Summer Fun Passport: Camping with Friends

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

DIY Beer Can Mini Camp Stove

We recently did our first hike-in camping as a family. Even though it was just overnight we wanted a wee stove to boil water and make simple meals with. Of course Hubs had something in mind ... super light and practically free too! A beer can stove.

Hubs went to Lifehacker and Instructables for guidance on this project.

Summer Fun Passport: Hike-in Camping!

Spud has done a fair amount of "Car Camping". And loves it. Normally. But Hubs' favourite kind of camping is "Hike-in Camping". It would be my favourite too if it had showers and I didn't have to sleep on the ground. I really like our cushy bed in our roof top tent and our outdoor shower!

Anyway, we did an overnight "test" to see how the family likes it, as a whole. And it was epic. In so many ways. I mean, check out the pics!

We went to a spot that Hubs used to go to with his uncle when he was young. Those were important times and good memories. I was excited to see the place I'd heard so much about. And boy, is it stunning. The weather was amazing too.

But there was also A LOT of whining from our little city kid. (and a bit from me too). Too much dirt and bugs and well, nature, frankly. He said he would do it again though. My aching bones after sleeping on the ground said "no". We'll see. Maybe "Canoe Camping" is more our thing? If we can load it up with some cushy luxuries.

Here's our full Summer Fun Passport List for 2013 and our passport we made to keep track of everything we accomplish this summer!

Makes Me Happy: New Portable Grill Test

Loving our new little portable grill — perfect for short hike-in camping trips (especially when the fire bans are in full force!) and for picnics on the beach and at the park. Buying it at the end of the season was accidental genius also, as we saved 50%! Happy.


Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

Summer Fun Passport: Camping with Friends!

11 kids. 15 adults. Tubing. Swimming. Marmot Spotting. Biking. Hiking. Mozzy dodging. Badminton. Crafting. Water rockets. Watermelon eating contest. Glow stick mania. Wee hours by the fire. Good times with good people.


Here's our full Summer Fun Passport List for 2013 and our passport we made to keep track of everything we accomplish this summer!

Camping with Friends

SUMMER FUN PASSPORT ENTRY  |  TICK!

One word to sum up this camping trip. Rain. Rain. Rain.

We only lasted one night. While the parents spent hours setting up and then the next day tearing down, the kids had the time of their lives, jellyfish and baby crab hunting, playing with the rope and pulley, biking sans supervision, swinging on the hammock with new found friends and just generally getting soaked. And we learned how to make a mean tent city. Not sure how fun it was all going to be later in the day when the cold started to set in, though.

So we packed it in ... and had fun in our friends' backyard instead. Including a little fire and cone s'mores!

Another entry in our Summer Fun Passport.

We took the Summer Bucket List Challenge. Our working list is here.


For other wee posts on camping, go here.

It's Hammer Time

OUTDOOR / CAMPING ACTIVITY TO DO WITH THE KIDS

This is a classic kiddie activity that Spud took to right away. He picked up some great hammering skills and at the same time we found something interesting to do with those silly bands.

Hubs cut these pieces of wood to 8" x 8" and then I made a couple of different templates with the same dimensions. 

One template had dots in a circle shape and the other more linear.

Each creation came with elaborate stories which literally kept him busy for hours.

Makes Me Happy: Learning New Skills

City boy goes camping:

Dutch Oven Breakfast Pie

This a great recipe to use near the end of your camping trip because it uses up leftovers from your previous meals.

INGREDIENTS

1 can crescent rolls

1 C. sharp cheddar, shredded or sliced

2 C. leftover cooked sausage / bacon

4 eggs; beaten

1/4 - 1/2 C. diced red bell pepper (or other leftover veg such as zucchini or broccoli)

1 C. leftover potato, chopped (or other leftover veg such as cauliflower or yam)

3 T. milk

1/2 t. salt

1 t. ground black pepper

3 T. parmesan cheese

METHOD

Lay out the flattened crescent rolls on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Sprinkle evenly with meat, veg, potato and finally cheese. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour evenly on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake with 8-10 briquettes bottom and 12-14 briquettes top for 20-30 minutes until eggs are set.

Makes Me Happy: Camping Centrepiece

While Hubs was scavenging firewood he stumbled across this beauty which inspired him to nail it to a base. Voila! Dramatic, woodsy centrepiece for our camping table. I hope the subsequent tenants of our site appreciated it as much as we did.

(Images: Kiley Redhead)

Dutch Oven Salmon and Corn

Oh yah. Salmon and corn AND bacon. It IS camping after all. This meal is dead easy to make once you have the ingredients. I think bacon and corn were meant to be together.

But first, let's get the briquettes into the chimney. A little bit of newspaper at the bottom (below the inside grate) and all the briquettes we need in the top. Apply match. Voila!

You can see these coals aren't ready yet. Maybe another 5 or so minutes and they will be all aglow.

Ah. That's better. Here they are on the lid working their hot hot hot magic.

INGREDIENTS

1 whole salmon (minus head and tail), 10" long

6 Corn on the cob

Salt

Parmesan cheese

6 – 8 bacon slices

Serve with lemon wedges

METHOD

Place husked corn in bottom of dutch oven with a cup of water. Season inside salmon and place it on corn. Criss cross the bacon on top of the salmon. Cook for about 30 minutes with 16 coals on top (to crisp the bacon) and 8 coals underneath. Check the progress about half way through and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the salmon. The salmon is done when the flesh flakes and is no longer translucent.

Makes Me Happy: Toast on the Fire

Nothing better than some warm, smokey toast in the morning. Really. And here's a nod to DL, our toastmaster.

DIY Button Toy

OUTDOOR / CAMPING ACTIVITY TO DO WITH THE KIDS

For the camping version of the button toy, Hubs made the button out of piece of our firewood. It was a biggie too! And the string is glow in the dark.

Hubs actually ended up making a few of these because they split pretty easily when he drilled the holes into them.

Finally, here it is in action. Similar to the yoyo, it takes practice for the little guys to find the right rhythm of pulling the string. Eventually, with the right pulling technique, you can really get it going.

Bonus: upper arm workout.

Makes Me Happy: A Dutch Oven Tower

A Sausage and Veggies concoction are baking in the bottom and Mandarin Peach Cake for dessert in the top.