4th of July Camping

 We celebrated the 4th of July at Heyburn State Park, Idaho, and at the creamery and city park in Harrison, Idaho.

This has been a traditional holiday get away with family friends for nearly 21 consecutive years. When we began camping together our activities include, biking, hiking, and swimming, even paddle boating, and some of us tubing down a river once. Conversations were about families, and dreams/plans of the future. We looked for connection, family friendly fun, and recreation. 

In late Spring 2019, we purchased a Jayco Jay Flight Baja edition 22" trailer due to my compromised immunity resulting from cancer treatment. My oncologist strongly advised me against using community bathrooms and community showers. if I wanted to continue camping. Consequently, the trailer moved up on our priority list so we could continue to participate.  

At that time, we never anticipated Covid 19, but the trailer was a well-timed purchase.  If we had waited another year, camping trailers would have been pricier and scarcer, as many people nationwide took to vacationing in travel trailers and RV's the summer of 2020. Some people chose to boondock but others like Van and myself, needed electricity to be successful, and access to on-site sewer was highly valued bonus.  Campsite reservations became a highly valued commodity.  While previously we could easily secure a reservation in November for the following July 4th, we now had to secure our reservations earlier at a higher cost with fewer options.  

Our first outing with the camper (aka TJ) was a solo trip to Priest Lake, Idaho.  The site was lovely, but the area is too popular to negotiate multiple sites in close proximity to one another near the 4th of July.

We quickly established preference for Heyburn and Farragut State Parks for beauty, ease of use, and proximity.    We often forgot some essential and camping closer to home allowed us a quick trip home to retrieve said essential and be back at camp within a couple of hours.

Van is reluctant to tow the trailer over mountain passes leading to the WA and Oregon Coastlines.  Considering our Honda Ridgeline (Tula) pulls the maximum weight with our trailer (TJ), it seems preferable to go easy and not strain any of the parties (spouse, trailer, or truck).

I have no desire to dry camp on dry land in a dry climate, so that eliminated most of central and eastern WA.  A trip to Soap Lake (Central WA) was nearly ruined by smoke from wildfires and forgetting a necessary part of my c-pap machine at home.

We are looking for beauty, cleanliness, and relaxation now rather than adventure.

We have hung up our bicycles, helmets, and winter ski equipment due to lung and balance issues.  It's taken some time to come to terms with those changes, and we still occasionally dream of being able to resume these favorite activities.  

We enjoy conversation, board/card games, listening to live performances on Saturday afternoons in the park. We laugh at our conversations over health, healthcare, retirement, and guessing who will outlive one another.  We eat less food or at least prepare less food with fewer frills. We are fortunate to enjoy a trailer camper and friends who still appear to like our company even if we are charged a newly adopted "out of state" residence fee. 

And we continue to meet "new friends" at these parks.  At Farragut this year we learned about the Art Salvage Spokane where we can donate craft and school supplies for local artists, crafters, and teachers through speaking to a woman from Spokane, who had a friendly and obedient dog on a leash as she walked by our campsite.  This year I re-established a connection with Sarah Cottam who I met at each Heyburn's Rocky point beach last summer. Sarah is leader in a local recovery church group that gathers frequently in faith to support sobriety.  Her son, Noah, experiences autism, another touchpoint with my former work at DSHS Developmental Disabilities.  The night of the fourth I heard their group singing songs of faith and patriotism that warmed my heart as I retired to sleep.  I would so like to connect my son with her group who gathers often in a community of faith, friends, and sober fun. They camp, they go on cruises, hold regular group activities in addition to worship, and each supports each other in their recovery and sobriety. I think my son would enjoy it without the pressure he feels through our faith choice. 

As I have started to notice some changes in my body once again...coughing, hyperglycemia episodes, increased mouth breathing when I am concentrating on other activities, tightness in my chest, etc. my thoughts have occasionally wandered back to November and December 2024 when cancer remission seemed bleak.  I have generally felt been happier in my own skin, and aside from the Juneteenth "freak out week" more at peace the last few months than I have felt for a long time.  I love being able to choose my schedule and activities, work in the yard, visit with church members, participating in missionary discussions, attend the temple, take a quilt class, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, clean our home a bit every day, be more attentive and closer to my husband. I like looking at clouds in the sky, leaves on trees, bumble bees on out lavender, etc. I feel loved and hope to share love with others for as long as I live.