDonald Peak.
Kimbrell’s other discoveries in the receding snow included Chapstick, a lens cloth, a bottle of wine and a cell phone.
OUTBOUND
Moyie connection
A new service is available for river runners heading to the Moyie, Kootenai or Yaak rivers.
True North Expeditions, a whitewater outfitter, also provides shuttle services as well as daily river reports posted on the Web.
Info: (208) 267-0947; www.truenorthexpeditions.com
OUTSTANDING
Woodstock recycled
The 24-Hours Round the Clock mountain biking marathon at Riverside State Park last weekend had a Woodstock 40-year- anniversary theme that helped attract more than 600 riders – and a significant accumulation of trash.
“The real story is that four decades after (the original) Woodstock, awareness has been raised and responsibility and stewardship of the park was a priority,” observed local cycling enthusiast David Jones.
Round and Round Productions hired youths to manage the recycling of glass, plastic and cardboard. Result: The garbage was sorted and in two pickup trucks at the end of the event.
David and Martha Jones were riding the trails Tuesday and they reported “not a trace” of trash following the two-day event.
“Providing recycling and actually having staff to manage it should be the goal of every event,” Jones said. “Janis, James and Joni would have been proud. We’ve arrived, at the age of Aquarius.”
FREE FISHING next weekend in Idaho and Washington. Details in state regulations pamphlets.