What's Out Your Back Window?

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Great sunset pic Lorraine! We were at Snowy CG 3 years ago and got smoked out due to an arson fire. Wanna go back!

May run into you here, then, as the 2 days I'll be here won't be enough for sure. I'm already making notes for next trip. If you don't need utilities, & like cooler weather, the Sugarloaf CG is just great (a NFS CG reservable on recreation.gov).

Happy trails, Rousse!

[Mike G]

I forgot to post this when I got back from my June trip to Michigan. Here is my spot on Lake Charlevoix at Whiting Park.

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Am mostly staying at higher/cooler elevations this trip, but am here for 1 night. It's pretty hot here, but also pretty, in that rugged western way.

[Don Flamenco]

Enjoying this view for the last few days.

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Don Flamenco

Enjoying this view for the last few days.

Beautiful. Where are you?

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Arrived at Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area today, & scored a great site in Horsehoe Bend Marina Campground. View makes up for the high temp of 102* - 15* above normal. Also saw 3 of the wild mustangs this evening; Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range overlaps with the Rec Area. Am mostly staying in higher cooler areas, but wanted to take a quick look at Big Horn Canyon while in the area.

[iamunique127]

Originally Posted by Lorraine Pittsburgh

Arrived at Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area today, & scored a great site in Horsehoe Bend Marina Campground.

There is actually a marina in country like that?

It doesn't look like you'd see a marina for thousands of miles!

Beautiful though.

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

There is actually a marina in country like that?

It doesn't look like you'd see a marina for thousands of miles!

Beautiful though.

Yes, it always seem incongruous to find a reservoir in these desert-type environments. This "marina" is really just a boat ramp with a shop/restaurant there. Besides trails, a scenic drive & the boating, there are also wild horses in the section of the Rec Area that overlaps with the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. Glad I came for a couple of days in spite of the heat. Scenery today was even prettier with the early morning light on the hills.

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

I'm camping for a few days at Mission Reservoir, near St Ignatius, MT. It's on the Flathead Reservation, so it was necessary to obtain a recreation permit ($100) + a camping stamp ($100); these allow you access for a calendar year, so a bargain if you come often or stay a while, but pretty pricey for a few days boon-docking. With this view out my back window, I splurged.

Only disappointment is that the hike to the waterfall is heavily trafficked by grizzlies, so, being solo, I decided not to do this. The St Ignatius Mission Church is amazing, the National Bison Range was interesting, & there are wildlife refuges, a Native cultural center, & such in the area. Just watching the wildlife & changing light around the reservoir in the mornings & evenings was well worth the price & time to get here. Highly recommended.

[MrLynn]

Lovely photos, Lorraine (as I might have expected from someone quoting Thomas Sowell).

[SageRpod]

We were up in the Pecos Wilderness again this weekend. Making up for lost time since it was closed for 2 years when the NFS decided to burn down 400K acres, but that's another story.

Lots of bear scat on the wilderness trails. Saw plenty of back country campers, both on foot and horseback, most packing sidearms. We both always carry bear spray as summer wanes and the bears begin to fatten up. This year especially since the drought is driving black bear further down the mountains.

[WillyB]

While playing cards sitting at the dinette in the AC while it drizzled outside at Campsite #1 (our backyard) yesterday Momma and her two fawns stopped by for a quick lunch.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by WillyB

While playing cards sitting at the dinette in the AC while it drizzled outside at Campsite #1 (our backyard) yesterday Momma and her two fawns stopped by for a quick lunch.

The deer are real pretty this time of year. Nice photo. We’ve taken a drive in the early evening several times in the last couple weeks. Saw 21 a couple nights ago. Usually see some other wildlife too. Saw an all black grey squirrel ( Scurius carolinensis) Saturday night in the Palisades-Kepler State Park. Camping was about full with the last hurrah before all the schools go back. Then our camping season starts in earnest.
Iowa Dave

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by SageRpod

We were up in the Pecos Wilderness again this weekend. Making up for lost time since it was closed for 2 years when the NFS decided to burn down 400K acres, but that's another story.

Lots of bear scat on the wilderness trails. Saw plenty of back country campers, both on foot and horseback, most packing sidearms. We both always carry bear spray as summer wanes and the bears begin to fatten up. This year especially since the drought is driving black bear further down the mountains.

We were just there a couple of weeks ago staying at Jack's Creek Campground. Your photo's look like hike we did on Hamilton's Mesa. We saw several piles of bear scat as well. We were surprised to learn that there is no water at Jack's Creek...not sure why they shut it down, but not a big problem. I was able to go to the ranger station at Pecos and fill some Jerry cans. Just glad I had a full tank heading up there.

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by GregColdewey

We were just there a couple of weeks ago staying at Jack's Creek Campground. Your photo's look like hike we did on Hamilton's Mesa. We saw several piles of bear scat as well. We were surprised to learn that there is no water at Jack's Creek...not sure why they shut it down, but not a big problem. I was able to go to the ranger station at Pecos and fill some Jerry cans. Just glad I had a full tank heading up there.

Yep, Jack's Creek, one of our favorite spots. They shut down the water works there about 3 or 4 years ago because the holding tank leaked so badly. The pictures were taken on the Jack's Creek trail leading to Pecos Baldy. We also hiked part of Windsor trail out of Cowles. Lot's of bear scat on the trail there as well. We're heading back in September. Can't get enough of that place.

[emers382]

First day of our five week trip to the Martines. Rsined most of the day trailer is filthy but staying at a COE just 218 river miles from the Mississippi headwaters near Grand Rapids MN. Pokegama Dam. Sun is out now.

[sherminator]

We hadn't camped here in almost 30 years, but we put it back in the rotation this year. Quiet, rustic campground with one communal water pump, several very clean vault toilets, and the small, but pretty American River running alongside it. Most all the sites are well shaded, but we got one next to the large meadow, and received a lot of morning sun to shine on the solar panels.
The campground is close to Mt Rainier NP, making it a good alternative to camping in the park. It is located on WA State Hwy 410, which gets virtually no commercial truck traffic, and not much passenger traffic, so the road noise is low despite the campground being along the road. In fact, eastbound incoming air traffic to SeaTac gets routed almost directly (far) overhead, so commercial jets (and the occasional hot-dogging F/A18s from NAS Whidbey) are the loudest sounds you will hear, although coyotes are in the competition.
The large meadow at the east end, normally cloudless skies, 3500ft elevation, and remoteness from any towns make it a good star viewing location.
The picture of Mt Rainier is taken from the Naches Peak trail, 11 miles up the road at Chinook Pass, on the eastern boundary of the National Park.

[Ron in BC]

Being an old war bird fan I was disappointed when I was in Mesa at the CAF and didn't get to fly in the B17 Sentimental Journey. Always wanted to fly in a flying fortress. Then a few weeks ago, at the last minute, I found out that it was in Penticton, BC. But it was a 300 mile drive in the middle of summer, good luck finding a last minute place to stay.

I was delighted to see that it and a B25 would be at Arlington Municipal Airport in WA. It's an easy drive and one I've made many, many times. I managed to get a ticket in the bombardier seat in the nose cone, twice the price, but worth it to me.

So, down on Friday, campsites on one side of the airport and parking for hundreds of cars.

Eagerly watched the first flights take off on Saturday, my flight was on Sunday. Old car show, balloon glow and drone show. I'm amazed at the co-ordination of the moving drones.

Ron

[MrLynn]

Ron, no shot from the front window of your perch in the 17?

[Chris R]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Being an old war bird fan I was disappointed when I was in Mesa at the CAF and didn't get to fly in the B17 Sentimental Journey. Always wanted to fly in a flying fortress. Then a few weeks ago, at the last minute, I found out that it was in Penticton, BC. But it was a 300 mile drive in the middle of summer, good luck finding a last minute place to stay.

Ron

Maybe not out the trailer window, but over our house in Victoria, July 29.