STEELHEAD FISH ARE COMING!

The 2009 Steelhead fishing season open up on this part of the Salmon River on September 1st! If you need to brush up, or learn about the fees, rules, etc., visit the Idaho Fish & Game (IDFG) website: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/fees.

IDFG is reported in late July that the "The smallmouth bass fishing continues to be good in the Snake and Lower Salmon rivers. The bass have been averaging 8-12", but there are some bigger fish around for the lucky or persistent angler. Curly tail grubs and small crank baits are the standard offerings."

Interesting read from the Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife News Bulletin, August 14th:
Folks that monitor the fish counts at Columbia-Snake river hydro projects did a double take Wednesday when the Tuesday steelhead tally at Bonneville Dam was displayed online by the hydro project's operators, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

There were 18,671 upriver summer steelhead counted climbing the dam's fish ladders that day, which fisheries managers believed was the highest daily total ever recorded since the construction of Bonneville Dam was completed in 1938.
Read more at: http://www.cbbulletin.com/350377.aspx

RAFTING: Had to toss in a picture of the guys. Today Al, Aras, and Dave G. headed south to Riggins for a fun day of rafting on the Salmon River, guided by Gary Lane of Wapiti River Guides (http://www.doryfun.com/). Can you tell that Dave used to be a professional basketball player?!

WILDERNESS PICS

The RV Campground is not a hotel, but it is a beautiful place to camp, in a tent, or an RV. We've seen many more camping families this year then in the past, and everyone is welcome to enjoy the fishing, hiking, nearby rafting, and wild-life viewing at our RV Park. www.swiftwaterrv.com

The white tail deer was taken in the Nez Perce National Forest last weekend while huckleberry picking. For about five minutes, the deer was perfectly still, giving me plenty of time to awkwardly find my camera, and attempt to take a few shots. Notice the devastation of the trees in this area.

The picture of the ducks in the Salmon River, off the banks of the RV Park, were taken a week ago in the early evening. The family seemed to be hanging out splashing and enjoying their bath until they all flew away in tandem for parts unknown. Enjoyed their company.

Don't know if the hummingbirds can quality as 'wildlife', and sorry for the blurr, but these babies are fast! Its a constant battle between the h-birds and the bees, which is why the yellow bee catcher is nearby.

Ah, summer!

IDAHO HIKERS....from Alabama!

What do you do for vacation each year?

Some of us might be lucky to have a vacation, or not, but being in the hospitality and vacation business here at Swiftwater RV Park outside of White Bird, Idaho, we see vacation folks daily. Recently we had four hiking guests from Florence, Alabama. These four buddies take a week's vacation with each other every year, and the activity is always camping and hiking. Lucky for us, the 2009 destination was Idaho. They’ve been exploring many western states for the last several years, so this year it was central Idaho’s turn.

Paul, Jack, Craig and Steve begin their trip began by flying into Boise from Alabama, complete with checked luggage which included tents and camping gear. After renting a Chevy Suburban, they stuffed everything inside and headed to Stanley, Idaho to begin the week’s hiking and camping adventure.

The Sawtooth mountains were wonderful, and so was the Frank Church Wilderness, all of which added to their great store of fun memories from over the years. On this side of the mountains, they ended in White Bird, Idaho. tenting a few nights by the Salmon River at Swiftwater RV Park. Nearby hiking treks included up Rapid River, and to Heavens Gate, where at the scenic overlook, they visited with the USFS Ranger and enjoyed the fabulous views into four states. By the way, this spot in the Seven Devil Mountains is the highest viewpoint on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon. Awesome vistas were the name of the game, complimented by just about perfect hiking weather.

Music to my heart, they also exclaimed that Swiftwater RV Park is a great place to camp, and they appreciated our super clean facilities and laundromat. Since White Bird is Idaho’s shortest driving distance into Hells Canyon, we urged them to stay another day and hike from Pittsburgh Landing to the Kirkwood Historic Mansion, but their flight home couldn’t be postponed.

Back home in Florence, Alabama, one guy is a department chair at the University of North Alabama (www.una.edu), and his friend is a retired chair/professor, so they’ve been friends for years. Another guy is a economic development specialist for the Tennessee Valley Authority, who actually lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while the other guy is an engineer for the FAA. It’s super to meet interesting people from other parts of this great country, and how happy I am they chose to vacation in Idaho!

In other years, they’ve camped and hiked Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon and Montana. From hiking, to fishing, hunting, 4-wheeling, and wild-life watching, the west has the best!

Sitting beneath the giant willow trees at Swiftwater RV Park, alongside the Salmon River, on the second day of their hiking trip, sharing memories, food, drink and laughs, they’re probably beginning to plan next year’s hiking and camping adventure.

SALMON RIVER APRICOTS and PEACHES

Summer on the Salmon River means more than vacationing and rafting....it means summer fruit! I picked a basket of wild Apricots which yielded a dozen jars of jam and 6 loaves of Apricot bread, which are headed for freezer to enjoy in the months ahead.

When you stay at Swiftwater RV Park, be sure to visit the Killgore Orchards to buy peaches, corn, tomatoes and other summer harvest fruits and vegetables. Killgore's is across the silver bridge and to the right about 1/4 mile. Jim Killgore, a young man in his early '90's, is assisted by several of sons. I"ll see if I can snag a picture of the group to post here.

In town, Smiley is famous for his canned pickles, and awesome tomatoes. If we can get more hot days of sunshine, his crop will be available soon.

Another newcomer to the produce scene is Eric over at Hoots Cafe. He's been growing lots of corn, and boy is it sweet!

Stay, play, and enjoy the summer harvest!

VACATIONING IN IDAHO

This Idaho family traveled from one end of Idaho to the other on their 2009 summer vacation. A favorite spot in the northern area was Silverwood Theme Park, and a favorite campground was our RV Park, on the Salmon River outside of White Bird, Idaho! This evening photo was taken at the Gazebo in the Park, with the Salmon River flowing behind.

It's great when Idaho families vacation in their state and enjoy all it has to offer. Thanks for staying with us!