Camping at Pokagon State Park

Last week we went camping in Pokagon State Park in the northeastern corner of Indiana. We had never been there before so it was an adventure for us. It turned out to be well worth the long drive to get there.

We hiked through marsh (seen here) and I identified flowers I'd never seen before in person. For example, notice the water lily:

We also went to their beach. Although the weather and the water were a little cold that day, you can see that my kids had fun. Here's my 6yo playing in the sand:

But of course, the best part is always the camping. We'd reserved our campsite online using only a basic map so we weren't sure what we were in for. Generally, we had a good site. It was the middle of the week so the campground wasn't terribly busy and the people who were there tended to be families with kids like us. We were within close walking distance of the facilities that included flush toilets and showers (a new luxury in our family's camping experience). We were also close to the camp playground so that the boys could go play on the playground while we fixed dinner. They were far enough to be out of our hair, but close enough that we could still see them and wave them over when dinner was ready. Each day was rounded out by the obligatory campfire and smores. Here's my 12yo playing guitar one evening at the fire ring:

Camping Season 2008 is now open

As I mentioned in my last post, I did ignore the media all weekend. That was mostly because it was our annual First-Weekend-in-May camping trip which is our family's official start to the camping season. The weather this year was not as nice as last year. Friday we had to contend with rain and storms and then Saturday night it got down into the 40's and was a little on the chilly side. But that didn't deter us. We love camping and can't wait for the first annual trip. We always start the season off at McCormick's Creek State Park in the same campsite every year. It is a family tradition. Here is the creek from which the park gets its name:

As I mentioned, it was rainy and stormy Friday night when we set up camp, so we had to hang up a tarp to protect our table. It was only a little miserable and we made the best of a trying situation.

The rain did stop, however, and Saturday was a nice and sunny day. We went on several different hikes. (Here are my three sons on one of our hikes.)

And we spent time playing around the campsite.

It got pretty cold Saturday night so we huddled around the campfire. Here I am sitting by the fire. I was bundled up in a t-shirt, sweatshirt, a hoodie, and a fleece jacket with a winter coat draped over my legs and gloves on my hands. Dressing in layers actually does work.

Saturday morning we warmed up by the fire as we made breakfast.

I was thrilled that the guys made breakfast. Here's my 16 year old making biscuits in our dutch oven.

In general a good time was had by all. In my gardening blog I have created a companion post where I will share all the wildflowers that I identified this trip. And if you are a wildflower fan, this weekend was incredible. Everything seemed to be in bloom!

We are excited about camping again and are already planning our next camping trip for some time in June.

"October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter" - Nova Bair

The woods in October in Indiana, I think, are at their best. The leaves whose greens blend together in summer, become defined in shades of gold, orange, red, yellow, brown. With each passing breeze a few stray leaves begin their slow glide to the ground. Acorns litter the ground, waiting for the wildlife to gather them up.

Last week we had Fall Break at school so we decided to take one last camping trip before the weather turns too cold. This time we went to Yellowwood State Forest in southern Indiana. Camping in October is so different from camping in May or June or July. We dressed in layers, huddling around the campfire at night out of necessity. Temperature ratings on sleeping bags were put to the test this time. And when we woke in the morning, our breath was visible until the sun warmed us up again. Instead of cold drinks and hot dogs, this time around we prefered beef stew for dinner and oatmeal with hot chocolate for breakfast.

As much as I love camping and hiking in the early summer and identifying spring wildflowers, I have to admit that I really love autumn camping too. There is nothing like a scary ghost story told while huddled for warmth around a campfire in October.

Before I go I want to show you the view of the lake on Saturday morning as the sun rose behind the trees before the morning fog had burned off. A more beautiful sight I cannot imagine...

To help you cope with everyday life

This photo was taken by my oldest son last weekend on our hiking/camping trip. Doesn't it just beg you to go out into the woods? I just love this photo.

Here are a couple more shots from the same trip:



A waterfall as seen from the cliff top above. What a vantage point, huh?



An old abandoned stone quarry in the middle of the woods.



Setting up camp back at the campsite. Car camping with three kids is a big production. I can't wait to have another free weekend and go back.

Camp cuisine

Okay, here's my food recap from our camping trip last weekend.

Friday dinner:

We copped out on dinner on Friday. We didn't get down and get our camp set up until after 6:00, so we knew it would have to be a fast dinner. We really wanted to stay vegetarian as much as possible, but we just couldn't imagine a camping trip without hot dogs over the campfire. We didn't even consider the tofu dogs because we tried those last summer and they were Nasty (with a capital N!). So we just had hot dogs, vegetarian baked beans and potato chips with soft drinks. We followed it up with dessert - what else but smores.

Saturday breakfast:

Saturday morning we were up by 7am and we started the coffee. We've tried different things over the years, but we've found that the best option for camping coffee is Folger's Coffee Singles. We have a huge jug that we fill with water and keep at the campsite for cooking, washing dishes, brushing teeth, etc. We pour some water into a coffee pot and boil it on our propane stove. Pour the boiling water over the coffee singles and brew and we are good to go. For the boys we tried something new this year. We brought several bottles of bottled water and put some in our cooler with ice. I found some of those new "On the Go" packets that are flavorings you can add to bottled water. I bought the orange flavor that has extra vitamin C added. I added packets of that to some bottles of chilled water and the boys had orange drink for breakfast. They loved them and it was sooo easy. It was worth the slightly higher price to have something so easy to use (and it tastes good!).

I made a new concoction for breakfast. This wasn't really even a recipe. I just thought it up myself and threw some things together. In a cast-iron skillet I poured in some canola oil. I'd chopped an onion at home and brought it in a ziploc baggie. I threw the onion into the oil along with about 2/3 bag of frozen hash brown potatoes. It took a really long time, but I fried it up on one burner of the propane stove. (I almost never make fried foods so this was a real "treat" for my family. I wouldn't do it all the time.) Meanwhile, on the other burner I used a non-stick skillet with a little squeezable smart spread (butter-like spread in a bottle) to scramble 5 cage-free organic eggs I'd brought from home. I added a little salt and pepper to both the eggs and the potatoes. Little J used our dutch oven and some aluminum foil to warm up some flour tortillas. To serve, we put a little of the eggs and a little of the potatoes in each tortilla, added some bottled salsa, and rolled them up. We each had one "burrito" and it was delicious and filling.

Saturday lunch:

For lunch we kept it simple with PB&J sandwiches, leftover chips, and some apples I'd brought from home. (The apples weren't a hit though. When I told the kids I had apples, only one was interested. The other two looked at me like I'd sprouted an extra head.) We also had some leftover hot dogs that Big J, Little J, and I had.

Saturday dinner:

We were adventurous again for dinner. We used our dutch oven to make pizza. We lined it with aluminum foil and laid a small boboli bread inside the bottom. (Our dutch oven is so small that we had to get 8" crusts which made small pizzas. We had to make two to feed our crew and probably could have made 4 now that I think about it.) We put bottled pizza sauce on top and spread it around and then added shredded mozzarella cheese. On one of the pizzas I also added fresh mushrooms I'd brought from home. Next time I may try some other toppings as well. Anyway, to use the dutch oven, you put the lid on. You have heated charcoals on a flat base (we used the gravel near the firepit). You set the dutch oven on top of the hot coals and then use tongs to add more hot coals to the lid. You basically create an oven that surrounds the food with heat. You let it sit about 10 minutes or so, checking to see if the pizza is done. Be careful with this step! Our first pizza was perfect, but the second got a little burned on one side from being in a little too long. We finished off with the rest of the smores.

Sunday breakfast:

We made pancakes on our new cast-iron griddle which we used with our propane stove. I'd bought the plastic bottle of bisquick (not very green, I realize) because you add the water directly to the bottle and shake and the batter is ready. Then you just pour the batter from the bottle. We used our squeezable fake butter and a bottle of lite syrup and the same drinks as Saturday. Big J wanted some protein with breakfast so we had some Morning Star Farms sausage links that I cooked on the griddle. They were okay, but I could have done without.

This was a challenging trip because we all worked up to the last minute and had to try to plan around the rest of our lives. Later in the summer when I am not working, I can devote more time to planning our next trip(s). I am still looking for some *good* replacements for hot dogs and chips. Until I find something that works, we'll probably stick with them. :-(

The way it's supposed to be

We just spent 3 days and 2 nights camping in the woods and Big J declared that this is the way it is supposed to be. We slowed down and shut out the outside world. No phones ringing, no TV's, no computer, no one coming to the door. Not really paying any attention to the time. Just hanging out with your family, attending to the very basics, and just being. He mentioned how after the first night you can just feel your metabolism slowing down and it is a great feeling. I think he put it very well and he hit on exactly what makes us keep going camping again and again. We long to get back to that feeling.

This weekend was so enjoyable. When we arrived Friday afternoon and started setting up camp, we realized the tent was really musty and probably hadn't been cleaned properly last summer before being stored away. But we didn't let that spoil our mood. We set it up and staked it down and opened all the windows to let it air out. We weren't too surprised that the family of raccoons who'd made their next in an old tree about 100 yards behind the campsite last summer had moved on. I think the kids were actually sorry they weren't there and they kept looking for them. However, we made a new friend. There was a large black crow who kept flying from one tree to another, making a large circle around the various campsites probably looking for dropped bits of food. He entertained us around the campfire that first night and Little J declared, "Nevermore!" From that time on we named him Edgar Allen Crow. Whenever we'd return from a hike, my five year old would ask, "Where's Edgar?"

I already posted about the hikes we took, but I forgot to mention one other fun thing we did on our very first hike. There is a creek that runs through the park. Part of it runs through a canyon of rock that has been worn away from years and years of erosion. There is a beautiful waterfall and hundreds of rocks along the creek edge. We climbed down the stairs to the creekbed and the boys leapt from rock to rock balancing and trying (unsuccessfully) to keep dry. Big J and I were reminded of the old video game Frogger.

We had a good time around the campsite too. We had lots and lots of campfires and burned lots of firewood. I tried to teach the 5yo how to toast marshmallows without burning them, but I don't think 5yo's are able to toast without burning. ;-) We ate way too many smores. We shared a book of campfire poems and made up a few silly stories. When it was still light outside Little J used a sling shot to practice aiming gravel at some of the trees behind our campsite. There was also an area with lots of trees but little undergrowth that made a perfect play area for the other two boys. They started off by saying it was Endor (as in Star Wars) and a couple of sticks were their light sabers. But a little while later they switched to pretending to catch Pokemon and I guess they were in the Pokemon world back there. They spent lots of time back there which really helped me out when I was busy trying to cook a meal.

At night time we slept so peacefully in our tent. It was surprisingly warm enough for us to have the windows unzipped all night both nights. There is nothing like lying there at 6am looking out at the trees which are just starting to become visible as the sun begins to rise. The birds start coming to life all at once. Sleeping on the ground isn't as easy for me as it used to be and I have to use an air mattress. But I am determined that I'm not going to stop doing this until I absolutely have to. I took my medicines to minimize the pain. I woke up stiff and a little sore in the morning, but it was so pleasant otherwise that I didn't let the discomfort bother me. Up and at 'em and some instant coffee got me going pretty quick.

I think I have one more post in me about our eating habits while camping and how we handled the vegetarian thing. But I'll have to wait a little bit before I get to that post. I still need to unpack. Stay tuned to my next post...

Hiking with kids

We just got home from our annual family spring camping trip. I have several blog posts bumping around in my head now. I thought I'd start out by sharing our hiking adventures with our kids. Maybe this will help some other parents out there who may be planning summer outings with their own kids.

My husband and I have always enjoyed hiking and have taken our kids along since they were small. But I have to admit that kids can get bored with hiking easier than adults do. If you are a parent who has tried to take kids hiking, you may remember getting about halfway into the hike when the whining begins. Are we almost done? Will you carry me? I'm bored. I'm hot. There are too many bugs. My feet hurt.

I have found that the best way to avoid these situations is to plan your hikes with your kids in mind. Rather than just going out hiking and soaking in nature (which is often perfect for adults), go out with a purpose in mind. Set a goal for the trip and get the kids involved. Not only will they not complain, but they'll get just as excited as you (or maybe even more so!).

This weekend we made three small hikes. Saturday morning was our least structured hike. We picked a trail that was about 1 mile long. Having done this before, I know that E (10yo) loves identifying trees. I love to identify wildflowers. Big J, Little J (15yo), and D (5yo) all love just looking around and seeing what they can see. Little J is good at teaching D things that he has learned through Boy Scouts. Anyway, for our first hike, we just took a little time to do our own things all within the same area of the trail. I was thrilled to find several new wildflowers this year and correctly identify them. Meanwhile, E was learning to distinguish different kinds of oaks. D just enjoyed finding sticks or rocks on the trail and throwing them into the undergrowth.

After a lunch break and a trip to the park's nature center, we were ready for our first planned hike. (I can't take full credit for these ideas. They actually came from the Cub Scout How-To book for leaders. I just adapted them for my family.) Anyway, before we left home, I printed out sheets for our ABC Scavenger Hunt. On each sheet I printed out each letter of the alphabet. I made a few copies so we'd have plenty. We split into two teams: Me and E on one team and Big J, Little J, and D on the other team. When we got to the trail head we checked our watches and agreed to meet back at that spot in one hour. Then we took off. On our hike we had to find one sight, sound, or smell for every letter of the alphabet. Everyone had fun with that one - even D, who can't read yet, loved helping his dad and big brother. We only found 20 items while the guys got 26 (although I think they cheated by choosing "zipper" from Little J's shorts for Z and they found an insect they named "Quinton" for Q).

This morning after breakfast we had our second scavenger hunt. Again, I printed up a few copies of a Nature Scavenger Hunt list. The list included items we might find on a hike such as an anthill, a maple leaf, an animal track, a spider web, etc. We split into different teams this time. This time Little J and D came with me while E went with his dad. We went to a different trailhead this time and agreed to meet back there in an hour. This was a lot of fun. D was disappointed that he couldn't find the raccoon that he'd been looking for. But we had lots of fun finding the other items.

A cool side effect of these hikes is that my kids are really learning a lot about nature. My 10yo can correctly identify 2-3 different kinds of trees by looking at their leaves. D, who is only 5, can correctly identify deer tracks and anthills and woodpecker holes, just to name a few. Even Little J (who considers himself an outdoor expert since he camps out with the Boy Scouts so much) learned something new when I showed him wild garlic on the trail today. He'd never seen it before.

What a great way to spend time with your family!