Pausing in Omak – Washington State

Aug 23 – 31:    I guess we needed some down time.   We didn’t plan to stay any particular length of time when we pulled into the small town of Omak, Washington, 50 miles south of the Canadian border. But, Omak is where we paused for  nine days. The Stampede Campground provided a comfortable home in our shaded pull-through site with full hook-ups.   The price of $20.00 was reasonable and I could take walks around the park, watching soccer games, kids riding their skateboards and families having picnics.

No, we didn’t even visit the local museum or venture out exploring the 50-mile radius, as per usual.  We had TV, Internet, cell phone, Sirius radio, grocery stores, a Wal-Mart, a Home Depot, a laundromat, a car and rv wash and the tasty Hometown Pizza shop.  Visits into town, about one mile, suited us fine this time.  

There were 70s daytime temps and nice cool evenings in Omak.  We surfed the net to our hearts content and charted our next route…with the windows open. Washing the vehicles and stocking up on groceries was handy.  Jerry made a trip to the local Home Depot for the right bolts and whatever hardware he needed to work on our airbag issue. He was able to remove the valve from Ferd’s air leveling system in the rear and, temporarily permanently, set our ride height. Of course, he would give a more accurate description of this situation. But, you get the picture. 

One feature of this area we wanted to be sure to experience was the local farmers’ markets, offering the fruits and vegetables grown in the fertile Washington farmlands.  Every Tuesday from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. Omak opens their market in the park in the center of town.  The peaches, apples and nectarines looked yummy.  There were both yellow and white nectarines.  So I tried the white ones that the friendly merchant explained were sweeter than the more common yellow ones.

I also learned from the local orchard owner about a different type of apple, Akane.  He described them as a cross between Jonathan and Worcester Pearmin.  Ever heard of that one? It has a little tartness, which I prefer, but there’s a juicy sweetness, too.  Here’s a link about the Akane:  Click for more info.

And Jerry promised to make some fresh Pico de Gallo with the jalapenos, tomatoes, etc. The peppers I found at the market were plenty hot and the tomatoes had that perfect juicy, crisp texture. Jerry’s Pico de Gallo turned out great, even if it was up just a smidgeon on the temperature scale.  It spiced up our pork tenderloin well. And we saved some to share with friends.

And then it was time to move along.  See you all down the road.