Camping List

| M Miles

So there are many items you need to take when going camping. Over the next little bit I will suggest what I think is a good list to have. Of course adding to it or adjusting it to fit your own needs is totally acceptable.

  1. Tent or Camper. Whatever you think is the best. We used to use a tent now I love the camper. We still grill out and everything though.
  2. First Aid Kit. You can make a fairly cheap first aid kit with supplies from Dollar Tree. This list will be in another blog.
  3. What ever types of meat you will use. Chicken, steak, hamburger, hotdogs, brats. Depending on how may days you will be out, you can always freeze some meat, hamburger patties you already made up, hotdogs, sausage can be fried for a breakfast casserole.
  4. Sides. Chips, pasta salad, coleslaw, baked beans.
  5. Condiments. Steak sauce, worchestire, mustard, ketchup, mayo. Don’t forget the mayo will need to stay refrigerated.
  6. Snacks. Beef jerky, trail mix, chips and salsa.
  7. Smores stuff. Chocolate, graham crackers, marshmallows. You will need these items especially if you have kids.
  8. Rope and clothespins. This is handy if you have wet towels.
  9. Don’t forget any utensils you might need. Plates, silverware, pots, pans, spatula, knives. Also don’t forget either charcoal or propane.
  10. Finally drinks and ice. Bottled drinks are always best as you can close them up, along with water and ice, ice, ice. We always pack our cooler then add ice on way out of town.

Adjust your list as you need to as these are just basics. Our list is really long and I check and double check. Our list has also changed over time, cause no matter where we go we will always eat out at least one place.

Till our next travel, be safe and have fun.

Ciao,

M

Morning Drive

| M Miles

Well I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend. Ours was fantastic, very relaxing and much needed. I had been preparing for the drive down to Eureka Springs for over two weeks. Buying little things here and buying things there. It is supposed to be a camping trip so how does it turn into costing so much? Getting up making sure my dad is taken care of before we leave. Do we have everything out of my truck? Do we have everything that was at dads? We head to the house to hook up our vintage camper. We have a 1968 Seeker which needs a lot of work, but I love it. Oh and we can’t forget the items at our house.

Oh we were off…taking a road we never took, thinking we were going to be able to make a stop we both like – Osceola Cheese.. Wrong…it was way out of the way. The fur kids were excited, we had the camper in tow and we were off on our first summer adventure. We made the trip in a reasonable amount of time. We get to the KOA and set up camp which was our home for the next three nights. We are close to the bathhouse, not far from the swimming pool and Sammy and Winston both loved going to the dog park which we went to three times a day.

We relaxed the first night, cooled off in the pool the second day and went and saw Thorncrown Chapel, the third day we rented a canoe and went down the White River. We did a lot of walking and went on the hiking trail at the KOA every day.

While at Thorncrown Chapel, there was a very nice bystander that took our family picture. It was gorgeous inside, and very serene. It is a must stop if you are ever in Eureka Springs.

Next morning was the beginning of our canoe trip. We were a little worried about the dogs tipping us over as they had never been in one. They did really well and we stayed upright the whole time.

We slept fairly good that night. We ate breakfast the next morning, one last trip to the dog park and said our goodbyes to our fantastic hosts, everyone was friendly and very helpful. Go see both Mikes and their wives at the KOA in Eureka Springs. We will go back again.

As you can see everyone was tired on our way home.

Till the next trip, stay safe, and have fun!!

Ciao,

M

RV/Camping List

| M Miles

I have been camping in tents, campers on trucks, Girl Scout camping, camping alone, camping with friends and there is always items that you find that you always need. Some are things that you want, some are extras, some just make it nice to have to be comfy and cozy. So I decided to create a list of what I feel is important to take along on your adventures. You can adjust the list as you need it, but these are what I consider are need to haves.

  1. Comfy clothes whether its leggings or jeans, a sweatshirt or hoodie, a tank or t-shirt and depending on what you are doing hiking shoes, water shoes, tennis shoes.
  2. First aid kit – you’re basics should consist of bandaids, wrap, peroxide, tweezers, scissors, antibiotic ointment, fingernail clippers, a pain reliever such as acetaminophen and Benadryl or equivalent.
  3. Take along your own pillows or have an extra set just for camping, it really makes for a better night sleep. Oh and don’t forget a comfy blanket or sleeping bag. There are many choices out there depending on temperatures and your comfort level.
  4. Paper towels. I use cloth napkins at home, so I just bought a set from World Market to take a long on our upcoming camp trip. This way you can wash them and stay nice while the paper towels can be used for spills and soaking up grease off food.
  5. Don’t forget plates. Most people use paper plates which is ok I bought some small plates after Christmas that I really liked just to keep in the camper.
Walmart clearance after Christmas, $1.00.
  • 6. Your favorite seasons and condiments. I have found out only take what you need. Plan your meals, keep meat frozen ahead of time whether it is for chili, fry it up and freeze, brats keep them froze, you can even make hamburger patties ahead of time and freeze. Freezing your meats will help keep everything in your cooler colder and less chance of a spill. Don’t forget snacks. I like olives, so I usually buy different types of olives, green, stuffed and black. And don’t forget cheese. There are so many different kinds out there, you are sure to find a favorite. Recipes I am trying on our next trip, I will post in an upcoming blog.

7. Rope. Any kind of rope or paracord can be very useful. Along with clothespins. You can always make a line to hang towels should they get wet.

8. Paper, newspaper, fire starter. Great for campfires and who doesn’t need a campfire when camping, whether you are using it for cooking or just for ambiance.

9. Drinks. Whether your choice is beer, soda, water, make sure to take plenty liquids along. This time I am taking what I will need to make cranberry mimosas, regular mimosas, and blood orange mimosas.

10. Fur kiddo items. Since we always take our fur kids, we take leashes, tie outs, treats, food, dishes for water. And yes this is extra water on top of what you will drink. It might be nice to take a ball or frisbee and don’t forget about pet first aid items and don’t forget doodie bags. Some KOA’s have dog parks, where you can let them run, this makes it nice. I carry one backpack just for them.

There are so many items this list doesn’t even begin. The more you go the more you will figure out what suits your style.

Happy camping!

Ciao,

M

Is It Glamping?

| M Miles

So getting ready for this upcoming Holiday weekend. Normally we would take the boat out or camp nearby, however this year we have decided to take a longer trek and go to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Back in October we went to Colorado which maybe I’ll write in another post, that was the beginning of our new adventures. I love taking our old beat up vintage camper out on the road and go to campsites. We invested in a KOA membership which has paid off, this will be our fourth KOA in the last 8 months.

I have researched camping and glamping and know that I love to camp, however, I do like the more glamorous aspect of glamping. The more fancier menu, some of the comforts of home..nice sheets, comfy fleece blankets, soft comfortable pillows. This trip instead of just the plain old hamburgers and hotdogs, scrambled eggs and bacon we are having ham and cheese croissants, bbq chicken sandwiches, grilled flatbread pizza, stuffed mushrooms, olives various cheeses (which we will pick up at Osceola Cheese..yum), and mimosas.

Our fur kiddos will have an awesome time I hope. At this KOA there is a dog park and a hiking trail, and we plan on taking them to the river, as they both have life jackets. Fun and safe for the beginning of summer. Along with some hikes and outdoor time, we will explore a little and go out to eat once maybe twice, you can’t go someplace and not explore the local cuisine. There of course will be some down time, hopefully in the large swimming pool for us (just hope it’s warm enough).

Well I will write more about or maybe create a list for what we take and bought to make this more of glamping trip.

Till the next hike, be safe and have a great holiday weekend.

Ciao,

M

Washington Views

| M Miles

So I decided on the first picture to add to this was one taken on one of our trips to Washington. We travel there at least one time trying to make it two times a year. It is beautiful there and we have family to visit and everytime we try and do something just a little bit different, but still at least one of the same things each time.

So I love to hike and camp, but if you are ever in Spokane, you have to go to the Boiler Room and have one of there pizzas, they are brick-fired and all sorts of yumminess. I love there Blood Orange Mimosa too, although the last time it wasn’t on the menu, but I did get the bartender to make me one. I am going to try on our upcoming camping trip.

We have been to Seattle and Leavenworth and crossed the border into Idaho. Wait till I tell you about our trip to Schweitzer. So anyways back to Spokane, we have gone horseback riding at Spokane Trails and it was a wonderful day. I can’t say that any times have been bad.

I just love new adventures, we are hoping to go out there again in September, but don’t know at this time if that will be possible. We have a lot going on this year. The views here are gorgeous it doesn’t matter which part of Washington you go too, whether it is out to the ocean, the mountains, or the city life. There is always a picturesque moment.

Till our next stop, take care and safe travels!

Ciao!

M