Camp Hosts at McCormick - Aug 14 thru Aug 26

We are still here at McCormick Park on the Snake River at Hell's Canyon. Thank goodness the last two weeks have been better than the first two weeks. We were about ready to resign with all of the crazy things that happened the first two weeks. I don't know if things just calmed down, or we are just more used to it and know how to handle things better. At least we haven't had to call the Sheriff any more to come and haul away drunks! We have been going to Halfway, Or, to church each Sunday. It is a little branch called Pine Valley branch. There are about 50-60 people there each Sunday. The Relief Society (LDS women's organization) had a "Zucchini Luncheon." One of the gals who lives across the River from us in the Idaho Power Brownley Village stopped by to see if I wanted to go. I really wasn't planning on it and hadn't made a zucchini pot luck dish, but I had just made some oatmeal raisin cookies and we decided that you could put zucchini in them if you wanted to!! So I went. It was fun. They had centerpieces made out of squashes and some of us took one home. Each morning Terry and I go for a walk and I gather new sunflowers for my "vase."

We have been going out fishing a few times and finally found a crappie hole. The first time we went, Terry and I (I won't tell you who caught the most, because it upsets Terry) caught 62 crappy, 2 bass, and one bluegill! We were up until 11:00 pm cleaning fish! At least we have some bags full of fish in the freezer now.

This is our friendly lizard that hangs out around our patio. He is pretty tame. His favorite spot is under the little freezer next to the Condo. He is not quite friendly enough to touch, but almost.
We always have to be careful he isn't in the way when we step out of the door. He lays on our rug a lot. Once in a while he will disappear for a day or two and then show up again. His tail was really short when we first got here, but it is growing longer.

Trout fishing has been pretty good (for everyone but Terry) out in the river. But most days it doesn't matter if you catch them or not, it is just refreshing to stand in the river. Terry's brother Verel came again and stayed one night. He caught several fish. His son, Mitch has come two Saturdays and fished for trout and done pretty well.

The second time we went to the crappie hole, we remembered to take the camera. Here is Terry with a big one.

And here is me with a big one. The biggest one we have caught was 14 1/2" and Terry caught it.

Here are several of the largest crappies.

The second time we went, we left a little earlier and didn't catch as many (only 35), which was fine with us because we got them all cleaned before dark. Terry and Verel went back to that same hole and caught about 15 the night he was here.

The Park has been pretty busy on the weekends, but not so many people during the week. Last weekend, Ryan and his family were going to come and then they couldn't, but Tye Thomas and his wife, Kelly, and their three kids came. Tye was a good friend of our boys growing up. It was sure nice to see them. We went out in the boat and visited with them several times.

This past weekend, most of the RVers left, but the tent sites were totally full. But, by the time we got home from Church on Sunday, we almost had an empty camp. The weather is so nice--it has finally cooled down. After Labor Day weekend next week, things should be really slow. So, if anyone wants a nice place to come camping and fishing, come and see us!

Camp Hosts at McCormick - August 1-13

Yes, we are the Camp Hosts at McCormick Park on the Snake River at Hells Canyon! Here we are, all set up in the Camp Host spot.

McCormick Park is about 30 miles west of Cambridge, Idaho. Across the river is Oregon. It is one of our favorite places to be. While we were here in July with our family for our yearly camping get-together, we learned that the Camp Host was leaving the first of August to have knee surgery. We joked with him that he should have let us know and we would have taken his place for the the next two months. The next day, the Park Manager was knocking on our Condo door and offered us the job. It doesn't pay anything, but we get the site with full hook-ups and are only asked to keep an eye on things, do a little watering, and keep toilet paper in the bathrooms! We will be here until the first of October.

The park wasn't very busy the first week we took over, but there was a lot of excitement. The first evening, two fishermen were crossing the lawn and found a snake. They weren't sure what kind it was, so they called us over. The grass was a little tall so they couldn't see the button on the baby rattler. We heard it buzz and spotted the little button on it's tail and you can see what happened to in in the picture.

Terry's brother, Verel, was our first visitor. He stayed for a couple of days in his camper. He and Terry fished a lot because the camp wasn't very full.

I was watering the flowers one evening, after turning several valves in the bathrooms to get the water turned on, and a man went in to take a shower. While I was still watering the flowers, he came out and said that there was no cold water in the men’s shower and that that had made for a pretty hot shower! After he left, I checked the valves, and sure enough, I had turned off the hot water to the men’s shower! I was going to have Terry apologize to him the next day, but he left early that morning before I could talk Terry into it!

One afternoon, we were sitting around and terry glanced at the tree he was sitting by. There was a big bull snake slithering down the tree! Terry moved pretty fast!

We watched him come down the tree and then "guided" him across our patio and out into our woodpile. We have seen a bull snake twice since then around the bathrooms. Terry has taken a shovel and picked it up and thrown it across the fence into the pasture. I don't know if it the same one or different ones.

Friday night, the 3rd, a woman on a motorcycle hit a deer as she was riding on the road across the river from the Park. She ended up with a broken leg and some scratched, but her motorcycle caught on fire and totally burnt. Thank goodness some boaters close by grabbed their fire extinguishers, jumped onto the bank, and kept the fire from starting on the sides of the road. I called 911 and Terry took off with one of our walkie-talkies to check things out and report to me so I could report to the Sheriff and ambulance. It was all pretty exciting!

Things were pretty quiet during the first week, as far as the number of campers. We thought,
"This is going to be a cinch, being Camp Hosts."

Then the park started filling up. A big group came in from Oregon for ten days and the rest of the park was totally filled! It stayed pretty busy all week and then a bachelor/bachelorette party started on Thursday and lasted for five days! We felt like babysitters and went to bed several times with knots in our stomach wondering if we would have to get up in the middle of the night to quiet people down. There was one group of boys that got out of hand who were drinking and fighting and swearing until all hours of the night and they were kicked out of the Park. We don't have authority to do that--we just call our boss from Idaho Power and he handles it. The boys were very apologetic and got to come back after three days. (They were part of the Oregon group.)

Then last Thursday, a drunk guy pulled in down at the end of the tenters area and was going to spend the night. He was swearing at the campers and sicking his dog on them. Terry went to check on it, along with several campers. The guy pushed one of the campers and the camper "decked" him. He almost landed on the ground and ended up passed out in his pickup. We called our boss who called the Sheriff. He hauled the guy off to jail.

This past weekend was even busier than the first one. We had a Hispanic group come in and got an RV site where they could put up the three tents allowed. Soon she came and got another site and more and more people started coming in. We counted nine tents they had put up, so we made them get a third site. There must have been at least ten cars and 50 people! They did pretty good, but stayed up kind of late.

We had visitors this weekend. Terry's brother and wife, Ron and Alice showed up, and later their son and family, Matt, Stephanie, and Mason, came. Then Larry and LouAnn Sutton came with their grandson (and my nephew). It was fun having them here. They got to see all of the craziness that is part of being Camp Hosts when the camp is full!

We are really hoping things slow down, but they will probably keep being busy, especially on the weekends, until after Labor Day.

What Happened to July?!

After Apple Garden at Bear Lake, we dropped off the grandkids, picked up another one, and headed to Emmett. Marissa spend a few days with us and we really enjoyed her. She is almost twelve years old and we felt we got to know her a little better. She learned how to knit. With a little more practice, she will be able to make a dishrag for her mom.

The two weeks were really busy. Terry had a list of things to do on the trailer. He had to replace the valves on the sewer because they were leaking.

We had bought a lot of cleaning stuff to try to get the Condo shiny. In some of the parks we go to, it is one of the older RVs. We wanted it to at least be shiny.

Ryan and his family were in the process of finding a home to rent/buy in Emmett. They have been living in Meridian. We were close enough to get to have the kids once in a while and were able to help a little with the move.

I had lots of fun "playing" with the kids, Chaz, Ryley, and Wesley.

Wesley and Ryley were "helping" Aunt Lorrie water her garden!

After two weeks at home, we headed to McCormick Park at Hells Canyon on the Snake River. It is one our favorite places to be. We have been going there with our family every weekend after the 4th of July for many years.

Jenna and Kamber were all curled up with curlers I gave them from a yardsale find.

Boe is one of the best fishermen. Dad and Grandpa have a hard time keeping up with him!
Jenna and Emily are "best cousins" all wrapped up in a life jacket.

We found a float tube at a yard sale and then Lorrie's son Marc gave us one he had hanging in his garage for a long time. We all had so much fun going out on them, until the one Marc gave us just kind of fell apart because the fabric had kind of rotted. This picture is my brother Ron and his wife Kathy going out.

Marissa and Heidi having a "mother/daughter" hug.

Ron and Kathy with their son-in-law Than, their daughter Destiny, and their grandson Gerrick.

Sarah, Jill, and Ryan's wife Lori with Chaz, enjoying the day.

Lori, Chaz, Ryan, Shay, and Jill's husband Dan, enjoying a meal.

A great group of grandkids!

Terry and my brother Bill, who started this whole event for our family when he started coming to McCormick Park with friends from Boring, OR, almost 20 years ago.

We always find time to play games. Mexican Train with dominoes is one of our favorites. Here is Jill, Than, Shay, and Bill playing.

All of my brothers except one, and my sister, and some of their family members came also. This is my brother Frank's daughter Natalee and his wife Andy.

For many years while going to McCormick, we were limited to how long we could stay because of always having to go back to work. This year, we got there before anyone else and stayed until everyone else had gone! Retirement is great!

We left McCormick Park and went to Redmond Oregon to a four-day RV Rally. We had a really good time. We met lots of people, went to a lot of seminars where we learned tons, had great entertainment, and spent more money at the vendor booths. There were over 5,000 people there, all parked in RV's in the parking lots aroundthe fairgrounds. After it was over, we left at 5:30 in the morning to beat the rush and headed back to Emmett.

Apple Garden Campground, Bear Lake, UT

We left Hot Springs on Tuesday to go to Apple Garden Campground at Bear Lake.

We took Jill's two kids, Boe & Kamber, and Shay's daughter, Emily, with us. This was pretty much a new experience for us to have grandkids camping with us without their parents. We have been looking forward to this since we started our new life style. It was tons of fun!

The park is pretty small with few amenities, but it is really pretty and peaceful. It is made right in the middle of an apple orchard (which still produces apples). There were lots of birds nesting in the apple trees. They didn't appreciate the kids' curiosity about their nests!

It was a big job coming up with activities to keep the grandkids busy. They are making necklaces to take home to their parents. Boe and Emily did really good (they are 5 years old), and Kamber (3 years old) did well, too, but she finally gave up after dropping her almost completed necklace several times.

They decorated cupcakes and then got to squeeze the leftover frosting into their mouths.

They had fun having a tea/lemonade party and eating their cupcakes. Emily was the hostess and served Boe and Kamber.

There was a fun playground where the kids played. It was above where we camped so we could hear and see them, but we were usually up there with them.

There were a few bumps and bruises from the playground, but they had fun. Kamber decided we needed to buy her some knee pads!

We had a fun campfire, but the marshmallows were a little sticky!

There was a big hill and they had lots of "tricks" to perform on it. Here they are in various stages of doing somersaults down the hill!

The lake was beautiful. On Friday we drove clear around it. Part of it is in Idaho and part in Utah.

We found a fun beach where we played in the water.

Boe enjoyed trying to skip rocks.

We will head back to Emmett after spending a couple of days in Idaho Falls dropping off

We will be coming and going from Emmett until after Labor Day. We have an Oregon/Washington Coast trip planned for September, then on to Northern Idaho and we plan to end up back in Eastern Idaho for hunting season and Thanksgiving before we go back to Wikieup, AZ. I will try to keep the BLOG up somewhat during the summer. Thanks for joining us on our RV adventures!