OUR BACK YARD, SPOKANE WASHINGTON - A TRIP REPORT
SO AS SPRING HAS ARRIVED WE HAVE BEEN ITCHING TO GET OUT AND DO SOME CAMPING. ONLY ONE PROBLEM... THE PLACES WE REALLY LIKE TO GO ARE STILL EITHER SNOWED IN OR TOO MUDDY TO GET IN. ACTUALLY THAT'S TWO THINGS BUT YOU GET MY DRIFT. SO WE LOOKED AROUND AND CAME ACROSS A STATE PARK RIGHT ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN. BY OUTSKIRTS I MEAN, WITH IN 3-5 MINUTES YOU ARE IN RESIDENTIAL AREA FROM THE PARK. HEY, BEGGARS CANT BE CHOOSY, SO WE SET OUT FOR
SO AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 GALLONS OF FUEL AND A 20 MINUTE DRIVE WE ARRIVED.
NOW I HAVE BEEN TO THIS PARK SEVERAL TIMES USING THE DAY USE SECTION. IVE WALKED AROUND A LITTLE BIT IN THE DAY USE AREA BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO THE CAMPING SECTION THAT WE WERE TO BE AT. I WAS IN FOR A SURPRISE, A GOOD ONE.
WE HAD SITE #9. IT HAD POWER AND WATER. THERE IS A DUMP STATION WITH IN THE PARK. YES, ITS A CAMPGROUND WITH OTHER PEOPLE, NO ITS NOT OUT IN THE BOONIES ALL BY OURSELVES. REMEMBER MY BEGINNING STATEMENT ABOUT THE SNOW AND MUD? THE SITE BACKED RIGHT UP TO THE SPOKANE RIVER. THE RIVER IS PRETTY HIGH RIGHT NOW WITH A LOT OF RUN OFF HEADING ITS WAY TO THE COLUMBIA RIVER AND ON TO THE OCEAN. WE WATCHED A FEW RAFTERS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RIVER RUN OFF THROUGH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. OH SURE IT MAY LOOK CALM HERE IN THIS PICTURE BUT WHITE WATER IS AHEAD FOR THEM. NOT TO MENTION, THAT WATER WAS HAULING SOME SERIOUS BUTT TO ITS FINAL DESTINATION AND AT 40 SOME DEGREES FAHRENHEIT...NO THANKS.
THAT FRIDAY NIGHT WE HUNG AROUND CAMP. STARTED A CAMPFIRE AND HAD A BEVERAGE OR TWO AND JUST RELAXED. WITH SPRING CLEAN UP AND OTHER HOME CHORES I REALLY NEEDED A DAY OR TWO TO JUST UNWIND. SO WE GOT UP THE NEXT MORNING AND HAD OUR COFFEE AND CONTEMPLATED WHAT WE WOULD GET OURSELVES INTO FOR THE DAY.
I KNEW THERE WERE A FEW TRAILS IN THE STATE PARK BUT I REALLY HAD NO IDEA IT HAD SUCH A HUGE AMOUNT OF TRAILS. ONE TRAIL GOING THROUGH THE PARK IS THE CENTENNIAL TRAIL . SO WE SET OFF ON A HIKE TO CHECK THINGS OUT.
THE FIRST THING WE CAME UP TO WAS THE "SWINGING BRIDGE". NO IT DOESN'T REALLY SWING PER SAY BUT IT DOES MOVE AROUND A BIT WHEN WALKING ACROSS IT.
REMEMBER THOSE RAFTERS? IM SURE IT WAS FUN FOR THEM THROUGH THIS SECTION. I KNOW ITS NO CLASS 5 RAPIDS RIGHT HERE BUT YOU ARE NOT GETTING ME OUT IN MY WATER WINGS DOING THIS SECTION.
WE MADE IT ACROSS. ITS REALLY NO BIG DEAL AND US KIDS LOVE THE BRIDGE. OFF TO THE TRAIL WE GO. PICTURES ALONG ONE OF THE TRAILS WE TOOK THIS DAY FOLLOW.
ON OUR WAY BACK TO CAMP WE CAME ACROSS A HUGE SWARM OF LADYBUGS. IT WAS ABOUT AN AREA OF 20 FEET BY 20 FEET THAT THEY WERE STOPPED AT.
BACK TO CAMP WE WENT. THE DAYS HIKE WAS RIGHT AT 4 MILES. IT WAS GREAT WEATHER, NOT TOO HOT OR COLD. RIGHT AROUND THE MID 60'S F.
IT WAS TIME FOR SOME BABY BACK RIBS ON THE GRILL AND A FEW MORE BEVERAGES. WE TALKED WITH SOME CAMPERS THAT WERE NEAR BY TO US AROUND OUR CAMPFIRE. IT WAS A GOOD DAY
THE NEXT DAY WE WENT FOR A BIKE RIDE. WE RODE A FEW TRAILS THEN WENT ONTO THE CENTENNIAL TRAIL. WE STOPPED AT THE OVER LOOK TO THE "BOWL AND PITCHER". DOWNTOWN SPOKANE IS OFF IN THE DISTANCE JUST A FEW MILES IN THE FIRST PICTURE.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. THE WARMEST DAY OF THE YEAR FOR US SO FAR, MID 70'S F.
WE ENDED UP DOING 10 MILES ON THE BIKE RIDE. WE WENT BACK TO CAMP AND RELAXED FOR A WHILE THEN PACKED UP AND DROVE "ALL" THE WAY HOME. IN 20 MINUTES WE WERE HOME.
WOULD WE GO BACK TO CAMP THERE? ABSOLUTELY. IS IT REMOTE CAMPING? NO. IS IT BETTER THAN SITTING AROUND THE HOUSE AND DOING CHORES? DO I REALLY NEED TO ANSWER THAT ONE?
SO I GUESS THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS...
DON'T MISS OUT ON THOSE HIDDEN JEWELS IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD. YOU DON'T ALWAYS NEED TO DRIVE FOR AN HOUR OR MORE. YOU DON'T ALWAYS NEED TO FILL THE TANK WITH FUEL TO GET THERE.
WE OVER LOOKED THIS CLOSE BY JEWEL FOR TOO LONG. NOW ITS TIME TO ENJOY IT.
