August 17th, 2026….
Our summer in the north is coming to a close: by any measure, we are always happy to land at a new spot, even knowing it’ll be of relatively short duration.
This season was the highlight of our summer stays, so far. We have learned so much about the state of Idaho, its beauty, and our new gig!
We love all the places we’ve been: Yuma, AZ, for the winter (no snow!), good access to inexpensive dental work, in Los Algodones, the city of Yuma, itself, for its friendliness, excellent Mexican food, and easy access to services. We generally arrive there in November, when the high temps aren't much over 90F (32C), and stay there till April, when temps climb back into the 100s (>38C)! On balance, it's nice, because it rarely drops to less than 45F (7C), and it doesn't snow!
Renee. In a lake. In March! Staghorn cholla cactus, common around the Southwest
Last winter, it was a revelation to us to be able to sit outside in January, at night, enjoy the wonderful seeing (‘Seeing” is a term for good celestial observing, due to Imperial Dam LTVA’s relatively dark skies), with only a light jacket, my usual Crocs and shorts, roasting marshmallows over our fire.
Evenings at the LTVA, Orion on the rise!
We can easily pop up to Tucson, to visit my brother and sister-in-law, and take in its vibrant fall/winter scene. But…it gets too hot to stay there for the summer, so we commence our travels northwards, to cooler climes.
This summer was a new adventure for us: camp hosting. For those unaware of what that is, here's a short primer.
https://www.thervgeeks.com/campground-host/
State parks, some Federal parks, and private campgrounds rely on semi-volunteer help, during their seasons. Most, compensation is by getting a FHU (full hook-up, where you get water, electricity, and sewer), but some also offer a stipend. For those amenities, you often work 15-25 hours a week, doing things such as helping check in visitors, do light maintenance and janitorial work, and maybe some mechanical repair.
The rest of the time, you’re free to go wander, see the sights, or just read a book, so we began searching around for a gig that paid the stipend: reason being, the sudden and nasty rise in the price of fuel. When we began this adventure, we budgeted for $3-$5 per gallon fuel costs (diesel, in our case): you might have noticed that diesel, earlier this year, and in California, prices were $8+ per gallon!
To that end, we found a camp hosting gig up in central Idaho, where it rarely snows past July (it snowed ON the 4th of July!), rarely gets above 90F, drops to a sleep-comfy 50F, at night, and has REALLY dark skies!
We arrived in late May, and we leave here around August 17th. The people of the surrounding small communities—Clayton, Sawmill Station, Stanley, Challis, for those who wish to look on a map—have been warm, friendly, gracious, and welcoming, as you might expect in most small American communities. Stanley—for those familiar with Colorado—has much the same vibe as Boulder, or Telluride.
Before this gig, neither of us had ever visited Idaho, and had little knowledge of the state—speaking for myself, kinda embarrassing, because I take pride in knowing at least a bare modicum of knowledge of the geography of these 50 states—and have been blown away by the beauty, the rivers that flow wide and fast, all summer (NOT a common occurrence in Colorado), and the sheer scope of its vast valleys and mountains.
Some of these photos have been posted before, but if you’ll indulge me...
Abandoned mine at Bayhorse
However, what made this summer so marvelous, wasn't just the mountains; it wasn't just the salubrious weather, nor was it these gorgeous mountains.
It's the owners of the May Family Ranch, the Washburns; they have been nothing short of the most friendly, supportive young family we've had the good fortune with whom to spend time. Cole is a outdoorsman, of the highest accomplishments, as is his wife, Maddie. Their 4 kids—I call’em ‘the kidlets!—have been delightful and so much fun for Renee to exercise her ‘momma’ chops with!
The Washburn Mob!
The summer has flown by, with the move-in/move-out day windows—sometimes as few as 3 hours—being a bit hectic, but they patiently guided us along the path of what it is to be good camp hosts. We were given total freedom of the place, and Renee, being the excellent organizer she is, set to helping Maddie with the main house’s three guest beds, some of the most intense work with regards to prep; the bedding all has to be stripped off, washed, dried, then put back on in that 3-hour window.
I set to helping Cole with the mechanical and groundskeeping bits, and keeping the lawns watered and cut. Cole is incredibly busy with his business dealings, plus helping Maddie with the kidlets, so I took it upon myself to do a few things...
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Straightened out and (semi) arranged the hardware closets... |
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