WA -- Spokane and Curlew Lake, 21-27 Apr 2019

Three days in Spokane WA…

Why we came…
To visit friends and resupply before head to Canada.

The campground…
We stayed at the Fairchild AFB FamCamp on base.  It was a no frills campground with 32 decent sized, level pull throughs.  All sites were full hookups though they are older and could use some TLC.  Two rows had mature trees that would make satellite difficult but would provide welcomed shade on hot days.  The outdated facilities were kept clean during our stay.

It opened for the season on the 1^st of April.  We were concerned it might be filled with active duty folks living there, but it was only about 20% full. It was quiet except for an occasional train.  We had decent wi-fi and a reliable 2 bar 4G Verizon signal.

It was easy to go for pleasant evening walks around base housing.  In addition, we had the convenience of shopping at the base commissary and BX and even ate at the dining facility (aka “chow hall”). Overall we were quite comfortable.

We raced this Delta Dagger and lost!

We had full hook-ups and were comfortable at Fairchild Air Force Base

Nearby towns...

Spokane WA, population 208,916 and elevation 1,843ft, is just 14 miles northeast of the base and 18 miles from the Washington/Idaho border. The scenic city is located on the Spokane River, west of the Rocky Mountain foothills in eastern Washington.

Spokane has a wide variety of restaurants, stores, and services.  Though we often avoid larger cities, we liked it!

Adventures...

Hanging out with friends...

Our dear friends, Bill and Jen, live in the Spokane area.  They let us have mail forwarded to their house, invited us over, and let us catch up on laundry.  A few years ago they did the entire Pacific Coast Trail so they fully understand the intricacies of living a nomadic life. 

Finally, they grilled us up a scrumptious steak dinner.  We spent hours catching up on all the details of each other’s lives. 

The next day the four of us met Greg, another Germany 7^th Weather Squadron alumnus, at the base dining facility for lunch.  We had not seen each other in 12 years!  Bill and I now have beards but Greg is still proudly serving in the Guard and looks exactly the same.  It was good to catch up with him. 

Tour of Spokane...

Bill and Jen were our guides for a fun tour of Spokane.  We headed downtown and first went to REI.  If we are in a city with our favorite store, we have to visit.

After parking closer to downtown we wandered around Huntington Park and took in the view of the mighty Spokane Falls.  The power of the water (especially this time of the year at peak run off) is just incredible!

Next, they took us to their favorite Asian restaurant, King of Ramen.  The owner trained under a Japanese chef and it is evident from the delicious authentic noodles.

Then we walked around the scenic town. “The spectacular 100-acre Riverfront Park was created for the Expo of 1974, the first environmentally themed World’s Fair. The park features breathtaking views of the roaring Spokane Falls, the historic Great Northern Clocktower, and dozens of public art installments."

Unfortunately, not all of it was open due to construction.  The revitalization project should be complete this fall.

Arleen remembers going to Expo ‘74 as a little girl.  The debut of the Imax movie theater stands out in her memory.  “The original theater, built inside of the United States Pavilion, had a screen that measured 90 ft × 65 ft, completely covering the front wall of the pavilion. It was the largest indoor movie screen at the time and had bigger dimension than a typical drive-in movie screen.”  She remembers “flying through” the Grand Canyon.

She also remembers a carrousel.  So she and Jen recaptured their childhood and went for a ride on the Looff Carrousel that is still there.  The Looff Carrousel dates back to 1909 and “is one of America’s most beautiful and well preserved, hand-carved wooden carousels. It has 54 horses, a giraffe, a tiger and two Chinese dragons, all of which are hand carved.”  But since they were afraid it would be damaged during the Expo the carrousel was briefly closed and refurbished and then reopened again in 1975.

We finished the day off by driving along the Spokane River to Riverside State Park.  We walked across an impressive bridge spanning the swollen river.  Riverside State Park occupies 11,162 acres along the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers just north of Spokane.

“Riverside provides recreational opportunities for almost every type of visitor; from mountain biking to horseback riding, rock climbing and hiking.  Fifty-five miles of trails will keep hikers and mountain bikers busy. The 40-mile, mixed-use Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail extends from Nine Mile Recreation Area east to the Idaho border. In winter, Riverside is a prime recreation hub, boasting some of the best snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling east of the Cascades.”

We extend a special thanks to Bill and Jen for being such great hosts and giving us a great tour of their current home town.

Walk route around Spokane

The Great Northern Clocktower in Riverfront Park

Spokane County Courthouse tower

Bill and Jen at Spokane Falls

Arleen and Jen above the raging Spokane River

The Riverfront Park Carrousel, also called the Looff Carrousel

The bridge over the Spokane River at Riverside State Park, Bowl and Pitcher Area

Then we headed north...

Three days at Curlew State Park WA...

Why we came...

Because friends highly recommended it!

Karen and Garry were generous hosts… thanks!

The campground... 

“Curlew Lake State Park is an 87-acre camping park, 8 miles from the charming gold rush town of Republic. The park has 57 tent spaces, 25 utility spaces, one dump station, two restrooms and four showers.  There are 18 full-hookup sites and seven with water and power only. Maximum site length is 40 feet (limited availability). Most hookups will take a 35-foot camping rig.” 

We had a long, level pull through with a great view of the lake.  We did not have cell phone signal at all nor were we able to get a satellite signal.  Curlew is a great place to disconnect and relax. It was very peaceful.

We had full hook-ups and were very comfortable

We kept the kayaks on the bank.  That’s our little home in the background.

Nearby towns...

Republic WA, population 1,073 and elevation 2,569ft, is 10 miles south of the campground. The little town has kept its early 1900s look and embraced its heritage of mining and logging. It's pretty isolated and has just a few restaurants, stores, and services.

We met fellow travel friends, Garry and Karen, at the Knotty Pine, a yummy eatery.  We were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was and how fresh the ingredients were given the remote location of Republic.

We also visited the local store, Anderson’s Grocery.  They had a surprisingly good selection of foodstuffs and local products.  It seemed most of the people in the grocery store knew each other and were having pleasant conversations… just the way we like it!

 Colville WA, population ~4,800 and elevation 1,614ft, is about 60 miles east and is the main supply and service center in the region.

  
Adventures...

Walks... 
We really enjoyed taking several walks around the park each day.  We saw something different each time on the nearly two mile loop.

Walk route around Curlew Lake State Park

How many deer do you see?

On the lake...
We kept our kayaks on the shore, ready to hop in and paddle around when the urge hit. I could easily go out fishing whenever I felt like it.  Perfect!

“Curlew is only 25 miles from the U.S.- Canada border, the park is named for 5.5-mile-long Curlew Lake, an angler's dream. A fisher's catch might include trout, bass, yellow perch or tiger muskie. Bald eagles, ospreys and herons also like the fishing at Curlew; they live in the neighboring trees and can be seen flying in to pluck a meal from the lake. A heron rookery with active nests is visible from the park.” 

On Friday, we set out on our kayaks.  I tried my luck catching a few of the trout that supposedly live there.  Unfortunately, my Washington fish jinx continued to plague me.  It is time to move on and find dumb trout.  I mean it this time!

Arleen in the meantime took a tour of the southern part of the lake.  She enjoyed watching several birds including two different nesting pairs of osprey and a few heron perched in their rookery.  She also found a log that was crowded with a few dozen Western Painted turtles that had hauled themselves out of the water to bask in the sun.

Arleen's kayak route on Curlew Lake

It's glorious!

Turtles hanging out on a log

It was cool watching the ospreys work on their nest

We found a roosting area for about 10 great blue herons

Bike ride...

My research for things to do in the area drew my attention to the Ferry County Rail Trail.  The scenic trail traverses 25 miles between Republic and Danville.  Most of the trail is still rough with just a couple of short sections being “improved”. “The experience includes scenic views along Curlew Lake and the Kettle River, two former railroad bridges, and a short tunnel cut into the rocky hillside.” We were excited to check it out.

 

We parked at the fairgrounds about 2 miles east of Republic.  Then we hopped on our bikes, crossed the road, and took a right turn on the Rail Trail.   

I have a touring bike and Arleen has a cyclocross bike.  They both have narrow, heavily inflated tires. They are ok on smooth dirt trails, but are brutal on loose gravel or rough trails.  Unfortunately, the “unimproved” trail was brutal.  It was better suited for mountain bikes.

There were areas filled with rocks and other areas of sand that bogged us down.  I stopped after a few teeth-rattling miles to let Arleen catch up.  Her demeanor was NOT good.  While still a little ways away, she yelled, “So, are you enjoying this?!?!”  No I was not!

We turned around and headed back towards the trail head.  At the Y, we took a right and headed towards town.

This 2 mile section of “improved” trail was wide and paved.  It felt like butter, especially after the first section.  There were flora, fauna, and history interpretive signs and benches along the trail.  There was even a nice outhouse at the halfway point.  The trail sits above the road and we were able to get a nice view.

Bike route on the Ferry County Rail Trail near Republic

The trail was too rough for our touring bikes and our bodies!

The short paved section was great

Next...
We had a great week in Kelowna BC.  Then we detoured to Roundup MT for four weeks to help Arleen's mom.  Now we are near Whitefish MT.

Parting shots...

California Quail hung out with us at Fairchild AFB

We didn’t see any cougars but appreciated the informative signs

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