OPENING BEAR LAKE, SECURITY TRIP

Dear Family,

Doug and his boys, Nate, Spence, Tom Tom and little 2 year old Izzzy, Mom and I drove up to St. Charles, ID to open our little farm next to Bear Lake for the coming season.When we arrived, the gate was open, (we never locked it) and as we drove into the driveway at 11:PM Doug said, "Hey the trailer is gone!"

Someone recently drove in there and stole our 16 foot covered trailer that had been sitting there for 10 years. It was full of recreational stuff that we stored there; the beach toys, boat accessories, Doug's chain saws etc. I suppose I should have secured it better but after all this is St. Charles Idaho where things are pretty safe. We called the police in Paris Idaho and they came down. They said with this economic turn down, they are experiencing more such activity up and down Highway 89 and around.

We got our "rock climbing mudder", the built 1975 Toyota FJ40 out of the garage and secured it to a stout tree with chains. Doug dug a hole in the front and we installed a huge post and a lock and chain for the front gate and changed the locks on the garage. See the picture of Spence and Nate in the tree with the chained down "Induna" vehicle.

Here is the spot where the trailer stood but I must say we have a better view of the beach.

There was a lot of fixing; the Propane people came and checked out the tank and made sure it was filled. We hung some trophy heads in the house, Mom never stopped cleaning (I guess we did not do such a great job when we closed last fall). We had a loud screeching apparatus which was successful in keeping the mice at bay during the winter.

We of course managed to have a blast with the kids and the ATV's. The back gates were open and we rode down to the edge of Bear Lake. The water was low, the beach sandy and solid and we scooted up and down the lake on the ATV's without any interference and of course it was too cold for Mosquitoes. Here is Doug, Izzy with the large helmet and Tom Tom at the beach.

We of course had the shooting chore at the end and set up targets for the kids and 22 rifles. Doug broke in my new muzzle loader and we indeed had a blast. It was fun to be there, sad that the place was violated but we had a great time and it is more secure. We hope as many of you will be able to enjoy the place this summer. We hope to plant some raspberry bushes along the north fence the next time up.

Love, Dad