Just wing it on next RV trip
The magnificent and graceful sandhill cranes are touching down in farmers’ fields and freshwater marshes near Othello.
“The birds are here,” says Dixie Fultz, chairperson of the Othello, Wash., Sandhill Crane Festival committee. “People are spotting them in large numbers all across the area.”
But they won’t be there for long. Their final destination is Alaska.
Each spring and winter hundreds of Sandhill cranes, and upward of 100,000 other migrating birds, stop off in the natural areas near the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.
More than 200 species are attracted by the region’s numerous small lakes surrounded by sagebrush and grassy uplands, canyons and buttes.
There is still time to pack your recreational vehicle for a quick trip to the ninth annual festival that begins its three-day run on Friday.
Nearby camping
Because it’s a little early in the RVing season there is plenty of room at two campgrounds about 10 miles north of Othello: Potholes State Park and MarDon Resort.
“ Potholes State Park, a 640-acre camping area, has 6,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on Potholes Reservoir (also known as O’Sullivan Reservoir).
“We like Potholes because it’s within an easy driving time of Spokane and just a few miles south of Interstate 90,” says Sue Pugh of Spokane. “The park has lush grass areas with tall poplar trees surrounding it as a windbreak.”
Sue and her husband, Kyle, usually visit the park in the spring and fall in their 33-foot 1988 Allegro motor home. “The campsites are adequate for RVs larger than ours,” she adds.
There are 126 campsites available on a first-come, first-served basis or by reservation at www.camis.com/wa/ or by calling (888) 226-7688. There is a fee of $7 per reservation in addition to site-use fees.
Basic camping fees are $15 for a standard campsite served by nearby domestic water and flush comfort station, and $21 for a utility campsite which includes electrical hookup and possibly one or more of the other amenities. An additional $1 per night is added to the basic camping fees at this high-use park.
The park is located 17 miles southwest of Moses Lake. From I-90 take exit 179 and follow signs to the park.
For additional information go to the Washington State Parks Web site at www.parks.wa.gov or call (360) 902-8844 weekdays.
“ MarDon Resort is about two miles from Potholes State Park at 8198 Highway 262 S.E. There are almost 90 RV sites. Full hookups are $28 a night, or $22 if you’re 60 and over.
“There are plenty of RV sites available,” says reservations clerk Katie Lang.
If you don’t have an RV, the resort has a motel, along with a marina, café and play area for children. Make reservations by calling toll-free (800) 416-2736 or go online to www.mardonresort.com.
Festival information
Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday there will be dozens of lectures covering such topics as the Lake Missoula Floods and Channeled Scablands, Whooping Crane Reintroduction Project, Raptors of the Pacific Northwest and Insects for Kids.
The highlight of the festival are the guided tours into the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding area to see migrating cranes, burrowing owls and other birds.
“We have plenty of spaces available on the crane viewing tours,” says Fultz, “but some of the specialty tours are full.”
General admission to festival activities is $7, or $5 for those 65 and older. Children under 12 are admitted free with a paid adult. Box lunches are $6.
The cost of viewing tours varies; call toll-free (866) 726-3445 to check what’s available or go to www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org.
Othello is about a two-hour drive southwest of Spokane. Take I-90 to exit 220, then U.S. 395 south to Highway 26 west. Follow Highway 26 to Othello and turn right onto 1st Avenue. Follow 1st Avenue to Main Street to 7th Avenue. Turn right on 7th Avenue. Othello High School is in the second block on the right.
Post-festival tours
There are morning and late afternoon tours on both April 1 and 8. Crane and burrowing owl viewing trips are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Each of these tours costs $15 per person, or $10 for folks 65 and older or youngsters under 12. Call toll-free (866) 726-3445 to secure your place.
West or east?
In last week’s Wheel Life, Steamboat Rock State Park was unintentionally placed in the wrong direction from Spokane. It is, of course, 100 miles west of Spokane. A correction was printed in the Sunday newspaper and the online edition of the story is also corrected.