Pend Oreille County Park

A friend and I popped in for a night so due to being nearby Horseshoe Lake where we planned to kayak the following day. The site was super easy to find and accessible being right off hwy 2, and no one camping but us, so very surprised by how open and available the sites were. Enjoyed the spacious sites and clean bathrooms and hiked some trails before nightfall. As the title suggests, all was well until a minivan pulled up to our site and a very aggressive introduction to the camp site host was made. He walked up to us and rather than saying HI and being cordial started with “everything you guys are doing right now is not allowed!” We were stumped and quiet for a moment as he proceeded to tell us we have to pay to camp ( we did but realized after further discussion, we dropped in wrong payment/ donation box). He then told us no fires and almost told us we couldn’t use our propane fire but admitted he really didn’t know the rules. Finally, we were smoking (marijuana is legal here) and told we could not smoke several times. I tried to lighten the mood with conversation only to find out he’s not from this area and knew nothing of Horseshoe Lake or the surrounding area. Overall, feel it was the rudest intro by a host I’ve ever experienced and the only reason I did not give a better review. He did drive by on two more occasions and we felt it was going to be an all night affair of his visits, but thankfully he stopped coming by after closing the gates and we were able to enjoy our night. Great spot to camp between the many lakes in the area.

**Campground Review: **

 Pend Oreille County Park Is a deceptive name as it is really a large piece of beautiful forest land off highway 2 run by the county. There are miles of hiking/biking trails in this dense forest. The day use is free and has plenty of parking. There are also a large open picnic shelter, ADA accessible vault toilet, Picnic tables, grills/fire pits, and potable spigots. There is also a nice little stream that runs through the day use area during the spring. 

The campground is only$10 a night per site, which is a great deal for what you get. There are 26 sites that each have A picnic table, firepit and area for a tent. There are no defined pads but plenty of cleared area. The best thing about this place is how dense the trees overhead are, the whole area is well shaded for those hot summer days. Another great thing about this place is that I have yet to see it packed, which is strange as it is right off the 2. Even though it is close to the 2, there is enough forest in between that you don't hear any cars. Overall great campground for weekend getaways!

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Product Review:

 One great benefit of being a Ranger for The Dyrt is that I get to try out products occasionally- today the product I am reviewing is.. Men's Rebel Stretch Shell Jacket from Red Ledge. To start I have to say this is the neatest rain jacket I have owned. It is super light weight and rolls up to fit in a ziplock bag! I was impressed with the way it kept water out during a freak monsoon I was in. The zipper is a very cool waterproof design that has 2 separate zipper heads, I found this useful to leave the bottom unzipped a little for easier access to pants pockets. Another great feature of this was the design of the pockets. They are VERY large and secure. There seem to be velcro and cinch cords everywhere ensuring a great sealed fit. The hood has a built in bill which was really nice, though I have yet to adjust the hood correctly so it doesn't flop forward a bit too much. The shell is actually very warm so I will be using it as a full jacket, this will be nice come winter. 

When purchasing be sure to order a size larger if you plan to wear a full sized jacket under it. My XL wont fit over most of my xl jackets but will fit over a large.

 Over all this is a super well made jacket and you can tell the design was a labor of love. I would recommend this to anyone buying a raincoat for backpacking or just all around use. Thank you Red Ledge!