The Cast of Characters:
Ginger and Rick. Back when I was in real estate, Ginger never failed to make me look good with her exceptional design skills for my brochures for the homes I listed or the post cards I sent out for self-promotion. So many times my clients complimented me on the materials I used in my business. Rick is Ginger's husband. He is great at getting big campfires started, even with wet wood and wet ground! If these two don't go, I don't want to go!
Caryl. I've known Caryl now for close to 10 years. She is a regular on these trips and always a pleasure to have along. Caryl is just one of those people who, without you realizing it, can build your ego to gigantic proportions.
Kathy. This was Kathy's third trip with us. Her motto for a successful camping trip is "fire and water!" She loves a campfire (who doesn't?) and she loves going in the water. She spent a lot of time this weekend sitting on a boulder at the water's edge reading her book for awhile (Nora Robert's latest - Search) and then she'd put the book down and jump in the water.
And "me"! (Oh, but if you are reading this, you already know me!!!) The only thing I'd add is how much I truly love getting a group of friends together [only those friends who enjoy this kind of thing!!!] and going to the wilderness and away from the real world and all the craziness that goes with it.
Now that you know "us", on to some of the fun times. Most of you know, I love doing camp dutch oven cooking. Folks, you don't have to eat mundane, freeze dried or otherwise "garbage" camp food. YUCK! Saturday morning I made Mountain Man Breakfast. Okay, so maybe it is an artery clogger, but none of us eat like this all the time. Ingredients: chopped bacon, chopped onion, green bell pepper, garlic, large chunks of potatoes with the peel left on, eggs, and cheese. . . (I think I included everything!) When you serve it, you pass around the picante sauce. MMMMMM!
Here is a picture of it cooking and the view of it ready to serve.
The other meal we had was cornish game hens cooked with brown rice and baby carrots. That was a crowd pleaser too. Two nights I made blueberry cobbler. Ginger told me in an e-mail before the trip, "the cobbler MUST happen."
We arrived at the camp area on Thursday after first stopping - another tradition - at Keyes Pancake House in Old Forge, NY for lunch. This camping area is a pristine wilderness area run by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The campsites are few and far between for a true wilderness experience. There are three islands in the area and those are a top prize (first come, first served).
Ranger Rick was watching as we loaded one tandem canoe and three kayaks. He was decent enough to keep his mouth shut, but you could tell he was thinking, "No way are they going to get all that gear in these boats." Never underestimate this group, folks. We want our comfort. We pack those folding umbrella chairs, three tents, one big canopy (in case it rains), two camp dutch ovens, charcoal, . . . the list is endless.
This was my first time camping with my new kayak. I got it all loaded and the darn thing tilted. While I was quietly having a coronary over the situation, Ginger went about the task of reloading. She made it look so easy.
Soon we were off, headed into a strong headwind. I was pleased with the way my new toy handled in this hurricane. It didn't take long to find an island void of other campers and we were overjoyed.
Stay tuned. There will be more on this trip and more pictures in the days to come!
This sounds like soooo much fun! The food looks delish! :)
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