Alone So full disclosure, My husband and I frequently watch survival reality shows. Each one has its own set of rules and expectations. Many learn to thrive, while others submit to failure pretty quickly. I can tell you right now I am not spending 5 minutes naked in the wilderness with biting bugs. And I wouldn't do it for 30 seconds on national television. Sometimes you are left with others, and your survival depends on that dynamic. Other times you are all alone. You have to be rea...
Camping Etiquette I recently was scrolling through social media and found several people that were frustrated about the same thing. Because I am a full-time RV’er, I am a member of several camping groups. I like to read about new tips and tricks. I also love to read about the best campgrounds. These groups do come with their share of drama. On this occasion, Memorial Day weekend had just ended, and campers were returning home. Many chose the groups to air their anger. It is no secret...
Frugal Facts of Camping So there is a meme floating around on social media that I wish to bust. It says something like camping is the only thing you spend a fortune on and live like you are homeless. Whoever wrote this was definitely not a truly experienced camper. Camping is a celebration of living simply. So here we go. Here are my tips for budget camping and loving it. When my husband and I started camping, we had a borrowed tent and an air mattress that barely fit inside. And guess what? We ...
Camping Gear Must Haves: Disaster Survival Edition Natural disasters are happening around the world every day. Hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, floods, earthquakes, blizzards, volcanos, and mudslides bombard our daily news. We also have to consider those emergencies that are man-made also. Domestic and foreign acts of terrorism are on the rise. Plane crashes, trains derailed, vehicle accidents and random public shootings rob us of peace and security. How can we prepare? This week lives were ...
Happy Camper The Modern Digital Nomad Trying to live in peace in today's fast-paced world is a constant fight. The stress of family, school, career, health, spirituality, humanity's identity crisis, world news, state news, local news, and even our virtual, digital life can weigh in. It all sounds good, and it is the American dream to have it all, right? But even after we get or reach whatever we are pursuing, we still need more. Technology these days doesn't give us much of a chance to bec...
Camping Hack Fails Common Christian Quips Fails When people are introduced to the great outdoors, there can be quite a bit of anxiety involved, especially if they have no experience. They may feel out of their element and uncomfortable with the unknown. Ok, so I may be describing myself about 30 years ago. See, I...
Junior Campers Instilling the Love of the Outdoors in our Kids Growing up, I spent weekends camping by the river with my mother’s family. The facts are we spent a lot of time at the lake near our home also. On Sundays, after church, a few of us kids would hit the lake wide-open. We would swim, play and eat bologna sandwiches with chips inside the sandwich. Those are some of my favorite memories. Those kids grew up, and today, we love each other just the same as we did on those banks 30 years ago...
There are some dangers that campers should beware of. Warnings that everyone needs to understand and heed. When choosing a camping site, you must investigate the area for potential hazards. Everyone in the south knows the rhyme, “three leaves, beware of these.” Poison ivy, poison oak, and other poisonous plants have three leaves. It is also advised that you check your chosen camping area for other dangers also. Claw marks on trees can mean bears. Rubbing marks on three can mean deer....
Breaking Bread: Campfire Style One of my favorite things about camping is the food. My husband loves to cook over an open fire. And everything tastes better when cooked and eaten outside. We own several dutch ovens and iron skillets. They are perfect for outside cuisine. From pot roast to cobbler, we have honed our recipes and tricks. There is nothing like coming in from a day on the boat, kayaking, hiking or exploring, and eating a campfire meal. Those campfire meals are always better with fami...
Be Still, Be Quiet and Breathe Psalm 46:10- He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." When I was a child, my extended family often met down by the river in Tennessee for family campouts. We would swim, water ski, fish all day, then cook over the fire and play music in the evening. I always enjoyed those trips with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. There is nothing like family voices singing in harmony by the campf...
Well, we are off to Lake Tahoe tomorrow. It will be a long driving day with an interesting drive between the desert floor and the 11 mountain passes to traverse along the way. Needless to say, I think we will drive separately. We have been at Great Basin NP for the last 3 days. What a different environment and scenery than where we came from in Colorado. The Great Basin stretches from the California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, through most of Nevada, to Utah’s Wasatch mountains. It is HUGE! The G...
Sometimes you want to grab your things last minute and head out of the city for a night or two of camping to reconnect with nature and unwind. Unfortunately, many campsites (at least here in BC) are booked up months in advance, so it’s impossible to get a site last minute. You’re stuck trying to plan your camping trips so far in advance that you may be stuck with bad weather or other plans. Is there another option? If you know where to find them, there are free, user-maintained campsites t...
You love spending time with your family and friends in nature. But you also know that you must be prepared to make these adventures a success. And there’s no better way to get ready for your next venture out into the wilderness than with Camping.Tools. Here’s how this app is changing the game, not just for chronicling memories of your adventures but for being ready to take on new ones whenever the mood strikes. Jot Down Your Thoughts and Keep Them Organized You may forget small details when you ...
If you enjoy the outdoors or the freedom of the road ahead, you may think that buying an RV is a great idea - and it is! But there are some things you should know before you make the investment because while it may seem like a dream come true, there are realities to the situation that are rarely seen by those who do not own RVs. Maintenance, tank emptying, and route planning will become your new normal if you buy an RV, but if you want to make memories on the road there is no better way to do it...
Rocky Mountain NP We are once again back to one of our “happy places”! We love Rocky Mountain National Park! This is our third trip back to the park, as we travel further west to California. We have stayed on the Estes Park side in a cabin years ago, before we had our camper, and that was terrific. There is so much to see and do in that area. The little town is awesome, and if you’re a Stephen King fan, the Stanley Hotel in Estes is where some of the scenes of his famous movie “The Shining...
