From the Traveling Harrington’s.
Please email Olivia@bobheck.com or fredharrington@yahoo.com with comments.
Thursday, August 14, found us rolling along
more wheat fields down Hwy 95. We stopped at the Nez Perce National Park information center and found that Henry & Eliza Spalding were the first white people to come (as missionaries) to this area. The museum had clothing from the Nez Perce and this is the clothing we think of with Indian Women. Beautifully beaded soft skin dresses. (Someone please let Peggy Spalding know of this entry. Her email keeps bouncing back.)
We followed the Salmon River and the Little Salmon up through a canyon then jumped over and down the Weiser River canyon to Cambridge. Along the way we saw signs for a fruit stand and finally found the stand, so we stopped. We found REAL tomatoes and REAL peaches. They had samples out and each of us ate several samples of each. Then we bought a basket of peaches and four large tomatoes. After we were 20 miles down the road Olivia said, “We should have bought a lug of those tomatoes!”
We passed some unusual haystacks which we later decided were Alphafa.We stopped in Cambridge for mail (it hadn’t arrived) and Fred noticed a nail in one of the trailer tires. We asked and found a tire store and sure enough we needed to replace two of the tires. After 13,000 miles on old tires we guess we can’t complain. Now we have 3 new tires and an older one that looks nearly new.
Leaving Cambridge on Hwy 71, we headed to the Snake River and Hell’s Canyon. We wound around hills and canyons and down a long incline 25 miles to Woodhead camp ground on Brownlee Lake. Cambridge is semi-arid, but has water for irrigation. The crops (mostly hay) looked lush. As we approached Woodhead we noticed a change in the vegetation. The pines disappeared. Farming activity gave way to ranching. The grass was a dead brown. We passed a sign noting the elevation of 4100 feet. It was down hill from there. Woodhead is like an oasis. The campground is irrigated. There are hardwood and pine tree, as well as green grass. What a contrast to surrounding area. There are four of these campgrounds on three Snake River lakes. Idaho Power created these campgrounds with paved sites, water and of course electricity. Idaho Power has a fantastic policy in these campgrounds. NO RESERVING! No holding spots. If a spot is empty it's yours. This is so great after being on the road all day. We found a nice spot with good shade for this campground.We were exhausted after the over 200 mile drive and were sure glad we had left over pot roast, tomatoes and peaches for supper. YUM! We were also glad our trailer had an air conditioner. It is very hot in the canyon. The high today was 99.
Friday, August 15 we slept until we wanted to get up and played lazy all morning. There is a big family here occupying maybe 7 camp-spots. They have been coming here for 30 years for 2 weeks each summer. They stopped to ask us how we ended up here at Brownlee. The implication was this park was a secrete just for locals we couldn’t possibly know about it. They were very nice. We explained we don’t travel the main roads and Olivia’s parents had written about being here 32 years ago (with the Frische’s shortly after leaving Rebecca’s house in Bellevue Washington.) This was also the same year they took Angie with them. They were amazed because this is definitely a place you have to know about to find. We have seen only one other out-of-state plate.
The big family had little motorized scooters and they scoot all over the campground from one family to the next. Since it is a little hilly here we can see why they have them.
After noon we drove down the river, visiting each lake, Brownlee, Oxbow and Hell’s Canyon Dams. We visited each of the other campgrounds and decided Hell’s Canyon Lake Camp Ground was probably the nicest. It had parallel parking along the lake with large Cottonwoods for shade and each trailer faced the lake and grass down to the water.
We visited the information center and found out about the jet boat trips down the river through the gorge. This sounded a lot more interesting than the trips from Lewiston. Only two hours to see the deepest part of the canyon for only $45. However the road trip to the take off spot was so scenic we decided not to take the boat trip. 
While looking at this side canyon, we did meet a couple from Washington who were leaving to be on the river three nights on their own. They said there are class 5 rapids where they were going. We thought of the Fouts and Daniels and wondered if this was where they departed for their float trip of the Snake several years ago. 
The drive back was even more scenic.
While we were on this drive we stopped in 100 degree heat to pick Elderberries. (The tree. Blackberries on the ground) There is a story behind this. When Muddie and Cecil were first married and Cecil was in the service during WW II, there was a broadway play and later a movie called, “Arsenic and Old Lace.” This was their favorite play/movie and any time they could see a version they did. This rubbed off on Olivia. In the play the two old ladies offered lonely old men with no families some of their special Elderberry Wine. What they didn’t tell the men was they had put in “just in a touch of arsenic”. Therefore putting these men out of their lonely misery. Then they were buried in the basement.Elderberry has touched these memories. When Muddie and Cecil were camped here in August 1976 they picked elderberries and made jelly. Therefore to carry out the family tradition we picked a gallon bucket of elderberries. We will make jam without arsenic!
This is the Wood Head campground from the road, the Magic Carpet is on the middle level, under the blue roof and behind a tree.
We decided to have veggies this night and cut into Doug’s tomatoes they had given us when they weren’t quite ready. OH, MAN! Talk about good. We could each eat a plate full. Too bad only two were ready to be picked when we were there. Thanks Sharon and Doug. We also thought we had missed the late June early July veggies, but we found them here in August. We had little new potatoes-dilled, corn on cob, tomatoes, onions, avocados, and asparagus with parmesan. YUM!
Saturday, August 16, We drove into Cambridge (20 miles) to pick up mail and go to the little farmers market. NO mail, so we called Angie and sure enough she forgot to mail it! We forgave her, then went to the Farmer’s Market. There were four vendors there and they were closing up shop. One lady said she had some tomatoes that were not ripe so we followed her home to get a few. We will be patience while the ripen.
Back at the trailer, Olivia made 9 small jars of Elderberry Jam while Fred slaved in the hot sun to remove the tar from the Suburban. We were ready to put this place in the history books. It was 100 degrees and no wind. Thank goodness for air conditioning in the trailer. After dark a breeze picked up and did cool things off a little.
Please email Olivia@bobheck.com or fredharrington@yahoo.com with comments.
Love to all,
Fred & Olivia
