A Spokane contractor I worked with on a project once described Priest Lake to me as “heaven on earth”, so when I saw that there was a lakefront site available there for two nights during our week in Idaho, I snagged it and asked Mitch to pack his tent and sleeping bags before leaving Portland. It’s a bit of a trek up to Lionhead Campground at the north end of the lake, but we arrived mid-day with plenty of hours left for swimming and sunning. Except…RAIN. RAIN! Big, fat drops started falling just as we unrolled our tents, so Shane and Mitch made very quick work of getting the rainflies up, and then we all huddled in our tents, crossed our fingers and toes, and waited for the gray clouds overhead to pass. And pass, they did! The storm blew over after a couple of hours and we dashed into the lake even before peeling off our rain jackets. The shore was sandy, the water was clear, and the beer was cold. This. Is. Camping.
The evening was a haze of hot dogs and paddle boards.
The water was super-calm, perfect for paddlers-in-training.
Even little Bina went for a ride!
The girls grudgingly changed out of their swimsuits once the sun set and then joined Mitch at the lakefront for fly fishing lessons.
Seriously you guys – this was the view from my camp chair! Heaven on earth, indeed.
We woke up to a misty lake on Thursday morning, demolished a pan full of breakfast sausages, and then were right back out on the SUPs.
It was toasty that day and by mid-morning I think everyone had taken a dip.
Show off!
My mom and dad joined us for the day and settled into the camp scene quite nicely.
Lake life 4-eva.
I had planned on a hike, maybe a ride to the general store, but we only made it as far as the campground ranger station for ice cream bars before heading right back to our little stretch of paradise.
We closed out the day with a sunset paddle to a little cove around the bend, where Morgan and Juliette hopped off the boards to grab a couple of special stones to bring back with them. I’m sealing that evening away in the memory bank: sitting back on the board while Juliette paddled us, Mitch and Morgan to my left and the mountains to my right, the water shimmering and golden all around us…it was somethin’ special.
…And then, bedtime. I took one last peek out our tent at the velvet blue sky before zipping it up and calling it a day.
Friday was go-day, but we squeezed in one last paddle, this time over to Upper Priest Lake, which was as quiet as quiet can be. Shane and I aren’t shopping for retirement homes just yet, but the quaint lakeside cabins that dot the shore there sure are tempting.
Ahhhh, sayonara site 133…Â This place was a dream!
The next couple of days were spent back in Post Falls at my mom and dad’s house, playing catch…
Visiting the biggest wagon EVER…
And checking out Farragut State Park, which was gorgeous but quite windy.
Juliette and I set out on the SUP, but turned around once I realized I was rowing in place.
The girls served up imaginary cherry Cokes for my dad at the playground, and he proved to be a very difficult customer…
But Elise got even.
We busted out the Bean-Boozled jelly beans on Saturday evening and shared a good laugh when Shane thought he was getting Peach, but actually ate Barf (and seriously, it tastes like barf).
My mom wondered aloud why we’d subject ourselves to such horror, but her face says it all. There’s just so much delight in watching your son ingest a Spoiled Milk jelly bean.
Once we’d dried our tears and cleansed our palettes, we took a walk through the neighborhood to enjoy the evening’s stellar sunset.
And then, all too soon on Sunday morning, it was time for Shane and I to hit the road and leave Juliette with Grandma and Grandpa for a few more days of Idaho fun. While I was the feeling the need to get back to Seattle and back to work, I certainly wouldn’t have minded another week of puzzle-doing and paddling.
Until next time, I guess!
