We joined the Coeur d’Alene River in the small community of Pritchard and headed down this popular crystal clear waterway. It was not unusual to see wildlife, including moose, drinking along the streams (click on photos to enlarge).

We were headed toward a small campground in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest, one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (the other two are the Kaniksu and St. Joe National Forests).

The Bumblebee Campground, located at the confluence of Bumblebee Creek and the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, has about two-dozen developed sites, drinking water, campfire rings and vault toilets.

Camping season opens in late May–but when we got there, both loops were still closed. So we continued upstream along the forest service road until we spotted a blocked off logging road and backed-in for the night (click on below).  Dispersed camping opportunities are available at many sites on the forest. For more information contact one of the Forest Service offices.

To get to the developed Bumblebee Campground, from FR 9, turn east on FR 209 and travel three miles, turn right to the campground. (If you run into dirt road on FR 209, you’ve gone too far.)

During season: $16 / night, $8 extra vehicle; $130 / night for the group site (100 person/25 car maximum). Click here for reservations.

Most of the forest’s developed campgrounds are adjacent to one of the rivers and lakes in the Panhandle which hold some of the best fishing locations in the world. Campers can also enjoy floating, boating, canoeing, kayaking, hiking or simply relaxing in a camp chair.

Photos by Julianne G. Crane.

Last September we stumbled onto a dispersed Lolo National Forest campground right off Hwy 135, between mileposts 14 and 15, heading downriver (north) from St. Regis, Mont., along the Clark Fork River.

We were actually looking for Lolo National Forest’s Cascade Campground about two miles further downriver around milepost 16 that was listed in Don Wright’s Guide to “Free Campground” ($12 and under). It sits across the road from the Clark Fork River and is the terminus of the historic wagon road Iron Mountain Trail #242.  (Cost is $10 per night; first-come, first-served basis, vault toilet, drinking water, picnic table, fire rings.)

We drove through this 12-site developed campground and then returned to the unnamed dispersed area because it is right on the banks of the Clark Fork River and is FREE.  (Only service available is two vault toilet.)

Just this week, we decided to return to this great spot, to what we call “Lolo 135-15″ (Lolo National Forest/Hwy 135/Milpost 15) because it is absolutely amazing camping location for boondocking RVers and tent campers who don’t mind being self-contained and packing their trash out with them when they leave.

Last fall we were privileged to witness a large herd of Bighorn Sheep make their way down a steep mountainside to the river’s edge for a leisurely evening drink before heading back up again. (Click on photos to enlarge and check out [above left] the line of sheep crossing the sheer rock face.)

Douglas-fir, Ponderosa pine and western larch providing abundant shade.

Photos by Julianne G. Crane. Click on images to enlarge. (Top) This year’s campsite on the Clark Fork River; (left) Bighorn Sheep crossing ridge across river from campsite; (right) Bighorn Sheep drinking from Clark Fork River; (bottom) Only sign you see at entrance to campground near milepost 15 on Hwy. 135.

This extremely popular campground is the largest of three in the Albeni Falls Dam project that was built in 1955 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “for flood control and power production on the Pend Oreille River.”

“Lake Pend Oreille is surrounded by scenic mountains and is one of the largest and deepest natural lakes in the western United States, plunging to depths of more than 1,200 ft. in some areas. Behind the dam, the Pend Oreille River stretches 65 miles through a glacial-carved valley that separates three mountain ranges.”

Of the 67 camp sites at Riley Creek, 39 are available for reservations through Reserve America. All of these have standard electric and water.

The campground is about 64 miles north of Spokane and 14 miles west of Sandpoint, ID.

Photos: (Top) Site 58, Riley Creek Campground. (Bottom) Jimmy Smith biking along the paved path that encircles most of the campground. Lake Pend Oreille in background. (Julianne G. Crane)

Rain is on the horizon, maybe even a thunderstorm or two, but we’re going anyway.  Just tossed in the rain slickers.

Jimmy has stocked the S & S truck camper’s kitchen (remember he’s the cook), loaded both our bicycles, and tied down our new (to us) 18-foot Wenonah Champlain kavler ultra-light canoe. “It weights less than a good-size sack of dog food,” says Jimmy.

We’ll let you know tomorrow where we landed for the night.

Photo: Jimmy Smith with our loaded camper minutes before heading north. (Julianne G. Crane)

The following are just three fun games that can be found easily online or at your local bookstore. Many of the games also come in audio book.

“Ultimate Sticker Puzzles: License Plates Across the States:Travel Puzzles and Games,” by Tony Tallarico, (Price Stern Sloan Publishers) paperback: 24 pages, $4.99.

“This fantastic activity book is chock-full of mazes, puzzles, word searches, word scrambles, trivia, and travel games all about the 50 states. And you can use the cool, full-color license plate stickers to play the ‘license plate game’ on the fun United States map that spans the center spread.”

Author and illustrator Tony Tallarico has written hundreds of children’s books, including the “I Can Draw” series.

“Mad Libs on the Road,“ by Roger Price and Leonard Stern, (Price Stern Sloan Publishers) paperback: 48 pages, $3.99.

Pack your RV and get ready to “hit the road with this mad installment of family fun. Everyone helps create car songs, spot historical sights, and stop at a roadside campsite–with a Mad Libs.”

One reviewer recalled a drive across country with a 3- and 5-year-old. “When the kids got restless we pulled these out and they LOVED them.”

“Eeboo Travel Bingo,” illustrated by Saxton Freymann, (eeBoo Publisher), $9.95.

Travel Bingo is an easy-to-play game for the car or RV. This set of four bingo pads and pencils “features lovely renditions of things we all see while traveling the roads of America. Everyone loves to play Bingo.”

One reviewer on Amazon stated: “Fun way to play a classic game and is appropriate for even the youngest of travelers. Very well thought out and is designed to keep a child’s interest up on those long trips! Good for short trips, too.”

A professional security consultant, DeLoziers “wanted a vehicle that could quickly evacuate his family in an emergency situation, and keep them safe and comfortable for weeks at a time, no matter what. When he couldn’t find a vehicle that satisfied his requirements on the market, he made one,” reported White.

The camper/living part is a pop-up Four Wheel Camper that was customized for specific needs. “We essentially have everything they offer, including the cold weather soft wall insulation pack.” The unit was permanently mounted on a Chevy C70 truck bed.

“The Survivor Truck is designed to be the ultimate bug out vehicle. It can carry enough water, gear, clothing, food, to support a family for weeks or months. There’s a lot to consider during a evacuation or survival event.” The article covers dozens of design and product decisions, complete with pictures.

Being a security consultant, DeLoziers said he also “designed the rig to accommodate the needs of the security industry, small police and military strike and surveillance teams, the border patrol, and firefighters working wildland forest fires.”

“About eighty percent of the build has been sponsored by approximately eighty sponsors,” he said.

Read the complete article by clicking on “The Survivor Truck Bug Out Vehicle.”

Photos: Truck Camper Magazine.

These tents are designed to be sturdy weather tight cocoons that can be mounted to the roof rack of virtually any car, truck, van, SUV or off-road adventure trailer.

Long a staple of African safaris and Euro-Australian holidays, these rugged car top tents offer comfort, convenience and economy.    They are easy to store, barely affect MPG and can go anywhere.

Within a few minutes, it opens easily into a nearly 8’ long sleeping space with plenty of room for two people and gear. View the following YouTube video:

One incredible deal is the Kievas’ popular DVD “Choosing An RV: A Logical Approach” at only $3.99, an amazing 80-percent discount off the regular $19.95 retail price.

The Kievas outline a game-plan that “helps RV shoppers target an RV that will satisfy their interests and needs. They describe the different types and sizes of RVs and the advantages and disadvantages of self-propelled and towed RVs, discuss floorplans and accessories, explain hookup and self-containment features plus weight and towing capacities.”

Another great DVD deal is “Extended and Full-time RV Travel” (69 minutes) which also features the Kievas. $3.99 at 80-percent off, regularly $19.95.

This general overview is geared to RVers who plan to travel much or all of the time. It covers such topics as how to successfully handle “banking, bill-paying, e-mail, telephone communications, mail forwarding, medical care, taking care of an unoccupied house, and other considerations while on the road for weeks or months at a time.”

Images: RVBookstore.com

During the 1940′s, Jordan started building his dream weekend retreat on a 60-foot chimney of sandstone formation called Deer Shelter Rock in the beautiful Wyoming Valley.

That 14-room house was the original structure of what became an amazing complex of architecturally unique buildings, gardens and spaces (including the Infinity Room pictured above).

Jordon was known as an eccentric collector all his life and enjoyed visiting museums. “The House on the Rock is more of a trip through the wild and fantastic imagination of Alex Jordan than a visit to a dusty, lifeless museum,” states the Website.

Visitors need to be prepare to “stay a while” because, as novelist Jane Smiley wrote: “It is hard not to be overwhelmed by the House on the Rock. The sheer abundance of objects is impressive, and the warmth most of the objects exude, the way that the toys ask to be played with, for example, makes the displays inherently inviting. But almost from the beginning, it is too much.”

Read more about this unusual tourist attraction by clicking on “RV Short Stops – House on the Rock.”

Together they are the inspiration and force behind a “grab life by the tail and swing it around” group of women known as “Sisters on the Fly.”

“We have more fun than anyone,” said Maurrie.

It all began about 15 years ago, when Becky and Maurrie were sitting on a drift boat in Montana.

“We were happily drinking a glass of wine in celebration of catching an 8-pound Brown trout,” recalled Maurrie, “and we thought it would be fun to share this with friends.”

Read more about them in an article I wrote for “Women RVers.blogspot.”

Photo: Sister # 1 Maurrie (left) and Sister # 2 Becky. Courtesy of Sisters on the Fly.