Back in the Alpine Lodge Motel and RV park in Cascade, ID with everyone accounted for, the Camp Carpe Diem rendezvous event started in earnest!   During the morning, we had coffee around the fire, caught up on old stories, and made our name badges followed by a Get to Know Everybody name game.  It was a good morning. 

We went over the agenda for the next three days, which would include breakfast gatherings, brewery visits, hikes and bike runs, dinners out, Trivia contest, and some free time.  The weather cooperated and were mostly rain free. 

We started out with an easy 4-mile walk at Lake Cascade with a get together at Salmon River Brewing in downtown McCall, about 20 miles back north of Cascade.  The place was loud and packed but the pizza was very good.  They had a pizza on the menu that is almost exactly what we normally order! 

The next day had us hiking again in McCall at the Ponderosa State Park for a 5-mile hike and cellphone camera class from our friend Barry, who just happens to be a pro!   The park lived up to its name with towering Ponderosas along with great cliff overlook views of Payette Lake, with other marshes, bogs, and forests along the way.  lunch was a beer tasting out at the Broken Horn Brewing Company.  But the hamburger was also great and Gail enjoyed the Blueberry Cider!

Finally, on the third and last day we got up at 5:30 to leave at 6:30 to drive up to the Blue Lakes trail in the Boise National Forest.  Sunup was about 7:00-ish, and we got into the park just in time!  And a beautiful morning sky was the reward!  After parking, we headed DOWN a steep path for about a mile to Blue Lake.  The group went ahead as we stopped along the way to check out the flowers.  Then we caught up with them to go around the lake.  The water was calm, and the reflection of the trees and mountains on the lake made for some dramatic photos!  Then we headed back UP the same mile!   We stopped more times to catch our breath and let our heart rate settle down before continuing.  But we made it!  Our last hike of this trip. A good way to finish. After the hike we drove up to an FAA radar tower lookout.  More scenic views across to Montana, Oregon and Washington!

Back at the park, we got cleaned up and headed to the Trivia contest!  Short story, Gail’s team won by a lot even though, as evidenced by their team’s name, they really didn’t care (said nicely) and didn’t try very hard!   But the questions were challenging, and we all had a lot of laughs! 

Before the closing dinner at the park, there was a beer tasting as each one brought a new, craft beer for everyone to try.   Like last year, we made Painkillers and, like last year, they were a hit!  We had to make 4 batches!  The girls worked to put fairy hair in.  Gail’s experimental pink stands lasted for almost a week.  Next time she will try a professional and a different color!

Dinnner was Mexican from a Cascade restaurant and catered by one of the event sponsors!  Pretty good and kinda’ like real Tex-Mex!  Then we all settled around the campfire for music by our friends Michelle and Chuck, the Status Crowes!  They played a lot of favorites for over 2 hours!  A very good show by very good RV friends! 

The next morning after coffee and pastries around one more fire, we said our goodbyes and headed south to Boise.  They have not announced the location for CCD 2026 yet so we will have to wait to find out if our schedule will fit or not!   We’ll see!

Driving down the Payette River valley through some moderate rain and steep curves, we made it to the KOA park in Meridian, ID, for our last stop.  We were done sightseeing and were focused on prepping the RV for storage and getting the Jeep’s brakes looked at. 

Overall, it worked out well and after 2 days, we were ready.  We dropped off the RV at Precision RV Storage near the KOA with an indoor, heated space already reserved.  The people are very nice and have promised to take good care of her.  We plan to be back in May 2026 to rescue her for another adventure. 

Then we drove the Jeep over to our friends’, Lisa and Lance, house in Nampa.  They had offered to watch her and save us a few bucks vs putting her in storage as well.  We have known them since the early ‘80s in Dallas when Lisa worked for Gail.  They showed us around Nampa and treated us to a great Taco dinner on our last night. And we met Gizmo their polka dot dog!

And Lance got up early with us the next day to chauffeur us to the airport for an early flight.  We had one stop along the way in Arkansas to visit family and see our new great grandson.

Draven Wrae Dodgen was born in July while we were still in Canada.  He is special as the first Dodgen male in the family for the next generation!  Since we were going to fly directly over Little Rock on the way to Miami anyway, we decided to stop for a couple of days and take some family pics!!!   And he’s very cute!  See for yourself.  His brother and his family joined us too, so we got to see all of our great grands!

On Monday 9/22, we are flying back home to see how many of the plants have survived and wade through the mail!   So, this is it for Adventures with David & Gail for 2025.  We have had a wonderful time sharing our travels with you and hope you have enjoyed the trip as well.  Til next year!