Camping July-August 2006

On Sunday, July 30th, we loaded up the ATV and motorhome, headed for Potlatch. Butch & Mary and Teresa & Jim, and Tony & I took off on the ATVs for a day long trip in the mountains. When we returned after having a picnic in the mountains, Butch & Mary and Tony and I left Potlatch headed for St. Maries. We stopped at the Peet home for the evening meal and visiting with Shirley & Gene Peet. The next morning we toured the Peet Manufacturing Plant http://www.peetshoedryer.com/. Quite an experience to see the huge plant.

We then headed for northern Idaho for camping and riding the ATVs. We arrived at the campsite (Hawkseye Camp, near Prichard, 30 miles north of Interstate 90) at 3:00 pm and immediately headed out on the ATVs. While riding we spotted a wild fire before any one was there to fight the fire.







Within minutes there was a helicopter. We watched the fire for about an hour - in that time there were three planes spreading red retardant; three helicopters dropping buckets of water they got from the lake on the other side of the mountain; two forest service pickups and about a dozen fire fighters. We road up as close as we could but couldn't get through that route so went back down the mountain on another trail (with 14 switchbacks).






On Tuesday, August 1, we took off towards the fire but the rode was again blocked so we went in yet another direction for another 70 mile ride (ended up in Montana). Tony & I saw a bear lumber up the trail in front of us (no time to get the camera out). We rode by a landing strip (Magee Airport)(http://www.skychickadventures.com/travel-images.asp?id=84), stopped for a picnic lunch, and saw a small plane land just beside where we were. A man and his young son walked over to where we were (they had just flown in from Coeur d'Alene).





We saw some unusual flowers - they smelled like lilacs but didn't look like them. Flowers were white. We only saw them a few times in all the days we were riding around. Think they must only grow at an elevation of 4500.











On Wednesday, August 2, we went in yet another direction for a 70 mile ride. We saw two eagles soaring around where we had stopped for a break. We went up to an old tower.












On the way down, a moose stood right in the trail and would not move for about five minutes.














On the way back we stopped at a kid's camp. They were climbing very high up a tree, and then (with all the safety gear necessary) they would jump (they were attached to a pulley which ran along a wire strung between two trees about a quarter of a mile apart). Sure looked like fun to me.
















A deer came into the camp in the evening to one particular spot. Whenever we got too close he ran into the trees, and in about five minutes he would be back at the same spot. This went on for about an hour.

On Thursday, August 3, we set out for Murray and to try to go near where the fire had been (another 70 mile ride). Murray had a museum (http://silver-valley.com/sprag_pole/) - we are sure glad we went through it. The museum featured a restored 1904 carnival organ, antique mining and logging tools, whiskey jugs and hand cranking movie machines. There is a complete collection of rock and ore samples and much much more.

The picture shows the chain that the original owner made out of a piece of wood 2 inches by 8 inches by 14 feet. The chain is the world's longest wooden (white pine) chain - 121 feet long. One link is carved directly into another. Each link took approximately 45 minutes to an hour to whittle. Also wandered up to the Murray cemetery where Maggie Hall (nickname - Molly B'Damn) was buried. Molly was one of Murray's Gold Street Madams. But her kind and generous contributions to the community overshadowed her business life.



We did get through to the fire on this trip - the firemen had left hoses everywhere (assume they did that in case the fire started up again). Mary picked a lot of huckleberries on this ride.












At the campsite we had more company when we returned (Doc-standing with hat-had arrived a couple of days earlier) - Bob & Carol. We all sat around the campfire until nearly 11. It was great fun getting to know these people. Bob (standing to Sharon's right) & Carol (sitting on log) are full time RVers. We learned a lot from them. We hope we run into them again sometime in Moscow or on our travels.

The next morning (Friday) we packed up and came home.