We had planned to camp at Katey Lake in the Columbia Wildlife Refuge, but changed our minds when we saw a shady grove of Russian olive trees along the Winchester Wasteway. This body of lakes and seeps provides excellent fishing, canoeing, and exploring. The bird-life is abundant - we loved the songs at dusk and early morning.
I found a place for our tent - we had shade, solitude, and a nice cooking spot overlooking the water.
Because there was a forecast for rain, we pitched two tents, one for sleeping and one for all our gear at night. (All photos are in Flickr.)The highlight of the trip was getting a new 2-burner cookstove. I'd just gotten everything set up to prepare some stir-fry, and discovered that George forgot to bring the two little propane burners. Well, what to do!
George suggested driving five miles into town to the camp store. Perhaps they'd have something there, and they did! But, not the single burner type. So, I got the only stove available, this fantastic two-burner unit. It has an electric starter, so no matches are necessary, and folds up into an easy-carry unit.
Both burners are a little further apart than the conventional one's I've been pricing over the last few months. This works well for my two large fry-pans.
I found a short board near our campsite and used it as a base for the stove, so it wouldn't wobble on the ground. I was all set.
I took out my Turkish coffee pot and coffee, cornbread and zuchinni bread, and we enjoyed a coffee break. Throughout the weekend we had abundant veggies, crepes, Vietnamese soup, leek soup, and a nice fire in the evening and early morning. 
This vegetable hash was served on top of a cornmeal crepe, with fried eggs on the side - a hearty warm breakfast!Before we left we poured water all over the charred remains of our fires in the fire-pit, and I collected wood and placed it there for the next camper (should they find this little spot. ) I took a pail and picked up every scrap of litter, so it would look inviting and clean. We will probably come back to this spot, just to enjoy the bird-calls and the sounds of coyotes in the night.
Our computer has been 'in the shop' for over a week, and it is still not working - half of the screen is dim. I brought it home for a few days until we can figure out what to do with it. So, I've downloaded all my photos, and done my posts with the hope that everything looks OK....I told George that working with half a screen is no more stressful than trying to walk with double vision. One just muddles through. (When George has a chance, he'll post his photos of our trip into a set on Flickr.)
