Day 14

Long Lake Campground

OK, I'm sad to say that we may not reach our goal of 20 nights in the RTT. School begins in another week, and who knows how busy things will be once the new year begins. We're not giving up though. We've got until the snow falls, as far as I'm concerned. It was a pretty easy decision, however, to get out one more time before summer break is officially over, so we headed out for a night at Long Lake. This is the lake we visited back on July 1st, thinking we would want to go back. I'm so glad we did. With the addition of a couple new toys (we bought Stand-Up Paddle Boards a couple weeks ago with our National Boards money...special treat for hard-work), we knew that a little lake with exploring spots would be perfect, and this time of year, the campgrounds are pretty empty and quiet. Here's the photo I took at Long Lake (near Republic, by the way, as there are many Long Lakes in Washington) back on July 1.

Long Lake (at the very end) and 3 other small lakes that connect, one more behind me, so 5 small lakes in a row

It had been a couple weeks since our last RTT adventure. I sure was excited to see it up and ready for another slumber with the breezy windows open, shimmery lake view, and the stars overhead. Things are cooling off around here in the evenings, but it still feels fabulous! Here's our set-up for the night.

One of the main goals of this adventure was to get out on the water with our new Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUPs). I know, I know...another acronym. So we are traveling these days in the FJ, carrying our SUPs, and later we'll sleep in our RTT. 😊 One of the key elements that was missing from our little one-nighter excursions was a way to get out on the water. Jeff considered a float tube after the fly-fishing trip to Chopaka, and we always had our floaties, but we knew there must be a better solution.

That is when my good friend, Kiki, took me out on her SUPs. I love that it is a little physically challenging, you can stand, sit, kneel, lie down, jump in when you want to, get back on easily, carry all your stuff, and explore the shallows...all in one, perfectly designed watercraft. Jeff says, "It's the closest thing to walking on water." I agree. The one thing that was holding us back was the transport. So....we bought inflatable boards. Yep, that's right. These boards inflate to 15 PSI (think car tire rigidness), and they come in their own back-pack style bag with an paddle, keel, strap for carrying, and a pump. Don't get me wrong though...it is crazy, hard to pump them up. Jeff would say, "It's just an arm workout," but let's get real. I have small, weak arms. I can feel my muscles growing already.

Fish Lake...how many Fish Lakes are there in Washington? A lot! This one had loons!

We knew we wanted to do some more SUPing around, so there was no way we were deflating and inflating them again just to go a short distance. Instead, we carried the boards baja-style from one lake to another. It worked!

Can I just say how LUCKY...knocking on wood right now...we are to have a fire-free, smokeless summer this year. Also...campgrounds still allow burning. Aaaahhh!

So...I'm going to hit the "Lessons Learned" portion of the blog post now. Let's talk food! It has definitely been a change from the usual full family cookout to just Jeff and I needing a quick and delicious meal for two while camping. First of all, we have the awesome Coleman Camp Stove again, which is a huge plus. But, now we have discovered something else that works in perfect harmony with our needs and our equipment....meet the frozen meal. Yep! We've been eating this for breakfast the past 3 trips out.

One bag is perfect for the two of us with a couple added eggs. Add a croissant and you have plenty for 3 or 4 people. Add a little hot sauce and yummm!!! Here's breakfast, sizzling on the stove while Jeff packs up the tent on this morning.

This time, we tried something similar for dinner. It was perfect. I'm excited to try the other combinations. A little deli broccoli salad and we've got a delicious super. The added bonus to packing meals like this is that they start out frozen, help keep the other food in our soft-pack cooler cold, and then thaw out just in time for cooking.

Next Day

This wouldn't be a complete journal entry unless I mentioned the interesting elderly couple we had the pleasure of meeting at Lost Lake. We actually drove past them on our July 1 visit; he pushing a wheeled cart towards the lake, and her, walking slowly and persistently behind him. At the time we thought, "How sweet, they are going to walk down to the lake to spend the day," thinking that the cart might contain a picnic lunch or fishing supplies. We also noticed that these two flotation contraptions were cable-locked to the waterside sign. Here's the photo I took back in July.

Fast forward to this morning. They showed up around 7 a.m., her verbally helping him park the RV in their home away from home; the spot at the end and closest to the water. They woke us up, actually. At first I was annoyed by the overly loud and ignorant behavior as they continued to park that vehicle just perfectly, with the tires all level, dogs barking the entire time, which took way too long. 

Then, I watched the day unfold for these two perfectly matched love-birds. He helped her get all set up for the day, made sure she had her "rain jacket," despite the warming weather, and continued to get the cart all packed up. We watched them walk to the lake then, her behind him as he propelled the cart, and realized they were the same couple we saw in July. They must go there all the time. And guess what? Those pontoon boats tied to the sign...they were theirs! We caught up with them later in the morning when we went out on the water for a float. The two were each floating in their own territory on the lake...fly-fishing, even...which we now know, is no easy task. These two are high-tech too. They had continuously beeping fish finders in search of the day's catch, and walkie-talkies to share their data with each other. It was both totally annoying, and the cutest thing I've ever seen, all in one. Someone has got to recognize these two. I want to know their story. I wonder for how long and how often they do this routine.

Homeward Bound

We had the SUPs and were ready to explore, so we went back to Swan Lake, a campground that we had checked out in July. I'm so glad we went back here, as our first impression the last time was not that great. It was crowded, busy, full of boats, and campsites full. This time, was a totally different experience. There must have maybe been 3 or 4 campsites occupied and the lake was completely empty - Just us...and three loons. That mama loon was pretty tolerant of my taking pictures too. There's also a nice group site here that we'd like to look into in the future.

Yes, I SEEK a JOURNEY!

Jeff has mastered his "J" stroke

And, of course a one-nighter camping experience would not be complete without a satisfying and delicious meal on the way home. We split a bacon-avocado burger at Steve O's in Republic. It was the first time there, and it was awesome! Look at this burger! And the cute little heart-shaped food pick was an added touch to another successful and memorable camping adventure.

Day 13

Curlew State Park

Just got back from another one-nighter, however, this one was special because Max came with us. He's been so busy working at Dairy Queen, house-sitting for people, and doing yard work jobs, it feels like we've hardly seen him this summer (and he goes back to school in a couple weeks). Although we had planned to take him up to Hart's Pass for some mountain time, we had to change plans, last minute, once we saw the weather report. We still want to go, but I'll take a sunny day with warmish temperatures over rain and cold. Instead, we decided to pull along the boat and headed in the other direction to Curlew Lake in Ferry County. We had been once, years ago, so it was time to check out this lake again.

It is a good thing that Jeff checked the online reservations for the campsites the day before because we ended up reserving one of the very last sites (out of 80) available at Curlew State Park. That place was hoppin' and packed. We ended up at the quiet end of the campground, with only a handful of neighbors. Again, it was so nice to have the RTT. The site we had was super tiny with a decent place to park (all we needed), and it was right next to a mooring dock so that we could keep an eye on the boat.

The wind was blowing pretty good when we arrived and set up camp, so we stayed pretty close to camp that evening. We played games and made a fire to roast hot dogs. We did take Stella (the boat) out for a loop around the lake. Max is working hard on completing his boat safety course this summer, so he got a little practice behind the wheel.

Look Zoe...I got my Coleman! I lucked out because Dad forgot to pack the stove and we didn't realize it until we were out of town, so we stopped to get a new one. I'm a happy camper now!

Houston Kraft's face on Lay's BBQ chips (He is the founder of a new program we are using at school this year called Character Strong, which is all about spreading kindness and building social skills. Super excited to integrate the program into my teaching this year. And... I was pretty tickled to see this bag of chips at the store!)

getting driving tips from Dad

As always, sleeping in the RTT was comfy and entertaining. All three of us fit, no problem. The boys fell asleep pretty quickly (as did our snoring neighbors). I must be the light sleeper in the family, because every little nature sound wakes me instantly. I love laying in the tent with the window open and knowing that all those little noises are out there, but can't reach me. 😁 I heard an owl, some rustling grass critters (we smelled a skunk a couple times), and an unusually loud frog (just one).

Then, this morning, right as the sky began to lighten, I heard hoofing sounds all around us. I spent about 30 minutes just watching the deer walk through the campsites and nibbling on grass until our neighbors got up to see what all the commotion was and scared them off. It was humorous laying up there with my eyes adjusted to the darkness, watching the deer so carefully, when the neighbor got up to see what the noise was. He was using his cell phone flashlight to look around the front of his tent, and the deer were scampering past (behind his tent) about 5 feet away from him. I felt like a secret, nature spy. Love it!

I also had to share this photo of Max getting ready for bed in the RTT for the first time.

Next Day

After the deer waking, I nudged Jeff and told him he better get out on the lake and fish. We always seem to find ourselves out on the water in the heat of the day, when the fish are not interested in eating anything. Success! He caught a few fish, and was even able to catch a couple using his downrigger (a first). Best part...he let them all go afterwards. Thanks sweetie!

The boys went out again to catch a couple more while I made a little Coleman Stove breakfast. Max also caught one of the many painted turtles hanging around the dock. The turtle was not thrilled to be held, so we snapped a couple pictures and set him free to go complain to his friends.Then, we packed up all our gear and headed out in the boat for one last time. Max got to drive, and now that the wind had calmed down, we were able to venture under the bridge at the north end of the lake.

See the wind sock? That's right...this dock is also an airport! In fact, we were told we couldn't park our boat on the outside of the dock because it is reserved for float planes only. The ranger told us that there have been 3 boats land here in 5 years.

Bodie

The boys let me choose the driving path home, so I directed them up through the cute, little town of Curlew (population: 768), and then the two mining ghost towns of Toroda and Bodie. We had been to Bodie once before with our friends Kendra, Mike, and Advaya, so I wanted to stop again for some pictures. Such a cool spot, with so much history, I'm sure. We actually met a family there who were traveling around the state of Washington on a Ghost Town Tour they found online. I'm going to have to check that out.

Quick Recap of Day 13

Curlew State Park: Nice lake (way more populated than we thought with dozens of houses, resorts, rentals, etc.), clean campground (nice restrooms, water, tables, etc.), but super cramped and crowded. This would be a fun place to come with a group of people. You'd want to reserve several sites in a row so that you could build your compound.

Lessons Learned: Hmmmm....I think we are getting pretty good at this. Let's see... I guess we knew it all along, but fishing is better in the early morning, the Coleman Camp Stove is the best, and it sure is nice to spend time with our son. He is a fantastic kid, and I'm going to miss him so badly when he goes back to college very soon. More memories were made on this trip!