West Region RPCV "Summer of Peace" Campout

Each summer Returned Peace Corps Volunteers from throughout the West gather for a weekend of fun times in nature. Here's the info on the 2006 campout, which will be hosted by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Idaho. Special guest this year: William Clark, taking a break from his expedition to the Pacific.

children of RPCVs at 2005 Peace Corps Campout

Location: Dworshak State Park near Orofino, Idaho. Dworshak Park is a reservoir location offering boating, swimming and fishing; the campground has hiking, biking, showers, flush toilets, dump station, volleyball, horseshoe pits and a playground. We have reserved the Camas Loop (sites 95-105) in the Freeman Creek Campground.
Dates: Thursday-Sunday, August 3-6, 2006.
Fees: $15 per adult, $8 per teenager, free for children 12 and younger. These fees cover camping for up to three nights, Sunday breakfast, and charcoal for the Saturday evening cookoff.
Meals: All food and beverages will have to be brought in. There is not a store on site, though firewood and ice are available for sale in the park. Saturday evening there will be a Dutch Oven cookoff (for details/recipes, see the Idaho State University Dutch Oven page, the International Dutch Oven Society, and/or justdutchovenrecipes.com). Sunday morning the breakfast will be prepared by our Idaho RPCV hosts: Hot cakes (with huckleberry syrup), sausage (chorizo or beef), fruit, juice and coffee.

Directions

From Portland (410 miles): Take I-84 to exit 179 (Hermiston), I-82 to exit 113 (Kennewick), US 395 north past Connell, WA 26 east to Colfax, US 195 south to Pullman, WA 270 east to Moscow, ID 8 east 9 miles to Troy, ID 99 south 13 miles to Kendrick, county road P1 (Cavendish Road) to Dworshak turnoff (15 miles), then turn left to the campground (10 miles).
From Boise (305 miles): Take ID 55 north 120 miles to New Meadows, US 95 north to just before Lewiston, US 12 east 4 miles to junction, ID 3 north 13 miles to Kendrick, county road P1 (Cavendish Road) to Dworshak turnoff (15 miles), then turn left to the campground (10 miles).
From Missoula (205 miles): Take US 12 west to Orofino, then county road P1 (Cavendish Road). Follow the Dworshak signs to the park campground.
From Seattle (345 miles): Take I-90 to exit 137 (Columbia River), WA 26 east to Colfax, US 195 south to Pullman, WA 270 east to Moscow, ID 8 east 9 miles to Troy, ID 99 south 13 miles to Kendrick, county road P1 (Cavendish Road) to Dworshak turnoff (15 miles), then turn left to the campground (10 miles).
From Spokane (135 miles): Take US 195 south to Pullman, WA 270 east to Moscow, ID 8 east 9 miles to Troy, ID 99 south 13 miles to Kendrick, county road P1 (Cavendish Road) to Dworshak turnoff (15 miles), then turn left to the campground (10 miles).
Notes for all travelers: Plenty of scenic alternate routes exist if you've got a good road atlas; only the quickest routes are listed here. Note that the last two miles into the campground is a narrow, paved two-lane road with about a dozen hairpin turns. You may end up behind or meeting trailers that are using the outside lane to make their turns; heed the 10 mph speed limit, and please be sure to yield to these trailers.

RSVP

Sam Greer of Idaho RPCVs is still accepting reservations. Send Sam an e-mail with the following information, then you can pay your fees upon arrival.

Names of all persons in your party
for each RPCV in your party: Country and years of Peace Corps service
for each child in your party: Age
RPCV group(s) of which you are a member
Your e-mail address and city of residence
Expected date of arrival

Nearby Attractions

Idaho RPCVs have provided the following links to help you plan your trip. Note that northern Idaho is in the Pacific time zone.

Lewis and Clark in Idaho (travel and historical info)
Orofino Chamber of Commerce (local services)
Riverdance Lodge, Syringa ID
Three Rivers Rafting, Kooskia ID
Appaloosa Museum, Moscow ID
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Pendleton OR

Campout History

Five RPCV groups in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho have rotated hosting the campout, which was recently opened to members of RPCV groups throughout Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Here is a listing of past campouts.

Year	Location	Host Group
2005	Honeyman State Park, OR	Columbia River PCA
2004	Peterson Prairie Camp (Gifford Pinchot N.F.), WA	Washington State PCA
2003	Silver Falls State Park, OR	West Cascade PCA
2002	Farragut State Park, ID	Inland Northwest PCA
2001	Cape Lookout State Park, OR	Columbia River PCA
2000	Pine Flats Camp (Boise National Forest), ID	Idaho RPCVs
1999	Wallowa Lake State Park, OR	Washington State PCA
1998	Dosewallips State Park, WA	Columbia River PCA
1997	Diamond Lake, OR	West Cascade PCA
1996	Ponderosa State Park, ID	Idaho RPCVs
1995	private ranch near Goldendale, WA	Columbia River PCA
1994	Ogden Camp (Deschutes National Forest), OR	West Cascade PCA
1993	Wallowa Lake State Park, OR	Washington State PCA
1992	Wi-Ne-Ma Christian Camp near Cloverdale, OR	Columbia River PCA
1991	Mt St Helens, WA	Washington State PCA

Last modified: July 28, 2006