Camp Chef Compact Fire Ring
I have had this Camp Chef propane fire pit for several years now. I use it when fire season bans prohibit traditional wood campfires. When I hooked it up last week the regulator was leaking gas, so I ordered a...
Good Afternoon
6/4/25 2:30 Clear sky, breezy 70f (21c). Some photos from this afternoon. ...
Making a Camp Bed Big Enough for Two
Planning for an upcoming camping trip Amy and I decided to purchase a sleeping bag and pad wide enough for both of us. We ended up with a Guide Gear self inflating pad and a King Camp Snowflake 300D ...
Pretty Not Bad
Amy and I drove up to Disappearing Lake. The water level is dropping fast; I think it will be a short season. We talked about paddling the beaver pond but the shore was teeming with mosquitos so we went back down to South Prairie and put in. ...
A Day Spent on the Water
My friend, Joe Castaldi, built a beautiful, sixteen foot gaff-rigged Melonseed Skiff from the original plans. He sent word he was planning to launch her for a maiden voyage down at the Hood River Marina, so I showed up yesterday, bright and early to...
Good Morning
1/15/26 6:30 35F (1.6C) Overcast and still. The rooster is complaining. Ducks chuckle down by the creek. A dog barks in the distance, far up the canyon. Walter is laying by the back door, staring this direction. The general tenor of this morning is muted and...
Good Morning
1/14/26 6:30 28F (-2.2C) Calm, cold, clear and frosty. The moon is just a fingernail low in the southeast. I didn't hear coyotes but Walter did. He was barking earlier, but has settled down for now. Ducks rise from the pond, muttering "good morning." They...
Good Morning
1/13/26 6:30 32F (0.0C) A frosty morning, filled with stars. The crescent moon is low in the southeast, just beginning its transit. The coyotes set the dog off this morning. They sounded pretty close. They've settled down and Walter is in the house, so it...
Good Morning
1/12/26 6:30 31F (0.5C) Dark and icy calm. The moon, waning last quarter, hangs S SE, in a strand of clouds. A light east wind blows tufts and streamers across the stars. Walter Dawg has toured the perimeter. Finding everything in order, he is resting...
Good Morning
1/11/26 6:30 35F (1.6C) Cool, calm, with a light overcast. The moon in its last quarter is low in the south, mid-transit shining through the willows. Today is as a good as day as any to stand with our community and say "Fuck ICE. Fuck Trump. Fuck the MAGAts."...
Roast Pumpkin and Chanterelle Soup
Deborah Moran posted a recipe for roasted pumpkin and chanterelle soup in the Cooking With Wild Mushrooms forum. It sounded so good, I knew I had to try it. I modified the recipe slightly and cooked it last time we went camping. Rich and creamy, with a smokey flavor...
Leucoagaricus rachodes
Leucoagaricus rhacodes, sometimes spelled rachodes (it is also known as Agaricus rhacodes, Lepiota rhacodes, Macrolepiota rhacodes, and Chlorophyllum rhacodes), is a stately and delicious mushroom, despite its somewhat confusing taxonomy. Brilliant white with a...
Pie Iron Tuna Melt
We were going to do tuna melts in the pie irons at Fungal in the Jungle, but Wayne and Peter fed us so well we never got around to cooking for ourselves. I was really looking forward to seeing how potoato bread worked in the pie iron, so a couple of days after we got...
Mulled Wine
Hot spiced wine is a perfect way to take the edge off the drizzly season. We made this in a 2 1/4 gallon cast iron potjie suspended over the fire from a tripod. It would work just as well in a crock pot on low. Ingredients 2 bottles of red wine...
Carbonara
This is one of my favorite camp meals. It only takes about twenty minutes and it is delicious. Dried lobster mushrooms work best in this dish. They hold up to cooking, add a marvelous flavor, and the water used for reconstituting them dyes the pasta orange and infuses...
