July 2nd, 2024
After my stay in the Lower Salmon River Canyon, I again moved north. I headed up Highway 95 through the rolling hills along the Idaho and Washington border. The land was covered with fields of hay, Timothy Grass, and bright flowering Canola. After crossing the Clearwater River, I pulled into my next stop at the Fairgrounds in Moscow, Idaho.
I had 3 nights before my next reservation near Sandpoint, and the Latah County Fairgrounds was one of the few camping locations along the highway between Whitebird and Sandpoint. Camping in a town or city is not what I prefer. But Moscow had a few advantages. It was free, yet had a dump station and potable water. There was also a Safeway grocery store a block away. Across the parking lot was a Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, and McDonalds. I purchased my meals from the Safeway. Best of all, a short walk away was the flagship Northwest River Supply (NRS) store.
NRS sells outdoor gear for river people. That includes specially designed clothing for paddlers and rafters, as well as inflatable rafts and kayaks. I was especially interested in their fishing kayaks. Because they are inflatable, they can be rolled up and stored in a relatively small space, perfect for a nomad living in a pickup truck and trailer. It also happened that the kayak in which I was interested, was on sale.
As I was staying at the fairgrounds for 3 nights, I had the pleasure of arguing back and forth with myself about the pros and cons of spending a large amount of money on watercraft for a couple of days. In the end, I lost… or won, or did something. What I didn’t do was buy a kayak. In the end, it seemed wiser to save the money for flights back to the Midwest this winter, where I can visit with family and friends. It just seems more valuable than stuff. Stuff goes away, or can spring a leak in this case. I have never needed to send a friend or relative in for warranty service.
I am now at Springy Point Corp of Engineers Campground on Lake Pend Oreille, just outside of Sandpoint. I heard Sandpoint was a nice town to visit. But, to me it is more like a city. If you can get an oil change and tire rotation at a Ford dealership, I think it qualifies as a city. It is also not like some of the small rustic towns I have visited. I think it would be well liked by the big city vacationers from the west coast. It is also a vacation spot for folks with big boats. I will pass through on my way to the other side of Lake Pend Oreille where I will hunker down through the 4th of July holiday, before relocating to Montana.
Starting All Over 