Thinking of moving to northeastern Wahington…

[Nick B]

So, as the title says, I’m thinking pretty hard about moving to the extreme northeastern corner of Washington/northern Idaho.  I’ve found a few cabins I like in the Ione/Newport area of Wahington and a few I like in the Fernwood, Idaho area.

 

I’m not familiar with either of these areas so I thought I’d ask around here.

Things that are important to me:

-Access to forestland, preferably large Wilderness areas.

-Mountains.  Gotta have real mountains.  I grew up in the Sierra Nevada and I feel at home in tall mountain ranges.

-Cooler Summers.  I am currently about 2500 feet up in the Sierras.  We have about 3.5 months of 95+ degree days here with many days well over 100 degrees.  I can’t stand the heat.

-Year round green.  It gets so dry here in the Summer.  Any off trail excursions involve tons of burr stickers and choking dust.

-Real wild wildlife.  I love the black bears, Mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, etc. that we have around here.  I would love to live in an area that had Grizzly and wolves, too.  Moose and elk would be awesome, as well.

 

My major concern about the areas of Wa and Id mentioned above is pollution from the Columbia River, mostly the Hanford site. The areas I have been looking at are pretty far north and east of Hanford but still in the Columbia River drainage. I enjoy fishing and am concerned that migrating fish may bring radioactive, chemical, and/or heavy metal contamination to the headwaters I prefer to fish.  Is this a valid concern?

Also, are there any groundwater contamination issues to be concerned about in the area (i.e.-Hanford leaks, commercial mining)?  I know there are several Superfund sites along the Pend Oreille River.  Anyone have any first hand knowledge?

Then there are the prevailing winds blowing across the radioactive wasteland of Hanford.  Any health concerns from that way up by the Canadian border?

Finally, jobs. My needs are quite minimal and I am fairly self sufficient.  My skills lie primarily in the Construction trades but i am quite adaptable. Were I to move to the area in question I would own my home outright. I really do not need a full time job, just a bit of work here and there to cover food, fuel, insurance, property taxes, repairs, etc.. , I could always hop a train back to central California and work for a few months to fund the rest of my year.  I would definitely rather spend more time hiking and travelling, less time working. Any input on the work situation in the area in question?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated, including suggestions of other areas to consider.

[Curt Peterson]

Nick,

NE Washington is absolutely gorgeous. To your specific questions:

• Lots of forest land. There’s definitely Wilderness, although there’s much more private land than in, say, the Cascades. Huge area is Reservation. That said, there’s still a ton of public land up there and you’re a short-ish trip to the West and some of the greatest wild land in Washington (Kettles, Pasaytan, etc)
• Definitely real mountains. Rockies and Cascades meet in that area, so lots of variety. Amazing hunting and fishing if you’re into that.
• Summer are toasty compared to Western WA, but not the temps you’re talking about. Lots of areas up there won’t melt out until July. New snow will fly in September. It’s a short season. My guess is you’d see a couple days over 100, a handful over 90. Most likely depends on your elevation. Forest fires are a real thing up there for sure.
• You can find green all summer long close by. There are surely some dusty horse trails and it can be dry, but compared to CA you’ll think it’s lush. Plus you’re only a half day drive to the Olympic Rainforests :)
• Probably the best wildlife in WA. Possible grizz and definitely wolves. Our largest packs are there, I believe. In fact, they’re currently in the news as they’ve been killing livestock. Only part of the state with decent moose populations. Tons of deer. Pretty much everything up there.
• I’d pretty much take this off your worry list. Hanford is hundreds of miles away and while it’s a mess, it’s in a massive area of sealed off land. To be honest, I don’t think most Washingtonians even give it a second’s thought. Certainly not as far as weather/airborne issues. I’m not sure I’d be excited to drink water in the immediate area, but as far being hundreds of miles away – and UPstream – I’d say you are more likely to be affected by a million other pollutants before Hanford would show up on the radar.
• Mining concerns might be a concern, but not in a surprising way. It should all be pretty obvious and disclosed. Keep in mind that WA is one of the most tree hugging enviro states in the nation. It’s not exactly a no-regs extraction party up here. Seattle’s influence is felt far and wide in this state – often to the East Side’s frustration.
• Jobs are the biggest issue up there. If there were more I’m sure a lot more people would live there. It’s stunning country and it doesn’t rain for 10 months a year! Spokane is much larger than people think, and the closer you get to there the more work there will be. That said, my experience is that folks in construction who do good work are never unemployed. Quality work in that area is always in demand.

Hope that helps. Personally, I’d love a cabin up in that area. It’s a nice antidote to Western Washington. I think Dave Olsen from Oware lives up that way and he’s here in the BPL community. Might want to contact him and get his thoughts.

[Nick B]

Excellent info, Curt! Thank you.

I know what you mean about the political influence of the large metropolitan areas. I live in a VERY rural part of California.  That thin, blue stripe down our coast has given California a reputation as one of the most Liberal places in the country.  Reality is the majority of people in these rural areas, which make up the vast majority of the land area in California, are quite conservative in their political views.

That’s one of the big reasons why I’m leaving. I’m a responsible adult. I don’t bring harm to others and I try to leave a pretty small footprint on this planet.  I just don’t want to be regulated into oblivion by someone who lives in a completely different world than I (i.e.-San Francisco, LA, Sacramento).

I’m sure Washington is a bit more regulated than say Wyoming or North Dakota. But I bet it’s a breath of fresh air compared to California

[jscott]

My brother lived in Chewelah for several years. Just beautiful, with tons of wildlife. He’s in Spokane now. I’m sure that you’ll find many people who share your anti-regulation mind set up there. You may not want to advertise that you’ve moved up from California. Just say that you’re from Kansas and leave it at that.

I grew up hiking in the Cascades and Olympics. Um, the winters may surprise you, coming from California.

[Nick B]

Yeah. I’ve traveled a fair bit, both for pleasure and work.  I always try to downplay the whole California thing.  It would be nice just to never mention it but “Where are you from?” is one of the first questions people ask when they meet you.  I like to point out that I grew up in a town of less than 500 people and was home schooled.  That usually brings the eyebrows back down to their natural, less confrontational resting place.

You’d probably be surprised how much snow we get in my county, though not necessarily at my house.  But, yes, it would be a definite change.  I thrive in the cold, though, and I love hiking around in the snow.  I think I would do alright.

 

 

[jscott]

Oh I love the snow too! Nothing makes me happier than breaking out the skis or snowshoes and seeing the woods in the winter. But I don’t live in the snow, and rumor has it that winter can get old for the locals. Still, if I didn’t have to get to a job on a daily basis, I think that I’d be happy as a clam in the snow, if I could get out into the trees from my house or very nearby.

You may hear something like “Californians are ruining our state” more than once. It’s people moving there that gets the blood up among natives. I want to reply that California was a nice place until all of the people from Washington and Oregon moved here, but I value my life and so just smile and nod.

but I’m overstating things; you’d find friends soon enough and love it there I’m sure.

[Todd T]

I’m a SE Washingtonian and concur with all Curt said. I live a stone’s throw from the Hanford reservation and can assure you we have fewer mutants here than you had in California. :-)

From NE WA you also have access by a reasonable commute to the Blue Mtns, which are an excellent early season hiking destination while waiting for other places to melt out. Wolves there, too. And bears. And coyotes, elk, deer, cats, bighorn, even a few moose.

The Tri-Cities area is booming right now, so between Spokane and here, you might not need to trek all the way back to CA to get in a few months’ construction work.

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