Boys' First Camping Trip

Here are the boys camping at Albenia Cove, ID. The temperature was in the 100's, not the usual weather we're used to here in the cool Northwest!

We swam, ate hot dogs, watched Scooby Doo movies on the DVD player during a storm and just plain did all the things that make camping fun!

Cole woke Cal up saying "grampa, grampa" out the tent window!

We'll never forget this weekend - it was a special time for all of us..




Brothers

In Search of a Ghost Town

Sights from Boulder City, Idaho

I found myself with 5 days off on the 4th of July holiday! Wow! The possibilities would be endless if only we had camping reservations.
I'd been wanting to find a remote Idaho ghost town way up in the Cabinet mountains. I had been hearing about it for about 3 years. There were two names mentioned, "Boulder City" and Ida Mont".

We got lucky to find 2 nights available due to a cancellation at a beautiful campground called Springy Point, once more run by the very together Corps of Engineers. It sits on the Pend Orielle River just at the outskirts of Sandpoint, now one of Idaho's hot spots. Home to a beautiful lake, Coldwater Creek and mountain streams, it is a vacation dream-come-true. Hiking,biking, fishing, horseback riding, water sports, or just relaxing, this is a great area.

After lots of inquiries, and the purchase of a Forest Service map, we found our way to Boulder City. Known as Ruby City when it jumped into existence in the late 1800's, it sits perched on the edge of a sheer gorge that drops into Boulder Creek.

While not an official Forest Service camp- ground, Boulder Creek is a remote site popular with campers who really want to get away from it all. It’s a 15- mile drive up the Katka Face Road east of Bonners Ferry. The camp area is small — with room for four parties only — but the rewards are many, including a stream rushing through a rocky canyon, a ghost town and hundreds of relics of long-ago mining.

Here the Idaho Gold and Ruby Mining Co. separated gold from gravel.

Tales of gold, huge rubies and garnets found in the creek here still abound. I'm sure these tales of instant wealth gave pioneers the will to perservere in such a remote and difficult area.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade beside Boulder Creek. I spoke with a man who was panning for gold. I was curious too about garnets. He said you can dig for them in the creek banks and they look just like loose stones when you find one. What a thrill that would be!

Rusty Old Ghost

Chewelah Road

Rainy June Weekend

Wild Tiger Lily - Smaller than domestic ones

Beautiful Old Tombstone with Rose
Chewelah Pioneer Cemetery


Stormy weekend with lots of mosquitoes, but we found some interesting things.
Camped at Albeni Cove, ID.
When the rain continued we drove a beautiful road over to Chewelah, WA.
Misty valleys, green, green mountains, well tended ranches and horses everywhere.




Red Indian Paintbrush

Rainy Riley Creek, ID

Giving Flannel a good name - Chase and Cole

First outing of 2006 with our newly repaired teardrop trailer. New roof, repairs done to galley door.

Campground full of campers with tents, big RV's, small trailers - everything - the couple next to us brought a whole litter of poodle puppies.

Kids were having fun despite the very cool temps, in the 40's and 50's. Biking, hiking, spending time with their families, what a great place to take kids. There was even an organized treasure hunt!

If you've never been to Riley Creek, you're in for a treat. Power, water, yet unspoiled somehow too. Nice bathrooms withs showers and a newly-added family and handicap bathroom, large with toilet, sink and shower. New sinks for washing dishes or just getting some (really) hot water.

We stayed warm with our heat pump although it was too cold and wet to actually eat outdoors. Then, Saturday night, it rained all night and in the AM, so we checked out and drove home. Had fun along the way giving tours of our trailer at gas stations. Of course you have to stop at MAC's in Priest River for Huckleberry Heaven ice cream. This ice cream has the real taste of wild huckleberries - a must have, even if it's not a nice day!

She's Back!

Our teardrop trailer is back, all repaired by the factory, who did everything we asked to repair the roof, in fact, we have a whole new roof! Thanks Thor-Dutchmen, a good American company who stands by their word.

Poor Little Tab Trailer!

We're blue!!
Our beloved Tab trailer was picked up and taken back to the factory in Goshen, IN for repairs to a leaking galley door.
Hopefully, we will have it back for our first camping trip of 2006 to Riley Creek.
Here's a picture of it loading up...

AMAZING PRIEST LAKE, IDAHO

Osprey Campground on the south shore of Priest Lake, ID. What beautiful weather and unmatched beauty!