Halloween on the Big Lava Bed
It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day when Kent and I drove north into the Big Lava Bed. The road was rugged, just ruts worn into jagged rock, winding between collapsed lava tubes and stunted trees finally arriving at a flat...
Good Morning
11/2/25 6:00 40f Overcast and calm out on the lava bed. The weather has moderated. It was still dark when I made the treacherous trek to the latrine. I was relieved when it hove into view. Andy and Kent put some much appreciated effort into its...
Good Morning
11/1/25 8:00 Temperate but raining hard. We had a puddle form by the door last night. It has grown to a lake with a river running into it. Constant rain all night with no hope for it letting up today. The tipi won't draft and is filled with smoke. We had...
Good Morning
10/31/25 8:00 cool calm and beautiful . A lovely sunrise Halloween morning out on The Big Lava Bed after a beautiful moonlit night. Got a slow start this morning and had breakfast for lunch. ...
A Wet Day With the Grub
Amy, Walter and I took the kniece and knephew out with their grub to look for mushrooms. It was a damp day but we had a good time and managed to find a few lobsters and chanterelles. ...
Good Morning
7/14/26 6:45 62F (16.6C) Overcast, still. The rooster is crowing, a familiar sound, but a sharp contrast to the peacocks distant screech while camping above Scott's house the past 5 mornings. Rob and I got to my house about 4:30 yesterday afternoon. He still...
Good Morning
7/13/26 O'dark-thirty. Stars are out and it is dark. There are noises behind me as I squat at the latrine. I flip on a flashlight and find myself surrounded by horses, blinking in the glare. Back to bed to sleep until dawn. Left-over rhubarb cobbler...
Good Morning
7/12/26 5:30 Sunrise at Nan's Rock. Temperature probably in the mid-fifties. Scott tells me the popcorn clouds portend a lightning storm, perhaps nearby, in the afternoon. Harmony joined us for breakfast - Scott made french toast. ...
Good Morning
7/11/26 6:45 53F (11.6C) Clear with a chance of horses. A fingernail moon hangs above the pines. It will wink out tomorrow. Last night one of Scott's mares stole my drink. This morning I woke up to find the same horse inside the lodge, front feet, head and...
Good Morning
7/10/26 5:45 58F (14.4C) I woke with the sun rising from behind Nan's Rock. It is warm enough to wander half naked to the latrine without discomfort. Walter stuck his nose under the head of Robert's bunk and snored all night. Scott has two tipis set up. We are...
Tarting Up the Ramen
Ramen noodles are a no-brainer pack food. Cheap, lightweight, quick and easy to prepare, you can eat them right out of the pot and cleanup is fast and effortless. I like to tart mine up just a little. Adding some oil and vegetables and maybe an egg to the mix doesn't...
Wild Cranberry Syrup
Wild Cranberry Syrup Simple Cranberry Syrup Recipe 2 cups wild cranberries 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp water Rinse and pick out stems from cranberries Combine cranberries, brown sugar, and water in saucepan or small cast iron skillet Bring to a boil and cook for 1...
Baked Couscous
Baked Couscous I've made this dish stove top at home and in the Dutch oven while camping. A savory couscous galette, it is an easy, flexible recipe. You can use any mushrooms, or none at all. The same with the meat: use whatever you have, or no meat at all. I've made...
Chicken & Dumplings
Chicken & Dumplings Chicken and dumplings may be the ultimate comfort food. We had this for Sunday dinner on our Halloween camping trip. To ease the work at camp, I did some prep at home, mixing the dry ingredients for the dumplings in a zip lock bag, and cooking...
Cranberries and Chanterelles
Cranberries and Chanterelles Cranberries ripen at the height of chanterelle season. It was inevitable eventually I would try cooking them up together. I'm only surprised it took me so long to get around to it. Ingredients chanterelles wild cranberries...
