In search of...

No, not the Leonard Nimoy TV show but more of searching for inexpensive (read that free) camping spots locally that we can use when visiting friends and family instead of foisting ourselves on them in their driveways.

Unfortunately while central Washington is known for its outstanding state parks, BLM or other "wild" parks are simply not that prevalent hence the road trip on a semi-sunny Easter day. The goal, identify camping spots that are:

1) easy to get in and out of

2) have a decent or better road

3) are not near off road vehicle trails, shooting ranges or other noisy pursuits

4) are relatively near shopping and friends and family

While the 4 conditions are not all inclusive, they really help in filtering out the outlyers. Granted there are some great secluded sites that we found but the overgrown or pot-hole riddled roads getting into them simply are not worth the potential damage to the motorhome weighed against the monetary savings. A good example is a spot out on a spit of land near the Pot Holes Reservoir. The sage brush was right up to the edge of the road and when we got near the water, the willows and Russian olive trees were just waiting to strip our roof clean. It was a good fishing spot, just not a good motorhome camping spot.

There was a condition that I didn't mention that came into play when we found a spot out in the Dry Falls area. We had a wide road, not over grown and still had trees for shade. The road in was well graded gravel and the dust kick up was minimal. Unfortunately though, the ideal spot wasn't as it rested on a 4% grade making leveling a dicey affair at best. There was a level spot about 1/4 mile away but there were several 4 wheelers being unloaded when we were there - not a good sign.

Why not forest service areas? When we had the little Class C I would have been there without a second thought. Now with the new motorhome the first condition comes into play as I'm still not that proficient in really tight spaces due to a lack of confidence on my part. I'm sure this will improve as I gain more experience but right now fitting in a smaller camping spot for me is like making a square peg fit a round hole.

You may have noticed I haven't mentioned where we did find some spots such as out near Scooteney Reservoir (Bureau of Reclamation park $15/night), Jameson Lake, Banks Lake, Frenchman Hills and the Columbia Basin Wildlife refuges. Sorry, we'll keep those under our hats for a bit longer and perhaps share them round the campfire.

Safe travels y'all.