Looking to be an Idahoan, need help as to where...

[NW Crow]

Yeah places change. I've been some nice enough places while they were still nice, not past my limits, but maybe not at their peak before being discovered glory either.

"NW" is short to me for North West. I like the screen name Crow alright but had to add something to it because I guess somebody else already had just "Crow" here.

If you want to stay that near CDA, there are a number of threads that speak about the various towns outside it. Maybe that explains people not leaping forward with suggestions.

You said "I don't want to live in big towns but be 10 or 15 miles from them if that the choice to be found."

I mentioned Rathdrum because it was the flattest and likely the easiest for winter near CDA but if that is too populated / not quiet enough, some other spots might not be that tough driving and would be quieter. I mentioned Spirit Lake (population about 2000 and a bit over 20 miles from CDA) to another poster in another thread. If that is too big or too far out maybe look at or near Twin Lakes or Hauser Lake or maybe up Fernan Lake Road.

If you haven't already, you can use the non-forum part of the city-data.com site to get basic facts about a lot of things for various cities. Just search by the name.

Sometimes open-ended questions work, sometimes more specific ones work. Hard to say what's best. Try what you want and change your approach / "lure" if you have to or want to.

[HMBFisherman]

..You’ll find NW on the compass rose, and not uncommon in boat names, “NW Quest” and such. Made sense to me to assume that’s what it meant to you in your screen handle. Did you know the crow and it’s cousin the raven can count to five. Some guys wanted to study the raven so set up a “blind” to photo graph and film from. Ravens are pretty leery of humans. Raven wouldn’t cooperate after seeing two or three of them go into the blind. When the three left the raven would go about it’s normal business. Eventually they found out that if six went into the blind and five later left the raven would go about it’s business again. The raven could keep track of five supposed “predatory threats” but not the sixth if not in view. Wonder how much money it cost to figure that one out and just how much did we really want or need to know that tidbit.
..Understand the things you said here and I have been looking at the rest of this Idaho forum when I’ve the time to read through it. The more I read the more I’m convinced Idaho is for me and none of the other states comes close to the calling. I’ve grown so much to like living in the mountains here, so likely will do the same there or right up close to them. Here I’m 45 miles from the big box store supplies (Bakersfield) and don’t mind the drive and if I get established in Idaho I’ll be all over it.
..Sandpoint and CDA were start points because a friend told me about them which initialized my interest. I’ve done some Google mapping those areas to find all the little towns I could around the area and am spanning outward. Leaving long established friends behind is the sad thing but they too are looking to get out eventually when they retire. I feel I don’t have the luxury to “kick the can down the road” for long before I make my move to re-establish. It doesn’t matter where I die, it matters where I live. New friends will come along as they always have.
..Already given away allot of my accumulated equipment and tools to friends here after I lost my “permanent” home. Just no way to pack it all with me and I’ll have to cut loose with more once I find the place to relocate to in the panhandle up there. Won’t be able to manufacture or fabricate things like I use to for myself and others but then I’m suppose to be retired. Right!

[catlemm]

HMBFisherman, sounds like you have the best of both worlds to me. You've got your RV and your doing what you love and meeting good people along the way. I live in Sandpoint and there are lots of RV places around here and also state parks etc....I don't think you would have a problem moving it unless your out boondocking somewhere and even then your not likely to be off roading with a big RV lol. I have lived in Montana and Wyoming and Idaho as well as Washington state and I like Idaho the best. It's beautiful here and CDA as well. Just wanted to mention the Workamper News website to you. It has lots of good people and good information for fulltime RVers. You can also get firsthand information on the RV stuff in this area. Happy trails and travel safe.....

[HMBFisherman]

..Thanks for your input catlemm. And yes it would be the best of both worlds if your assumption was the case. And indeed much of the time I have had that what you said prior to getting my RV/home and prior to my 22 years on the ranch in Glennville. Since here including recently acquiring the RV (two years ago) I’ve gone no where but am looking forward to it. But the previous traveling years I lived on the coast and based from there I’d jump into the VW camper and traveled every opportunity I could into places most people don’t get to see and doing things most do not get to do.
..The RV is a different story: for now it stays parked for the most part only driving down six miles to get propane and dump tanks. At 5 miles to the gallon and an 80 gallon gas tank it’s $300.00 a fill up (yikes!) every 400 miles. Google says it’s 1400 miles to Sandpoint from here so it’s my social security check plus just to say hello, so once I commit I don’t want to have to return here and double that expense. This is why I’m researching for a place suitable before hand. ..I’ll check out the site you mentioned here. If I find it feasible to get back into placer gold mining there I’ll likely be “boon-docking” about on a claim somewhere or wetting a line river or lakeside within my means.
..“Happy trails” was something I always use to say and it’s time to get back on those trails and I always travel safe… the same back at you. Thanks again.
HMBFisherman