Camping Recap & some MacGyver tips

"junebug"

Being from the western side of the state I have missed being exposed to many beetles. Well, camping in the Inland Northwest has changed that. I discovered what Junebugs look like and although I think they are cute bugs they creep me out when they haphazardly buzz & flop around in the evening hitting different parts of my exposed body. We had a few dive kamakaze-style into our campfire- so strange.

"hotdog chef"

We stayed at the Fort Spokane campgrounds on Lake Roosevelt and chose to campout in the walk-in sites as they are a bit off the beaten path yet still have a toilet and water spigot nearby.  We found a really large campsite and once we set up camp and got situated the husband assumed the role of “hotdog chef” and made a big hullabaloo as to how much he’s been “cooking” for the family lately. whatever.  Take a look at the beautiful hotdog he grilled (not that you can actually see it under all the condiments). I was in heaven as mom brought macaroni salad and, one of my favorites, kidney bean salad.

"Classic camp food"

This trip camping proved we did learn something from our last attempt in which we didn’t think to bring chairs (which you need even if you have a picnic table), pen & paper, or any type of kitchen utensil except a spatula and spoon. In my own defense, I did pack corn tortillas that we scooped eggs & sausage into and ate as breakfast burritos. This time around, with a little help from mom we had nearly everything we needed. I did have an opportunity to use my MacGyver skills when we were trying to figure out how to clean our cast iron pans of the left over morning eggs. Mom suggested we try using a beat up pinecone as a scrubber and I took a teaspoon of ash out of the campfire figuring it would probably work like baking soda as an abrasive. I just added a bit of water, did a little scrubbing, followed up with a soapy wash and rinse; the results are fabulous. Check out the “before” and “after” below and plant this one in your memory banks, just in case.

"before: dirty view"

"after: makeshift tools & results!"

~ by moneeeq on July 29, 2008.