Winter in Hells Canyon

Thanks to the wonderful world of Social Media, via a Hells Canyon Visitor's Bureau twitter (http://twitter.com/hellscanyon), I found great photos posted by Jeffrey Ressler, at webshots.com, taken of the Washington state side of the Snake River in Hells Canyon.  http://travel.webshots.com/album/523331739EKhlnC?start=36

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Slideouts: In or Out?

Greetings!  I thought an article published on the RV Doctor's blog was interesting and worthy of a share to the readers of Swiftwater RV. They conclude that if the slidouts are stored in the 'out' position, that debris, dirt, leaves etc. can gather on the roof of each slide, and cause issues with water intrusion.  Even if the rig comes equipped with an awning over the slideout, why invite trouble? Then, depending on the type of slide mechanism, exposing it to the elements during non-use can corrode moving components.  This is the link: http://www.rvdoctor.com/2009/11/in-or-out.html

A few snowflakes fell this morning, and portions of the Salmon River is covered w/ snow from bank to bank, especially near Lucile, Idaho. Even a few sections of White Bird Creek are covered in snow!  Temps are around 34 degrees this morning, and a nice change from last week's bitter taste of arctic living! (temps were 2 degrees, warming up to 12 in the daytime....but with bright blue Idaho skies!).

Will post some pictures once I figure out the transfer process from my new LG enV3 phone to the computer....guess I need to buy a card to make this happen....always something!

Old Friends

RVs, camping, vacationing, and......phone calls from the past! Heard from a friend of over 25 years ago who tracked me down via the internet, and it was a blast to visit. Mimi, and her husband, Jorg, still live in the northern part of the Bay Area, and our connection was always horticulture. She and I ran a small Nursery in El Cerrito, California before I jumped ship into the corporate world of Safeway Floral departments. We were both members of the California Horticultural Society which met once a month in the Arboretum in Golden Gate Park in S.F. Mimi and Jorge started and operated a successful soil products company, which they sold about six years ago. Since then, they've spent their retired life exploring all the great hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area, but best yet....they capture the beauty of their treks with Jorg's camera and his unique ability to take phenomenal flower photos. So, if you're in the mood for Spring, with Winter just around the corner, visit their great website! http://westernwildflower.com/

Here at the RV Park, the Salmon River is pleasantly moving along as it should, creating a nice background noise during a quick Winter stroll. About a dozen rigs are stored in the Park this Winter, with another five or six in the adjacent dry camp area. The grass is turning 'Winter Brown', and is strewn w/ branches and leaves from the Willow trees, so I'll be busy during some of our great sunny days in December and January trying to tidy up the lawns. Think I'll tackle the side over by the shed to see if I can tame it a bit for next Spring. The iris along the river banks are getting covered in debris too, but...oh well! They'll still bloom magnificently in May!

In case you're wondering just what a sunny, Winter/Fall day looks like on the Salmon River, this picture is of my friends from south Idaho who took a spin in their jet boat a few weeks ago. They launched from Hammer Creek, and this picture was taken along that stretch of the river.

Come stay, and enjoy north central Idaho, especially the Salmon River here at Swiftwater RV Park, in White Bird, Idaho.

ATV and 4-Wheel Adventures

Safe and responsible ATV riding is a great family adventure, and the roads and trails around Swiftwater RV Park in White Bird, Idaho offer spectacular trips, views and scenery. This photo was taken a few weeks ago on FS41 high up Doumecq Road with the awesome hills in the distance.

When you take an ATV trip, send us a picture and we'll share it! Email to swiftwaterrv@yahoo.com.

Other news in town is the ongoing photo contest at Canyon House Gifts & Lodging. They're planning to publish a coffeetable picture book next Fall and are accepting different themed photos each month. For December, the theme of photos to submit are Fall Colors, Thanksgiving and Hunting, so did through all those great photos taken during October and November of this year. Digital photos can be emailed to canyonhouse@frontier.com. December’s deadline is Sunday, December 20^th.

Hope your Thanksgiving was bountiful and you spent an extra minute or two giving the kids a hug and sharing a smile with your loved ones.

HOLIDAY MAIL FOR HEROES

Holiday Mail for Heroes program, which helps to “send a touch of home” to United States service members and veterans across the country and abroad, is in it's third year of operation. Access this web link http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail. Even if you don’t have access to the internet, your Holiday cards can still be mailed and addressed as follows: Holiday Mail for Heroes, PO Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 207914-5456 from Monday, November 2 through Monday, December 7. The cards will be collected through this unique P.O. Box, then screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes, and distributed to participating Red Cross chapters nationwide. Once the cards arrive at the Red Cross chapters, they are sorted and reviewed by volunteers who then distribute them to service members, their families and veterans in communities across the country. A few easy tips are to sign all cards, entitle each card with a salutation such as ‘Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran”, and limit cards to 15 per person, or 50 for school class or business group, and bundle groups of cards in single, large envelopes, addressed to the PO box above.

Fishing is still going strong on the Salmon River here in White Bird, Idaho. A few storage guests are coming over to spend the night and toss their lines in the river, and there's open spaces too.

Weather is good...a bit of rain this past week, and a touch of snow...but not here on the Salmon River! Sunshine!

WHITE BIRD BATTLEFIELD WALK

A tour of the White Bird Battlefield will take place this Saturday, November 14, at 10am PST. Plan to meet at the entrance to the Battlefield on Old Hwy 95, about two miles north of downtown. Kevin, from the Nez Perce National Park Service headquarters in Spalding, will be guiding the 1.5 hour walking tour, and is a fountain of information about the Nez Perce, and the White Bird Battlefield site. This is a rare opportunity to learn more about our area’s history, and so far, the weather looks to be good. It is advised to wear good walking shoes and bring water.

FUN in WHITE BIRD, IDAHO

Costume events this past weekend were lots of fun at two different events in White Bird. Friday night - Oct 30 - at Canyon House during the wine tasting and sing-along by the bonfire, the best Witch prize went to Charlie ‘Chas’ Becktoll from Kooskia, and the best Non-Witch went to local Christy Brown, as Molly Mobster. Winner of the Gift Basket Raffle went to Dale Brege, from Grangeville, and it was nice to see he and Mimi at the event. As the past school teacher at the White Bird Elementary School before it closed, MImi misses her students and their families, so it was a treat for to be in town, and now they’ll be back to pick up their basket, which contains miscellaneous gifts and a gift certificate for one night in the lodging suite at Canyon House.

The other big costume party, on Halloween evening at the Silver Dollar Bar, featured plenty of very creative costumes. Winning first place was Larry, who owns the stables. He was ‘Bait’, outfitted to look like roe, with a big hook and line, attached to his girlfriend, who was dressed like a fish. Then, Rich Beckstead, as Barack Obama, placed 2^nd, and 3^rd place was a tie between Steve Kernutt as a doctor, and Polly Mozingo.

In case you're wondering about fishing...yep...those steelhead are still coming, with counts over Lower Granite Dam higher than normal. One guest said it was the best season so far in 15 years. Good fishing!

Just around the corner, on Sunday November 15, is the Annual Rebekkah’s Turkey Dinner, starting at noon at the IOOF in downtown White Bird. In addition to a fabulous home-cooked meal, the ladies have put together a great fundraiser by raffling off 3 quilts, sewn & created by local quilters, Kelly Rosenbaum, Laurie Bonwell and Sandy Lambert. Tickets are available from any Rebekkah member, and at the Turkey Dinner, after which the winning names will be drawn.

Cribbage games begins this Saturday the 7^th in the afternoon at the Silver Dollar Bar in downtown White Bird. Call 839.2293 for more information.