Technology vs. the Family - Where Do You Draw the Line? Part 1

Meadow on Mt. Nebo, Utah

One of my favorite things about camping is getting away from it all.  There are still some areas where cell phones don't get service, and I love leaving the phones and computers and emails and messages behind for a couple days.  Camping has always been the time when we could just interact as a family without tv and electronic distractions.  I am an avid road-tripper, and have limited our electronics use on these trips to the car CD player or radio, and a couple hand-held games, like Yahtzee.  No DVD players, no movies, no MP3 players, nothing.  Were my kids deprived?  I don't think so.  I grew up traveling without all of those modern "conveniences" and I figured my children would survive the experience as well.  Our family car when I was young didn't even have air conditioning!  I confess I am very fond of having it now.

Scenery out the window - driving to Grand Canyon

What I learned from road trips was that when there was nothing to do, I could entertain myself.  Watching landscapes roll by and change out a car window for hours at a time allows for some great imagination.  For example, tall towers holding powerful electricity cables became giants stalking our car.  My siblings and I concocted our own car games to pass the time.  We also played the traditional ones like 20 Questions, I Spy, locating the alphabet letters in order off of billboards, and tracking states on car license plates.  I wanted my children to have the same experience.  And, for the most part, I have held the line on limiting technology on our vacations.  My children usually read in the car, or stare out the window and drift into imaginary worlds in their own minds.  Sometimes they sing or play games, and sometimes they sleep.  They have mastered the art of the road trip.

Fishing during a camping trip

Enter youngest child and the newest addition to our family:  the portable DVD player.  My husband and I purchased the portable DVD player so we could watch movies on our "second honeymoon" trip back to a rustic cabin at the Grand Canyon.  We figured after 20 years of marriage, we deserved an upgrade in entertainment.  My son quickly became enamored with the player, and asked if we could take it camping last summer.  Wasn't the whole point of going camping to get away from electronics?  So the negotiations began.

Finally, we reached an agreement.  The DVD player came on the camping trip.  The restrictions were:  it was only to be used the first night, and only for a show or two.  Camping was, after all, about watching the stars and enjoying nature.  My son agreed, and our camping trip was a great success.  We cooked over a fire, made dutch oven dessert, hiked, and fished, and did all of the traditional camping things.  But on one night, we snuggled in our sleeping bags, propped the tiny DVD player on a box, and watched a show.  I confess, there was something fun and cozy about crowding around the tiny screen and enjoying some family togetherness in the tent.  Although I still want to escape electronics on vacation (no DVD player in the van!), and although I still want to limit the onslaught of technology in our car trips, I do value the memory of that night in a tent watching a movie with my husband and kids.  

So, my question to you is, where do you draw the line?  Stay tuned for more on the effects of technology on family relationships!  

The Art of Camping - Sanitation Station

Camp "Sanitation Station"

This year at our campground, there was not a tap right by our camp.  Although the vault toilets and a tap were nearby, it was really convenient to have a way to wash up right in camp.  Our camp sanitation station consisted of a line with towels for drying hands and dishes (bring extra towels if you are camping a few days), and a water jug with soap attached.

Washing station

Fill a sturdy jug with water and suspend it from a tree.  I use an old piece of nylon stockings to hold the soap. The soap easily suds hands through the nylon, and doesn't fall in the dirt while you are using it.  A golf tee on a string plugs a hole in the bottom of the jug.  When pulled out, it releases a stream of water to wet and rinse your hands.  If the jug is in the sun during the day, you can even get warm water!

Golf tee plug in the water jug

Don't set up this station too near your tent, as you don't want water and mud running into your lodgings.  However, with the small stream of water, it usually doesn't get too messy at the sanitation station.

Keeping dirt OUT of the tent.

A doormat is a great help in keeping dirt out of your tent.  We try to enforce a "no shoes in the tent" policy, and it really helps when it is time to pack up the tent and go home.  (In really bad weather, sometimes we have to allow shoes just inside the tent door so they don't get soaked outside). 

This year I found a great doormat made out of flip-flops at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It rolls up, is waterproof, thick, and durable.  It is a great addition to our camping equipment, and will hopefully grace the front of our tent for several years to come.

With a little creativity and effort, you can minimize some of the dirt and mess of camping!

For more camping tips see:

The Art of Camp Cooking - Breakfast

The Art of Preparing for a Camping Trip

The Art of Camp Cooking - Dinner

Camping at Great Basin National Park

The Art of Camp Cooking - Dinner

For our camp dinners this summer, we really went with the tried and true.  The first night we roasted hot dogs over the campfire, and then made s'mores.  The second night we made foil dinners and dutch oven dessert.  We seasoned our hamburger and divided it into patties at home.  Then at camp, we only had to slice vegetables and assemble the dinners.  We used potatoes, carrots, green peppers, and onion.  Assemble everything on your sheet of foil, season as desired, and fold the foil into a packet.  We double-wrapped ours.

Putting together a foil dinner

We started a fire to prepare coals before putting the dinners together.  Our fire was very hot, and the coals actually died out rather quickly (apparently the type of wood you use matters), so we ended up using some charcoal we had started for the dutch oven dessert.  Then, of course, we had to start more coals for the dutch oven, but one of the fun things about camping is changing your pace of life and not being on the clock, and just rolling with things as they come up!

Getting coals ready for cooking

Cooking the foil dinners on the coals.

We cooked our foil dinners about 20 minutes per side.  You can hear them steaming and sizzling when they are getting done.  Mine turned out great!  No raw hamburger or crunchy potatoes this time!

One of our campers shows off his foil dinner.

A large salad balanced the meal.

Before eating our foil dinners, we made a simple dutch oven dessert.  This cobbler requires hardly any preparation.  First, we opened 2 cans of pie filling (we chose raspberry).

Starting the dutch oven dessert - pie filling

Adding the cake mix.

We then added a box of white cake mix.  After that, we poured a can of lemon-lime soda (I used Sprite) over the whole thing.  Pour slowly to keep fizz at a minimum.  Then we cooked everything in the dutch oven.  We used about a 3 to 1 ratio of top to bottom coals...7 -8 coals on the bottom, 21 - 24 on the top.  Our dutch oven is a 12 inch "deep" oven, so with a shallower or smaller oven, you could probably use fewer coals.  This dessert took about an hour.  Turn the lid and rotate the oven a couple of times while cooking.

Dutch oven dessert cooking while the foil dinners finish in the firepit.

Raspberry cobbler - dig in!

It was great eating a warm cobbler by the campfire.  We even had whipped cream to top it off.

Note:  heat water and clean your dutch oven after use.  We scrubbed ours out with a bristly brush and hot water, then put it back on the coals until the water evaporated.  Afterwards, coat your oven with a thin layer of cooking oil while still hot.  This keeps it seasoned for the next use. 

Happy camping!

The Art of Camp Cooking - Breakfast

This year on our camping trip we decided to go with simple, traditional camp cooking.  Our son introduced us to a breakfast we hadn't tried at camp before:  omelets in a bag (big shout out to his Scout leader!)  I was a bit skeptical, not really wanting to eat something with the consistency of powdered eggs, but this was a simple, savory breakfast with almost no clean-up.

Omelet in a bag - step one

First, prepare your omelet ingredients.We had diced ham, chopped chicken, onions, green peppers, cheese, and salt and pepper.  Everyone assembles their own customized ingredients into their individual quart-sized plastic freezer bag.

Add your eggs!

After you put in your ingredients, break an egg or two into your bag, and mash it up until the egg and all ingredients are mixed together.  (Don't get shell in your bag, unless you want your omelet to have extra crunch!)  Squeeze all the air you can out of the bag, seal the zip opening, and then put it in a pot of boiling water.  We boiled our water on a Coleman camp stove. Check your bag once in awhile, and swish it to other spots in the pot so that  it cooks evenly.  (Sorry, I didn't time how long this takes, but allow several minutes...the eggs are thicker cooking them this way).  You can cook several omelets at once.

Remove your cooked omelet from the bag.

When your eggs are the consistency you like, remove the bag, empty it on a plate, and enjoy your "breakfast burrito!"  These were very delicious, and I think we'll do these at home on the stove on those mornings when everyone wants an omelet at once.

Voila!  Omelet from a bag.

Breakfast is served!

I don't know what it was about this cooking method, but the flavors from the onions and peppers really permeated the omelet, and it was delicious!  Besides, everything tastes better outdoors.

If you are concerned about cooking in plastic bags, you may want to read up on it.  Here is one link that might be helpful.  I think the risk of a once-a-year bag omelet is worth it for the convenience and taste!