August 29th ~ Sandpoint, ID

Boat for our cruise on Lake Pend Oreille

~ We arranged an afternoon excursion on the lake through Lake Pend Oreille Cruises. Originally we wanted to take the 3:00 nature cruise, but not enough people signed up to meet the minimum numbers, so the 1:00 history cruise was a good substitute. 

“Along with Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe, Lake Chelan, and Lake Superior, Lake Pend Oreille is among the five deepest lakes in the United States.”

Map showing Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille

“The area around the lake is the traditional home of the Kalispel Indian peoples. David Thompson established a North West Company trading post on the lake in 1809. A Canadian fur trader in Thompson’s party is believed to have given the lake its name. The words “Pend Oreille” are French for an ear-hanging or pendant. Ear pendants were characteristic of the Kalispel tribe. The lake is shaped much like a human ear when viewed from above or on a map.” ~ Wikipedia

Sunny and in the 70’s – a perfect day to be outside on the water.

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About the only significant wildlife we saw was a beautiful bald eagle high up in a tree. It was too far away to capture a decent picture without a long lens.

Sailboats

Lovely homes dotted the edge of the lake.

Nice homes along the shoreline

Sandpoint is the largest of several towns that are located on the lake. The sandy beaches provide an inviting swimming area and marina.

Sandpoint beach

Beach and marina

Still had some daylight to burn, so Jan found a blueberry farm that was open for us to go picking.

Tim picking blueberries

Tim and I got four pounds. This late in the season the price had been slashed to only $2 per pound. Some are already in the freezer and some to be enjoyed fresh.

Barn on site where we picked berries

Coming Next: We are heading East into Montana to Flathead Lake for a few days. You can locate Flathead Lake also on the map above.

GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful that we can eat our fill of fresh blueberries. Somehow when you pick them yourself off the plants, they just taste a bit sweeter 🙂