beer and history – may 3-5 2013

This trip we wanted to do something a little different. It was my birthday weekend and I wanted to get the camper out for sure but where to go? I did some browsing on-line and found a RV resort right on the edge of the town of Wallace Idaho. We have wanted to spend time in Wallace for a while but never had a chance to go. I then found out that the RV resort had a brewery at the resort. NOW my mind was set on going there.

We decided that we were going to do a no kids, no pets trip. Just Joanne and I. So Friday afternoon we set off east on I-90 to Wallace Idaho.

lake coeurdalene in idaho, on our way to wallace idaho

We arrived at Wallace in the late afternoon. We got parked at our spot for the weekend. No, we are not camping this weekend, we are rving. Wow, power, water and sewer hookups? We have not had any of those in a while. Yeah the spots are very close to each other but for what we are there for it is perfect. We will pretty much only be at the camper to sleep. All the rest of time we would be out and about checking out the town. One thing that I thought about the location of the resort was its proximity to the freeway. Would I have to hear freeway noise all the time? The answer is no. In fact we could not hear any freeway noise the whole time we were there. Also at $25 a night for full hook ups, it is a no brainer. Another thing, there was only one other RV there so no crowds at all.

our spot at the resort. see that building in the distance? that’s the brewery. very close.

the creek that runs right behind our spot

getting ready to go into the brewery.

the creek runs underneath the brewery

I was thirsty and I could really use some good beers created by these brew masters. I guess I will have to try the beer out. It is a tough thing to do but someone has to do it.

samplers

Well the beer is real good, what about the food there? It was fantastic. This brewery and pub is very welcoming with a great atmosphere.

After we enjoyed a few refreshments and had something to eat we walked into town. Wallace is a very historic town. A small town that you can easily walk around with in a short time. It is also the location of the last stop light on I-90. When they did this stretch of I-90 they elevated it over the town.  So that was the end of the stop light on I-90.

this was the last stop light on I-90

A few years ago the mayor had declared that one intersection in Wallace was the center of the universe. Why not?

the last “cat house” was shut down in the mid 1980′s

What is that over here? Is that another brewery? Yep.

what a hard weekend this has turned out to be

We also did a mine tour on Saturday. That was very interesting and worth going on for sure.

On Sunday morning we left the RV park. We wanted to do a hike that was just to the south of town.  So off we went. The hike is a 4 mile round trip hike. Lots of scenery along the way.

no space for motorhome or trailer parking at the trail head. no problem with the tc

Yes, this tool is a Pulaski. It is named after this great man of his time.

wonderful sites on the hike up.

yep, there was snow up at the higher elevation. it still was warm out though.

The hike is worth your time if you can do it. There are interpretive signs along the way. It follows the creek up with great sights.

After the hike we drove back north and through town and continued going north. Just north of town was a historic cemetery. Somewhere there is a memorial for the firefighters who lost their lives in the great fire. We could not find it but a very interesting cemetery for sure.

We continued on a loop drive that would eventually take us back to I-90 to head west towards home. We were in no hurry so a side trip here an there was perfect.

a view from on top of a mountain pass on our loop drive

Our next stop was at the Cataldo Mission along I-90.  We have been there before but it was a great place to stop and have lunch in the camper and take a walk on the grounds around the old mission.

We set off towards home. We had one more stop on top of 4th of July Pass. This is another area rich in history. There was a short 1/2 mile hike there that we did too.

the old road

That was our last stop on our way home. it was time to get home.

lake coeurdalene in the background on our way home

It was a great weekend with just Joanne and I. I do not usually do anything for my birthday but I am happy that we did do this trip for it. There is still more to see in Wallace and the local area. We will be back. Oh, and I am sure I will be back for another great local beer too!

hog wild april 19 – 21 2013

Our weekend camping trip this week takes us to Hog Canyon Lake. It is west of Spokane Washington about 25 miles. It is south of I-90. This area is controlled by BLM and WDFW. The camping up away from the boat launch is free, dispersed camping. If you camp down by the boat launch you would need the Discovery Pass. There is one spot down there. Here is a link to some information about the area: http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/site_info.php?siteid=273

The weather for these days was typical spring weather. Friday night was breezy with a chance of rain. Saturday was highs in mid 50′s with chance of rain and Sunday was about the same. We never did get rained on the whole weekend. Well, not until we got home. It was a bit breezy but our camp spot was pretty well protected from the wind. We actually thought it was pretty nice weather.

our camp spot for the weekend

We got settled in and had a nice quite evening. No one was around but us.

The next morning after breakfast and coffee we did a hike down to the other side of the lake. The lake can not be seen from our camp spot but it is just a few hundred yards away. There are trails along the north west side of the lake. There was even a few geo caches along the way that we did find. Before we left we watched a tom and hen turkey walk around. They had chicks but I could not get a picture of them.

So we got our stuff on and headed out for a little hike. In all it was about 2.5 miles of hiking. Fairly easy terrain for it too.

first view of the lake

spring is here

a pond above the lake and a stop for a geo cache

Cody, Joanne and our dog Buddy

more blooms should be out in another week or so

the waterfall that dumps into the lake

a look back to the other end of the lake where we came from

a very pretty waterfall that is the main source of water for the lake. you can not go any further towards it as the falls are on private property.

the falls give their bounty to the lake here

There was a couple more caches found up to this point. We started our hike back up the hill to find one more cache and to take in the beauty of the area.

we actually are on a pedestal

our camp site is at this end and above the lake. a small dam is on this end. this is where the boat launch is also.

We got back to camp and pretty much had a lazy rest of the day. No other plans, just a nice relaxing time.

There is one thing that we found that was not to our liking with this camp area…other people not cleaning up after themselves. We picked up a couple bags of garbage to haul out of the area to be PROPERLY disposed of. Why people trash the area they go to is always beyond my understanding.

two bags worth of trash we picked up that was left behind from other people.

Sunday morning we left for home. Yet another enjoyable camp weekend. We really did like the area. It is close to home yet seems a world away. Perfect.

pretty coul-ee april 3-7 2013

Pretty coul-ee…

Our camping trip this time takes us to Spring Canyon Campground in Washington State. This campground is part of the Lake Roosevelt National Park system. The campgrounds along the lake corridor are very nice. Water is still turned off for the season but that means its a whole $5.00 per night to camp. Here is a link to this park system: http://www.nps.gov/laro/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

So why was it “pretty coul-ee”? Well, it was the first week in April. The weather was what you would expect this time of the year…mixed with a warm day, cold rainy days and some wind. So yes, overall the weather was cool. Another reason was we were camping in the Grand Coulee Dam area. In fact you could see the back of the giant dam from the campground.

This trip we had the pleasure of camping with a couple other fellow tc’ers. It was great spending a little time with friends. No matter what walks of life we come from, we have a common bond…truck camping.

the camp spot at spring canyon campground.

merri and steves camper

russ and his families camper

On Wednesday we just hung out at the campground. We all did a little walking around and then of course visited with each other. The kids had a great time playing together too.

there was a nice short trail that you could hike up this hill.

merri and steve on the hill trail

a walk on the beach below the camp spots. the reservoir is low right now waiting for the spring run off.

russ and his family along with cody trying out a little fishing

steve and joanne talking about the cooking book

russ having the kids not look at where he hides a toy for them to find

boys having fun

Kimberly had a great time too

On Thursday morning we all headed to Northrop Canyon to do a hike. The first part of the hike is an easy 1.5 miles one way to the homestead. Then it heads another 2.1 miles one way to the lake. The second part of the hike is much more strenuous. From my searching before we went on this trip it showed this hike to be a total of 5.2 miles round trip to the lake. In fact I found out later from the state park literature that the hike is 7.2 miles round trip. Judging by the way we all felt afterwards I would say the 7.2 was correct. Still, it was a magnificent hike. One that I would recommend to anyone that has the time while in that area.

parking at the trailhead

…and we are off.

at the homestead area of the canyon

Northrup lake

After the hike we all made our way to the campground. Some of us had to make a stop in the town of Grand Coulee to get an item or two. At the campground it was relaxation time. We enjoyed our company with each other then made our way to our campers for some much needed sleep. On Friday we stayed around the campground. Merri and Steve went into town and Russ and his family left for home as he had to work on Saturday.

sunrise on Friday morning from our camper

a view from the hill above the campground

the back side of grand coulee dam

first week of april…spring is on its way.

It was a nice relaxing day. On Saturday morning we headed out to do some visiting at the dam and the local area. We also did a few geocaching sites along the way. Merri and Steve headed home on Saturday morning.

a view from behind the dam back up river to our camp spot. it is on the right hand side of the picture a few miles back

a closer view of the back side of the dam

sculptor of F.D.R.

up at the overlook

up at the overlook

the dam spillway

a windmill farm that is in the area. very neat little area.

We made our way back to camp and had our dinner. Sunday morning we packed up to head home. We wanted to do a little more geocaching along the way and check out other campgrounds. We were in no hurry to get home so we took our time.

looking at the camper from a geocache site

I dropped my trackable into a cache. for those that do geocaching the code for this tb is: TB5DQCJ

We had a wonderful time as always. Anytime we can get out in the camper it is a great time. This trip was made even better that we could share some of it with friends. Pretty Coul-ee….yes it was.

pretty coul-ee april 3rd-7th 2013

i see twins! march 22-24 2013

I see twins and I don’t mean the Double Mint chewing gum commercial. What I mean is Twin Lakes in Lincoln County in Eastern Washington. Twin Lakes is on BLM land, Bureau of Land Management. It is south west of Davenport Washington.

We left the Spokane Washington area after 5 pm on Friday. We figured we would get there right before dark, it gets dark at about 730 pm at this time of the year. There were passing showers but the weather was not too bad. We did arrive at about 715 pm. It was chilly as the passing storm dropped hail and the temperature. So we found a spot. That was easy as we were the only ones there, so we got set up.

We sat around the fire for a while and then hit the bed for some needed sleep. The next morning it was bright and sunny out. Don’t let that fool you though, it was down to the mid 20F over night. After some coffee I went outside to walk around and see the area that we parked at for the weekend.

a view out from the cab over window.

we parked between the twin lakes with the small stream running behind us.

joanne taking buddy for his morning walk

We got some breakfast in us and headed out to do a little hiking around. What a wonderful place this is. So peaceful and beautiful.

the upper lake

a view of the lower lake and our camp spot

cody walking around the sagebrush

joanne, rich and buddy

great trail system around this area.

the lower lake

our camper way off in the distance, that’s the upper lake in the picture

camper is to the left side of the picture with the lower lake in view

I should mention the road coming in to the area. The last mile is not too bad but not for the weak hearted, motorhomes, fifth wheel or large trailers. It’s not too bad but it is steep in a couple spots with a couple tight turns. It also is a one lane road. That’s only about a mile of the road though.

It was a little breezy earlier in the day but the winds did let up some later on. Time to get the kayak out and do some exploring.

This place is just amazing.  We could not help but just sit and look around at everything. There were so many different types of birds there. The songs of the birds and the burbling sound of the stream passing by us was so relaxing. The colors of this land was additionally  inspiring.

Dinner was made as well as a fire. We sat, talked and ate. We just relaxed, that was so nice. Then the end of the day was upon us.

Sunday morning came around and we packed up to head home. I really wished that we could have a 3 or 4 day weekend to extend these trips out but we can not. At least we do get out as much as we are able to, to enjoy what our area has to offer.

Sights on the way home.

the rolling hills of the palouse surround the area we were at

A wonderful weekend once again. This was the first time at this spot. We will be back. I will give some advise to those that may wander to this place. I would recommend going in early spring or late fall. The area is a very heavy rattlesnake area. I guess if you are very careful it would be okay but for me, I prefer to skip the snakes thank you.

I see twins!

Twin lakes Washington

march 22 – 24 2013

it’s a dog’s life – march 1st – 3rd 2013

First thing let me introduce myself. My name is Buddy. I am a three-year old , long-haired dachshund. My owners Rich, Joanne and Cody adopted me from the dog pound in November of 2012.

I have heard the stories from my owners about all the camping they like to do. Until this trip, I have not been able to go. So when they told me I was going to go camping with them I was very excited. We all got in the truck and headed to Gifford Campground for the weekend. Gifford campground is on Lake Roosevelt (the Columbia River) in Washington State.

This time of year there is few if anyone at the campgrounds. I was looking forward to enjoying this thing they call camping. We arrived at the campground and selected a site. That was real easy as there was only one other couple camping in the whole campground. Gifford campground has 42 sites not including the group site or tent sites. So yes, it was tough finding a spot with having to share the campground with one other camper. Hey I’m trying to be funny here, I may be a dog but I still have a sense of humour. Here is where we set up for the weekend.

There is a ferry crossing right by the campground too.

After we got set up and went for a walk around, we sat and relaxed. The weather was a bit chilly but not too bad.

It was time to head inside for bed. I was worn out by such and “active” day. Boy, this camper sure is comfortable.

The next morning we all got up and started our day. It was a bit foggy out in the morning but nice out.

We walked out to the end of the dock to look back at our camp spot.

Later on Cody tried out his new bike that he got for Christmas. There has been ice and snow on our road at home since then, so this was finally a time he could try it out.

We went on more walks. It’s funny how they say they are taking me for a walk. Don’t they know it’s really me taking them for a walk? Oh well, as long as it happens I am okay with it.

We then played some games. Battleship and Mexican Train Dominoes.

Dinner time. Yep, it looks like Joanne and Cody are doing a good job cooking up some dinner.

After dinner it was walk time. I sure do love going on all these walks. So many smells around here. I can smell deer, geese, ducks and so many other things. I just can’t help but sniff sniff sniff.

That evening we relaxed some more. You know, there seems to be a lot of that on these camping trips. That is perfectly fine with me. We watched the sun set on another day.

After a great nights sleep we got up and had some breakfast. Breakfast looked great!

YUM!!!

Well, I did not get any of that breakfast but they did give me something to eat that I like. I finished my breakfast and took in the sights. We would be leaving here soon to go home.

It was time to head home. Here are a couple of pictures of our return trip home.

I hope you have enjoyed my first trip out camping. It sure was a fun time. I can not wait until the next trip!

So once again, my name is Buddy and I hope to meet you out camping some time.

triple dam(n)

Why triple dam(n)? On todays trip we went by and viewed two dams. Why the triple? Because we did not take our camper, damn.
It was a beautiful winter morning with the sun out shinning and fairly warm with it being in the thirties outside. There was a geocache that we wanted to try to find. It just so happened to be right near a DNR campground that we wanted to check out too. So we took off for a road trip, with out the camper sadly. Our first stop was at the geocache. The location was at the Tum Tum Painted Rocks. We would have missed this place if it was not for the geocaching. There were no signs letting passerbyers know what was here, even with it right there next to the highway.

We walked around and tracked in on the cache in an area behind the paintings. There it is!

After signing the log book and placing the cache back into its hiding spot we drove just a short distance to the turn off for Long Lake Campground, a DNR operated campground. Even though the website said it was open all year, it was not. So we parked at the gate and walked in to check the place out.This campground is a very neat place. 11 sites with a host site. No hookups but we don’t mind that. They do have pit bathrooms. Here is a view from a view-point at the campground.

We will come back to camp at this location later for sure. We liked the place. From there we drove up the highway a bit further to go see Long Lake Dam. This is a neat dam rich in history. Down below the dam there is a wonderful day use park that we stopped at.

After walking around a bit at the day use park we set back out for the road trip making a circle back to our starting point but this time on the other side of the river. It is a pretty drive and good roads.

Back at the end of the loop drive we did is Nine Mile Falls Dam. We stopped and looked around.

Here is a sign that talks about the dams and the Spokane River.

Here is a google map link of our loop trip: http://goo.gl/maps/OtQ9T

It was a great short day trip to an area I have never been to. I have lived in this area for many years but I never ventured out this way. I am happy that we did. What I keep slapping my head for is why we did not take the camper? It would have been nice to have our mobile kitchen and bathroom and relaxation home with us.

NEXT TIME, WE WILL DO THIS LOOP AGAIN!

triple dam(n) february 23 2013

the biscuits, the river and the cache – february 16-17 2013

Saturday morning and it’s time to hop in the truck and drive the camper to the Sportsman Cafe in Spokane Washington for a small breakfast gathering. There would end up being ten of us getting together for this great meal.

The biscuits…

I really do enjoy the biscuits and gravy they have at this restaurant.

Our orders are taken and we talk about what else? Truck campers and everything about them of course.

Prizes were handed out to everyone while we waited for our food. Some prizes were donated by Johnson RV in Spokane Washington. A big thank you to them!  We chatted about things to come for camp outs and rallies, our set ups and how everyone has been doing. Another great breakfast gathering with friends.

Out in the parking lot we see two of our campers ready to go and one truck soon to be in the same position.

Joanne and I were taking the camper out locally for a night out camping, just the two of us after breakfast. We went to Riverside State Park. You may have read a blog from earlier talking about this wonderful treasure, “in our backyard”. It was nice and close and this time of year there would not be many people camping.

The river…

We pulled into the state park campground and found a spot we wanted. Not a hard chore as there was only two other campers and the camp host there.

We plugged into power and got a couple of things set out. Then Joanne and I went for a walk to do some geocaching. This would be the first time geocaching for us. After talking about it with friends and reading about it, it was something that we really wanted to start doing. There were two caches to find on this day. So we set out.

The cache…

We set our coordinates on the app I have on my phone for geocaching and headed in the direction it told us to go. Was it the right direction? We hoped so. Along the hike there was beautiful scenery along the way.

BRRR!!!! Theses guys are nuts!

We were getting close to the cache hiding spot. I peered over a cliff and could see below something that looked like a good hiding spot. We found our way around to it and what do we have here under a pile of rocks?

Oh yeah! We found it! This was our very first geocache find. We gave each other a high-five and open the box up, read the log book and exchanged a treasure. Then we placed it back and put the rocks back over it. It was time to go find another cache. Heck this caching thing is a blast. We go out on hikes anyway so why not do the geocaching along with it?

The trail took us past our campsite on the other side of the river.

We then did find our second cache. We again opened up the box and read the log book and exchanged some treasure.

It was getting later in the day so we hiked back to our camper. We enjoyed the evening with some dinner and beverages. We did not have any firewood with us but no fear, we have our little red campfire to use. That thing has come in handy many times.

We set off to bed. The next morning was a very pretty day. No clouds and the sun starting its climb up over the trees. There was another cache to find before we left to go back home. The views never grow tiring.

The trails in the direction we had to go were a bit more slippery. We took our time and everything was fine.

I felt I was being watched and I looked around a bit more. Hey look!

We continued on to find the cache. We arrived at the cache location and searched for a half an hour but no luck. Maybe it’s buried under a rock that is still frozen to the ground. We decided to give up, for now. We will come back later in the year when the ice is gone. Another relaxing hike back to the camper with wonderful views.

We got back to the camper and put things away to head home. It was a nice relaxing and fun night out camping. You don’t always have to go far to get away from it all. You just need to get out there and do it.