Down time, chore time, and a little fun time in Spokane

We’re at the Fairchild Fam Camp at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington.  We have a spot here for three days.  We arrived Sunday, so tomorrow we’ll be on the road again.

This is the ninth military base we’ve stayed at in the 25 months we’ve been full timing, courtesy of Jim’s retirement from the Navy Reserves. It costs $17 a night with full (water/sewer/electricity) hook ups.  

The first day, I read while Jim watched TV.  The next day we explored Spokane.  And today we bought groceries did laundry and cleaned the car.  Today and yesterday we also used the exercise room at the base recreation facility, which we like to do when we’re on a base.  

Both the camp host (Sue, a great camp host by the way) and our neighbor, Toni, told us about an incident that happened here during that same storm front that hit us at Glacier National Park.  A travel trailer was in the site next to where we are now.  Even though the travel trailer had 3 slides -- which had to add some weight --  the wind flipped it over.  Luckily, the owners were walking their dog when this happened -- otherwise they would have been killed or seriously injured.  The camp host told us the rig was totalled, the AFB put the couple up in the local Air Force Inn for a few nights, and the owners plan to get a new trailer and keep on traveling.

Tomorrow's destination is Rainbow Beach Resort on the Colville Indian Reservation west of Inchelium, Washington, where we'll be meeting friends Jim went to high school with in Yakima. If I recall correctly, last year we could get one Verizon bar if we stood in a very specific spot.  I think that means I might not be posting for several days.  But I'll get an update on line as soon as I can.

On our way from Libby, MT, to Spokane, our braking system sounded an error message in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho.  We stopped at the Bonner's Ferry Visitors Center to check it out.  While Jim was re-setting the brake, I took a photo of the beautiful hanging plants in the parking lot,

Monday we went to downtown Spokane's Riverside Park, where the city was hosting “Pig Out in the Park” with 100 music groups, 47 food booths, 4 beer gardens, and clothing/jewelry vendors. 

Pig Out at the Park, as seen from across the Spokane River.

The Spokane River in front of the city of the same name.

Instead of Pigging Out at the Park, Jim and I went to Spokane's No Li Brewery, where he had a Born and Raised IPA and I had something called Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout, plus we had dinner (our usual:  fish for Jim and a burger for me.) 

A plane on display at Fairchild Air Force base in Spokane.  The most prominent missions at Fairchild are refueling units.  Founded in 1942, the base is named after World War I pilot and later general Muir Fairchild.  

Our spot at Spokane's Fairchild Air Force Base.  The spot next to us (to the right) is where the trailer was tossed on its side in the fast and furious rain/windstorm that hit last week.  The trailer landed on the cooking grill and bent it.  And bent the trailer pretty good as well. The folks we talked with said they thought the trailer flipped over because its awning was out and the wind caught the awning.