Take the Plunge!

On the first day of the new year, start with a run along Lake Coeur d'Alene in the Hangover Handicap and then at the stroke of noon, the 31st Annual Polar Bear Plunge takes place at Sanders Beach ... water temperature 40 degrees! Either way, you're likely to get wet and sure to be cold, with snow in the forecast for North Idaho on the first day of 2010!

Towering Lights

McEuen Terrace, which overlooks McEuen Field, Tubbs Hill and Lake Coeur d'Alene in downtown Coeur d'Alene, is dressed for the season.

Wet Winter

North Idaho has seen far more rain than snow so far this winter. Last year was epic in snowfall volume which made for some incredible images in white like these steps down to Lake Coeur d'Alene at Independence Point. Winter recreationists won't be disappointed by the snowpack at Schweitzer, Silver Mountain and Lookout Pass, though.

Eagle Eye View

I spend a lot of time on location with the eagles on Lake Coeur d'Alene this time of year. As I watched several swoop and soar and dive for fish I wondered what the view was like from their vantage point ... kokanee salmon in post-spawning death throes and people with cameras.

Frozen Fish

A fisherman checks his frozen fishing hole on Fernan Lake Monday afternoon. A light snow was falling and the ice is several inches thick on the small lake at the east end of Coeur d'Alene.

Centennial Trail Sunset

Even on a winter's day, walkers, cyclists and runners enjoy the view of Lake Coeur d'Alene from the Centennial Trail on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive. This sunset is just one of the reasons the trail is used year around.

Frozen Falls

The water features on Spokane Street's I-90 on and off ramps in Post Falls are looking more like ice sculptures this week after several days of single digit and below zero temperatures in North Idaho.

Eagle Watching

The eagles have arrived on Lake Coeur d'Alene! As many as 100 bald eagles spend the month of December at Wolf Lodge Bay and Higgens Point to feed on Kokanee salmon before continuing their southern migration. Higgens Point has eagle viewing informational kiosks and public parking right at lake's edge. Eagle photographs HERE. More information on eagle watching cruises and education from the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game click HERE.

Ramping up the season

The iconic Cedars Floating Restaurant, off of Blackwell Island where Lake Coeur d'Alene flows into the Spokane River, is dressed for the holidays. The lake level is at its winter low. In the summer months, this ramp is not so much of an incline.

Frosty Green

The world-famous floating green at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course is covered in frost on a very cold December Sunday morning.

Full Moon

I enjoy far more moon rises than sun rises in the course of my nightowl lifestyle. On the first day of December a beautiful full moon was rising on the east as the sun was setting in the west in North Idaho.