by Maverick on May 26, 2009
The first trip of 2009 landed us at Gilmore Campground in Farragut State Park. I reviewed Snowberry Campground last season, and if you read that review, you will recall I was not overly impressed with Snowberry.
Gilmore Campground redeemed my opinion of Farragut State Park. Gilmore is one of the park’s newest campgrounds. I liked this campground because the sites were spaced apart enough for privacy.
Tents are allowed at Gilmore, but all 44 spaces are asphalt and gravel pads. If you are looking for a tent campground in Farragut State Park, check out Waldron Campground. Gilmore has two camp host sites.
My personal preference in picking these campsites is to pick a site on the outer loop and Gilmore is no exception. We stayed in space #301. This space was away from all the others in the campground, and I discovered why.
Our site was only about 30 yards from South Road. All that separated us from the drivers knowing our business were a few trees and boulders. The boulders were in place to prevent a vehicle from careening off the road into our campsite. I would not recommend staying in this particular site but there are 43 other good sites in the campground where you can’t go wrong.
The bathrooms are clean and there are six private showers across from the bathrooms. There is a large area for picnics and other family events.
Farragut State Park is full of many things for families to do. There are miles of trails to hike on foot, horseback and by mountain bike. You can spend the day basking in the sun at the Beaver Bay swim area.
You can reserve a space at Gilmore or any other Farragut State park campground by clicking onto www.reserveamerica.com . Site rental is about $20.00 per night and all the sites include water and electric.
I enjoyed Gilmore Campground enough to make another reservation for mid June, and entertain some out of town guests. I’ll rate Gilmore Campground a solid seven.
by Patty Frederking on January 20, 2009
Central Ferry State Park is a pretty park with wide open sites with lots of grass. There are very few trees and most of the sites designed for privacy with windscreens, etc. Site #24 is the best for spectacular water view. Site # 17 is nice for a water view plus convenience to fishing docks & boat launch. There is a wonderful beach/picnic area within a short walk.
There are several walking paths throughout park. We have heard there are times the campground is not mowed, but we have never experienced that. There are many thistles so bare feet are not recommended. There is a small grocery store on premise.
Central Ferry State Park sits along the Snake River, so it gets windy. The restrooms extremely clean. This park is a wonderful setting right next to bridge. It is an EZ 1 &1/2 – 2 hour pull towing RV from Spokane Valley. Check out Palouse Falls, which is close by and is a little bit of the Grand Canyon right here in Washington. The Tucannon area is another nice drive with lots of Good hunting & fishing.
Additional Information
Facilities: 8 Tent-Only Sites, 60 Tent/RV Sites with Full Utilities, Fire Pits/Grills, Volleyball Court, Horseshoe Pits, Group Camp (maximum 200), Public Phone, Trailer Dump Station, Picnic Tables, Covered Shelters, Flush Toilets, Drinking Water, Hot Showers ($.25), Swimming Area, 4-Lane Launch Ramp, Handling Dock, Tie-Up Dock, Marine Dump Station.
Reservations
www.recreation.gov
For more information, cick on this link
by Patty Frederking on January 18, 2009
Indian Creek Campground is located in Priest Lake State Park and is a very nice campground. The campground is mostly wooded with private sites. There are wonderful tenting spaces and some tenting spaces are located along a bubbling creek. There is a great long sandy beach area (volleyball nets, etc) & boat launch. Boat moorage rental can be reserved at the office, which is a rarity for campgrounds.
There is lots of dock space. There is a beautiful Interpretive Center at Indian Creek and a small grocery store & ice cream shop located on premises. Site #47 cannot be beat for privacy & size.
There is a lot of wildlife including bears. Nice hiking trails. Indian Creek is the #1 campground on the lake. For the best campsites, reserve 9 months to the day ahead. NEED TO RESERVE EARLY. The restrooms are extremely clean. Indian Creek Campground is a EZ 2 hour RV pull from Spokane Valley.
Addit
ional Information
Campsite Info:
Standard; Serviced Water/Electric; Serviced Water/Electric and Sewer
Rates: $12-$18
Reservations: (866) 634-3246
by Maverick on January 4, 2009
Winter recreation can be fun and exciting, but it can be dangerous as well. It is essential that you stay protected and equipped in case of a situation that may leave you stranded in the back woods or even along a deserted road for that matter.
Have you ever watched Survivorman or Man vs. Wild? These programs seem a little implausible because the program host is put in these seemingly perilous survival scenarios that the average Joe would be faced with.
However, there are four essential survival keys they use on their TV programs that need to be followed by anyone who is lost or stranded during anytime.
The four essential keys to survival are shelter, warmth, water and sleep. Depending on the matter at hand decides which key to survival you need to begin.
There are sites all over the net that discuss survival techniques. The Montana Department of Transportation published a winter survival guide for motorists and outdoor enthusiasts. You can download it here.
Here are a couple more sites you might find useful.
www.bcadventure.com
www.simplesurvival.net
www.outdoor-survival-guide.com
Happy Camping !
by Maverick on December 30, 2008
Since last Friday, avalanches in the Western States and British Columbia have killed 12 people and one victim is still missing. The most recent fatality as of this post was that of a 15-year-old boy in Utah who died Monday during an avalanche in the backcountry of the Uinta National Forest in the Windy Ridge/Moffit Basin.
On Sunday, 24-year-old Joshua Peters of Colville, WA died in an avalanche while snowmobiling near Harts Pass in North Central Washington State. It sounds like Peters was prepared, he had a transmitting beacon and according the Wenatchee World Peters’ companions dug him out within 15 minutes but were unable to revive him.
On Monday searchers near the town of Fernie, British Columbia recovered seven of the eight bodies who died during two avalanches in the same area within minutes of each other.
With this spike in avalanche fatalities, rescue authorities are urging the public to be aware of the risk of avalanches before venturing into the backcountry.
Tips if You are Caught in an Avalanche
You can find these tips and more on the National Avalanche Center website:
If you are caught in an avalanche:
· Travel off the slab at a 45 degree angle before it breaks up and tumbles you
· If the slide knocks you over keep your feet downhill and try to dig into the bed surface and let as much debris as possible pass you
- Use swimming motions and FIGHT Hard
As the slide begins to slow:
- Clear an air space in front of your face
- Thrust a hand toward the snow surface
Be safe
by Maverick on December 28, 2008
Swarms of small earthquakes have been detected at Yellowstone National Park.
Click here for the story.
by Maverick on December 28, 2008
President Bush reversed a two and a half decade long Regan era ban that prohibited handguns in national parks. Now the gun control advocates are “shocked” according to the liberal press and the
National Parks Conservation Association is also opposing the change. This reversal means that licensed gun owners can now carry a handgun for protection in a national park.
I read a quote by Bob DeGross who is a Public Information Officer for the Big Cypress Preserve in Florida. DeGross said, “Obviously, law enforcement officers will have to be more on guard.”
What did that statement mean? A law enforcement officer must ALWAYS be on guard regardless of the presence of some ban that offered false sense of security to law-abiding citizens.
If a bad person wants to commit a crime with a handgun, they are not going to let a handgun ban in a national park stop them. All the entire ban did was prohibit the average American citizen from protecting themselves. It’s not like there is a Park Ranger behind every tree to protect us.
Anti gun groups such as Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence adamantly oppose the Bush reversal which was endorsed by the National Rifle Association and backed by 51 of the 100 U.S Senators.
What do you think ?
by Maverick on December 28, 2008
MCR has registered on the social networking site called Twitter. If you are interested in staying in touch, go to our Twitter profile and follow the blog. Here is our link.
by Maverick on December 28, 2008
Our family bought pie irons this past season and really didn’t have an opportunity to use them very often because we didn’t know what to cook in them. This year we won’t have that problem. We bought a recipe book from Rome Industries titled “Creative Pie Iron Cooking ~ 100 award winning recipes”
This is a pretty good book of over 100 pie iron recipes – I can't wait to cook the Pesto Calzone. The recipes were complied by Richard O'Russa of Rome Industries, a leader in Pie Irons and camping cookware.
This book is 64 pages and there are bunches of yummy recipes in there. We can’t wait to use it this year. The book is only $10.99 including shipping. Rome Industries also sell a wide selection of pie irons.
Happy Camping
by Maverick on December 28, 2008
During the camping season, our family stores various reference books in our tent trailer. We even have a CD of different birdcalls we can play to add some tranquility to the moment. We keep a camping journal, a bird book, a book on Northwest trees. This year I plan to add a book of campfire stories.
I love a good campfire story. I enjoy sitting around the campfire, telling or listening to stories while watching the red glow of the fire reflect off the faces of the others like a welcome fever while I spin a yarn told to me when I was young.
Story telling is an age-old custom. Traditionally stories were committed to memory and then passed on from generation to generation. Native Americans used congregate around the campfire to recount the stories of their great hunts.
Nothing restores the morale more in a person than a campfire after a long day of hiking. Regardless if the light comes from a fireplace, campfire or a even a lantern, flame has always been a staple for human interaction.
Here are a couple of resources for campfire stories. The first one is a book western author Rick Steber titled simply, “Campfire Stories.” Steber is from the Pacific Northwest and has around 27 titles under his belt plus numberous awards for his work. The book definatley looks like it would be worth the read.
The second one is if you go to the KOA website on my page or click here, you’ll find some downloadable campfire stories suitable for all ages. You can either print a campefire story or download the audio version.
When I tell a campfire story I try to commit everything to memory and spin my own version of the story, thats what makes it fun.
Happy Camping