Idaho

Our first stop in Idaho was Coeur d'Alene. The weather was cold and rainy, so unfortunately, we didn't see the best of the lake. Around the lake are many million and multimillion dollar homes, a lot of them log mansions and cabins.

Our second day in the area, we went to the 7 Stars Alpaca Ranch. The couple who own the ranch are originally from Alaska. They were looking for a retirement place where it was warmer with less work. It seemed to me that it still was way too much work for me. They own about 40 acres and in addition to @20 alpacas, they have 2 llamas, a small herd of cattle, several sheep and goats, chickens, cats, and dogs. All of them with the exception of the cattle are kept together in the same pen(s).

Upon arrival we were greeted with coffee and cookies. We sat in large garage where we learned about alpacas. They are @160 pounds, They are sheared in the spring (as are all the other fleece animals on the farm), and live for @20 years. There are also two types of alpacas who produce two types of fleece, one called Surya which has long strands of fleece and the other which has a puffy coat. They are quite gentle until they feel threatened when another animal or human enters their space and when that happens they spit. The lamas, which look quite similar, are twice as large. Both are in the same family as camels.

After the food and talk, we had the opportunity to walk in the barn, out into the pens, and feed the animals. Of course we watched them to see if they were threatened by us (ears back, extended neck, etc.) because we didn't want to experience the spitting. The owner calls all the animals with a high voice, whether it is "paca, paca," or "here chick, chick, chick." Even the wild turkeys that visit the ranch come when called!

Surya Alpaca

Alpacas and lamas

Alpaca and cat

Lake Coeur d'Alene

After we left Coeur d'Alene (Heart of the Anvil) Don't Ask Me Why??? we drove back into Montana, through the lovely Bitterroot valley and back over some mountains to North Fork, Idaho, for the purpose of rafting down the Salmon River. Since it was considered late in the season, our guide, Chris, took the two of us down class 2 and 3 rapids for @13 miles. The country is truly a wilderness. A portion of the state, called the Frank Church Wilderness, is not allowed to have any roads. The only way to enter the wilderness is by hiking or boating. We learned that next week is the beginning of hunting season and the Cutthroat Trout season. These trout have a similar behavior to salmon. They live in the Pacific but return to their original river to spawn and reproduce. The town, itself, is tiny with only a few buildings. Everyone knows everyone else including a 90 year old man who lives in a log cabin along the Salmon in the site of a defunct gold mine. We walked into the mine and watched our guide pan for gold. We even saw a few gold chips! The landscape was rugged and gorgeous. A gem to be discovered!

A mountain sheep?

Miner's cabin