On the heels of a recent story in The Press about our ever-blessed Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, I ask one simple question:

What is the best drink of water you ever had?

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For me, it's a no-brainer. And I probably knew at the time it would never get better than that.

As I've state previously, yours truly grew up in central Montana, a rural country bumpkin if there ever was one.

My twin brother and I were each other's best playmate until we hit school age. Around that time, our family moved to another house on the southern edge of our property, and we now had neighbors close enough for us to ride our bikes to.

And ride we did.

Just over a mile away was a family with a boy our age. When we weren't in school, my brother and I would take off and head down the gravel road to see what our friend Rod was up to.

About halfway there, at a turn in the road, stood the foundation to an old schoolhouse. All that was left, aside from the cement outline, was a handcrank water pump.

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The water pump couldn't have been more strategically placed for our purposes. You see, as 6- or 7-year-olds, the trek down to Rod's house seemed like quite an adventure. Add in a hot summer day, and a quick stop for a few gulps of water was all that stood between us and certain death ... or so we thought.

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So while one of us manned the crank, the other would either hold his hands together, or just crane our neck and wait for that rush of cool, clear H2O to come barreling out and quench our thirst.

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There must be something about an old well with a hand crank that makes water taste so darn good. All these decades later, I can still taste it, and I have never found anything that could hold a candle to that fresh, amazing flavor.

It's possible it had something to do with my age - me being a very impressionable kid - and the water hitting the spot so well in a time of need. Maybe my taste buds had not fully matured. Still, to this day, not even the finest bottled water has a chance against the ol' handcrank's booty.

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As I grew older, we moved again to the town of Denton, and again I had to get used to the taste of tap water.

The water, like most municipalities, was chlorinated. At times when the chlorine was freshly added, it was darn near impossible to drink. What I would have given for a Britta filter back then!

Granted, the water here in North Idaho is not unpleasant. I drink it from the tap, as does most everybody.

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These days, I spend quite a bit of free time on my bike, pedaling throughout the area, trying to stay fit. When I get set to reach for my water bottle, my thirst getting the best of me, I often tell myself that the taste is going to rival that perfect drink all those decades ago.

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I haven't been right yet.

Copy editor Jerry Hitchcock tries to stay hydrated throughout the day, even though his bladder is not what it once was. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, or via email at jhitchcock@cdapress.com.