Girl Camping Girls--Reunited!

Just because the calendar still says 'Winter' doesn't mean we're willing to wait months and months before we can get together and enjoy using our little camping palaces.

Proof: Last weekend, eight Girl Camping Girls thumbed their noses at the calendar and the thermometer with a 'pre-camp' visit to Swiftwater RV Park in White Bird, Idaho. A cold front descended and took away the sunshine, which only allowed us to enjoy a warm fire that much more.

Play time! Early-spring time! A chance to test the equipment and the keep-warm skills!

This area is one of Idaho's banana belts, with hints of spring coming much earlier than in most other parts of the Inland Northwest. We soaked up the sight of 'new green,' from the shoots coming up to the fresh baby leaves on the trees. Some gals saw blossoming fruit trees as they drove down the Salmon River Canyon from Riggins. It sounds like spring here, too. Canadian geese seem to use the Salmon River as a flyway, honking as they cruise the river channel in a northerly direction.

It's always so great to see each other again after the holiday season…here we have Miss Mig and Miss Sherry, in a happy reunion.

After many months of only being able to think about the sight of vintage trailers, it's just plain delightful to be able to walk among them again. Even though they were factory-produced, no two are ever alike at this point in their lives. I'm endlessly engaged by their designs and differences.

One friend came rolling in with this vintage Winnebavo Brave motorhome--my first to see in person. I wasn't able to step back back enough to get a silhouette shot, but trust me, the retro styling on this vehicle is wow-worthy. When it goes down the road, you can't take your eyes off it.

For meals, we took turns providing main dishes and extras, with individual contributions to a community bar. Ditto on the decorations: They're a form of art-on-the-fly, with one person fetching this and another going for that as the whole scene evolves.

Friends at the campfire circle--in itself, one of the very best reasons to go camping, if you ask me!

An Experiment in Long-Distance Camping

In our everyday world, Mr. Ed (hubby dearest) and I have a winter environment that looks like this. Not quite what you'd picture as camping-friendly. We live in the northern part of Idaho, where it stays this way for quite some time.

So this year, as an experiment, we decided to try something that we hoped would help to make the winter pass faster. We hauled our vintage Airstream 120 miles away from home, to a lower-elevation RV park that stays open year-round. It's right along the mighty Salmon River, in some incredible Idaho country.

See what I mean? It's amazing in all directions.

 The trailer really serves as a cabin, and is warm and cozy in all weathers. At this locale, it's rare for the snow level to come all the way down to the river, but on one of our visits, it did. We didn't care. We just snuggled in and watched another movie instead of doing something outside.

Our latest visit coincided with Groundhog's Day, also the midway point of winter. Once there, we found a hidden pocket of spring.

It had been months since I'd been able to sit outside, soak up rays, and put something pretty out on a table.

I opened up doors and windows on the old girl and let her breath in some great fresh air under a perfect blue sky.

We walked along the river and scouted out little beaches.

We watched steelhead fishermen go by in their boats.

This was our first morning view out the back window of the Airstream.

By the time we had to drive back up to the snow country, we felt like we'd truly had a break and an escape.

Is the long-distance camping experiment working out so far? You bet--I'll even drink a toast to it!