75th Wedding Anniversary in White Bird, Idaho

Diamonds can be a girls best friend, but Ada Wilson says her husband of 75 years is her best friend.  

Not every community is fortunate to have a couple celebrating 75 years together, but we are here in White Bird, Idaho.  Living in the Salmon River canyon and dedicating a life to their family, hard work - which included mining, ranching, USFS work and outfitting - along with a good dose of perseverance, are just some of the ingredients in the recipe of togetherness for Joe and Ada Wilson.

Over 125 friends and family came to congratulate them at their 75th wedding anniversary celebration, held this past Saturday afternoon - December 26th -  at Hoots Café, just outside of White Bird, Idaho.  A reporter from the Lewiston Tribune interviewed the Wilsons before the event began, so the cover page of the Sunday Northwest section had a very cute picture of Joe and Ada to go along with a nicely written article. 

As you can see by the photo above, Joe even kicked up his heels a few times, dancing to great music from various members of the Old Time Fiddlers.  Local musician, Dave Dixon, joined the fiddlers on the stage to sing a few old-time melodies that got the crowd on their feet to enjoy a few ballads.

Fate of Idaho salmon plays out in tiny Marsh Creek | News Updates | Idaho Statesman

An article published Dec. 27, 2009 in the Idaho Statesman, written by Rocky Barker, that continues the ongoing discussion regarding wild salmon and dams.  Well worth the read.  Tell me what you think!

Fate of Idaho salmon plays out in tiny Marsh Creek | News Updates | Idaho Statesman

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!