Don't Store That Fishing Pole Yet

Don't put away your fishing gear just yet. It's Oktoberfish in Bayview again. Kick off is the auction Friday, October 2 at 7 pm at the Captain's Wheel Resort. That will be followed by the derby itself, Saturday & Sunday, October 3 & 4.

Entry fee is $25 per entrant, with all money raised to be given out to the various winners. You are invited to come down, bid on stuff you don't need, eat the free buffet (ticket holders only) and of course lie about the big one that got away. (I once had a fifty pound Kam, until someone produce a picture of it. Curses, foiled again.)

Prizes are as follows:

The first fish weighing more than last year's winner, 9 pounds, 10 ounces wins $100
1st prize goes to the largest Kamloop Trout 40%
2nd prize goes to the largest Mackinaw 30%
3rd prize goes to the 2nd largest Kamloop Trout 20%
4th prize goes to the 2nd largest Mackinaw 10%

Lest we forget, the 1st prize winner also gets possession of the traveling trophy for the year. Fish & Game is still awarding $15 per head for trout and Macks, so even if you aren't one of the big winners, you can still win. It is not advised, however, to detach the head before weigh-in.

Goods, Services, Gift Certificates and donations are needed for the auction, which proceeds will go into the pot for prizes. Tickets are available at the derby sponsor, Ralph's Internet Cafe and Friday night at the Auction. For further information, call Ralph at 208-683-2218.

Same Ol', Same Ol'

Somehow, when I hit the road, lean back and stretch out the miles, I have a problem with stopping. I hate, for some reason, stopping for anything. Food, sightseeing, anything but gas.

Last week, I set out for Manteca, California. My daughter had been in a serious accident that she was very lucky to survive. Only her seat belt saved her, and then barely. It was touch and go for a while, but then she rallied. Rolling her car, then having it flip end over end, could have, should have killed her. Somehow it didn't She had a few broken bones and some head trauma, which is what is taking the longest to heal. I spoke to her doctor just before I left. He announced that she should completely recover, but it will take two or three months.

The above referral to same ol', same ol' is in reference to my return trip. When I drove down, I didn't want to arrive in the middle of the night, so I took a motel rppm in Redding. Coming back was back to my usual habits. I hugged my daughter and ,left the hospital in Lodi that she is recovering in. 9:00 am and I'm on the road again, was Willie would sing. Plans were to stop at Lake Siskyou to visit Jim & Jean Campbell. I did that, arriving around 1:30 pm. We had a short but nice visit, in which I was treated to Jean hand feeding some of the tame deer that hang out at the campground. Darn it all, I had a camera in the car and didn't take a picture of that. Jean, if you have a digital camera. please send me a photo of that.

After about 20 minutes or so, I was on the road again. Thinking about where I would stop for the night was briefly mused over, then forgotten. I would stop when I got tired of driving. I pulled into a very quiet Bayview at 3:30 am the next morning, having driven non-stop. You would think that at my age, I would have better sense. Obviously that isn't the case. At any rate, I got back, my little girl will be alright and everything is OK with the world. I did have my tail light knocked out in a parking lot, but there to admit to it was a very embarrassed, but honest lady. She gave me her insurance information and I hopped back on the highway.

Both going down and coming back, I chose to peel off at Weed and take Hwy 97 via Bend and Biggs Junction, thence the gorge to Ti-cities and up 395. I thought about staying in Bend, then again at the Tri-cities, but by then I smelled the barn and headed back out. Jim & Jean said to say Hi to everyone, so there you have it. I'm up, about and taking nourishment as the saying goes. I'll catch up on the local news and get that information out.

In the, "It's a small world" category, when I gassed up, late at night at a truck stop in Pasco, I asked a trucker for directions to get back on 395. He complied, then said, "I know you from somewhere." Well it turned out that sometime in the past he had discussed mutual friend here in Bayview, Gary Hart & son. apparently sometime back, since I didn't remember him or the discussion. He did, and as soon as I told him I live in Bayview, he recalled everything. I sure didn't. I guess I've just murdered too many brain cells over the years. It turns out that he had left Stockton, California about the same time I left Lodi, which is just down the street from each other. We probably passed each other several times on the way north.

The picture was taken at a view point near the John Day Dam in the Columbia Gorge. It turned out rather well and DFO published it in "Huckleberries on line," while I was gone.

Deja Vu ...Not Again!

After a rather uneventful Summer regarding Bob Holland and his building escapades, Bob and crew has finally provided the entertainment we all have enjoyed these past few years. It seems that his people jumped the gun with an installation of a fire alarm panel at Vista Bay. A stop work order was issued by Timberlake Fire District. Since then, the stop work order was removed and work is in progress.

Boileau's Marina, however, things do not look so good. A fire extinguisher location inspection was concluded in April, with June 1 as a fix-it date. To this date, fire extinguishers still have not been installed in the locations approved by the fire district. Last week, a fire broke out on a boat moored in the first boat shed, opposite the Patio Restaurant, which burned down a few months ago. No extinguisher was present in the boat shed. The boater rushed over to the Patio from whitch they borrowed an extinguisher. The fire was small, and was extinguished easily ... This time.

The burning question, (ouch!) is whether proper fire suppression equipment or the next fire will happen first. The main dock at Boileau's has had a history of fires, boat fuel fires and such. One would think that the cost of properly placing fire extinguishers would by far, be exceeded by a serious fire. One could also speculate as to the attitude of their insurance carrier, should a serious fire break out without compliance regarding codes and inspection results.

In a completely unrelated subject, many will want to begin preparations for Oktoberfish, the annual derby ran by Ralph's Cafe. The derby will be October 2, 3 4th. Tickets and rules are available at Ralph's coffee house. 683-2218. Summer is racing to a conclusion with Fall colors not far off. I'll be down for a week due to family medical issues. Please feel free to slide back and read from my past posts and archived stuff while I'm gone.

I'm toying with the idea of selling ad space on my blog. This would consist of ads in jpg format in the size the pictures on the right are. If you are interested in advertising on this blog, e-mail me at bayviewherb@gmail.com. I average about 72 visits per day and right around one hundred page views. Demographics can be ascertained by clicking on the site meter box at the bottom of the page, which gives locations of the various readers, as well as referral info.

Ode to Bayview by Mike Lee

Massive Storm Hits Athol & Bayview

Contributed by Jessica Haddon of Bayview

Mom Nature Roars

Most of the time, the little village of Bayview ducks the serious storms. Air currents that separates the systems, brought about by Mt. Spokane, and perhaps Rathdrum Mountain, tend to split weather. Whether Summer or winter, the pattern stays the same. ... Most of the time,Storms either pass to the north of Bayview, or south behind Bernard Peak and on to the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River.

Not so today.We in Bayview, got caught in a direct hit of a series of cells that were/are feeding from southwest to northeast and coincidentally, are passing directly across Bayview and of course, Athol. Gravel has spilled out onto the roadways from Athol to the end of Cape Horn in Bayview. Rock falls at the slide area of a few years ago are again harassing motorists passing through.

It all started about 5:00 pm. A serious thunderstorm hit Bayview, after devastating Athol and Silverwood, too.It was a direct hit. Typically, a thunderstorm has a relative calm center, with most of the heavy rain/hail and winds around the periphery. With a direct hit, we received heavy rain, then a relative calm with sprinkles, then the back end hit with a vengeance. Silverwood Theme Park, faced with the inevitable, shut down about 8:30pm

The sun came out then, but only for a little while. Around 7:00 pm a dark, almost purple cloud formation came at us, this time with much more fury. Lights went out, satellite TV went out and as of 9:30 pm, calm has enveloped this little water born community. Idaho tends to be a state with weather extremes, but luckily not like the midwest, where tornadoes roar through the flat open spaces. We do, however, have our moments, and tonight was one of them. Trees are down actross local roads, and extreme caution is advised while driving.

Bayview's Centennial

In the last two years, both spirit Lake and Athol have celebrated their centennial. Next year is Bayview's turn. Even though Bayview isn't incorporated, the town was plated back in 1910 and Bayview is going with that as a starting point.

The steering committee has been working for over a year to make 2010 a memorable celebration.
The goal is to have an exciting calendar of events running from January and culminating on Labor Day.

Centennial memorabilia went on sale at this year's Bayview Daze and will continue to be sold throughout this year and next - including T-shirts, note cards, historic photos, historic poster - and coming soon a 2010 calendar, Centennial poster and flag.

A capital campaign - with three 3 levels of giving - is underway to help raise money to go toward a permanent gift to the town. Based on results from a survey distributed in the spring of this year, the committee has narrowed the choices to four categories and will be meeting with all area groups to gather input before a decision is made. Additional funds will be sought through grants. The hope is to have a significant and lasting addition to town to commemorate our first 100 years. Donations of any amount will be gladly accepted and deeply appreciated.

Checks should be made out to the Bayview Community Center Foundation and may be sent to P.O. Box 493, Bayview. Be sure to note that your check is for the "Centennial Fund." Call Jackie Lloyd at 683-1680 or Kathi Ellis at 683-9191 to volunteer or get souvenir items. Many more hands are needed!

Tornado flattens Train

I received this on the internet from a friend. There is no referrence to what railroad, nor what date this happened, but it is obviously genuine. The camera is mounted on the rear of the last engine unit, as well as a camera on the front. This is looking backward from the engine.

Athol Daze R Us

Were all hyped for Athol Daze, especially since it is the centennial. The parade starts at 10:00 am with two and possibly three bands playing. The Albeni Falls Pipe band will lead off, with the Shadle Park High School Band playing as well. There are rumors that a Civil Air Patrol band will appear. Along with the usual floats and horseback riders, we will have a Llama, two camels and many other things as well. As thankful as we are to have the Shadle Park Band, one wonders where our local high schools are when needed.

The two surviving members of the mid-sixties Athol all women fire brigade, Chief Joreen Bohn, and Vicki Upchurch. Joreen is also a former Mayor and city council member as well. They will be riding the Farragut State Park Navy fire engine, a 1942. While not the same one as in the Athol department, it was also a 1942, a Dodge. February 1966 marked the organization of the Athol Fire Department under Chief Joreen Bohn. Shortly thereafter, the city purchased an old 1942 Dodge Fire truck. As the Chief put it, “Most of the men were working either in the woods, the mill, or for the railroad. Those that were left in town were either old, disabled or drunk.” The department originally had seventeen members, but as all volunteer organizations, some dropped out, or had babies. There were, however always a core group which was composed of Chief Bohn, Ruth Hunter-Ewing, Marie Allen and Vicki Upchurch.

The original settler in Athol was A.H. Noble, in 1892. A Northern Pacific Railway watering stop and section gang shacks followed, and a town was born. The church across the street from the Athol city Park was originally a Baptist Church, built in 1901.

Saturday, after the parade, will be a fair at city park. Shown above, is a picture of the church as it originally looked.

After the fair in the park there will be a knockout,call the cops, jam session organized by Larry James at the Legion starting about 4:00 pm. A reunion of the Hwy 54 band, complete with all of the singers and instrumentalists will appear as well as the Bell's. The Bells will also be playing in the park prior to the jam. Every musician that is of any stature at all in the area will be participating. All in all, not bad for free entertainment all day long, eh?

Oh and don't forget, for you folks that don't want to fix breakfast Saturday morning. Timberlake Fire district is holding a pancake breakfast from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, at which time you'll be watching the parade.

Dog Days of Summer

With temperatures hovering in the mid to high 90's, It is very uncomfortable. Midweek has been quiet, well except for my family emergency. My eldest daughter was involved in a near fatal accident three days ago. She suffered a broken rib, arm, and collar bone along with three cervical vertebrae. The only serious injury is the broken neck, but even that is coming along nicely with the neurosurgeon suggesting that surgery will not be necessary. She will, however, have to wear a neck brace for quite a while. I want to thank all of you that have expresses prayers and best wishes. I truly believe they helped. The doctors are amazed that no apparent permanent damage was detected considering she had to be resuscitated at the accident scene.

Don't forget that Athol Daze will take place Saturday, August 8 with the parade starting at 10:00 am, M/C by yours truly. There will be some unusual events. Camel rides, and contests for the kids in the park following the parade. Starting at 4:00 pm is the annual American Legion jam session behind the Athol Legion. This year is special, since it is being hosted by Larry James and the Hwy 54 re-union. The Bell's will be there and a ton of talented musicians from around the area. This jam is open to the public.

In other local news, Chief Krill of the Timberlake Fire District tells us that J.D's and The Buttonhook are now in compliance with all fire codes, excepting the flame suppressant hood in the Buttonhook, which has until re-opening in the spring to replace. The fire district also warns against any outdoor burning, as fire danger is extreme.

Summer Thunder

If there was any doubt as to the severity of last night's storm, the picture above depicts the lightning strikes as the storm passed through. Bayview didn't get any, but just north and south as most local weather patterns are, got heavy strikes all the way across the Chilco area and up the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. Fortunately, it was a wet storm with much rainfall, which not only squelched most lightning caused fires, but watered my tomatoes, too.

On a more personal note, my daughter, Debbie Gibson, was involved in a serious rollover accident last night. She is in critical condition, but is stable and expected to survive. Broken ribs, collar bone and several other unnamed injuries. We are all praying for her complete recovery.

July 29: Debbie passed the crisis during the night and appears to be on the mend. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Terry's Cafe Doomed?

We learned that recently, adding to the problem of Terry's Cafe shutdown by the fire district, that the Panhandle Health district piled on, too. This does not bode well for the reopening and is likely to be the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.

We wish Terry well in her other venture in spirit Lake. We suspected she was going to close at the end of her lease in Bayview, so it was just accelerated some by the aforementioned inspections.

Athol Daze

If you thought the parades and celebrations were over for the year, you were wrong. This year in Athol is special. Special because the city has been incorporated for 100 years. The first settler homesteaded in 1892, followed by a section gang and whistle stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad. A sawmill was built in 1902, which coincided with much of the old downtown.

The first church, an Episcopal-Methodist was built in 1900 followed by the Baptist church in 1901, which is still in use today as the Gates of Praise Assembly, just across from city park. Athol has a storybook past and is being revisited this, their centennial year.

The picture above, courtesy of the city of Athol, shows Main Street in 1907, just two years prior to incorporation. Main Street is now Old Hwy 95. The town's buildings were on the east side of the street with the railroad on the west. Catch my story with other pictures in the Spokesman-Review, Sunday, August 2. Oh, and don't forget the parade, Saturday, August 8 at 10:00 am. After the parade there will be a fair in city park including camel rides.

Following the day in the park, the American Legion Post 149, Athol will host a jam session to beat all jam sessions. The reunion of the band Hwy 54, organized by lead singer, Larry James is hosting under the gazebo in back. The Bells will be there, along with a ton of talent from all over North Idaho. It starts at 4:00 pm. Be there or be square.

High Fire Danger

Timberlake Fire Chief, Jack Krill announced this morning, a ban on all outdoor burning. He also suspended all existing burn permits. Hot dry weather has settled in and more is expected as temperatures climb close to 100 degrees as the week progresses. The danger index is expected to go from high to very high, then extreme between now and the week-end.

The haze that was over us yesterday was due to a large forest fire burning in British Columbia. The wind has shifted, but there is still a light haze over North Idaho.

As an aside, paving is going on in the Garwood to Hayden corridor and traffic is backed up for miles. It might pay to go west to Hwy 41 to avoid the miles long parking lot.

A little late

I'm not very timely with this story, given that it is a couple weeks or so old. A retirement party was held June 27 for long time city clerk of Athol, Charlotte Hooper. After 24 years, Charlotte is hanging it up. A retirement party was held Saturday, June 27 with several dignitaries present. Sheriff Rocky Watson, Mayor Lanny Spurlock, along with former mayors, Jean Hill and Jorene Bohn.

A contingency from the Timberlake Fire District dropped in and of course, Charlotte's replacement,Sally Hansen and numerous family members and friends. Above, a few pictures of the event.

Pictured from top and left to right are: Charlotte Hooper and Rocky Watson; Lanny spurlock, Jean Hill and Jorene Bohn; Charlotte & Sally, the departing and arriving city clerks.

Terry's Cafe Shut Down

Terry's Cafe was ordered closed today by Timberlake Fire Chief, Jack Krill. Along with the closure of Terry's, two other premises owned or operated by Chan Karupiah received citations relating to fire and safety codes, but were allowed to continue operations.

The Buttonhook Restaurant along with JD's Bar were both inspected, then reinspected failing both times from numerous alleged code violations. JD's was given until July 30 to comply while the Buttonhook Restaurant was given until July 16. Fines have been levied against Mr. Karupiah which according to code, start at $10 per day for the first week, $50 the second week, $100 the third week and so on.

According to Chief Krill, not only were the violations not corrected, but new ones were found as well. The Buttonhook Restaurant has a large full basement which contains lawnmowers, fuel and other combustibles that will have to be removed. It is not known at this time whether those items belong to Chan or are still owned by Waterford Park Homes, LLC.

It was noted that unlike the Captain's wheel which was inspected earlier this spring, the three above mentioned properties have not moved to make corrections. Chief Krill noted that the 'Wheel spent over $5000 in order to comply and that it would be unfair to let the others have a pass when the Captain's Wheel immediately moved to correct deficiencies. We will follow this closely for further developments.

Postscript 7/20:

Further inspections after owners got after their staff for failing to cover deficiencies, both JD's and the Buttonhook were deemed far enough along for an extension. It turns out that many of the older restaurants in the Bayview/Athol area have out of date fire suppression hoods, but the five mentioned by Chief Krill, have until the spring of 2010 to replace the outmoded ones with state of the art hoods. These replacements are extremely expensive and replacing them in the middle of the tourist season was considered impractical.

Other businesses that failed their original inspections were the Pastime Tavern and White Pine Cafe, both in Athol.

More 4th Pictures

The crowds are gone, guests have departed, and peace and tranquility has descended upon Bayview. While it's great to see family that has been out of reach for quite a while, it is tiring,too. Our cool weather is about over and we'll be back in the high 80's and low 90's again by tomorrow. I was asked to write another column for this Sunday's Handle Extra describing the events that took place last week-end. That story will publish Sunday.

We had a great turnout for the parade, Saturday with some very original entries. The pirates of the Caribbean was spectacular along with many others. Bayview's own Kazoo Marching Band was a hoot as well.

ATV & PWC KILL

During this early Summer, we have seen a pandemic of ATV & Personal Water Craft deaths and serious injuries. Many of these involve people running at high speed that are too young to get a driver's license. I have counted about five serious ATV crashes and about the same number of watercraft accidents many involving death and others with serious injury.

The question here, is twofold. First, should watercraft have a lower speed limit and two, why are parents letting their children, some as young as 10 years old, drive dangerous vehicles at all. Should these parents be prosecuted for child endangerment? One such case happened near Bayview, Idaho, in a private driveway. Riding the ATV were two children, ages 10 & 11. They lost control and hit a power pole. One suffered a serious head injury and was air lifted to a hospital. The other, suffered a compound fracture of his leg.

While I'm not a fan of over regulation, it would seem that it is time to require either a license including a training class,an age restriction or both.

It's Over

Undoubtedly the biggest and best Bayview Daze celebration ever, occurred on the 4th. Further more, we are probably the only parade in Idaho that featured camels. But its wasn't just camels, we were blessed with numerous entries which included the Grand Marshalls, Lloyd & Patty Pierce and Timberlake High School Jr. Miss, Hannah Oden. Cathy Armstrong did a magnificent job singing the National Anthem. Jeanene Crist, who lives in the Athol area, is a famous camel trainer that used to train both Dromedary and Bactrian Camels in Arizona. One can imagine their probably aren't very many crowding that specialty in our country.

Many organizers worried that the competition from other 4th venues would dampen the numbers, but quite the opposite occurred. Certainly, the parade entries were almost double what we had in the past.Over 75 entries, some of them multiple vehicles joined the parade this year.Everything from a giant 19th century bicycle with a huge front wheel and a tiny rear one, Kootenai County Mounted Posse and many other great entries. I'll be posting [ictures of these events for the next few days.Right now, here's a few.

The Party Begins

The week-end kicks off with live music at the Captain's Wheel tonight, and music everywhere Saturday. A big surprise awaits those of you that come in time for the parade here in Bayview. Well, I'm not good at keeping secrets. Tomorrow's parade will have the very first camels to ever walk in a North Idaho parade, or probably anywhere short of Saudi Arabia. Jeannene Christ is bringing two camels to march with the rest, so don't miss this attraction. Don't forget the art fair at the community center, either.

Very few raffle tickets remain at the Mercantile, Ralph's and the captain's Wheel. $20 may win you a cool $1000. Don't forget to head for the Bayview Fire House, where an open house will be held right after the parade until 4:00 pm. There will be music there, too. The street fair is full of fantastic arts & crafts and is in full swing today through Sunday.Later Saturday evening, around 9:30 pm the lighted boat parade will circle the bay followed by one of the best fireworks displays ever seen in this neck of the woods.

People have come from great distances for this event. We have a dentist from Mexico, a Doctor from London, England, and others from states as far away as Indiana. I'll be on the reviewing stand, announcing the parade and the raffle winners right after the parade finishes. Stop by and say hi if you want.