Upper Priest Weekend

With the camper packed Linda, Baka and I set our sights for the Priest Lake area. We had heard form a park ranger that the campground at Reeder Bay was open so we thought we would high tail it up that direction and stake out a spot for the weekend. We took Highway 41 North to Newport and then hung a right and followed Highway 2 into Priest River. Priest Lake is a great spot but we seldom travel this way because of the Washington population that takes over the area in the summer. I guess we should be a little more forgiving of our neighbors, but it seems like we seldom see Idaho license plates when we drive up there.

When we arrived at the campground we were one of two campers in the area. By the end of the weekend our group grew to about four campsites, but they were spread through out the area and none of the groups bothered the others. Our site overlooked the lake and included a fire pit and picnic table.

Linda and I set up the camper and detached the Jeep. By the time everything was in place the sun had gone down. The week had taken its toll and we stayed awake just long enough to eat and settle in to the camper.

Next morning we loaded up and drove up to Beaver Creek Campground. The trail into the upper lake is one of our favorites. We hiked into Plowboy Camp and checked out Upper Priest.

On the way back we found some firewood. We used the new chainsaw to cut it up and that worked out great. I now have an idea how much wood is needed for a weekend fire pit.

The evening’s events focused around our meal. I made up a rice dinner and corn bread both were cooked in the dutch ovens. Everything turned out fantastic, which proved to be a big mistake because we ate until we were so full we couldn’t move.

After dinner we watched Jack Black in The School of Rock. Yes, I know we were camping, but it was dark and cold and well I had my laptop. What can I say. We stayed up until about 10 PM. If we didn’t watch the movie we probably would have went to bed by 8:30 PM. It was a funny movie but I would not highly recommend it to everyone.

We got up the next morning and I cooked breakfast. Linda started the campfire and we sat around while the sun burned the fog off the lake. We could not have asked for a better weekend.

Lake Wenatchee Weekend

Another weekend and another mini adventure. This time we are traveling to Lake Wenatchee State Park to visit Leavenworth and watch the NICOP crew run in the Challenge the Lake Adventure Race. We loaded up the dog and took off at about 4:00 PM on Friday. We had several printouts describing where we would be going, but I didn't toss in a driving map. As we neared Wenatchee, we started to be a little concerned because all the printouts said was turn off Highway 2 and go north. Where was Highway 2? After much debate Linda reread the info sheets and there it was a little phrase, but an important one. It said, "Coming from Wenachee going west". Oh, west of Wenachee we would find Highway 2! So we were looking too early! Yup, we found the Highway and then the turn and finally the campground. It pays to read everything.

We set up camp at campsite 74. It was a good one that had quite a bit of privacy. We had stopped in town at a Bavarian SUBWAY and bought sandwiches. Couldn't taste any difference from non-Bavarian SUBWAYs, but they hit the spot for our evening meal.

We went to bed at about 9:00PM read and fell asleep to the rain on the top of the camper. It is a nice sound and makes it real hard to keep your eyes open while you read. Next morning we got up and looked around the campgrounds. It's a real big place with quite a few things for people to do during the camping season. This weekend everything was closed, so we did a nice long hike. Later in the day we took a ride to the north campground and checked it out. The south campground is much nicer, but probably gets a lot more use. After the ride we came back and took a nap, cooked dinner and ate.

By that time it was getting dusk so we went for another walk. Just as we came to the main road at the campgrounds the Outdoor Pursuits Adventure Race Team showed up. They found a spot and we chatted for a bit. They got ready for bed but before they turned in they came over and brought some cake. It was Rachel's birthday so we were able to enjoy some of her cake and wish her happy birthday.

The next morning was the race. We met the team down at the beach and watched them prepare. They hadn't trained together at all and I don't think Paul or Jon had trained any personally. There was a good crowd so I think they were a little excited to get it all over with. They were in the race because they had won their division last year and were invaded back at not entry fee. It's a fun event and participating gives us some good ideas for our event in the spring.

The race began and I took pictures of the start, kayak leg and the transition to Mt. Bike. The total race would take about four hours and Linda and I didn't want to stay all that time so as soon as they left on the bikes we returned to our campsite and packed up. On the drive home we followed Highway 2 back through some smaller towns like Davenport. Wasn't eventful, we did see a coyote running along the road. Got a good look before he rambled into the sage.

The OP Team took first in their division and 3rd overall. Should have had second, but they had a little problem with the last challenge and one team passed them.

Cd'A River Camping

Headed up to the
14 mile camp for the weekend. The camp area was looking good, a little dusty but at least the trash had been picked up. We had our usual chili and Fritos for Friday night and then made a pasta meal on Saturday. Fished and hiked and on Saturday evening we spotted a little bear about a quarter mile up river on the far bank. It was trying to climb up a little tree to eat something but the limbs of the tree kept breaking and it finally moved off into the woods. We got up and put things away and headed into town. Monday we plan to go shopping.