From July 14 through July 18, 2021, we stayed at Clearwater Crossing RV Park in Orofino, Idaho beside the Clearwater River. When my husband chose the park, I was excited about spending a few quiet days beside a beautiful river. And it was beautiful. But look closely at the sky in my photographs. There is almost no blue.
Wildfire smoke had turned the sky hazy and reminded us that, although we were enjoying a peaceful riverside campsite, firefighters were working hard in the surrounding forests.
Helicopters Over the Clearwater River
One evening, I was outside beside the river talking to my mother on the phone when I heard a helicopter overhead. I looked up.
My husband had already noticed the helicopters flying over the Clearwater River and told me they were dipping buckets into the water to carry water to the fires. I reassured my mother that we were not near the fires, and we were safe.
For a while that evening, we listened to the helicopters coming and going. It was an unusual soundtrack for a peaceful riverside vacation.
Yet somehow, the two things existed together: the quiet beauty of the Clearwater River and the urgency of wildfire crews working somewhere beyond the smoke.
Our campsite itself remained peaceful. We had a prime spot right beside the river, where we could sit outside and enjoy the view. The park was quiet, with few neighbors.
On the opposite side of the area where our RV was parked was a train that, at the time of our visit, had not moved in more than six months. Between the river, the train, the surrounding trees, and the occasional helicopter overhead, it was a memorable place to spend a few nights.
As you enter Clearwater Crossing RV Park, you'll see two statues and a mural. The park sits directly along the Clearwater River, and our riverside site gave us exactly what I’d hoped for when my husband made the reservation: a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the water. The park also has a fish-cleaning station, making it an appealing stop for fishermen. The Clearwater River provides plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Dinner at the Ponderosa
One evening, we decided to drive into Orofino for dinner. We discovered that finding an open restaurant wasn't as easy as expected. The only one open was the Ponderosa Restaurant and Brass Rail Lounge in downtown Orofino.
It turned out to be one of those memorable travel experiences that has little to do with sightseeing and everything to do with the people and atmosphere you encounter along the way.
There was only one menu available in the entire restaurant for us to look at. No one seemed particularly concerned about it. The locals didn't need menus. Our waitress already knew what the couple sitting behind us wanted before they had even finished telling her. That's the kind of small-town familiarity you don't experience everywhere.
My husband ordered clam chowder, just as the couple behind us had. I took a bite. Delicious. I ordered steak with a baked potato and salad, while he had chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes. Everything was good, and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.
I especially loved the carved designs on the booths. They gave the restaurant a warm, old-fashioned character and made it feel like a place where locals had been gathering for years.
Then we noticed something neither of us had ever tried before.
Huckleberry ice cream.
My husband asked if they could make him a huckleberry milkshake. They could. He shared it with me, and that milkshake was delicious. If you've never had a huckleberry milkshake, you don't know what you're missing!
Supper by Helicopter
Before we left the restaurant, a woman came in to pick up several large bags of takeout orders. As she gathered the food, she casually mentioned that the firefighters were having their supper delivered by helicopter that night. That little comment stayed with me.
While we had been sitting in a restaurant enjoying dinner, people were out in the forests fighting fires. Their meals were being transported to them by helicopter because of the remote conditions where they were working. Suddenly, those helicopters we'd been hearing over the river felt a little different. I was glad the firefighters and fire crews were out there doing their jobs, and I was especially glad that someone was making sure they were being fed.
A Closer Look at the Firefighting Operation
Just up the road from our RV park was a helicopter landing and staging area. The helicopters were being used in the effort to fight the forest fires that had filled the sky with smoke. The fires were not close enough to put us in danger, but naturally, our curiosity got the better of us. We took a drive to see what we could see.
We spotted a helicopter on the landing pad just up the river and around the corner from the RV park. I zoomed in as far as I could and took a photograph. It wasn't the kind of tourist attraction anyone plans to see. But it was part of what was happening around us, and it became one of the most memorable parts of our stay.
Huckleberries to Take Home
The next day, I had one mission before we left Orofino. I needed to find huckleberry ice cream. After tasting that milkshake, I wanted some for myself, and I wanted to take enough home to share with our children and grandchildren. So, I went to the local grocery store and stocked up.
That's one of the joys of traveling: sometimes the souvenirs you bring home aren't magnets, T-shirts, or postcards. Sometimes they're a flavor.
For us, the flavor of Orofino was huckleberry.
Leaving Orofino
After four restful nights at Clearwater Crossing RV Park, we packed our motorhome and continued our journey. Our next destination was Clarkston, Washington, where we had plans to meet friends for a riverboat excursion on the Snake River through Hells Canyon.
Our stay in Orofino hadn't been exactly what I imagined before we arrived. I had pictured peaceful days beside a beautiful river beneath blue Idaho skies. Instead, we had wildfire smoke, helicopters overhead, fire crews working in the surrounding forests, and a huckleberry milkshake we still remember.
And perhaps that's what makes travel so memorable. You can choose the destination, but you can't always choose what story you'll bring home from it.
Our story from Orofino was a beautiful river, a smoky sky, helicopters fighting wildfires, a friendly small-town restaurant, and huckleberry ice cream for the grandchildren.
I'll take that kind of travel memory any day.
Debra enjoys writing military romantic suspense and making sure her veteran heroes have a happy ever after that will last.
She also writes western, contemporary, dystopian, fairytale, and holiday romance, urban fantasy, poetry, and nonfiction. In her Tales from the Trailer articles for Fresh Fiction, she shares the RV lifestyle and travel adventures in the U.S. from the point of view of a working author. As Debra Bishop, she writes children’s picture books.
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