Going Swimming

Boo and Farley the damn dog heading down the road to Hayden Lake.

DMV Blues

I had a lovely and delightful visit to the local DMV office to update my drivers license. How in this world of high technology and streamlined processing capability can this f****** place still exist? If you tried to in your wildest demented dreams to come up with a system that is slower, less logical and more likely to induce maniacal rage you could not top this place. I have done more than my share of time in these offices lately, I worked in California last winter and was required by my employer to obtain a CA license. I did this in Suasanville CA at a small office that wasn't too bad considering I had to take five tests to get my commercial drivers license with tanker, air brake and hazmat endorsements. I didn't drive truck but as the manager I had to hold all these licesnses so I killed the better part of day getting it done. The office wasn't too crowded and their was a nice picture of Arnold the Terminator hanging on the wall. But soon after that I left CA and the job and needed to get back my Idaho license, so one otherwise fine summer morning I dropped in at the Coeur d'Alene offiice to see what I needed to do. Well the first thing you do is look at a bunch of sorry assed people who all turn in unison and glare at you when you walk in the door, bad sign. Next step is to take a number, a really bad sign. My number was 002, after five minutes they called number 81, I quickly was able to figure that the numbers started back over at 100 and I was a long freaking way from being called. And there were 2 guys working the desk, 2 I said 2 that's right 2. Six computers there but 2 dudes. They could have used 10 people easy. These guys had to be on Valium, how else could they even pretend to cope. They were the picture of calm and tranquility while a horde of people stared at them with undisguised hatred. After an hour and 15 minutes my number was finally called. I went to the counter and told them my needs he says ok sit down and well will call you. OK what could I do, so I went to sit back down but of course someone has taken my seat, starting to get a little riled but I take it and find another seat. 10 minutes and they call my name I go up and they say I need to take a test to get the license - fine, I haven't studied the book but I take the test and sit down. I am pretty impatient and blow through the test without really reading it. It says you can miss six, so I feel confident and stick the test in a basket on the counter where it gets ignored for about another 10 minutes, finally a guy grabs and grades and call my name, I walk up and he says you passed (yippee) but you missed three do you want to look at them- no. You don't want to see the ones you missed? No. He doesn't like it but something in my eye prompts him to let it go. He says sit down and I will call you, another 10 or 15 and they call me to sign my name and get a picture taken. Sit down they say, another few minutes. I can see the machine that is processing the license and my card plops out, but one guy is on the phone and the other is talking to some people and so I have to sit there like an impotent jerk until another 10 minutes go by, finally one of them hands me the prized piece of plastic. I dont say a word for fear of my head exploding or the bare handed pummeling that I would not have been able to supress. I take the license and walk out with the envied looks of the doomed crowd still waiting, I would have felt a little smug but I had been emotionally buggered and had nothing left. Alone at last in my truck I cried a little and hugged myself and told myself that it was over and I was going to be OK. Next I went looking for a bar so I could chug-a-lug a liter of tequila but it was still 11:00 am and nothing was open so I went home. A couple days later I was feeling better.

Route Of The Hiawatha

Yesterday me and the Boo decided to see what all the fuss is about and went and biked the Hiawatha trail in Montana. It is an old railroad that winds through the Bitteroot Mountains and has numerous tunnels and trestles. We drove about an hour to the Montana border and stopped at Lookout Ski Resort where we got info on the trail and shuttle. We then drove to the trailhead and started our 15 mile ride. Right off the bat we headed into the Taft Tunnel which is 1.1 mile long. We had our headlamps but it was still hard to see exactly where the hell you where. It was very cool inside (you could see your breath) and wet with water dripping everwhere and running down each side. It was a blast, we pedaled way too fast and were lucky not to run into the rock walls, after a few exhilerating minutes we broke back out into the sunshine. This bike trail is one of the many old railroads that have been converted into bike trails in the Northwest, it was built around the first of the 19th century with a lot a hard work and money, it winds through some fantastic country and has 7 tunnels and 8 large trestles in the fifteen mile stretch that we rode. We had a great time but finished too fast and caught the shuttle back to the trailhead. We both agreed that next time we will skip the shuttle and bike back ourselves (uphill this time) The trail get its name from the train that use to run this route, The Oympic Hiawatha. See more pictures at the photo gallery on the Larsen Web Site www.cool-larsens.com

Family Guy

This is the picture I will use when I run for Bishop next year.

No pants - No problem

I had to put on pants today. Really cramped my style. The thing is, when it is summer and you don't have a traditional "job" per se, you don't need to dress up much. So it is getting a bit warm in the daytime, nights are still cool and comfortable but shorts are the perfect attire. In fact I think I have been wearing nothing but shorts for about 3 weeks. Alas, today I had to go play "realtor". Lisa has some big deal going with some developers on 1100 acres here. She told them I worked with her and so they wanted to have a meeting with me. (Woa, slow down there girl) Well anyway I put on some pants and went and played along, acted like I knew what I was talking about and I think they bought it. These people have money and are going to develop a large project, we might get lucky and get this deal done, I don't know. If we do I might get some new pants - leather ones baby.

Boo and Farley at Hayden Lake

There's Your Sweet Spot

Near our home in Hayden there is a parcel of National Forest property that has some nice trails in it. It is thick forest with lots of undergrowth and it is green and pretty. We take Farley the damn dog there just about everyday for a run. You can choose from a variety of trails from 5 miles to under 1 mile. They go through thick shady vegetation and have several dramatic overlooks of Hayden Lake. Few people go there and if we pull up and see other vehicles we are ticked off and put out, although chances are you will never see anyone on the actual trail. The trails themselves are nice and if you want a good workout you can jog or walk it fast, the dogs can run without a leash and covers ten times the mileage. Andy's dogs had a great time there and I'm sure they terrorized the wildlife which includes squirrels, chipmunks, whitetail deer, racoons, black bear and other animals.
After looking at a map I saw that the Forest Service property went right to the lake and was much larger that I first thought. The trails go nowhere near the water so I looked for a place to go down the hill, I followed a small steep deer trail for awhile but this is way too thick of stuff to bushwack for very long, but I stumbled onto an old overgrown road that headed in the direction I wanted to go. I followed it for about a half mile and then found a small trail right to the water. This was an empty stretch of shoreline for as far I could see in either direction (which is rare on the lakes in this area ) I had found the route to some private waterfront. Farley had a great time fetching sticks I threw in the lake and we stayed until the sun starting going down. The hike out is a bit of a leg burner but well worth it. I am glad that the trails stay well away from the lake now and I hope they leave it that way. But if past experience has taught me anything it is that nothing this good can last. I have been back twice already, Boo is going to like it and we can swim and fish. There are several ancient docks that have washed up there and you can go out on them and I can see a lot of small mouth bass and a few pike and trout. I kind of think I like it.