We have had a lot of that liquid sunshine here in the Inland Northwest. I wanted to head up to the lower mountains now that snows have started to recede. But the still wet soil from the snow melt combined with a lot of rain…made me think again about where we would go camp. I knew the areas of dispersed camping I wanted to go were too much of a risk to park somewhere off of a forest service road. So instead, we went to Riley Creek Campground in Laclede Idaho. With lots more rain forecasted for the weekend it did end up being a better choice. Another bonus is that is another campground where I get my 50% off the rate fees. $30.00 per night for water and power is not too bad. No, it is not free but still not bad.
We pulled in and found our spot and soon had things set up. Lots of spots were open in the campground when in fact it showed online it was full. Lots of no-shows and late cancellations, in part I am sure because of the wet forecast.
We spent the night under our popups listening to the rain and the sounds around us. We used our little propane campfire, yes under the popups. Something we have done for many years. It does not produce enough heat to be worried about getting the popups too hot. It does though, circulate the heat under the popups making it amazingly warm even without sides on them. We did eventually put some sides up but not all of them.
The next morning, we went for a walk. The rain was minor, and the timing was right to explore the place and find a couple geocaches. Last time we were at this campground was about 12 years ago, time flies. Even in the wet surroundings there still was plenty of beauty to be seen.
The campground offers many trails, most are paved. Perfect for your stroll on foot or by bike. There is a playground and boat launch as well. Again, a very nice place. It can be hard to get a site reserved as it is a popular place.
We finished our walk and went back to make breakfast followed by an adult morning beverage. We then got our smoker going to cook up some ribs for dinner. About six hours on the smoker would do it.
The rest of the day we would sit around the little propane fire and listen to music and relax. The rains were pretty much nonstop for the day until after dinner time. No problem, we still were enjoying sitting outside.
Dinner turned out very well and was delicious. Eventually after dinner the rain stopped, and we walked around camp a little before calling it a night.
The next morning, we packed up and left. A little earlier than usual since I had to get the camper off the truck and get my truck in for a exhaust manifold gasket replacement on Monday. That fix went well by the way, all better.
Our next outing would be coming up in a little over two weeks. That will be a trip to the NATCOA Summer Rally in Warrenton Oregon. As I am writing this now, less than two weeks away. Looking forward to it, rain or no rain.
The TC Life 