Singing in the wind
A runner makes her way past downed trees at City Park Tuesday evening.
BILL BULEY/Press
Nick Goodwin, right, and Jeff Erickson with the city of Coeur d'Alene place orange cones around downed trees at City Park Tuesday evening.
Terry Brinton rides past fallen trees at City Park Tuesday.
Julian Grant runs past a fallen tree at City Park Tuesday.
Waves crash against the stairs at Independence Point while a visitor watches on Tuesday afternoon.
COEUR d’ALENE — PJ Christo and Dianne Lee decided to go where the action was Tuesday evening: City Park.
Good call.
They were greeted by wild winds whipping off Lake Coeur d’Alene, toppled trees and wicked waves crashing to shore.
“This is where it’s at,” said Christo, who also braved a rolling walk around the Boardwalk at The Coeur d’Alene Resort at the height of the storm.
“I like it just as long as I’m not on the downward side,” Lee said.
Strong, sustained winds were predicted to arrive late Tuesday afternoon, and they did.
Gusts knocked down trees that blocked sections of the path in the park. However, it didn’t stop dog walkers, cyclists and runners from continuing on their way as they maneuvered around branches and trunks.
One man with two children said they retreated to their car when winds nearly bowled them over and flattened a tree close to them.
“That ones’s ready to go over there,” the man said, pointing to a tilted tree. “It’s uprooted.”
Nic Goodwin, Coeur d’Alene urban forester with the Parks & Recreation Department, and Jeff Erickson, parks superintendent, arrived at City Park to place orange cones around the fallen trees.
“We wanted to make sure it wasn’t hazardous to anybody the way it is,” he said braced against a gale.
They said conditions were not safe enough to have crews remove the trees during the windstorm, but they would clean up Wednesday morning after the winds died down.
“It’s too dangerous,” Goodwin said.
But not too dangerous for running, biking and photography.
Julian Grant ran through City Park, starting from North Idaho College. It was nice with the winds at his back, but on the return the gusts pushed him back so he stopped and began walking.
Still, it gave the singer a chance to both exercise and rehearse for new songs he is working on.
“I figured no one would be out there so I could sing as I went,” he said, smiling.
RJ Rueben, owner of Calypsos coffee on Lakeside, came down to City Park to check things out after seeing pictures of downed trees on Facebook.
He got a few of his own pictures as he turned his back to some fierce blasts coming off the lake estimated at 40 to 50 mph.
"This is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” he said.
Terry Brinton was headed home on his bike after a day of work with NIC’s Outdoor Pursuits.
He said he may be the only person who gets around on two wheels year-round, so strong winds barely slowed him. Brinton just steered around trees and kept a sharp lookout.
He said it was actually kind of fun.
“I ride in anything,” he said.