Beaver Creek with the Andersons

 It is definitely a dry heat! That's what we were thinking as we returned from our four-night visit to Beaver Creek Campground up on Priest Lake. When we left the campground our truck thermometer read 88 degrees and when we arrived home the reading was 101. I will get back to our return after I recount the great week we had up on Priest Lake.

With our truck loaded with food, water, and our new bikes, we pointed the rig north following Hwy 41 through Rathdrum. At the Spirit Lake Cutoff Road, we took a right and cut across the Hoodoo Valley. When we arrived at the end of this road we turned left and followed the Pend Oreille River down to Priest River. From there it's a straight shot north following the road that ends at the Beaver Creek Campground.

Mangata on Priest Lake.

In this adventure, we joined Mike, Rayelle, and Julia Anderson for four nights of relaxing. The weather for these days started warm and moved quickly to hot. 

Our two sites were a little ways apart but gave us the option to visit either one based on shade and breezes. Our site had great shade and a slight breeze most of the time we sat out. The Andersons site gave us lots of space to play Corn Hole and other games as well as close proximity to lake access. They worked out perfectly.

The first night gave us a spectacular full moon that rose above the ridges of the Selkirk Crest Mountain range. We sat on logs at the beach and watched the mangata (shimmering of the moon on the water). Later as the air cooled off, we ate dinner and played games. We slept in the cool breeze off the lake. It was good to be out in our little home again.

The next morning we packed water, some snacks and hiked the 6-mile round trip trail from the campground up to Upper Priest Lake. The trail is very well cared for and hiking was easy. When we arrived at the lake we were the only hikers up there and were able to take in the beauty all by ourselves. I took some photos and then as soon as other hikers arrived we left the lake, returning back to our sites.

The rest of the day was spent in the shade sleeping, reading, and playing games.

Linda and I went for a long bike ride the next morning. It was nice to get out, but as we rode we knew that the day was going to get very hot. When we got back to our site we settled in and laid low enjoying the shade and light breeze off the lake.

Each evening we played Corn Hole and several table games. We really enjoyed this time with the Andersons.

By Sunday the weather reports stated that for the next week we would be in record-breaking heat. We loaded up and drove back home. As we drove, the outside temperature climbed. Linda turned on the truck's air conditioner and got nothing. Great! What a time to have no air conditioning.

How the Rack Works

 I made up this stop motion video to show the bike rack in action. Each photo shows a different action and lets you get an idea of how this rack will function on the back of the camper.  You will note that at one point the two bikes and the rack lean forward. This is to show how the rack allows you to access the trunk of your car or the pop-up on a station wagon. It can also be tilted to help with loading if needed.

We finally bought a cover and now the package is complete.

Enaville and the New Rack

One of our favorite bike rides is located on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alene's starting at Enaville along the Coeur d'Alene River. The starting point is 40 miles from our doorstep making it a quick easy getaway. Our goal for this trip was to give our new Kuat bicycle rack a test with our two e-Bikes. The rack worked great and the ride was wonderful. 

We packed a lunch and left the house by 9 am. When we arrived at the trailhead, there were only two other cars parked there. This trailhead is super popular and it is unusual for so few parking spots to be taken. 

Our ride took us a total of 24 miles. We passed several riders and walkers, but there were no real crowds. At the 12 mile mark, the Cedar Grover picnic benches, we turned around and headed back to the car. As we rode I spotted a brown spot that looked like it had ears. There about fifty yards off the trail was a young moose feeding on tree limbs along the river. We watched for several minutes and took some photos.

The ride back was fast and fun. Our biking strategy is to ride fast when no one is around, but we slow way down when others are present. On our return ride, there were no other people on the trail. 

I recorded the ride on an app called Relive. You can view it by following the link below.

Relive App. Map of Trip