Matt Carter, our guide — from Deschutes River Outfitters showing me how it’s done. Matt is a super talented angler and has been featured in many magazines and recently was featured on the cover of Fly Fisherman. In addition, each summer he travels to Mongolia as a fly fishing guide. Kinda crazy if you ask me, but follow your passion I say and this man certainly does :)
With a hop, skip and a jump we hitch up the Airstream and hit the road.
We travel through yellow Canola fields in Eastern Washington while slowly meandering down the road enjoying every moment. Continue reading »
There’s always a day during our trips where I like to take it easy. Easy as in, taking my good ol’ sweet time in the morning preparing breakfast and then heading out the Airstream door to really get acquainted with whatever town we are in. Ever since arriving in the town of Sandpoint I’ve been eager to check it out. Since hubby was off on his own skiing with his friend Tom, it was the perfect day to do this.
As we say goodbye to Jackson, Wyoming — I’m touched with a bit of sadness. This part of our country is truly, so beautiful and I really look forward to returning one day. We had such amazing adventures here and they all will live deep in our memories forever. I know this will be especially true for B because he was so brave on many of them!
Located right in between Challis, ID and Stanley, ID — along the Salmon River off Hwy 75 is where you will find one of the most picturesque campgrounds ever. It’s called the “Salmon River Campground,” and we could hardly believe our eyes at the sites here. They are all big and spacious sites but best of all, they are located along the Salmon River. Right there! If you love fishing or just relaxing by a river — this is the place for you. Continue reading »
“You will absolutely love the Junkyard Bistro – it’s really a true hidden gem,” tells me our neighbor at the Wagonhammer Campground in North Fork, Idaho. Continue reading »
Four months ago we began planning our “Rockin’ the Rockies” Airstream road trip and finally, here we were, at the very beginning.
The Bitterroot Beginning.
We found ourselves at the “Angler’s Roost” campground in Hamilton, Montana tucked along the Bitterroot River. We softly landed in site #19 after a full day of driving from Seattle. Daylight was still ours for a bit so we settled in and took time to relax.
I kept thinking to myself “three weeks away from corporate America,” and those words, in and of themselves made me feel very happy.
And relaxed . . . Continue reading »
When we were driving home from our Memorial Day Weekend Olympic Peninsula Loop — this RV park (called Rest-A-While RV Park) caught my eye and I made a note of it. It looked really cute and was located right on the water. Very pretty. When the following Friday rolled around, we left after I got off work to come and check it out. We made it in time for sunset.
The following morning was so relaxing as we were in no hurry to do anything but wait for the tide to go out to gather clams and oysters. I prepared breakfast and coffee while the boys went for a walk. Oliver decided to stay with me and continue snoozing away :) Continue reading »
It was our last night glamping with our Airstream at Fort Worden State Park. Around 2 am we awoke to winds howling and rain pouring down. I’m glad we were smart and put the awning up before going to bed. Have you ever had to put your awning up in the middle of the night because of strong winds and heavy rain? Not a pleasant experience, that’s for sure.
While the boys slept in, I took Oliver for a walk up to Fort Worden to get an up close and personal look at the historic buildings and also get a feel for where the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman,” was filmed. I also thought about those crepes I would make for the boys when they woke up . . . Continue reading »
It has been exactly one week to the day that we have returned home from our wonderful trip to McCall, Idaho. After hours of sorting photos and layout design I am happy to begin sharing our story with you!
On the drive to McCall I had a lot of time to think (about nine hours!) about how I will present our trip to you here on J5MM. In the beginning I thought one post would be perfect as I usually do — but on the drive back I realized that my story covering McCall would need more than one post. We met some pretty incredible people on this trip and made forever friends, we dined at some fantastic restaurants and experienced outdoor adventures I never knew existed.
But first I would like to share with you some photography from our road trip to McCall and our final destination being at McCall RV Resort and Northfork lodge where our Airstream camp would be for the next seven days.
A beautiful scenic lookout in Lewiston, Idaho.
The views were nothing short of amazing here in Idaho. It was my first time visiting this beautiful state and I know for sure I want to come back and explore even more.
Another stop we took was to stretch our legs along the Salmon River. I will let the pictures speak the words here — just stunning! The banks along the Salmon river are cloaked in white sand. I have never seen a river with white sand — oceans yes — rivers? No. Absolutely incredible and beautiful!!
We finally hit some (melted) snow on the roads approaching McCall. Speaking of the roads here in Idaho, they are smooth as butter! We could hardly tell we had the Airstream behind us once we hit the border. That was very refreshing !
Nine hours and 470 miles later, we made it to our final destination. Hubby and I both agreed next time we would break the trip in two as traveling that many miles in one day is a lot of road to cover. But since I work in Corporate America and don’t have a lot of vacation time — time is always of the essence during our trips — for this trip, it was especially necessary. We had a lot planned — every day was filled with activities so it was absolutely necessary that we arrived Saturday evening as Sunday morning our vacation in McCall officially began.
When we checked into McCall RV Resort we were greeted with smiling faces from Carrie and Dwight who were at the front desk. They got us up to speed on the runnings of the resort and where to find what. Also Carrie was generous enough to offer up her big book of dining suggestions for us, full of tips on some of the best places to go and eat. I was happy to spot on that list the places we already had reservations for (it was at that moment I knew we would be eating well!).
When we were ready to head back to the Airstream to find our spot (G4, by the way) Dwight hopped into his golf cart and guided us to our spot helping us hook up! I would also like to say how WONDERFUL it was to have our propane tanks re-filled by the staff at McCall RV resort. That was such a nice perk since it really is a pain to take the tanks off, haul them to a gas station to get them refilled and then drive them back in the frigid cold weather to re-hook them up. So yes, what a nice surprise that was!!!
That evening after we settled in, I heated up some of the best mac and cheese we ever had that I brought along on our trip from the Seattle based: Skillet (story to come soon!) Skillet definitely made my life easier (and more delicious) whipping up dinner when we arrived as I was pretty drained from our trip. Hubby declared it was the best he ever had. I will admit. It was pretty amazing stuff. I added sliced cherry tomatoes to mine — the boys had theirs sans tomatoes.
The next morning we enjoyed some chocolate croissants, sugar bruleed grapefruit and some espresso topped with sweetened condensed milk (my latest obsession). A yummy (and easy) way to start our day! While the boys headed up to Brundage Mountain for some skiing, Oliver and I were very much looking forward to exploring our surroundings here at McCall RV Resort and Northfork Lodge. I understood there was an indoor pool, hot tub, workout facility and steam room too. I knew the laundry facilities would be a great help on our trip too (lots of ski clothes!).
Oliver did really well on our trip. I think he enjoys staying in the Airstream with us more than at home — something about the cozy close quarters makes him happy I sense (probably gives him comfort to be able to see his wolf-pack whereabouts at all times). I am also happy to report the peace of mind all of us had during this trip using the Tagg Pet Tracker GPS attachment that hooks onto Oliver’s collar. Should he had gotten lost (Heaven forbid!), using my android (or iphone) app, I would have been able to find him via gps tracking. I look forward to sharing with you in more detail the benefits of this device — ESPECIALLY when traveling since you may end up in uncharted territory with your furry family members. The peace of mind one receives while traveling using this device is priceless. I could not have imagined taking this trip without Oliver’s Tagg.
And so begins the exploration of McCall RV Resort and the STUNNING Northfork Lodge. When you enter the main lodge, you are greeted with this cozy view. Off to the right of this room is a reading lounge where you may borrow books, games and purchase some items for your RV should you need them. There is also a yummy ice cream cooler, fyi! Oh and if you need a bag of ice — McCall RV Resort has you covered there too.
The majestic grand room where events are held from weddings to business meetings and celebrations alike. This was where B worked on a project for school during our stay. Very comfortable for that!
Now comes the fun part — the POOL !! Every night it was here that we met so many locals from McCall who come here regularly to swim and enjoy the facilities. What a wonderful place to relax after a day on the slopes and let the kids play and enjoy each others company while making new friends. The showers here are free for guests and the restrooms are open 24/7. Everything here from the pool, hot tub and shower facilities are meticulously maintained which gave us a great feeling.
I took these pictures early morning as the sun was streaming in through the windows. My camera lens kind of fogged up from coming in from the cold (-8 this particular morning) and into the warm — but I am still pretty happy with the shots that I share with you.
Our seven day stay at McCall RV Resort is one we will never forget and hope to come back and experience in the summertime (everyone has been telling us to do this!). We hear there is amazing fishing in Idaho as well as other summertime activities that we do hope to explore.
Thank you McCall RV Resort for your wonderful hospitality! You have come highly recommended by many people in the community and it’s no wonder! From your spacious RV spots (some even along the river in summer), full hookups, generous amenities, friendly and ever so helpful staff made our stay at McCall RV Resort one of the best experiences ever. Thank you!!!
McCall Trip Roundup:
Part 1: Arriving ♥
Part 2: McCall Town Guide ♥
Part 3: Skiing Brundage Mountain and Apres-Ski at the Shore Lodge ♥
Part 4: A Snowmobile Adventure to the Burgdorf Hot Springs and Beyond ♥
Part 5: A Day at Tamarack Resort ♥
Part 6: Apres-Ski at Rupert’s in Historic Hotel McCall ♥
Part 7: A Culinary Adventure in the Forest ♥
Part 8: Brundage Cat Skiing Adventures & Apres-Ski at the Pancake House ♥