TIMBERTOWN MEET
JULY 21st - 27th, 2025
Venue:
Best Western Plus Mountain Lodge, Ponderay, Idaho
Blocked from 21-28 of July 2025 until June 21.
Reservations are now open with a special rate of $175.00 US per room per night.
You can use the link below or call the hotel directly mentioning GOCI or Graham Owners Club, (208)-255-4500 (not the toll free Best Western Reservations Line).
Please also find the registration form below on the right.
JULY 21st - 27th, 2025
Venue:
Best Western Plus Mountain Lodge, Ponderay, Idaho
Blocked from 21-28 of July 2025 until June 21.
Reservations are now open with a special rate of $175.00 US per room per night.
You can use the link below or call the hotel directly mentioning GOCI or Graham Owners Club, (208)-255-4500 (not the toll free Best Western Reservations Line).
Please also find the registration form below on the right.
| |||
By now you probably also know how to get to Sandpoint whether it is driving, flying or riding the train. If arriving by train it would be best to get in touch with Bonner Taxi to arrange a pickup, Sandpoint is an unmanned station. (Bonner Taxi, call/text 208-597-3463, web BONNERTAXI.COM, email [email protected].
How to get to Sandpoint:
How to get to Sandpoint:
- Driving: Highway US-95 North off I-90 or US-Route 2
- Flying: Spokane WA (closest major airport, 1.5 hr drive)
- Sandpoint County airport (20 min walk to hotel)
- Train: Amtrak Station in Sandpoint
- Hiking: PCT or CDT, then Northern Trail
Contact meet organizer with any questions:
Erwin Muller
+1-(512)-415-1815
+52-55-2955-9352
[email protected]
Erwin Muller
+1-(512)-415-1815
+52-55-2955-9352
[email protected]
The following activities have been finalized for the week in North Idaho:
|
Monday July 21 there will be a welcome party at the venue hotel. More details will be provided on arrival.
Tuesday July 22 will be a day to get to know Sandpoint and the history of the region. The activities are several, a short cruise on Lake Pend Oreille to see the place from the water and to view the abundant wildlife, a visit to the Bonner County Museum and a Sandpoint walking tour. There are many options for lunch in town (plenty of good restaurants) and also for refreshments (beer halls, pubs and winery). In the evening there will be a presentation at the hospitality room followed by logging competitions. |
|
|
There are three presentations planned during the week, more details will be available upon registration. For the logging competitions we will have pole climbing, axe throwing, log rolling, tree identification, sawing and choker events to decide which of the GOCI regions is the Bull of the Woods.
|
|
Wednesday July 23 we will tour south of Sandpoint, visiting the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center in Coeur d’Alene, the Farragut WW-2 Museum (if they have finished replacing the roof by then), have a boxed lunch at either museum.
On the way back whoever wishes can stop at the Blooming Fields Lavender Farm to harvest lavender and see the different processes performed. Back at the hospitality room we will have the second presentation and continue with the Bull of the Woods competition
|
|
|
Thursday July 24 will take us north and up, driving to Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Once there we will have the option to hike up the mountain, take the lift or just stay at the main resort and enjoy lunch on your own. The people that hike or ride to the top can have lunch at the Sky House while being able to view three states and two provinces in two countries from the summit ( Montana, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia and Alberta). The ones that decide to hike up will be able to ride the lift down for free (Schweitzer has a saying that if you hiked up you earned your ride down).
|
The GOCI Board of Directors meeting is planned for the afternoon and in the evening, day three of presentations and Bull of the Woods competition will be held at the hospitality room.
Friday July 25 will take us west towards Priest River. First stop will be at the Idaho Forest Group mill in Laclede where we will be given a tour of the plant. Lunch will be in Laclede at Klondyke’s, regionally considered the best barbecue and prime rib. Lunch will be spare ribs. In the afternoon we will have a stop at Riley Creek blueberry farm where you can pick your own blueberries or buy their products. From Laclede it is only 6 miles to Priest River where we can stop at Squatchee’s for Huckleberry ice cream. In the evening, for whoever wants to participate, we will join the Asphalt Angels (local car club) in the annual Neon Nights cruise followed by a street dance. The option is to go back to the venue hotel and rest at the hospitality room.
|
Saturday July 26 is Timber Days in Priest River. It starts off with a combined Show and Shine car show with the Asphalt Angels. We can then watch the Timber Days parade that has some amazing logging equipment displayed followed by the Logging Competitions (where lunch and refreshments can be acquired). Since most GOCI members will have had the chance to participate in our own Regions’ logging competition, volunteers can participate in the real thing if desired. Everybody’s mind will be blown watching these interesting activities, especially the chainsaw competition using handheld V-8 engines to drive the saw.
The Timbertown Meet gala banquet will take place at the Heartwood Center in Sandpoint in the evening. |
|
🌲✨ Get ready to rock the "Timber Days"! 🪓
🎶 Unleash your inner lumberjack and join us for a wild adventure of chopping, sawing, and celebrating the spirit of the forest.
imber Days is not just an event; it's a symphony of axes and laughter in the heart of the wilderness. 🌳🔥
Timber Days – where the forest comes alive with the sound of camaraderie and the thrill of competition.
Don't miss the buzz, the chop, and the cheers!
🎶 Unleash your inner lumberjack and join us for a wild adventure of chopping, sawing, and celebrating the spirit of the forest.
imber Days is not just an event; it's a symphony of axes and laughter in the heart of the wilderness. 🌳🔥
Timber Days – where the forest comes alive with the sound of camaraderie and the thrill of competition.
Don't miss the buzz, the chop, and the cheers!
Sunday July 27 will close out the planned activities for the week with the traditional Farewell Breakfast at the venue hotel.
We hope you will join us for this meet in the Inland Northwest. We are sure you will be surprised at how much this last frontier has to offer.
Erwin Muller
+1-(512)-415-1815
or
+52-55-2955-9352
Erwin Muller
+1-(512)-415-1815
or
+52-55-2955-9352
Here are some local and area attractions available for before or after the meet. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding these.
Local attractions:
Area attractions (distance from Sandpoint):
Sandpoint Facts:
Local attractions:
- Festival at Sandpoint (early August, booking recommended)
- Monster Lake Trout fishing
- Acoustic Research Detachment - US Navy
- International Selkirk Loop and byways
- Missoula Floods tour
- Silverwood Theme Park
- Tribal Casinos
- Western Pleasure Guest Ranch (dude ranch)
- Rowing and Paddling Sprints regatta (early August)
- Long Bridge Swim - 1.5 miles (early August)
- Priest Lake
- 100+ hikes
- Z-scale model railroad
Area attractions (distance from Sandpoint):
- Wallace Blues Festival (early July, 1.5 hours)
- Trail of the Hiawatha - bicycle adventure (1.5 hours)
- Glacier National Park (4 hours)
- Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (8 hours)
- The Palouse (1.5 hours)
- Hells Canyon Jet Boats (Snake River - 4 hours)
- Whitewater rafting the river of no return (Salmon River - 6 hours)
- Craters of the Moon National Monument (8 hours)
- Sun Valley - first ski resort in US (8 hours)
- Spokane - Capital City of the Inland Northwest (1.5 hours)
- Canadian Border (1 hour)
- Boundary Dam (Tom Petty was the mayor of the town in “The Postman”, 2 hours)
Sandpoint Facts:
- 2011 Rand McNally “Most Beautiful Small Town”
- On the north shore of Idaho’s largest Lake “Pend Oreille”
- Surrounded by three mountain ranges, Selkirk, Cabinet & Bitterroot, in the center of the Idaho Panhandle
- Home to Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho’s largest ski resort
- On the International Selkirk Loop, the Wild Horse and Pend Oreille byways
- Once a timbertown, now a tourist and modern industry site
- Home to aerospace, biomedical, software development and food companies
- Four renowned breweries in a town of 8000 people
- US northernmost winery, Pend d’Oreille
- Huckleberry heaven (ice cream, pies, candies, jams)
| 2025 Timbertown Meet |
| REGISTRATION FORM |