Reminiscing with Friends

After our hot visit up the Coeur d’Alene River, Linda and I were going through our usual routine of cleaning up the camper when a text popped up out of the blue from our friends Dave and Connie McKenzie. Connie wanted to know if we’d be around the upcoming Sunday and Monday — and if we’d like to join them for an overnight stay in a cabin along the St. Joe. They were heading up with some friends we hadn’t seen in years: Jim Clift and Clair Jessie. Also joining the group were Tami Haft and Bob Grigg.

This is where the family tree starts sprouting branches. Clair worked with Connie, Tami, and me at NIC. Linda and I also know Clair and Jim through river running, and we’ve been on many trips together over the years. I know Bob from my Hashing days with IEH3. Dave was a student at NIC and worked for me in Rec Sports. Crazy, right? And the tree keeps growing. Clair and Jim were renting the cabin from Mike Ferman (not in attendance), a rafting friend of theirs. Linda and I have been on many trips with Mike too — we even attended his wedding and know the whole Furman clan.

So that’s how this whole group, connected by work, rivers, rafting, hashing, and a few decades of shared stories, came together for a visit to catch up on everyone’s lives.

We drove up the St. Joe River to Calder, then took the first right upriver and wound our way along dusty roads until we came upon a big red truck parked off to the side. That was our landmark. We took a right at the truck and entered the Furman Ranch. A short drive down a hill brought us to a beautiful cabin set off and above the river — tucked just far enough away to feel private, but close enough to hear the steady rush of the St. Joe below.

Jim prepared the ribs while Connie and Clair gathered the bounty of goodies everyone had contributed. Before long the counters were covered with snacks, dips, cheeses, and all the little treats that seem to magically appear whenever this group gets together. We talked and laughed as we nibbled on hors d’oeuvres, washing everything down with a myriad of beverages. It was one of those easy, comfortable times where conversation rolls from one story to the next without anyone noticing the hours passing.

Dinner was fantastic — everyone dug into the ribs and all the sides — and after we finished eating, we drifted out onto the porch. From there we watched the sun slide down behind the hills and listened to the river below. The evening settled in around us as we shared adventures, old memories, and the kind of stories that only come out when friends haven’t seen each other in far too long.

The next morning we woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of the river. Jim fired up breakfast, and before long we were all gathered around a spread of pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit, and more coffee than any of us probably needed. The stories picked up right where they left off the night before — river trips, NIC memories, hashing adventures, and all the little twists life has taken since we last saw each other.

Eventually, though, it was time to clean up and head out. Dishes were washed, bags were packed, and we said our goodbyes, promising not to let so many years pass before the next visit.

As we drove back down the dusty road toward Calder, Linda and I agreed that the overnight had been exactly what we didn’t know we needed — a reminder of how friendships, even when stretched across time and distance, can snap right back into place the moment you sit down together. The St. Joe has always been a river full of memories for us, and now it holds one more

A Few Days at Huckleberry Campground

A couple months ago, Linda reached out to our friends Bill and Terri Burch, along with Ben and Sherma Higgs, and we all jumped onto the reservation website for Huckleberry Campground up the St. Joe River. Luck was on our side — we managed to snag campsites close to each other, and we wasted no time reserving them before anyone else could beat us to it.

The drive down was perfectly normal until we hit the stretch from the top of 4th of July Pass down to the Rose Lake turnoff. Road construction had funneled four lanes of traffic into two, and to make things interesting, they used those big cement dividers to separate the lanes. Nothing like a narrow concrete chute to keep you alert. I white‑knuckled the truck through the curves and traffic. Not the most relaxing drive, but we made it.

Huckleberry Campground wasn’t full, and we had a great site just across the driveway from the Burches. Ben and Sherma were a little farther away in their spot. I was able to go fishing twice during our stay. The first day the water was high but clear, and I fished a Green Drake fly with a #10 black stonefly dropper. I got lucky and hooked two really nice cutthroats and one kamikaze cut that was about six inches long. We arrived and ended the trip with a fish count of three real nice cutthroats and two little shakers.

Linda spent her time walking, reading, and catching up with our friends. After a couple days of rain, the weather finally turned around, and we all entertained ourselves with card games and tossing the cornhole bags. Simple fun, good company, and a quiet campground — hard to beat.

As the weekend wound down, I found myself appreciating the simple rhythm of it all — good friends, a quiet river, a few fish, and the kind of easy days that remind you why the St. Joe keeps pulling us back. Nothing fancy, nothing rushed, just time well spent in a place that always feels a little like home.

DB/AI

Back In The Camper

A sure sign that you will have a good time when you hit the road to go camping is how much food you have packed into the refrigerator and cupboards. We were busting the seams at the start of this adventure, and all was well. Our four-night adventure connected us with the Andersons once again. This time we were heading up the St. Joe River to one of our favorite Forest Service Campgrounds, Huckleberry.

The drive up to this area took us East on US-90 over 4th of July Pass and then south through the chain lakes area winding along to just outside of St. Maries. We then turned and started following the St. Joe River up to our campsite. 

We set up our camper and enjoyed the sun while waiting for Rayelle, Mike, Julia, and her boyfriend, Joel, to arrive. 

We chatted and had snacks once Mike and Rayelle arrived (Julia and Joel were coming on Friday). I noticed robins scouring the grounds around camp picking up worms and bugs. They would run under our truck and disappear so I followed them and discovered a nest. In the nest were four hungry baby robins. We watched the parents gather insects the entire time we were camped. Those adult birds were busy all day making trip after trip to feed the growing babies. They never stopped collecting. It was amazing to watch.

Linda and I played shuttle driver on Friday and Saturday for the thrill seekers who floated several miles of the river on innertubes.

On the trail from Anderson's campsite to the river, Mike spotted a Yellow Jacket nest hanging above the trail. The nest was in the perfect spot attached to a branch just above your head as you descended to the beach level. It was not noticeable because to get to the beach you had to walk down a small step or two. Your attention was on the ground because of the incline and thus we didn't see the danger the first several times we walked the trail.

As usual, we had a really fun time. We talked and laughed a lot. We played cards and made s'mores over a campfire. We read, cooled off in the river, ate yummy food, and enjoyed some happy hours (it's always 5 o'clock somewhere). Thanks, Andersons, for another fun adventure.

A Good Getaway

 Back in May of this year, Linda jumped online and found that there were very few open camp spots available up the St. Joe in the Huckleberry campground. She looked at our calendar and noted that we would be returning from river trips, but there was a mid-week where we could squeeze a camp out into the timeline.

Between May and the present, many things have changed, forest fires are everywhere and the super hot weather makes going camping a true “Roll of the Dice.” Our river trips did not work out and we were unable to get on the water. Camping looked to be our only possibility to get away from our duties around home.

On Monday, with everything loaded, we left home for the mid-week getaway. Linda needed to be able to return to Cd’A quickly, if something happened with her parents, so she drove the Kia while I followed in the camper. 

Darren and Marcy Upchurch were also camping up at Huckleberry this week so we rendezvous with them when we arrived. 

Tuesday morning I got up and took a bike ride up Spring Creek road which splits off the St. Joe River Road just upriver from the campground. The road is very well maintained and has a good riding surface. The major problem is that it gains elevation very quickly. Elevation gain is no longer a problem for me on my Trek. I put it in “sport” mode and spin my way up to the ridge tops. It is tiring, but it does not wind me like riding without the assist would do. 

View from the ridge above the campground.

Spring Creek Road connects to many other logging roads and at the top of one prominent ridge, it connects with Huckleberry Mountain Road. I took this side road and followed it as it descended back down to our campsite.  The total mileage on this ride was about ten miles, and that was about my limit for that up and downhill adventure.

The next day we drove to the Lines Creek Historical Trail and hiked the loop. We have hiked this trail before, but we were able to get off track and ended up hiking much longer than needed. It was a fun hike on a very nice day.

Back in camp, I took another bike ride. I rode upriver to the green bridge and crossed over. Then I road back downriver to just across from our camp spot. The ride was about six miles.

Looking downriver from Spring Creek road.

Beaver cuts.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Mother nature has not been very good to the Pacific Northwest. When we camped at Riley Creek the temperatures were in the high 90's. Two weeks later the temps up the St. Joe River averaged in the low 100's. Then add smoke from forest fires into the mix and you see why old Mom nature has made these last weeks tough to endure.

Smoke moved in and out during our stay.

On Tuesday the 27th we drove up the St. Joe River for five days of camping with Rayelle, Mike, and Julia Anderson. Reports of forest fire activities were on every media outlet. We had planned this campout since February and our hopes were that the wind would be consistent and blow the smoke east into Montana. 

When we arrived at our campsite the wind was favorable and smoke was not an issue. We got set up and the Andersons had arrived.  Julia brought her friend Lucy and they set up a tent in the shade near the Anderson travel trailer.

Our week together was fun. We took drives and went swimming. The smoke came and went, but the heat was relentless. When we were in camp we chased the shade, moving as the sun moved. Mike and I took a short drive upriver to check out the site where we wanted to enter the river on our float day. Everything looked good.

On Thursday Mike's teaching friend Phil Zimmerman arrived in their RV with his wife Julie and their two boys Noah and Roman. They planned to float the river with us, stay the night and then leave on Friday morning.

Our float on the river started just above Marble Creek and ran down to Huckleberry. Mike had transported our fishing cat, a river kayak, and numerous floating devices up to the river dropping Linda, Julia, Lucy, and myself off to prep the equipment. On the second trip, the truck was filled with the rest of our floaters. 

Our flotilla formed up and we were off downriver. Even though the temperatures were in the 100's the river kept us cool. Our float took us about three hours. Swimming, floating, jumping off rocks, and talking made the trip go fast. It was a fun day and a great way to avoid the heat.

Back at camp, we let Mike and Rayelle chat with their friends. Linda and I ate and went swimming to cool off before bed. That is such a great way to get ready for bed.

When everyone woke up and cleared the sleep from our heads, we loaded into the truck and drove up to Avery. Most of the gang had ice cream at the Idaho Flyfishing Company and then we drove upriver to the swinging bridge just beyond Turner Flats campground. At the pack bridge, we went swimming, keeping cool. The kids, along with  Mike and Phil all climbed the rocks and did some jumping. Once again the river saved us from the heat.

Back at Huckleberry the Zimmermans loaded up and had to return home. It was nice to meet them. We ate dinner and played cards until bedtime. 

"Ya think we have enough boats with us?"

Our final adventure took us back up to Avery where we had a very nice lunch at TFP Takeout. Everyone really enjoyed their lunch of fire-baked pizza. We ate as we watched the Olympics.

Once we returned to camp we made the decision that we would cut the trip short and leave that day. The early exit was brought about because the smoke had moved back down to camp. It made no sense to stay in 100-degree heat and thick smoke. We quickly packed up and drove home. 

Another Huckleberry adventure in the books. We really enjoyed camping with the Andersons. Their laid-back approach to being out and exploring fits with us perfectly. Looking forward to camping in the future, if the heat and smoke ever goes away!

We drove up to the swinging bridge to swim.