January ended with great celebrations as I experienced 7 decades of a good life with many blessings of great memories and friendships experienced on the journey of life. No road is long with good company and I have been so gifted with a great husband and family always making each day a treasure to behold.  Ab and our daughters made my birthday very special by hosting a champagne birthday luncheon for 20 of my girlfriends at The Refuge.  Great laughter and reminiscing made this a day to remember. He who laughs lasts!!

Girlfriends 70th Birthday Luncheon Am I Lucky

Of great interest was the invite to attend a dinner with Sheriff Joe Arpaio in early February.  I am sure many of you have heard of our Arizona Sheriff who is so famous for his pink underwear and tent city jails. He believes strongly for justice and isn’t frightened to say it as it is.  He also has a great splash of humor to add to his many encounters with every level of mankind and the political world. Go Joe!!!!!   We enjoyed the evening with Joe and Deena, Fred & Lynne, and daughter Carrie & Bob who have visited Wagonhammer over the years.

Ab & Shirley Schultz enjoyed dinner with Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Jewels and Scarves All Together !!!

Come see the new additions at Wagonhammer Gift Shop this summer!

Color, Color and more Color!

Thank-you for the incoming reservations for our Idaho RV Park.  It is always exciting to hear the voices of the Be Backs but very special to hear from newcomers that have found us through the Internet or by recommendations of friends.  We look forward to opening for our 9th year at Wagonhammer May 1st.

Colorful Balloon Rising

Lake Havasu City, our home town for 32 years has just successfully hosted our second “Havasu Balloon Fest” with incredible success. Abner and I hosted “The London Bridge RV Group” at the Balloon Fest Official RV Site on the Island just next door to the Nautical Inn, the site for all of the festivities.

Havasu Balloon Fest photo courtesy of Ed Wheeler

Up, Up, and Away!

We enjoyed spending time at our Furniture booth Michael Alan, seeing many of our old and new customers. Michael Alan with Desert Floors sponsored a balloon called “Tequila Sunrise“.  Needless to say it was one of the most colorful balloons in the skyline.  Our manager Vanessa had her first hot air balloon ride and this is what she said.

Sushi Hot Air Balloon Rising

Thanks go to the organizers Constant and Bob representing both the Kiwanis and Rotary Club.  I can’t imagine the number of hours they with their wives have freely dedicated to make.  Thanks to Ed & Rosie Wheeler, Wagonhammer Hosts for many years, for photos and your many hours of dedication to this event.  This annual Havasu Balloon Fest is a family event for our community and a tourist attraction for Lake Havasu City.

Humpty Launches

Everyone is welcome to attend the The Third annual Lake Havasu Balloon Fest – January 2013   Enjoy their web site at www.havasuballoonfest.com

Just a reminder, if you are planning a summer or fall RV trip or camping trip.  Wagonhammer RV Park in North Fork Idaho offers a delightful RV destination park if you like scenic beauty, pristine park settings, and lots of outdoor adventure including ATV trail rides, Salmon River fishing, hiking, horseback riding, famous White water river rafting or smooth scenic floats.

Night Glow

We hope you too will discover why so many of our Idaho RV Park guests become regular “Be Backs” at Wagonhammer RV Park.  We strive to offer the comforts of home including on-site laundry facilities; excellent restrooms, great selection of Idaho wine, a cozy gathering place in our community room highlighted by a magnificent stone fireplace where our guests enjoy meeting new friends, playing games or creating beautiful jewelry from Shirley’s collection of unique beads for sale and even shopping for treasures in Shirley’s gift shop.  Come one, come all the coffee’s on from May through early November! Give us a call at 208-865-2477 to reserve your spot today!

It is always interesting to me to find out what those wives do in their rigs while their men are on the Salmon River fishing for hours at a time. Of course we have good visits in the lodge and are even known to have a few good games of gin rummy, swap recipes or just chit chat about our family, careers and interests.

Gina Ellis, Utah is an accomplished seamstress and quilter and just happens to have a sewing machine with her. While at Wagonhammer Campground she created and sewed a Halloween Costume for her granddaughter and popped it in the mail. What a lucky grandaughter to have an original Halloween costume made with love.

Mrs. Ellis costume designer

Mickey Bruce from Rexburg, Idaho is also a talented quilter who while she is here has been creating some beautiful handiwork with her linens which will be part of a masterpiece quilt. Mickey several years ago presented me with a treasure wall hanging quilt which is hanging in our lodge for all of our guests to appreciate.

Mickey Bruce Quilter Sewed Wall Hanging for Wagonhammer

Karen Jahn usually accompanies her husband Bud but this past week Bud went on a guided Steelhead trip with North Fork Guides.  This trip was an early Christmas gift from Karen and was very successful.   Bud had wonderful stories to tell over next morning’s coffee. He was able to land several fish, thoroughly enjoyed his guide Shawn who was very knowledgeable and was a great chef to boot.
Karen who is a creator of beautiful jewelry worked with her beads during the day and shared with Deena and me her magical results.

Karen Jahn Jewelry

It is always of great interest for me to visit with our Wagonhammer guests and I never cease to be amazed by their many diverse backgrounds and varied careers throughout their lifetime. Last weekend we had a couple from Tasmania who were determined to land their first steelhead which they accomplished.
They left with happy smiles commenting that we will “Be Back”.  We were glad they discovered our Wagonhammer RV Park on the internet.

It’s the people, our guests that make Wagonhammer a very special Idaho destination.

Kick off the Christmas Season with the High Country Trail, Friday and Saturday, November 4th and 5th from 10:a.m. to 5:p.m.
The High Country Trail starts just before 4th of July Creek Road ending at Gibbonsville on scenic Highway 93 North.

Woodland Santa Collection at Wagonhammer Gift Shop in North Fork

Oh Christmas Tree

There are 5 wonderful and unique shops, each with it’s own ambience and special treasures just waiting for you to discover. We have handcrafted gifts, Christmas decor and ornaments, western art,  jewelry, custom embroidered items, custom floral arrangements, hand crafted steak and carving knife sets and much more. You will find many speciality gift items with something unique for everyone.

Come see us at Diamond Creek Company, Wagonhammer RV Park Gift Shop, Mountain K Cutlery, River Lodge Interiors, and The Broken Arrow.

Rosemarie at Broken Arrow will be serving her special Mexican lunch with margaritas and as you are travelling the trail you will be treated to special treats and incredible finds.

It is a wonderful way to catch the holiday spirit by visiting these speciality shops on the Scenic High Country Trail!!!! Get together your friends to enjoy a special day together and get a head start on your holiday list or just spoil yourself with special treasures.

If you have any questions just call Shirley at Wagonhammer (208) 865 2477

The Good Sam Club began in 1956 when a group of RV owners put Good Samaritan bumper stickers on their rigs so fellow members would know they could get help on the road. In the early days, Good Sam members spread the word at RV parks and other Club events. Soon everyone wanted to know how to get a Good Sam “smiling decal”.   The Club grew and grew.

Today, the goal remains the same as from those days: to make RVing safer and more enjoyable, and save members money through Club endorsed benefits and services. The Good Sam Club is now over 1 million members RVing families strong and growing! Members have fun, stop to help one another and meet our responsibilities to the environment, highways and parks.

Wagonhammer RV Park and Campground is proud to qualify as “An Official Good Sam Park” which in turn saves the good Sam Members a discounted rate. We find that many of our guests use The Trailer Life Directory as their Bible and Guide in selecting their Destination Park as the rating system is very reliable.

Wagonhammer RV and Campground is very proud of a 2011 Award of Excellence for outstanding achievement and commitment to excellence as one of the TOP 300 rated RV Parks in North America. This was a crowning moment for both Abner and I as we take great pride in our park.

Mike & Donna Oliverio, Marketing Consultants - Good Sam Parks

As an Idaho destination RV Park we are a favored choice for RV Group Outings. We were pleased to have two Good Sam Groups select Wagonhammer for an Outing.

Eagle Rock RV Good Sam Group, Idaho Falls came to visit us for several days in August with their favored area being Wagonhammer’s River Front Sites. They enjoyed the camera ready shots in their very own front yard of elk and deer crossing the river and our Bald Eagle swooping over the Salmon River.  Salmon City and the River Road are always points of venture for the group and of course they enjoy the camaraderie with both great sharing food and lots of chit chat and laughter. Thanks to Chuck Dawley, Wagonmaster for putting together a great rally.

Wagonhammer welcomes Good Sam Eagle Rock RV Group

The Bitterroot Good Sam Group hailing from the Hamilton, Montana area chose mid September to return to Wagonhammer for several days of fun and relaxation. They rafted the river, played golf in town and some of the gals made jewelry in the lodge. They treated themselves to gourmet dining at 100 Acre Wood, a very quaint and excellent dining experience just 5 miles from Wagonhammer. Jon and Nancy serve food which is a feast for both the eye and the stomach. Also I must mention that the men of the Bitteroot Group prepared 2 full breakfasts for their ladies.   This group enjoys River’s Edge as their gathering spot.

We are pleased to say that both groups are “Be Back”.  We welcome Good Sam Groups to our Park to enjoy our beautiful grounds and the surrounding area rich in pristine wilderness, an abundance of wild life, shopping and dining. Just call us at (208) 865-2477 to arrange your date and I will forward a packet of information to make your stay enjoyable for all.

For anyone wishing to become a Good Sam Member we sell memberships at our front desk which will immediately give you Good Sam Member benefits.

Mike and Donna Oliveria, Good Sam

Thanks to our hosts, James and Marianne, Deanna and Joe and Sue and Tom we were able to further explore our beloved Idaho for the second time this season.
Our destination was Lava Hot Springs in Southern Idaho. We had always wanted to visit friends David and Colleen Day from the area who had visited Wagonhammer RV Park & Campground in the Spring of 2010. The whole trip came together while we were having our Wagonhammer social hour and discovered that guests Jody and Londa were the owners of The Alpaca Inn, Lava hot Springs.  We made reservations at their lodge for a 2 night stay.

Londa and Jody greet us at their Alpacca Inn

We followed The Salmon River Scenic Byway, Highway 93 South to Arco then highway 26 to Blackfoot. Our usual route is the quickest way so we were able to experience new country on our way to Blackfoot. We then connected to I 15 South to The Lava hot Springs Exit. We were graciously greeted by our hosts Jody and Londa at the Alpaca Inn. They have very tastefully renovated what was once an apartment building to a charming inn. The rooms have every amenity wanted including very comfortable beds. We discovered that Jody had constructed the rustic pine furniture and Londa has used her green thumb to make a very attractive yard. Enjoyable photos of their very own alpaca from their Willow River Farm nearby are found throughout the rooms. I also enjoyed Londa’s gift items which included her very own jewelry and alpaca yarns, sweaters and scarves.

We so enjoyed our two days as we had our personal tour guides to show us the area. David and Colleen shared their farming area and we also toured the Museum and Visitor’s Indo Center. The history of the area was well displayed with the Hot Springs being the main attraction to town. The highlight of our visit was the pleasure of both Colleen and David sharing their talents with Abner and I. Colleen’s intarsia of a magnificet elk was just awarded the best of show at the local fair and she also came in second place at the state fair. Congratulations Colleen !!!

Colleen's Award Winning Elk

David is also quite an accomplished woodworker and has acquired and extensive collection of antique tools.

We all got together for an evening meal at The Wagonwheel Restaurant.

Lava Hotsprings in Idaho

The next morning we visited the Lava Hot Springs. Long before white settlers discovered the natural, odor-free mineral waters in this quiet valley, the Bannock and Shoshone Indian gathered here to bathe, rest and worship. In 1911 The State of Idaho began to develop the hot springs and today it is an incredible relaxing experience surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens.

We decided that rather than return to Wagonhammer via the freeway we would explore Soda Springs and follow The Pioneer historic Byway. We lunched at Alpine and enjoyed the Majestic Teton Mountain Range and the Star Valley area. The Palisades Dam Area and Swan Valley were also very picturesque. We headed on home via Rigby and highway 28 by the Lemhi range and river.
We now have a further appreciation of Idaho and would recommend The Alpaca Inn as a destination for your Lava Hot Springs visit.

It is always good to get back to Wagonhammer and are now looking forward to our fishing and hunting season and the return of our many guests who have become our friends.