Mecca of McManus - Summer Home

Our travel plans are coming together.  

March: Stay at Beale for a multitude of VA appointments. 

End of March - 1st bit of April: Visit Eureka to see John and Mary and then Crescent City to see Mom G. 

April: Oregon for Bella's arrival. 

May 6th & 7th: We're presenting "The Gift of Parenting" at Calvary Open Bible. 

May 8th  - ?: Jet to TX for ASU graduation and JaRissa's wedding. We hope to stay long enough to see friends, visit Del Rio and San Antonio and meander back - possibly via Grand Canyon. 

June 10th - end of August: IDAHO! 

End of August - 1st week of September - CA for doctor's appointments again

Fall - TBD

We discovered finding campsites in the summer is a challenge. Prices go up and availability goes down. A few weeks ago we began submitting applications to State Park Systems and military Fam Camps. We heard back from all three this week.  We asked questions, they checked references. They discovered we walk on water (good job guys!).   The state of Montana offered us a position at Lost Creek State Park outside of Anaconda. It turns out the park has pit toilets, no showers,  electricity is provided by a generator we could run intermittently and the wifi is at the top of  a waterfall. This sounds fun for a month - but Michael has a CPAP - and we can't figure out how to make that situation work. They would have paid us a stipend AND a free site - that's a clue  it's a place which is hard to keep hosts. 

Jim Creek Naval recreation area appealed to us.....but they want 32+ hours during the day and being on duty every evening....we think this is a bit more of a job than Michael's health will tolerate and is quite a bit of work for a site which we could rent for around $500. 

Idaho is on our short list of possible retirement states. We had hoped to get "close" to friends in ID and to find a spot which would be a  quick drive to Seattle. Who can resist these sorts of campsites? 

Photo via Google Images

We were offered a hosting job Priest Lake State Campground. We'll work 20-24 hours a week, be on call at night, have two solid days off a week and they'll give us a full hook up site, one wifi line,  and free laundry - bartering at it's best.  I will be able to help fulfill the hours as needed. It looks like a beautiful campground - we can hope. The only drawback we can determine at this point is the nearest grocery store is an hour away.

Priest Lake - the Crown Jewel of Idaho - Photo via Google Images

Where is Priest Lake? Not close to Boise or Seattle. ::snort:: It's 30 miles south of  Canada, 62 miles NW of Sandpoint (home of Patrick McManus), 91 miles NW of Coeur d'Alene , 92 miles N of Spokane, WA,  236 miles W of Flathead Lake, MT, 386 miles NE of Lynnwood, WA, 517 miles N of Boise and 554 miles NE of Eugene, OR - home of Bella Angel!

Photo via Google Images

But just LOOK at  all Priest Lake State Park has to offer! Deer, moose, eagles, black bear (not so excited about this) hiking trails, boating, fishing, white sand beach......We are moving to the Mecca of McManus for the summer.....no stress to find a site, lots of new area to explore, AND we can see how Michael does with part time work.

Yes, there IS wifi at the Visitor Center and "most campgrounds." There is a Verizon booster at the Visitor Center and we are hopeful our MiFi will continue to work. If not, they say there is good Verizon on the beach. Shoot....I'll endure for the sake of you, our friends and family who want to stay connected. ::wink::

The Best of Then and Now

This is what it looks like when old traditions meet new routines.

Through the years we developed a tradition of Sunday night ice cream. Not a ton of ice cream - just a mug full, with  a bit of milk - the ultimate hand-made shakes.

Currently, we enjoy campfires.

Why not?

Sunday night ice cream in front of the campfire.

The "best" of then and now.