Camping, Not Kamping

July 9, 2009
Well, we have moved to a campground a few miles east of Coeur d’Alene called Wolf Lodge RV Campground. It seems like it will be a nice spot. We have trees around us and I am sitting in the shade as I type! This will be good as it is supposed to be 90ish on Saturday. I will be grateful for the shade then.

Right now I am actually slightly chilly--something I am not at all used to in July!! We got here and got out of the truck to decide where to put the tent when this guy rode up on his golf cart to greet us and ask us whether we needed anything. He said he wanted to make sure we had the tent site we wanted and that if there was anything at all we needed to let them know at the office. What a totally different experience than the last place! We are in a spot that is in a little bowl shaped area and we set up the tent next to the creek. I think we won’t be able to hear the water go by because the freeway is right there, but maybe there won’t be so much traffic at night. In any case, there is no train! And the view we have is beautiful. We have some tall grass and small trees that block our view of the freeway and across the street there is a big forested hill. It all seems so green! There’s something else I’m not really used to seeing in July--green.
We both decided we didn’t feel like going out again yesterday, so we will go to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday. It’s not downtown, but I think it was the original one in the area. It was nice to just get some work done, have some supper and relax. We are rested and recharged now and figure the couple of nights in the motel did us all some good. I will say, though, that I was finding it to be a little bit stuffy indoors and was kind of looking forward to getting back outside.
We’ve been noticing how much people seem to care about this community. It’s pretty evident in how they have clearly poured resources into downtown. And in yesterday’s paper there was a little blurb about how they are soliciting ideas for projects that will benefit low income people and neighborhoods. I guess they’re giving grants to individuals or groups who can present a good plan. It seems like a community that really works well, though I say that from my perspective as an outsider. It may be different if you live here. And in today’s paper there was an article about this guy who is running for mayor and has declared that the current constitution of the United States does not apply to him. He is a believer in the 1787 and 1791 versions. I do not know whether this means he would take away women’s right to vote or reinstate slavery--the article really didn‘t say. So there’s an element of the absurd here as well. I guess it’s not too alarming that someone like this would run for mayor--people have strange ideas everywhere. What would be alarming is if the guy actually won the election. My guess is that he won’t. There just seems like too much good stuff is happening here for a majority of the citizens of this town to vote for someone like that. But what do I know? I’m just passing through!

It's a Whole Other World!

July 8, 2009
I am awake!!! YIPPEE!! We caved in to exhaustion and got ourselves a motel room for a couple of nights. The other afternoon in the library I was looking up different places to stay in Coeur d’Alene. I had the vague thought that it would be awfully nice to be able to sleep in a quiet and comfortable place and to just be able to regroup a little bit after several almost sleepless nights and time spent chasing shade. I was rather shocked at how expensive motel rooms have gotten to be. But I found one that was only a couple of dollars more than the cheapest room I could come up with and it offered far more--free wifi, free breakfast, a microwave, a fridge, and a coffeemaker. Most of all, it has given us a chance to rest and catch up. Bill spent several hours last night processing photos. I got caught up on all of my notes, and we all slept through the night. There were thunderstorms and rain showers in the forecast for last night and tonight. It was so quiet in here that I have no idea whether they actually happened. But I do know that I am full of gratitude for a good night of uninterrupted sleep. I rather frightened myself yesterday when I saw the bags and circles under my eyes! This morning we went out to a campground that I had found in my search Monday. It’s quite a bit cheaper than the KOA in Spokane was and it seems to offer the same amenities and to be much nicer. The woman in the office heard our story and said that we were welcome to look around and even choose our campsite if we would like! She gave us a map and told us which ones were available. We picked a nice spot that is between a creek and a tree (a tree--hurray!) and is located in this little bowl-shaped area a little bit farther back than the other sites. Since it’s supposed to get hot again this weekend, I am sure I will appreciate that beautiful tree! We are going there tomorrow and will stay until next Tuesday morning.
I must say that I have had the thought cross my mind that maybe I’ll just stop right here and settle in Coeur d’Alene! I have never been here before, but it is a beautiful place. I am amazed at the huge difference between Spokane and here. Part of it is simply that I found the landscape in Spokane to be rather yucky. I felt the city exuded an air of decay. It was not pleasant at all. It was not a place that I would want to spend any time in, but the kind of place that had me looking around and wondering how quickly I could leave. Not good. This is completely different. Since we had to leave the kampground by 11 yesterday morning , we couldn’t check in at the motel until 3, and it took us ½ an hour to get here, we had time to spend.

We found ourselves downtown at this incredible park in the heart of the city on the edge of the lake. There’s even a little beach! There are many different areas for kids to play in--the beach, a big playground with castle-like structures, basketball court, and lots of room to run around. I was impressed. We parked and started walking around.

We sat by the beach and watched the float planes take off and the people playing. We went further into the park--trees everywhere--big, big trees--and ate our lunches. Then we walked around for a couple of hours.


We walked on the world’s largest floating boardwalk in search of the next in the series of Mudgy and Millie statues. There are 5 of them, based on a story in a children’s book. Mudgy is a moose and Millie is a mouse.


We found the library. I went into the Visitor’s Center and asked a couple of questions about the effects of the economy on tourism. The ladies in there were incredibly friendly and helpful. They went out of their way to help me and gave me some really useful information. The area around our motel seems like the usual chain store strip kind of thing, but downtown really seems vibrant and alive. It is clear that they have invested significant resources into the area and it shows. We went back this morning to walk around and felt the same vibe. Bill and I both agreed that this seemed like the best place we’d been since we left Alaska. We’re going back out later because the Farmer’s Market is happening between 4 and 7.
So after several strange days in eastern Washington, we find ourselves in what seems like a completely different world. Relaxed, functional, getting things done, rested, and enjoying the surrounding area. It’s a welcome change!

Sleep? What's That?

July 6, 2009
Sleep. I have almost forgotten what that is like. This morning we were treated to the train again at a little before 5 a.m. It didn’t really matter, though, because we were already awake and had been for a couple of hours. We had had some thunderstorms last night, but they were dry. Not so at 3 in the morning! The wind was whipping, the rain was falling, the lightening was flashing and the thunder was booming. We were checking for leaks. We didn’t have any leaks as in one area with rain coming in, producing puddles, but the rain did get through the tent fabric in places and we lay there with it falling on our faces every once in awhile. Then it stopped. Then it started again. Then we got into the truck. We went out into the rain after a bit to make ourselves some breakfast--yogurt with raisins and walnuts. Then when the kampground store opened, we went there and got coffee. The way I see it, since I am being awakened every night by a train just beyond the fence, the least they can do is provide me with free coffee so I can make an attempt to function! An IV drip would probably be more effective, but I will take what I can get!
After coffee we headed out. We had to go in search of a place to obtain a wifi connection and an electrical outlet. It has been a challenge over the past three days to get our computers in sync with both a charged battery and an internet connection. The batteries die down quickly, especially when Bill is processing photos. And the wifi connection at the kampground is erratic. We have used the power inverter when we are driving, but if we’re not going longish distances, they don’t charge fast enough. Someone needs to invent a fast-charging computer battery that takes a few minutes to charge and then lasts a long time. They’d make a fortune!

But before we could find a place to work on our computers, we had to get the truck mirrors fixed. They’d seemed fine before we left Klamath Falls. But on our way up to The Dalles, there was some wind and when a truck went by going the opposite way, Bill’s mirror blew down and stayed at such an angle that he could not see out of it without many interesting contortions. He drove much of the rest of the way with his arm out the window holding the mirror in place. This left only one hand free for driving. Several days later, after we’d left Vancouver, the same thing happened to the passenger side mirror and then it was my turn to get a sunburned arm from holding a mirror in place. He tried to figure out how he could fix it, but couldn’t. As he is fond of saying, “I am not a mechanic.” He drove like this for some days but on the way here he decided that he would have to try and get it fixed. It didn’t seem like a safe situation. So he stopped at a Schucks that we happened to see. We knew we couldn’t get it fixed over the weekend, but Norris (the guy at the counter)gave him a name and this morning we went in search of the place, which happened to be right around the corner. It’s called Alton’s Tire Rama (22117 E. Country Vista Dr, Liberty Lake, WA/ www.tirerama.com/509-922-7771).

The guy there--Neil, the new manager--said he should go to Schucks, get the new mirrors and bring them back for installation. We did this and it was done in less than 25 minutes! And they charged us for the actual time it took, not for the whole hour! We were very pleased with the service and with the fact that now Bill has two hands free for driving!
So now we are in the Liberty Lake Library in the quiet reading room, both plugged in and working on stuff and both of us sort of napping as we go. We’re leaving here tomorrow and I am a bit apprehensive about what tonight will be like. It has stopped raining and the sun came out (there’s a first for me--hoping the rain will stop and the sun will come out), but there are more clouds everywhere. So we don’t know how wet we’ll be tonight. Or what time the train will come screaming through. Or how much actual sleep will be possible. I hope the next campground is much more quiet!

Spokane

July 5, 2009, part 2
This morning we were up early, thanks to our train horn alarm clock. We packed a lunch and headed out for the ½ hour drive into Spokane to the Spokane Friends church. They have an unprogrammed worship time at 8:45, an adult education class at 9:30, and programmed worship at 10:45. We participated in all of it and it was quite an interesting experience. I found the discussion in the class to be very thoughtful with people thinking about things in really insightful ways. I enjoyed it very much. It ranged from how things worked in various places historically, the way culture works, mental illness, and much more. To begin with, there was an article in a local newspaper insert or something that people read and discussed. I guess they do this each week. Someone brings in an article and they discuss it.
The programmed meeting was quite nice and different from what we’re used to. It was very meaningful, though. The people were very friendly and welcoming. I got the feeling that the people who attend came from a mix of backgrounds and political inclinations. Seems to me that this is a sign of a good, strong community. It was clear that whatever the differences, these people have genuine care and concern for one another. This is very hopeful.

After we left the church, we went looking for a place to eat lunch. We drove through parts of town that looked very run down and very rough. They were not places I would want to be walking around in. Buildings were vacant and boarded up. Some of them were in very bad shape. Nothing was going on in these areas.

Then we turned a few corners and we were at Riverfront Park. Found a place to park and walked there. We sat down on this sculpture to eat our picnic lunch, since it was an available shady spot. The sculpture consisted of flat-topped rocks of various heights arranged in a semi-circle.

In the center was a goat statue. We were munching on our cheese and crackers when a family of bicyclists rode up. Dad was on his bike pulling the baby trailer--complete with baby--behind. Mom and the other two kids each had their own bikes. The kids got off their bikes at went up to the goat. Mom asked us if it wasn’t working today. Bill said, “I don’t know. We’re not from around here. What’s it supposed to do?” Turns out that if it had been working properly, the kids would’ve been able to push a button and the goat would have consumed their garbage! After that, several other people appeared to feed the goat and we had to be the bearers of the bad news that the goat was not working today. Unfortunately, some people had left their garbage there anyway, so whenever he is back to normal, he will have plenty to do! I thought it was kind of funny that we had unwittingly sat down in front of one of the parks more popular attractions--at least for the kids!
We got back to the Kampsite and discovered that most people had left. The place was packed when we left and full of lots of empty space when we returned. We plan to claim some shade in one of those empty sites--at least until someone comes to take it for themselves!

Kamping, Not Camping

July 5, 2009
So we got to Spokane Friday. We were in for a surprise. We soon realized that we had been under a misperception of what camping is. Or, perhaps to be more precise, we discovered that we really didn’t have a full grasp of kamping. We’re at a KOA campground and their slogan--which seems to be plastered all over everything--is “remember, it’s not camping, it’s kamping.” We found the place and Bill went in to register. He came out with our campsite number and we went there. It was grass--a welcome change from the dirt and rocks that we had at the last place. But there was no shade at all. This was the case for many sites--a few had a scraggly tree that would provide some shade at some times of the day. We had a bush growing up against the fence. There was enough shade to place the cooler there. OK, then, it is what it is. We now understand that while camping, one may expect some level of nature actually in the campsite itself, when kamping, trees are apparently some kind of bonus that those places lucky enough to be tree-rich use as a way to advertise. The reason we decided to stay in this particular place was that most places do not take reservations for tent sites and we were concerned about being able to find a spot over a holiday weekend. This place solved that problem. It would be hot and we would have preferred shade, but we would deal with it. After putting up the tents and getting what we’d need out of the truck, we went to use the restroom. I walked into a stall and found it filthy and apparently clogged. It remained this way for a couple of days. Bill told me that the one available stall in one of the men’s rooms was the same way. Fortunately, there was another restroom, but there were many tent campers this weekend, many of them male, so I am not sure the facilities were adequate. Then we tried to find the place on our map (which we got when we signed in) where we could plug in our computers and connect to the internet. We’d used the wifi connection earlier, but we needed the electrical outlet as well at this point. We didn’t see it so we asked the young women behind the counter in the store where we could plug in our computers to recharge our batteries. They seemed puzzled. “There are plugs in the store,” one of them said. I just sort of looked at them. I mentioned that it said there was a place to plug in shown on the map. She brightened. “Oh, you want to PLUG IN,” she exclaimed, removing a yellow modem connector cord from someplace underneath the counter. I declined her offer, repeating that I needed to charge my battery. They suggested the Starbucks a few miles away. I left it alone for the night and the next day charged my battery in the car as we were driving into Spokane.

The real fun, though, occurred when we were sleeping. Suddenly we were jolted into wakefulness by a train horn screaming and the earth shaking underneath us--the train was a few feet away rumbling down the tracks. It was 4 a.m. Festive. We hit the jackpot this morning as the scene repeated itself at 3, 5, and 7 a.m. Can’t wait to see how many we get to experience tonight! Needless to say, this is not conducive to a good night’s sleep.
I will say that there is coffee in the morning and the people seem friendly enough. The whole thing is just kind of strange. I used to camp with an aunt and cousin as a kid in their Skamper (there’s that “k” again) and I just don’t remember it being like some sort of kamping suburbia. There were trees. There was green space. And there just seemed to be space in general. There is a lot to observe in these places and some ideas are bubbling around in my head about what it all means. It is rather odd to be in the tent listening to people’s air conditioning, TVs, and vacuum cleaners running.

One guy has his TV outside in his “yard.” I was puzzling about why he might do this and it occurred to me that maybe he couldn’t fit it into its appointed spot inside the RV. It’s kind of big. Yesterday the Direct TV guy was there hooking him up. Now every time we go by his spot, he has the TV on. Other people avoid the whole TV installation problem by carrying around their satellite dish. I am not sure why they do these things. If you consider what they pay for the house-on-wheels to begin with, then add in gas, insurance, and upkeep, it’s already pretty expensive. Then add the site fees, TV fees (and in the case of the guy above, installation of Direct TV) and whatever else they have to pay for and I am wondering why they don’t just go to a motel or something. It’s not like they’re out there enjoying nature or anything. If anyone has any experience with this kind of thing and can offer any insight, I’d really be very interested in what you have to say!
It’s been in the 90s since we got here, but comfortable at night. Last I heard it was supposed to cool off some. I hope it does. And we will see what the train schedule is for early tomorrow morning!

Downtown

July 2, 2009
So here we are in Ellensburg. Looks like downtown is not a very happening place. I went into a yarn/tea shop and it was very quiet. Partly that’s because summer and 90 degree heat is not the time to work with wonderful mohair and wool yarns. And the shop didn’t really have any thread or anything that would be the kind of thing that might be more likely to sell in the summer. The workers were eating lunch and didn’t seem very interested in starting a conversation, so I chatted a bit and let it go.

We stopped into the museum so Bill could ask where he might buy a postcard and the woman looked at him like he was from Mars. “You mean a like, picture postcard?” she asked with wonder in her voice. When he said yes, that’s what he meant, she was clearly very puzzled, but she directed him to the Chamber of Commerce. There were no visitors to the free museum, either. Possibly the fact that it is Thursday has something to do with that. There does seem to be a big issue about downtown and how the town will develop. This seems quite like Klamath Falls and other areas that are trying to save their downtown areas while the box stores keep on coming in. And I am sorry to say that we contributed to the problem. We needed some groceries and there was Fred Meyer, big as life and easily accessible. We could have--and maybe should have--tried to find a locally owned store that we could shop at. But we did not. We were all hot, the truck is full of stuff, and we didn’t want to drive around looking for someplace that may or may not exist. In any case, they have a Farmer’s Market on Saturdays downtown, so that probably helps get people down here. One thing that I am finding very interesting is how food keeps coming up as an issue. We don’t often think of all the roles it plays, but here and elsewhere farmer’s markets are being used as a tool to help revitalize the downtown area.

In The Dalles, our hosts told us about how they are using their own yard and the vacant lot next door to grow food themselves and also to let other people come in and plant vegetables for themselves. Then they share it with other people in the neighborhood. And sometimes people bring their kids along to help plant. Then there is the CSA (community supported agriculture) movement. Ellen and Brigg have joined such a thing in their area. Brigg does grow some food in the yard and they have cherries and raspberries, which Ellen processes. Because their growing season is so long, she can grow cool weather crops in the spring and fall and use those while not doing any gardening in the summer when it is hot and she has other things she wants to do. The CSA arrangement works well for everyone. She gets fresh, locally grown veggies and gets to sample things she never even heard of while not having to sacrifice her summer to food processing and gardening when it’s too hot for her. This is good for Ellen and Brigg because they are getting a variety of high quality, organic, locally grown produce. It’s good for the environment for the same reasons. It’s good for the young woman farmer who gets to have a sustainable farming operation. And it’s good for the local economy because the dollars are staying within the community. I think we may see many more kinds of small-scale, local solutions to problems as we move forward and food may well be at the center of many of them.

The campground is kind of interesting. I am not sure which came first--the tent sites or the overpass, but it is not exactly a relaxing experience to hear the cars whizzing just over your head at night. When we got here yesterday, Bill went in to register. We went to our tent site and I was not sure whether to laugh or cry. Every other tent site in the place had some shade where you could set up the tent, except the one we were assigned to. No trees, no shade, just relentless sun beating down with temperatures in the miserable 90s. Bill went and asked for a different site and we were able to move. Crazy! Bill decided that he had to take a photo. He chuckled about that for several hours.


We’re in the library at the moment. It seems like a nice little place. They are fielding calls about when they will be closed for the holiday--reminds me of when I used to work at Klamath County Library--we got the same thing. But we would probably only have been closed on the holiday itself. These people get Friday and Saturday off! YIPPEE for them!

Botanical Gardens

July 1, 2009
Before we left this morning, Brigg took us to his botanical gardens. He volunteers there as the compost guy. It’s a really cool place. People have many different gardens with different themes--butterfly, the manor garden, one with native plants, and many others. It’s a beautiful spot and very peaceful. The compost section has many different compost piles constructed in various ways from inexpensive using recycled materials to commercial compost bins. The educational opportunities are amazing. And Brigg tells us that the worm composting class fill up fast! Lots more interest than there used to be! The website for this great place is www.naturescaping.org check it out! It was a wonderful way to start the day.
After we got back from there, we finished loading the truck and said goodbye to Ellen. It was a fun visit. Then we got some gas and took off for Ellensburg. Took us about 5 hours to get here, but we made it. More time to set up the tent. Then we grabbed something to eat and walked around the park a bit. I would love a cup of coffee, but there’s nowhere near here to do that right now, and none of us feel like driving into town. So it’s some peach cold brew iced tea for tonight!!
Tomorrow we plan to head into town and go to the Chamber of Commerce and a local museum to get a feel for the area and ask some questions. Friday morning it’s on to Spokane!