POSTCARDS
Stephanie is one of those persons who is always mailing postcards back to family and friends. Somehow, by writing in very small scribble, and filling not only the intended message area, but with sideways writing, arrows, and otherwise using virtually every available area on the postcard, she can get an awful lot of information onto a very small space. She'll be reporting in here from time to time on our travels, experiences, impressions and general state of mind.
Postcard: Farewell to Moscow
June 28, 1996
Our last "Notes on the Fly" were out on the 'Net, the dog had been bailed out of jail (kennel), so we left Moscow in the late afternoon to avoid the next morning's rush. Tonight we knew where we would stop.
Colfax, WA is a small town some 45 miles northwest of Moscow. Five miles further west on Highway 26, you'll find the Whitman County fairgrounds. The camping area is level and grassy; and it will accommodate RVs of any size -- with lots of space in every direction. And it's right in the middle of the rolling hills of wheat which comprise that very special place known as the "Palouse". The fairgounds offer water and electric, and the restrooms remind me of home. Pictures and ornaments decorate the walls, and there are real mirrors -- not those polished pieces of tin which give a distorted image. This particular summer evening I watched three young riders practice pole bending in the rodeo grounds. Although we haven't visited at fair time, we have never seen this campground with more than a few RVs in it. A remarkably full size motorhome from Florida pulled out as we pulled in -- they'd just missed a good bet.
Tomorrow we are off for Kettle Falls to stay at a familiar NPS campground on the Columbia River. We plan to visit the nearby "self serve" cherry orchard where the owners insist that you sample the product as you pick it! Then we will drive over the North Cascades and catch the ferry back to our Islands. It's been a wonderful, if occasionally challenging, 3 weeks. But it will be good to be home. At least for a while...
Postcard: From Someplace Special
June 20, 1996
Tonight we are camped in the Idaho Wilderness, wedged between a wild river and a small lake. This is a beautiful spot, quite small if you count spaces available, but, as is often the case in the woods, there is a lot of space between each. Here there are scattered wild flowers; I recognize the syringa, but not the tall white plumes which dot the forest.
We came over the pass this morning and encountered a real "camas prairie". This large, multi-acre meadow almost appeared to be a lake, so thick were the bluish-purple camas blooms. Beautiful!
As we drove into the campground, we surprised a whitetail doe drinking from the small lake. She was not as spooky as whitetails often are; perhaps she doesn't see many humans. We found our spot and Tom started fishing - one of his great passions. (Yes, he does have other, non-computer related, interests)!
A short mid-afternoon hike down river, brought us to a nearby ranger station complex, one of the largest compounds I have ever seen. Beautiful grounds, with duplexes, apartments and single family homes for the seasonal 100 or so forest service employees.
Fishing here was excellent and the bottom line is that tonight we are having fresh trout for dinner. Ah! the wonders of the great outdoors.
This postcard should spell exactly where this campground is, but with fishing this good, Tom absolutely refused to let me do more than hint at our locale. I feel I have all but drawn a map to this spot. The only thing missing is its name.
Postcard: From Redfish Lake
June 16, 1996
It is still winter in the higher elevations of central Idaho. Snow swollen rivers make islands where none existed before, and create exciting rides for the whitewater enthusiasts. Mountain sunshine gives way to an occasional late afternoon violent thunderstorm; typical weather for this area.
The Stanley Basin is located some 60 miles north of Sun Valley at 6000 feet elevation. It is ringed by the Sawtooth Mountains on the west and the White Cloud Mountains on the east. In the Basin there are lakes of all sizes, from small "discover them yourself" fishing lakes to the largest - Redfish Lake.
Redfish is so named because salmon used to spawn here in great numbers; unfortunately now there are only a very few - last year only four wild salmon returned to the Lake. It is a beautiful spot. The lake is 4 miles long, 1/2 mile wide and, in places is 300 feet deep. It is only accessible part way around by auto; then you must don your hiking boots. But take it, the walk is a special one.
There is a Lodge here with several cabins, a family style restaurant serving delicious meals, a small store, riding stables, and boats for rent. The visitor center has panoramas of the area; the lake, the surrounding Sawtooth mountains and the rangers can give information on various hikes, both for the adventurous and the not-so.
We are back in one of our favorite spots - Glacier View Campground. Although these sites can be reserved, they are usually free on weekdays, and tonight we have the place practically to ourselves. The views of the Sawtooth glaciers are spectacular. Tomorrow a side trip to the Sun Valley area, and then we will wander on.
Postcard: From Norma's Garden
June 14, 1996
Many times on our travels, we begin the day with little idea of our ending destination. Not so today. The minute Tom suggested Riggins and the Riverfront Gardens Campground (see our writeup of "favorite places"), we were off even though this meant a 300 mile day. And as I sit here watching a pair of goldfinches along the riverbank, and waiting for the nightly procession of whitetail deer, I am glad for every mile.
We are camped at the doorstep to the Idaho Seven Devils Wilderness. Only a few yards from our door is the Salmon River. This is the beautifully cared for garden of Stan and Norma Moore, and we are literally parked in Norma's front yard. She has a lovely garden and a large one comprising at least 5 acres. She has rose gardens, and beds filled with daisies, bluebells, geraniums, poppies, and many, many other flowers I cannot name, displaying shades of scarlet, lavender and pink. The entrance to a gazebo which overlooks the river is surrounded by climbing pink roses. She also has an extensive kitchen garden.
The cherries are getting ripe and the plums are not far behind. Guests are invited to help themselves to these and the raspberries in season. I had time to stop by the kitchen for tastes of the various kinds of jams, mustards and vinegars that Norma has for sale. While she was away this evening, she had volunteer help in the kitchen, getting ready for tomorrow's session of strawberry-rhubarb jam making.
Tomorrow we are off to our cabin for a few days, thence to Montana in a circular route calculated to land us in Moscow next Sunday. The weather is perfect! Wish you were here.
Postcard: From the Cascade Loop
June 13, 1996
The morning weather forecast was typical of June on the coast, "morning clouds and afternoon sun". But the weather east of the Cascade mountains is generally better at this time of year -- so that is where we headed.
Highway 2 from Everett, to Wenatchee is part of the drive called the "Cascade Loop". This section winds through the Snohomish Valley, up over Stevens Pass, and down into Leavenworth and Wenatchee. We passed driveways of cabins and homes unseen; trails with names like Iron Goat and Rock Mountain invited exploration, and Forest Service roads, (one called Picklefarm!) seemed to head straight into the wilderness. While not as long, high or famous as the North Cascades Highway (Highway 20), which is the other side of the "loop", it is nontheless a beautiful drive. And it leads right to Lake Wenatchee State Park.
There are two State Park campgrounds here; the first is more family oriented as it is right on the Lake and has a dock as well as a swimming beach. The second is comprised of two loops, with pullthroughs and back in sites. Both are located in beautiful groves of Fir and Ponderosa, and are great places to camp. Tom always has a challenge here finding a peep hole to point his DSS dish through the forest canopy to bring in things like the basketball playoff games (do they ever end?).
This is where we are camping this evening. Tomorrow we are off to Idaho (unless we change our collective mind), to open our small cabin near Bear Valley. Away we go!
Postcard: On the Road Again!
June 12, 1996
T oday is departure day.
I have arranged for the flowers to be watered and the
M ail to be picked up. We are
E xcited to be on the road again! We are off
T o Idaho, where we will
O pen our cabin and attend the RVing seminar in Moscow. We are
G reatly anticipating this weeklong experience. We look forward to meeting
O ther RVers and learning many on and off road tips.