Finally, the stars are in alignment with good weather and days off coming at the same time.
We are heading out in our S & S camper on our first two-day camping trip this summer. It is our shake-down trip in our new little rig.
We heard from RV friends about the small Lake Ellen Campground set in the Kettle River Range of the Colville National Forest in northeast Washington State near Kettle Falls. There are two campgrounds at opposite ends of the lake (one with five sites, the other with about ten) with a maximum spur of 22 feet. (Hurray for our 8.5-foot truck camper.) $6 for campsite ($3 for Senior Pass). Pit toilets, no drinking water. No reservations, first come, first serve. Pack it in, pack it out.
Lake Ellen is set in low hills of mixed timber. It has a primitive boat launch. Great family destination with boating, swimming and fishing for rainbow trout. (There are places to fish from the shore.) Deer, bears, squirrels and rattlesnakes are common to the area.
For more information on the Colville National Forest stop by the headquarters at 765 South Main St., Colville, WA 99114. or call: (509) 684-7000.
Photo: Jimmy Smith fishing Lake Ellen in his pontoon boat. (Julianne Crane)
