Clouds offer no match for long weekend

Damp, cloudy weather kept a lid on a lot of outdoor Memorial Day activities, but the holdout campers at Riverside State Park said they weren’t letting it spoil their holiday.

“For me and my husband, the weather is fine,” said Jas Baghdasaryan, who was sitting around a campfire with friends and family Sunday. “For some, it may be cold.”

It seems so. Temperatures in the 50s have dominated since Friday, and though rain has been sparse, clouds have hung over the region steadily.

The park’s campground was fully booked with reservations, but plenty of spaces were empty Sunday.

“Several people didn’t show up or they left early because it was a little chilly for them,” said Dena Tuveng, who is volunteering as a campground host with her husband, Don.

The cloudy, cool weather is expected to persist until midweek, when sunny days could bring temperatures back to the 70s.

Today’s forecast called for clouds and a 20 percent chance of rain, with highs in the mid-60s.

Baghdasaryan was spending the weekend with family and friends who have roots in Armenia, hiking and cooking and spending time around the fire.

They had a tent over the picnic table at their site.

They said they debated leaving at one point when the temperatures dipped into the 40s but decided to stay.

The Tuvengs are recently retired, and plan to host at campgrounds around the region. They sold their home in Astoria, Ore., and hit the road with their truck and camper about a year ago.

As hosts, they clean up, answer questions, sell water and firewood, and perform other tasks in exchange for a camp site.

Besides the weather, they said, the biggest topic of conversation among campers and RVers has been the rising price of gas.

Don Tuveng said he and his wife are staying longer at campgrounds to cut down on $250 trips to the gas pump to fill his truck and supplementary tank.

“That really hits hard,” he said.

Matt Fontana, of Spokane, spent part of Sunday morning kayaking on the Spokane River.

“It didn’t really deter us,” he said of the weather, before adding, “We did think about not going.”

Later Sunday, he was planning to go home and bring out a Memorial Day staple – the grill.

“I got my yard work done before the holiday weekend,” he said, “so we’re going to go barbecue some chicken and watch the grass grow.”