Saturday, August 17, 2013

A Blogger First for ME

That last few days have been a milestone for me.
I met up with blogger friends.  Brian blogs a couple of blogs.  I have followed have followed Brian's Blog, "Goin RV Boondocking", since before I started full timing.  I have enjoyed his RV/boondocking tips, occasion rants, live life with all the gusto you can muster approach to living, while he sprinkles in a bit of down to earth cowboy humor.

When I heard they were in the area we arranged a meet up.

When I knocked on there door there was no question I was in the right place.  The people occupants greeted me with western hospitality.  The canines not so much!  They certainly are a protective couple of dogs but definitely sweethearts when you get to know them. (The people were were great too!!)

I found a site and set up and before long they were down for a visit.


He is the first RV Blogger I have met so I can't make any generalities, but I can say there never seemed to be lulls in the conversation.   They came along on an adventure with me while I continued my search for Petit Lake.  (He wrote about it here http://daily-blog.rv-boondocking-the-good-life.com/2013/08/huckleberry-rustlers-strike-in-northern.html).      

Not only did we find the elusive Petit Lake on this adventure but we found huckleberries too.
Petite Lake is a serene and pretty a little pond that you will ever find.


 


The marsh seems to be settling into the shoreline and someday this will be another mountain meadow, but for today it is a destination worthy of an explorer on a summers day.
 We had lunch on this bench left at this campsite by previous campers.

If excitement for you is watching fish jump and dragonflies flitting from reed to reed and smelling the deep forest of pungent bark, punctuated with buzzing bees. Or if you just enjoy peace and quiet so the rattlings in your head come to a ever so slow end....This is the place for you.

But don't ask the ranger how to find it.... I am sure it is a deeply guarded secret designed to save the spot for the stubbornly diligent or the rest seeking ranger.  I hit it right on the third day after finding some roadside travelers in the mountains who described how to find it.

Yup, my sweet granddaughter had it nailed, it on the road 311c....the one you wanted me to try (don't bother looking on your fancy map, it's not there). There are no leveled, graveled spots here.  And it is probably not for your fancy RV (or any other RV for that matter).  But it is primitive bliss with a healthy dose of real WILD life.



Even the spots where roads are plowed shut go on to live another way another day.  This plowed in road now sports a daisy patch.  So what else was I to do... I stopped to pick some wild flowers.

While driving, I described to Brian and Heidi how to find the perfect huckleberry patch.  You look for them in a fairly sunny spot, often in  an area previously cleared by logging or a fire.  Often you will find thimbleberries (like a wild raspberry with flat big leaves) nearby ripening at about the same time.  Due to my hip bothering me, I also wanted it to be on a fairly level area.

 BUT THAT WAS NOT TO BE.

Here is the spot that we found our precious cargo.


Here they are.... and I described the location..... except that it was on the side of a mountain;
  But of course!!
 
It is easy to overlook huckleberries as they are located on the underbelly of the bush.  The best approach is to start down hill and work your way up the hill so that you can look up to see the bumper crop.  These little gems sell for $40 a gallon.

Huckelberry pancakes and syrup 
Brian and Heidi and I spent the rest of our time creating concoctions of huckleberry magic to consume.  Huckleberry ice cream with huckleberry syrup, Huckleberry pancakes, huckleberry drinks for happy hour....  Four packed days of huckleberry madness.
I shall for ever be ruined for blueberries.



    Daisies in the vase handpainted  by Hailey.

Happy Trails Brian and Heidi

 

5 comments:

  1. I enjoy Brian's blog, too. So nice that you go to meet them. As you meet more bloggers along your journey you will find it's like seeing old friends after many years. There is always so much to talk about.
    Your huckleberry creations look wonderful!

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  2. YEAH! you found your Huckleberries. Pancakes look so good.

    To bad your hip is being a problem.

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  3. Great entry as usual and love your beautiful photos! Huckleberries are definitely a favorite of ours too! I think this must be a great year for huckleberries. We were up by Mt. Adams in the Gifford Pinchot National forest this last week and the berries were everywhere. YUM!

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  4. Well... No One has ever accused me of letting their ears get empty. If I don't have an Oh-pinyun on something... why hell! I'll invent one on the spot! :)

    Was a fine couple of days of conversation... a couple more and we'd have cured ALL the ills of the world! Maybe even our Huckleberry Shortage!

    See ya down the road sometime... somewhere!

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