Most RVers do not include northeastern Washington along with the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, and the horizon-stretching breadth of the American deserts on their "Must See" list. In fact, if you've been to Spokane, you probably figured that was it.

But if you take another look at a map, you will see that Spokane is barely above the mid-line of the state. There is nothing much above it, I admit, except for small towns, creeks, lakes, and rivers, and the Colville National Forest.

My kind of place--and worth exploring, I thought, as I studied the map's gray-lined roads and green-shaded forest land. So I aimed the old buggy toward the twin border towns of Newport in Washington and Old Town in Idaho, just west of Priest River.

From there I turned north on State Route 20 along the Pend Oreille River, the summer home for a gathering of Bald Eagles. Manmade platforms constructed along the river encourage nesting, and eagles can be sighted on their nests and soaring overhead searching for a fish dinner. You can easily identify them by their size and their white heads and tails.

I would liked to have stayed longer to watch these magnificent raptors, but it was time to locate a campsite. I followed the river north as far as the hamlet of Tiger, then turned west following SR20 into the Colville National Forest, hoping to find a campsite near some good forest trails.

Though Lynn and I are strictly warm weather fans and prefer cross country running and hiking to cross country skiing, we found that Nordic ski areas in summer offer some of the best wilderness trails. Such was the case when we found tiny Frater Lake about seven miles west of Tiger.

We walked down to the lake to look around and stretch our legs and found thousands of tiny frogs, barely a quarter-inch long, covering the ground and hopping madly toward the safety of the water. Further out on the lake a mother pied billed grebe patiently taught her five young chicks the fine art of fishing while they kept up a continual cacophony of cheeps.

A large wood sign in the picnic area displayed a map of the ski trails in the area, a different colored line distinguishing the easy level trails from the more difficult hilly ones. Since the afternoon disappeared while we explored the lake, trailhead, and skiers warming hut, it was an easy decision to stay overnight at the Lake Leo campground across the road. It was a tight fit for our motorhome, but It was quiet, tucked into a forest of whispering pines, and practically deserted.

The following morning was chilly, the air sparkled with clarity, and a chorus of songbirds welcomed us to their home. Our feet and aging knees thanked us for the cushiony trail of pine needles and forest duff as we followed the reedy shoreline, accompanied by our bird friends who flitted about snatching insects from the air and singing from the trees. The soft and sometimes-soggy trail wound through the forest, connected with Coyote Trail rising to an overlook above a huge prairie, then ducked back into the dense forest to finally emerge back at the skiers hut. Later we had breakfast overlooking the mirrored surface of Frater Lake, a wonderful way to start the day.

Route 20 passes through this section of the Colville NF then drops down to the mining and logging town of Colville. The Keller House and Museum, a restored two-story home and cluster of out-buildings provide a glimpse into life in the early 1900s. Our tour docent, who has lived in Colville all his life, explained, "The Keller house was built in 1910 by a Lawyer named Young for his considerably younger wife. He died 5 years later of a heart attack and she married Keller of Keller's Hardware." The house today is furnished with much of the original furniture, kitchen ware, and memorabilia--all in excellent condition as they had no children. The museum houses an extensive collection of Native American artifacts and pioneer relics and tools.

SR20 merges with US395 north at Colville and crosses the mighty Columbia at Kettle Falls. The river this far north is part of the 130-mile long Roosevelt Lake formed by Grand Coulee Dam and stretching all the way to the Canadian Border. The lake is a major boating, fishing, and swimming recreation attraction with 600 miles of shoreline and numerous campgrounds.

We left 20 just across the river and followed 395 north along Kettle Creek to the Curlew cutoff. (Don't miss it, it's a left turn just across Boulder Creek, six miles north of Barstow). After the turnoff we reentered the Colville National Forest and soon found a dirt FS road and followed it a mile or so to a pretty stream side campsite where we spent the night lulled to sleep by the soothing ripples of one of Boulder Creek's tributaries.

After crossing Deer Creek Summit, the road drops down into the town of Curlew along the Kettle River. Not exactly a resort destination, the motel has only two rooms. There is a restaurant, in fact a pretty good one, the Riverside Bar & Grill. The only hotel, the Ansorage, is closed. The big attractions nearby are Ranald McDonald’s grave and the Car & Truck Museum.

But sometimes it’s what a town doesn’t have that makes it attractive. There are no crowds, no traffic lights, no parking problems, no noise, and no hurry. You can walk the whole town in less than five minutes—from the Curlew general Store at one end of town to the Ansorage Hotel at the other. If you happen to be here in the summer on a weekend between 1PM and 5Pm you can even tour this 1903 hostelry that once housed homesteaders and errant travelers.

You’ll have to drive, though, to the Car & Truck Museum six miles south of town on Highway 21. Some celebrity owned cars and rare models are free to view (donations gratefully accepted) from May through Labor day, noon to 6PM.

Six miles further south, Curlew Lake State Park is the area's recreation destination with swimming, boating, fishing, and camping on the pretty lake.

I know you’re waiting for me to tell you about Ranald McDonald, and no, he’s not the hamburger guy. I’m not much one for visiting graves, but Ranald deserves a mention. The son of a Hudson’s Bay trader and daughter of Chief Comcomly of the Chinook Tribe, Ranald learned Japanese from shipwrecked Japanese sailors living in Fort Vancouver. He eventually became a sailor himself and deliberately drove his boat ashore on Japan (at that time closed to Westerners), and managed to avoid being beheaded by a roving samurai while wandering the country teaching English and acting as a pseudo ambassador.

He died in 1894 and was buried about ten miles north of town on a bluff overlooking the Kettle River.

From here you can drop on down into Republic then follow SR20 west through the Okanagan River valley and the North Cascades. But that's another article for another time. Happy travels, until next month.