Boating (1)
Since I drove our boat for the first time last Sunday, I am feeling the need to explain why I am deathly afraid of boating. I didn't start out that way. As a grade school-er, I was often invited to go boating with the Johnson's. They owned my favorite boat of all time. . .a pontoon boat. I don't know when they got it the boat, but I do remember singing songs like "Madelina, Catalina" and other childish ditties with the Johnson girls as we bounded down the road for a boating trip. They used to launch the pontoon boat on one of the lakes on the lower Cd'A river. (It could have been Black Lake or Cave Lake). Once the boat was launched, we would sail up and down the "channels" as they called them from one lake to another.
It wasn't until years later that I realized the "channels" were actually portions of the Coeur d'Alene River that ran between the lakes. I do remember the channels were murky waters, but I also didn't connect this with the "lead" creek in Kellogg, which merged with the "North Fork" to make up the bulk of the Cd'A river.These boat trips were fun. They were leisurely, and although I had no idea where we were, or where we were going, I had complete confidence in Paul and Dottie's knowledge of the channels.
[Upper picture shows Dottie & Paul on the shore and lower one is close up of the original pic.]
One time we went to Killarney Lake where I finally got to go to "Popcorn Island," a place the Johnson girls raved about, but I had never seen. Paul dropped anchor in the middle of the lake, and the girls and I took turns diving off the mini board and swimming around in the water. I still wore a life preserver, but the older Johnson girls swam well enough they didn't need one.
Popcorn IslandI loved that pontoon boat, and swore if I ever got a boat, that's the kind I'd get. . .(I suppose if I ever have the money to buy a boat of my own - that's what I'll get!)
Labels:
boat,
Coeur d'Alene River,
lead creek,
P Johnson
10 comments:
Your story is breathtaking. Magnificent writing as always. My dad and I used to fish either Black, Rose, Medicine, or Cave Lake every weekend. We drove by Killarney turn-off, but I don't think we ever fished it. I am not sure why not. I think there were lots of duck hunters on that lake.
Laughing so hard I nearly had an asthma attack!
Glad to hear you dad didn't fish in the river. Maybe he didn't go to Killarney, because you had to turn off the main hwy to get to it. I don't think there were any amenities there at the time I was there. . .But there sure are now!
Oh, duck hunters - the first time I read it, I thought it jsut said "ducks" and I was wondering if your dad didn't like the competition for the fish. Now I realize he didn't want his head blown off.
What great pictures!! Our summers were spent out at Rose Lake at the Turnbow's cabin (Jerry and Corinne). We enjoyed the murky waters of that lake. I have never heard of Popcorn Island. I'm not sure I have ever been to Kilarney Lake.
My dad loved Rose Lake. We used to take the boat out from Headburgs (sic) store. They had the old horizontal coke machine where you had to work the coke bottle through a maze to get it to the delivery point. Those cokes tasted so much better when you had to work for them and they were ice cold. Marvelous story!!!
Great pictures. We have a houseboat that we keep at Harrison, and we're planning a trip to Killarney Lake to visit some friends who've just built a new house across from Popcorn Island.
The CDA River chain lakes are my favorite places in the world. Thanks again for the pictures.
John Austin
MBW - I went to Rose Lake a lot when I was little. I remember the 3-seater out house (for the gals). Yes, they had catalogs for paper. . .and used to look at the pictures. I thought it was strange that we tore them up and used them the way we did.
Love those old coke machines. There was nothing better on a hot day than a bottle of soda, Coke in particular. (Nehi Orange was a close second).
John A. (I wanna go!) Wow, I can't believe civilization has found Killarney Lake. (Course I was there in early to mid-60s, so I guess somethings change over time.) LOL!!!
I love that whole area of Idaho also. I became quite familiar with it when the Hunk and I travelled back and forth (every weekend) from UI to the Valley.
The Hunk's Uncle B. had lake property not far from Harrison, and we used to go there once or twice each summer. He sold them last year (or year before) for an outrageous price. My husband's family was disappointed, as the uncle had promised to leave the lake property to one or all of them.
Glad you enjoyed the pics. I have my Dad's collection here, and have scanned some. I am thinking of going back and adding pics to some of my old posts - but I will let everyone know when I do.
We used to camp at Anderson Lake near Harrison. It had a huge blackbear population. When I was about 11 or 12 I was fishing and doing very well. I loved to fish alone so no one would steal my spot or cast over my line. I had some fish on a stringer at the edge of the water. All of a sudden I smelled a horrible smell and I looked around. There was a bear about 50 feet behind me (probably 100 feet, but to a kid it seemed closer). I was a long way from my dad and afraid to yell. He was up on his hind legs, sniffing. I went into the water, got my string of fish and threw it as far towards him as I could. I then waded down the shoreline towards our camp. I think I was the first person in about 2,000 years to walk on water. When I looked back, he had my fish and had forgotten all about me. From that day forward I fished much closer to camp when we went to Anderson Lake. I will never forget how bad that bear smelled. Dad said that is because they are garbage dump bears. Might have been the only time my acute sense of smell saved me from the same fate as my fish. Through time, those fish in my retelling have gotten bigger and more plentiful and the bear has gotten larger and closer. Thinking back, it might have been a Grizz. He was colossal!!!!
What a story! I was always scared I'd see a bear when I went huckleberry pickin' - but I never have.
You must have been scared out of your mind to thow your fish at him and hit the water running. He was probably a cross between a Grizzly and a Polar Bear. I hear they get really BIG! LOL!
In retrospect, maybe it was not the bear that I was smelling.
Well, it is a coincidence that the arrival of the smell and the bear coincided. (Coincided - Coincidence!) "Isn't that a clever cleaver?"
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