Moyie Crossing

Moyie (River) Crossing

Sculptures by Jeffery Funks at the Moyie Crossing picnic area and wildlife viewing areas. 

Pacific Gas and Transmission run a pipe line through Boundary County that called for a dozen crossings on the Moyie River.  P.G.T. was careful to minimize damage and preserve and, in some cases, improve habitat and recreational opportunities.  The Bonners Ferry Ranger District had a vision for crossing No. 4, a park combining picnic areas, wildlife viewing areas and, for the first time in forest service history, sculptures.

Robinson Lake Bonners Ferry ID

I have posted a few pictures of the Robinson Lake area.  I have just started exploring the area...there will be more to follow along with a few more details about the area and my experiences as a CampHost.

A view along Hwy 95 north of Bonners Ferry about 8 miles from Robinson Lake Campground

Robinson Lake off the fishing dock with the edge of swimming dock on left side.

The other end of Robinson Lake

A view of the trail leading from campground to Robinson Lake

My home for the summer at Robinson Lake Campground

Gillon Creek Trail at campground

Gillon Creek Trail at campground

Gillon Creek Trail at campground

Gillon Creek Trail at campground

Gillon Creek Trail at campground

Part of the Day Use Area of the campground 

                                                         Yellow Skunk Cabbage

It has skunk like odor to draw flies as pollinators.  It is edible but you may experience a burning sensation in the mouth if eaten raw.  If roasted/dried it removes the burning sensation.  The yellow skunk cabbage is related to taro a staple for the Polynesians.  It is also eaten by black bears.

                                                                         Trillium

It can be boiled as a green and eaten.  Some Western Indian’s used it as a presumed aid to childbirth with a nick name of Birthroot.

Another view of the campground

Time to Head West for Camphost Position

Sunday 4/30/17 location Brighton MI...today is the time to pack up and relocate to Robinson Lake Campground in Bonners Ferry ID.  The schedule for camp-hosting is early May thru early September.  Looking forward to the new experience as a campground host.

My stay in Michigan this spring was more about repairs to my home than relaxing.  It was still a great visit spending time with family and friends.  The camper repairs have been completed thanks to Amish Family RV Services and Forest River...repairs and rework will take a post of it's own.

Review of Feldman Chevrolet Service Center New Hudson MI

The rating are based 1-5 stars with 5 being the top rating.

Customer Service 5 stars

Service Department 5 stars

Customer Lounge 4 stars

I arrived at Feldman Chevrolet in New Hudson MI 7:30 AM without an appointment.  My 2012 Silverado 3500 was experiencing air bag problems  “Service Air Bag” notice on my display was illuminated.  I was told that projected time to diagnose the problem could take a couple of hours I was offered a ride (home) if I wanted one or any other local establishment.  In approximately 1 hour my Service Advisor Anthony informed me that they had found the problem and corrected it and would be covered with the basic diagnosis charge.  They found high resistance in an electrical plug for the passenger present sensor….Fast service with great customer service.

The Customer Lounge was in the showroom area.  The seating was spacious with both tables and lounge chairs with movable mini tables attached to several of the lounge chairs.  The area was clean and orderly with newspaper and magazines for reading.  The lounge was actually two separate areas with a TV in each area when I was there one TV was on News, and the other area was Sports related. There was an area with toys of the little ones.

They had fresh brewed coffee available.  There was complementary water and fresh popcorn in the lounge area.

To go along with the coffee, popcorn, and small bottles of complementary water there are vending machines with a variety of drinks and snacks.

They have free WiFi that seems to be more than adequate for checking email, and doing some web surfing.   The WiFi was not password protected you did not have to look or ask for the password just start using it.

They offered a shuttle service but why leave coffee and popcorn with TV to watch J

I would return to Feldman Chevrolet of New Hudson and recommend the service department to my friends.

..................Photos from the Past....................

A few Pictures taken in Arizona last year

Arizona Desert Sun Set Feb 2016

Arizona Desert Sun Set Feb 2016

Cibola Wildlife Refuge Arizona  Jan 2016

Cibola Wildlife Refuge Arizona  Jan 2016

Brighton Bishop Lake Campground MI Review

Review: Bishop Lake Campground

Time: Early April still in winter conditions no water

Location: Brighton MI

Review: 4 thumbs up out of 5

Brighton Bishop Lake Campground is one of the few in Michigan that is open year round.  The Modern section of Brighton Bishop Lake Campground has 144 sites in two sections upper and lower section.  This review is for the month of March/April.  As of 5 April 2017 sites 108-144 in the lower section are the only ones open.  The dump station is open without water.  All sites in this area has electrical outlets with potable water outlets in several locations in the loop (potable water is currently off) no sewage connections available.

The area has received a lot of rain and several of the sites are pretty wet.  I stayed in site 126 which was high and dry like the majority of the sites.  All sites were grassy and somewhat level with plenty of space between you and your neighbors.  All the roads in the campground are paved with ample room for big rigs to maneuver through.  Most if not all of the sites are back in.

The restrooms and showers were open they are located in a heated building located on the lower loop within walking distance from all the camp sites.  There are showers accessible without entering the actual building and these were all closed. 

Bishop Lake Campground is part of Brighton Recreational Area during the main season they have modern campsite, rustic campsites, and cabins for rent.  There are several trails for hiking and mountain bike riding.  The campground fills up on the weekend and thins out on Sunday afternoon.  During the off season there are plenty of available sites but during the summer an advance registration would be a smart choice.

Bishop Lake

Sun Rise Bishop Lake Campground

Sun Rise Bishop Lake Campground

Sun Rise Bishop Lake Campground

Bishop Lake

Alaska Trip 2017 Cancelled

One of my bucket list items “Work Camping” or “Camp Host Position” just worked it way to the top of the list.  I have been looking for the right position and I think I have found it in Bonners Ferry Idaho. 

I have applied for Camp Host position in the past but they were filled before the park received my application.  My criteria was to have hiking, backpacking, fly fishing, and a place to ride my bicycle preferably in or close to the Rocky Mountains.

I was looking at my options to possibly camp host in Alaska this summer when I stumbled on several listing for campground host for USDA NFS in Idaho.  In lieu of submitting applications as in the past I started calling the listed phone numbers for the campground managers.  The first couple I called I had to leave messages so I thought no luck here.  About an hour after I left a message for Robinson Lake near Bonners Ferry ID I got a call back.  The park manager and I had a short discussion on my qualification and basic duties of the campground host ending with him asking me to go online and submit an application. 

Within minutes of submitting the application I got one email telling me no position available and another telling me my application was forwarded to Robinson Lake.  I thought same as in the past…then I receive another email from the manager I spoke with confirming he received my application.

Within 2 hours of submitting I received another email from Robinson Lake campground manager asking for references.  Later that same day I got a second call from the campground manager after he had checked out my references with an offer for the Campground Host Position at Robinson Lake for the summer.  We discussed duties in some detail and expectations for both of us.  My official dates are 25 May thru 5 September with the options of arriving 1 May and leaving 30 September.

No Alaska pictures this year but plenty of pictures of my adventures as a campground host at Robinson Lake, Bonners Ferry Idaho to come.

The pictures below are off the following site http://www.city-data.com/album/album-Bonners-Ferry-Idaho.html

Robinson Lake

Kootenia River Valley

Kootenia River

Review of Feldman Chevrolet Service Center Livonia MI

Current Location: Livonia MI

Next stop: Brighton State Park MI

Overall Rating: Very Good Experience Great Service 

I arrived a head of the 7am appointment and waited for the service department to open.  At 7AM sharp they opened and took me right in.  Within an hour I was talking with a technician explaining what had happen and what type fuel and DEF I had been using.

The Customer Lounge was in the same area as the cashier office.  The seating was spacious with both tables and lounge chairs with movable mini tables attached to several of the lounge chairs.  The area was clean and orderly with newspaper and magazines for reading along with new on the TV.  There was an area with toys of the little ones.  There was a large display screen that gave status of vehicles in the service area.

They had fresh brewed coffee not only did they have creamer and sugar there were several favors of coffee syrup available.  There was complementary water and fresh popcorn in the lounge area.  The coffee was good I had several cups thinking about taking a morning walk while staying with my daughter Christina and stopping in for coffee.

To go along with the coffee, popcorn, and small bottles of complementary water there are vending machines with a variety of drinks and snacks.

They have free WiFi that seems to be more than adequate for checking email, and doing some web surfing.   The WiFi was not password protected you did not have to look or ask for the password just start using it.

They offered a shuttle service but why leave great coffee and popcorn with TV to watchJ

10:45 repairs completed and ready for pickup.  When I got there my Service Advisor Don asked if I would like to speak with Bill the technician about the repairs.  I met with Bill and he was very informative on the test and actions he took to correct the issue with DEF quality.

I took my 2012 Silverado Duramax in for “Diesel Exhaust Fluid of Low Quality” message I received on my dash display.  I also cleared a P2201 NOx Sensor code a couple of days ago with my new fancy code reader?  So it looked like clearing the code may had made things worse????  In the end I found that clearing the code had no adverse effect on the truck.  The problem was corrected with a few test to confirm my DEF was not contaminated then a forced regen (a soot cleaning process) and an update to the ECM (engine control module).

Bottom line the customer lounge gets top rating, the service gets top rating, and customer care also gets top rating.  

Elliott's Landing and Campground Review

Current Location: Elliott's Landing and Campground Pinewood SC
Next Stop:  Ridgeville SC early next week

Elliott’s Landing is a small private campground with 48 site most were 50 amp service all with water and sewage.  They are located on Lake Marion near Rimini SC part of the Santee Cooper Lakes System.  It was established in 1945 when the Santee Cooper Lakes were flooded making it the oldest campground on the lakes.

The sites are all full hook ups with plenty of space for my 33 foot fifth wheel and tow vehicle.  The road into the campground is about 1 mile of gravel road with potential of plenty of dust and or a little messy if there is a heavy rain.   The sites are level grassy pads with a sandy base some shady sites with most being limited shade.  The roads in the campground are easy to maneuver for a big rig.  The sites on the lake are pull in and back out the other sites are all pull thru.  They have a 300 foot fishing dock, a boat launch, a general store and two bath houses.  I watched my brother catching some large shell crackers and catfish off the bank at his camp site.  During the spring and summer it is reported that the dock is a fishing hot spot with plenty of action.

The Verizon Wireless reception was good with a solid 4G connection.  Over the air TV reception was good I was able to pick up all the major networks and more.

I stayed at Elliott’s Landing March 2017 for several weeks.  I found it to be a great place to stay.  A lot of the sites were long term residents but only a few of them actually stayed in the campground the others showed up with their boats for the weekends to enjoy some fishing and relaxing time.  The area is a little remote with the nearest shopping area a 20 mile drive to Manning. 

Sunrise at Elliott's Landing

Sunrise at Elliott's Landing

Sites on the left are on the Lake where you pull in and back out.  

The sites on the right are pull thru

Sunset at Elliott's Landing

Sunset at Elliott's Landing

Sunrise with a view of Fishing Dock

Entrance to Elliott's Landing a long retired General Store

Strawberry Jam

Current location: Elliott's Landing and Campground Pinewood SC
Next Stop: Ridgeville SC 3/13/17

Okay I have a pressure canner and been successful with canning salmon, beef, and chicken.  I now think I have this canning thing under control so why not make some strawberry jam…I done my research and talked with my tech support (my daughter Christina) and figured this will be easy.

The first part getting the strawberries was fun and easy with a trip to a local berry farm.  I visited Hickory Bluff Berry Farm where my daughter-in-law Karen works with her parents Kathy and Walter who own and operate Hickory Bluff Berry Farm.  I always enjoy visiting the farm the last time I visited I assisted with sorting and packing some of the best broccoli I have ever had…yes it was fresh out the field.  If you have not had fresh cut broccoli you are missing a treat.  Back to the strawberries I was there early in the morning for their first picking of the season.  Like the broccoli there is nothing better than strawberries fresh from the patch.  Being the great people they are they let me help with the sorting and packing of the strawberries but in turn they had to listened to some of my stories from the road.  A great day at the farm. 

They offer U-pick your own strawberries or if you are in a rush they have some freshly picked and packaged available.  Strawberries are the first in with blackberries and blueberries to follow as we get into spring and summer.  They also have local honey and jams along with other farm produce as the seasons come in.

The next step process the berries and make the jam.  I followed the well established process of cleaning, mashing, and cooking the strawberries then sealed them with a boiling water bath.  The resulting jam was very good with lots of flavor but it was more of a syrup than a jam.  Back to my tech support and more reading.  It appears I did not understand what a rolling boil looked like and did not get the jam up to the required 220 degrees.  I needed a larger sauce pan to allow a more violent boiling without over flow.  The second batch turned out great with it setting to a preserve as required.  The first batch is not a lost its just a matter of recooking the batch and resealing it in a boiling water bath.  I opted to recook the first batch in small batches as I needed the jam and place the reprocessed jam in the refrigerator in lieu of resealing it.  I started with 5 pounds of strawberries and made 4 pints and 8 half pints of jam with berries left to allow some snacking of the sweet berry.

The Heart of Operations at Hickory Bluff Berry Farm

Some fun for the little one's when they are not picking berries

No I was not out there picking my own someone had to take the pictures

Time to sort and pack the berries

Andy put that camera down and get back to work

Kathy admiring the variety of the berries

Mother Nature is amazing

The crew hard at work

Now it is time to start the jam...clean the berries

Prepare for the mashing

Now they are ready for the stove Lemon juice and pectin added

4 cups of berries 1/4 cup lemon juice and pectin per the package

Bring to a boil and add sugar all at once.  

Looks like a lot of sugar, that is because it is a lot.

 7 cups of the sweet stuff

Processed and sealed cooling down.

It may seem like a lot of work and it was time consuming

but just hanging out at the farm with Walter, Kathy, and Karen 

was a joy in itself...but the end product was the icing on the cake.