Finne's Follies: Long Stay, Short Visits

Sun through the smoke at Willow Bay
(Fire season!)

It seems we never have quite enough time for visiting when we come to Spokane. Part of that is the fact that our Spokane kids are "working stiffs." Part of it is that we can't seem to find good RV campgrounds close enough for regular visits. We hope to rectify that next year by doing some work-camping. Mark has submitted an application to work-camp at Ponderosa Falls, and if they hire him, it will be a three month instead of a one month stay.

But, we did get in a few nice visits with the kids. We hung out with Josh, Nicole, and Adam at their apartment a couple times. Adam gave me some good cuddle time, and Nicole cooked us a nice dinner on one of our visits. Josh came out to our campground a couple times to help Mark with some RV repairs. On one of those visits, it rained all day, and we ended up just cooking him breakfast and visiting inside a while.

Unfortunately I didn't capture too much of our time there in photographs.

Adam is a "man's boy." He took to Mark right away.

Me getting acquainted with Adam.

Josh...glowing in fatherhood

Liz and her family came out to Ponderosa Falls for a cookout during our last week, but most of my visits with her and the granddaughters were at Liz's apartment. It was fun catching up on news with the girls. They are growing so fast! Savannah is 17 and Leah is 14. They're going through that self-discovery phase of life where they're trying to figure out who they are, what they think and believe, and what they will do in adulthood-- a daunting and sometimes overwhelming period in life for sure. We had some good discussions, but I would have loved to have had more time for those nitty-gritty talks that build relationship. Maybe next year.

Leah, showing off her beautiful smile

We managed to survive our two one-week stays at Willow Bay without sewer, during which we practiced water conservation skills that will assist us in our upcoming one-to-two week dry-camp rallies with our fellow Alfa owners. The first is in January--Quartzsite, Arizona. I doubt we will ever return to Willow Bay, however-- not because they have no sewer, but because they have no rules. There were no real defined camping sites, and people were setting up tents or chairs around us in such close proximity we felt like intruders. Added to that was the noisy partying that extended into the wee hours of the morning almost every night. (Oh, to be young.)

Busy weekend at Willow Bay

Camper crowding

There are certain considerations for one's neighbors that are necessary to maintain civilized society-- a very important one is "common" courtesy. Suffice it to say, I don't think we can call it "common" anymore.

But enough of that. We hit the road again last Monday and are on our way south--ultimately to California. On the way, we will be seeing the sights of southern Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Among them we're planning to visit Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon (north and south rims). I'm excited. I've never been to either place.

View from our campsite at Fort Running Bear (Idaho)

This week we are in a campground about thirty miles north of Mountain Home, Idaho. It's very remote, but we are fortunate enough to have both phone and internet service-- something we really didn't expect. The name of the campground is Fort Running Bear RV Resort. The temperatures are in the 80s and 90s during the day, and high 50s/low 60s during the night. We're at about 5,000 feet altitude and the air is dry. As a matter of fact, the whole place is dry, including the nearby reservoir, which is very low. It's a pretty park--small but homey and comfortable. It even has a pool! But we haven't been in it yet because it isn't heated and the waters are a bit chilly. The park has a few full 50-amp hookup sites, one of which we managed to get.

In the next post I'll tell you how I put a hole in the roof... yes, me!

For now, God Bless! Stay safe-- and happy camping to all!

Psalm 148
😍

More pictures...