A New Heartsease...

Jalapenos Part 2 - Jalapeno Pickled Eggs

 

Jalapeno Pickled Eggs are a nice appetizer with beverages when guests stop by. The resulting "pickle" results in only moderate heat, but a nice savor!

    If you have extra eggs you need to use up, as I did when I kept chickens, or you simply want to purchase some extra eggs to make this recipe, you'll be glad you did!

    If folks drop by unexpectedly or even if you know their coming, you'll always have something to serve even if your fridge is nearly bare. Pickled eggs keep in the fridge for three to four months, so make extra and you'll always have some on hand, especially if every month, or so, you make a new batch! This way you'll never run out.

    The eggs, once boiled and pickled, make a quick and handy protein-packed snack, a savory addition to salads, and a totable snack, too.

     My favorite way to enjoy these is with a martini or margarita. They go well with champagne or a crisp white wine, such as Pinot Grigio and Chilled Rose' is nice, too.

    This is an easy recipe because no canning processes are required.

 

Recipe: Jalapeno Pickled Eggs (makes one six-egg jarful)

    For every six eggs, you'll need a clean quart jar. I use canning jars as I have many of them. But any glass quart jar with a big enough opening to insert the ingredients will do.

    If you're careful not to touch the flesh, pith, and seeds of the peppers you won't need to wear kitchen gloves. The pepper oils can remain on your hands for hours causing a sting if you touch your eyes or any other moist areas, such as your nose!

    Simply double, triple - or more - the amount of ingredients for the number of jars you want to prepare.

Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs

1 cup cider or white vinegar

1 cup water

2 to 4 TBS sweetener of choice (I use Splenda or liquid stevia)

6 small or 3 large cloves of garlic, halved

2 jalapeno peppers, stem ends cut off, seeded, and halved

1 tsp cumin seed

1 TBS canning or regular salt

 

Method:

    Place the eggs in a sauce pan with water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and gently boil the eggs for eight minutes. Turn off the burner and cover the pan with a lid, allowing the eggs to sit until cooled and the pan is only warm to the touch. Remove the eggs and peel them.

 

A spoon makes a handy tool for removing seeds and pith.

 

    After the eggs are cool enough to handle place the prepared peppers and garlic into the jar. Add the eggs.

 

This jar is ready for the brine.

    In a small pan prepare the brine by adding the remaining ingredients - water, vinegar, sweetener, cumin seeds,and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil on a medium boil until whatever sweetener you've used is dissolved.

    Carefully pour the hot brine into the jar (a canning funnel makes this a snap). Screw on a lid and refrigerate. Don't open for at least one week, two weeks is preferable, so the flavors can penetrate the eggs.

    If desired you may rinse the pickled egg with water and dab dry with a paper towel prior to serving.

    The eggs last three to four months in the fridge.

 

* * * * *

 

If you use regular salt instead of canning salt your finished brine will be cloudier, as in this batch, although flavor will be the same.

 

Notes:

    Using cumin seed instead of ground cumin will result in a cleaner look for serving your eggs and prevent additional cloudiness.

    You may use either cider (my personal preference) or white vinegar. White vinegar gives a crisper look while cider vinegar brings a brown cast to the brine and the egg white. If you use cider vinegar with the "mother" still in it, as I sometimes do, your finished product will naturally be more cloudy.

    If you like a tangier egg, use less sweetener. Four TBS sweetener gives a savory-sweet flavor.

    Honey is the original sweetener for this recipe so may want to try that instead. 

    

    

 

    

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

    

Jalapenos Part 1 - Jalapeno Salsa/Sauce (Just four ingredients!).

Not mild, but not too hot (at least I think so)...jalapeno peppers may be used green or in their red, fully ripened state.

 

Make a little or a lot! Four pint jars last me about six months before I have to make more. Nice too, for gifting to your salsa-loving friends!

 

    When I lived in my Folk Victorian farmhouse in Elsinore, Utah (where I called this "sauce", rather than "salsa"), I used to grow a row of jalapeno peppers. I smoked them (on the BBQ), dehydrated them and canned them in slices and as salsa.

    When I grew my own, I'd let some ripen to red - they have a more complex, mellower flavor - and I'd make the red version of this salsa.

    Now I live in Northern Idaho in a condo, so I purchase my peppers from the grocer. Seldom do markets carry fully ripened jalapenos.

    You'll need a food processor, a pair of rubber kitchen gloves, a knife, 4 pint canning jars + one 8-oz. jar - clean and sterlized (I usually sterilize one more jar than I think I'll need, just in case), 5 or 6 lids and bands, a canning funnel, a ladle, a steam or water bath canner, jar lifter, a towel to set the finished jars of salsa upon, and a damp paper towel to wipe the jar rims...probably an apron and maybe a spoon.

    If you want to remove all or some of the seeds (I don't for this particular recipe), a spoon can be a handy tool to slip out the seeds and pith.

 

After cutting off the stem end of the pepper and slicing it in half, hold half the pepper down with one hand. With the other hand slip the spoon between the flesh and seedy pith lifting it out along the length of the pepper half. Repeat with all or some of the peppers, if desired.

 

    A pair of clean kitchen gloves will prevent the pepper oils from stinging your skin...and the inadvertent rubbing of one's eyes even many hours after washing your hands with soap and water. The oils are impervious to soap and water for up to 24 hours and rubbing your eye will result in a stinging eye, but no permanent damage. If you do this, flushing the eye with cool water will give relief. 

    If you choose to put the seeds and pepper tops down the garbage disposal, simply stand back as the oils will rise from the disposal and if you inhale them you'll cough. Use the same precaution - standing back - after you've ground them in the food processor, before removing the top.

 

Recipe: Jalapeno Salsa (approx. 4-1/2 pints)

2 pounds fresh jalapeno peppers, topped, halved, seeded, and roughly chopped.

4 cups white vinegar

1/4 + 2 tsp canning salt

8 cloves of garlic peeled

    Add all the ingredients to a food processor fitted with the blade. Grind until all the ingredients are uniformly ground, but not completely liquefied. Pour the mixture into a large sauce pan.

 

 

The resulting pepper slurry should be slightly chunky, but uniform.

 

    Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for five minutes. The mixture will change color to an olive-green as it cooks.

 

Color change of cooked mixture. You can see the seeds I left in. They remain whole through the processing.

 

You can sterilize your jars in the dishwasher or wash them and set them into hot boiling water, to cover, or over the steam canner's boiling water with the canner lid in place for 10 minutes. Here, I've sterilized the jars for 10 minutes in the steam canner, removed the lid, and the hot jars are ready to fill.

 

    Place your canning funnel on top of the jar to be filled and use your ladle to fill it to within 1/4-inch of the top of the jar. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rim of any of the salsa. Top the jar with a lid centered on the jar, add the band and finger tighten.

    If you're left with salsa insufficient to fill a pint jar, you may add the remainder to a smaller jar, and process it with the pint jars, or place it in the fridge for use within the next four to six weeks.

 

The lids should be placed into lightly simmering water, not boiling water as this may warp the seals. Simmer for 10 minutes, then the turn off the burner. The water will remain hot until all the lids are removed and placed upon the jars.

    

    Set each filled jar upright in the water bath or steam canner rack. Continue until all the jars are filled and in the canner. Turn up the burner to high. When the canner is ready - full, rolling boil for a water bath canner - or following the processing instructions for your steam canner, begin processing for 15 minutes, adding five minutes for each 1,000 feet you are located above sea level.

    When the time is up turn off the burner and allow the canner to rest for one minute. Use hot pads to lift the lid so the steam is directed away from you - especially important when using a steam canner - and place the lid/top in a safe spot out of the way.

    Using a jar lifter, or clean dish towel, remove the hot, boiling jars from the canner and place them on a clean towel to cool and dry.

 

Hot jars, contents still boiling - hence the look of contents separation - draining on the cutting board. The small jar was gifted to a neighbor after cooling.

 

    Upon lifting the jars out of the canner, or a few minutes afterward, you'll hear "pings" as the jars seal. Finger test the lid seal after the jars have cooled overnight - 12 to 24 hours.

     Don't attempt to tighten or remove the bands until this time period has passed. Then you may remove the band, if desired.

     Press the center of the lid to be sure it doesn't flex. If you cannot finger-lift the lid and it doesn't flex, wipe your jars clean with a damp cloth, dry them, give them each a shake to remix the contents, date and store them.

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    A jar of jalapeno salsa makes a nice gift! Add a square or circle of decorative fabric tied on over the lid with a piece of ribbon or cording, to add a touch of decoration for gifting.

    First securing the fabric over the lid with a rubber band makes tying on the cord much easier.

    Jalapeno salsa is delicious on Mexican food, hot dogs, and egg dishes...anywhere you'd like to add some savor and a bit of heat.

    Enjoy!!!

 

 

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    Upcoming, in Part 2, I'll share my recipe for Jalapeno Pickled Eggs!

 

Note:

    

    

    I use a steam canner, not a steam-pressure canner, in place of a water bath canner. It uses far less water - only a couple of pints - than a traditional water bath canner so I'm not lifting a canner full of several gallons of water.

    The processing times are the same as for a water bath canner.

    Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for when to begin timing - when the steam from the vent holes reaches at least a 15-inch long, unfluctuating stream - and for cooling-before-opening at the end for the canning process.

 

 

A Happy and Prosperous New Year!

May all the "eggs" in your 2023 "basket" hatch!

 

May your New Year be Kind, Prosperous, Happy, Blessed and bring all your wishes to fruition!

How I Roll - Camping the Jeep Gypsy Way (Part V: A Few Last Thoughts)

Camping at City of Rocks State Park 21 miles outside of Deming, New Mexico.

    

      Trailer, RV, van, or car camping?

    All things considered, my advantage consistently comes back to car camping in my Jeep.

    I might add a Weathertech bumpstep to my trailer hitch to facilitate easier climbing into the back of the Jeep. And, if for some reason I need more storage room, I can purchase a Thule or some other brand of rooftop carrier. It all comes down to simplicity and the economy of money, motion, and energy...and using what I already have.

    Sometimes what we already have is the only and best strategy to fill a need or purpose. The question I often ask myself is, "Can I solve this problem or issue using what I already have?"

    Most often the answer is "yes"! Sometimes a bit of re-purposing is also required.

 

I have made this word - "simplify" - an ideal to apply to most areas of my life. Car camping certainly fills that ideal.

 

    The "wisdom" I would pass onto anyone considering car camping or even living in a van or automobile, is that "less is more". It's the tendency for most of us to pack more food, take more clothes, and more odds and ends than we really need...just in case.

    Grocery stores, laundromats, and hardware stores, etc., are nearly everywhere we go to fuel up our tanks. It's easy to resupply, and to replace something that's been lost, misplaced or that we forgot to bring.

    I usually pack enough food for three days if I'm taking an ice chest because I know I can easily restock. When relying on canned and dehydrated fare, I take five days worth. I can always resupply as needed when I'm in town making a refueling stop.

    When first beginning car camping, I took way too much stuff. Too much stuff in a restricted space is not efficient if I constantly have to move things to get to things. Since then I've pared down to essential needs and a few luxury items. 

    As an example of paring down, for last year's autumn trip to the south end of the U.S., I bought a golf cart sized Little Buddy heater that simply screws onto a small propane canister - the type I use for my camp stove.

    I didn't use the Little Buddy even once and have since removed it from my camping gear. I discovered that I can heat my car using my camp stove (windows cracked open for safety) while warming a pan of soup or boiling water for tea. Two "birds" with one stone, so to speak...and less stuff to pack and haul.

 

On a rainy or cold day spent inside my Jeep I can simultaneously warm the car and heat soup or water for tea. I usually take two propane canisters - one in use the other as spare. They're easy to find at supermarkets, hardware, and camping stores en-route to anywhere, however you will pay much for them if purchased at a gas station mini-market. 

 

    Go on a few car camping trips, and you'll likely discover you've packed more than you need for a solitary trip, or for two people. Traveling with more people and/or kids requires a whole other strategy...tents, rooftop luggage and to-the-ceiling supplies!

    If I car camp with someone, we take two cars. Having a second vehicle is simply less cramped for sleeping purposes, and the security of having a second vehicle is nice for more remote trips where if one conks out, there's another vehicle to escape in. On a two person, two-car trip, I sleep in mine and my companion sleeps in his or hers. Most of the time my camping trips are solitary simply because I'm retired and have few constraints on my time.

    Car camping is a good lesson in minimalism! It's also nice to have room to move around inside the car when you need to spend time cooped up inside due to bad weather.

    It's important to keep the inside of the car neat and organized. It's hard to locate a needful item if nothing is stored in its own place or returned to its place. Having to move stuff to find stuff soon becomes a drag. So, I pack to minimize having to do this.

    Besides the "needs" of a car bed, mobile kitchen, personal care and clothes, a few tools, tarp and stakes, portable potty, camp chair, etc., I find that a few luxuries add immeasurably to the voluntary minimalism that is car camping.

    Good, tasty, easy-to-prepare food is to be looked forward to, and savored after a day of hiking, exploring, or driving. If I have a comfy bed and soul-satisfying meals I can weather "the minimal" much more happily and easily.

    A few luxuries that I enjoy while car camping are a glass of wine or a martini at day's end. A hot, cup of tea warms me body and soul after arising. So does a cup of hot cocoa on a cold morning or at a nighttime campfire.

    Soups are one of my favorite cool weather meals that are  warming and satisfying. They're also easy to prepare when traveling.

     Canned, or prepared with my home-dehydrated herbs and veggies, soups and stews - a bowl of chili and anything pasta or spud-based - don't take up much room and are quick and satiating. These are my "comfort" foods. Frying, sauteing, simmering, stir-frying, and over-the-campfire are other cooking methods I employ while car camping.  

 

Not just soups! Here, I'm cooking orecchiette ("little ears") pasta over hot coals for a scampi dish. The shrimp mixture was cooked simultaneously in a pan on the camp stove.

 

With some sourdough bread to sop up the savory juices, this was a tasty dinner accompanied by a glass of wine. Car camping does NOT require suffering!

 

    While I do cook most of my own meals while car camping there are times during my trips when I'll stop at a restaurant and enjoy a meal, too.

    On a refueling stop in town, I may go over to a nearby market and buy enough shrimp, fish, or meat for a single meal if I haven't brought an ice chest. Apples, banana, oranges, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, even cheese, brocolli, cabbage, and celery can go without refrigeration - or an ice chest - for several days, especially if the weather is cool. 

    During long car camping trips I'll overnight at a hotel to enjoy a refreshing shower and to escape occasions of really bad or dangerous weather. Otherwise I'm not opposed to spending a rainy or windy day inside the car reading, knitting, playing a game, sipping tea and supping on soup and a hunk of crusty, artisan bread.

    "Cozy"for me, is where I find it and that is usually where I'm camping and traveling in my Jeep!

    My Jeep's four-wheel drive insures that I can access areas that most RV's cannot. To me that capability of getting away from it all is invaluable and needful. 

    At times the society of others is also needful, and one's fellow campers tend to be gregarious and welcoming!

 

Nature's beauty and moods are so much more present when car camping.

 

    It's simply impossible to ignore nature's wonders in my Jeep with it's eight windows on the world. Front, rear, and side windows make it impossible not to enjoy beautiful views of places, scenes, sunrises and sunsets.

    When I had my RV it was not much different than being in a house. Yes, it had a few well-placed windows, but from my Jeep I have wrap-around visibility during the daytime.

    Car camping provides me with a constantly changing panorama of "million dollar" vistas as I move and camp from place to place...no need to have a mansion with its unchanging $$$ view!

    Here in the U.S. we are so fortunate to have so many places to visit where we can enjoy the beauty and wonder of nature. National and State parks offer improved campgrounds and free dispersed spots to camp, as do dirt roads heading off into the middle of nowhere!

    Nature is healing. It provides an ineffable and sublime balm to our bodies, minds, and souls. Cities provide luxuries and entertainment, but are bereft of the "ensoulment" that is found in intimate contact with nature. Car camping is my passport to this enrichment and enhancement of self and the silence of self found in wide open spaces.

    We often tend to think of ourselves as differentiated from nature when in fact, we are body- and soul-bonded with it. Cities tend to reinforce the illusion that we are separate from the world around us. We are not, and spending time in and with the woods, the deserts, mountains and seashores - other lifeforms - is a reminder that we are intimately connected to the world and life around us.

    We cannot survive without nature's air, water, foods, and materials.

    No other species seeks to destroy for profit, the very foundation of its existence. By spending time in nature and letting it renew and awaken our souls, we harmonize and balance ourselves with the greater world around us. We also perceive and experience the innate kindness of others. People are at heart kind and helpful regardless of the divisiveness that is perpetuated by and through media. 

    ...but back to the functional aspects of car camping...

     Powering devices or all types is a question I get from those I meet on the road. I take a variety of devices when I'm on the go...a cellphone, my Kindle, sometimes even my laptop. With these devices I can stay in touch, read a book, watch a downloaded movie, play games, listen to music, email, text, even work/write, and pay bills!

    To power my devices I use my Jackery 240. It will charge all my numerous times, especially my phone and Kindle numerous times, less times for the laptop. I have the solar panel for it for those sunny days in camp, but most often I charge it before leaving home or in the car while driving. If popping into a hotel for a night I take it in and charge it in my room. It can also run a small 12-volt, rechargeable fan for nighttime, in-car cooling, on occasions when I need a cooling breeze. 

 

 

My Jackery is invaluable when camping and for the occasional at-home power outage to keep my devices charge. 

 

    In case I need to charge my Jeep battery I have a portable charger that also has ports for charging my cellphone or Kindle, although I tend to keep this charger solely for charging the car battery, if needed.

 

I haven't yet had to use this battery charger, but feel more secure knowing that it's in the zip compartment that covers my spare tire. I also carry a can of emergency tire patch, and bear spray there, as well. 

 

    In addition to my solar Luci Light mentioned in a previous post, I have a Coleman, D-battery powered lantern, and a collapsible backpacker's candle lantern.

     It's so easy to meet most of your needs, requirements, and simple luxuries on the road, camping in your car!

    While car camping may, at first, be perceived as an exercise in hardship, lack, and minimalism for those who haven't tried it, it is for me, an adventure, experience, and renewal that I look forward to and repeat as often as I can.

    This ends the series on "How I Roll - Camping the Jeep-Gypsy Way". I may share future camping trips as they arise, but for now, I return to posting on my other usual topics.

    Coming up in the next post will be a recipe for a delicious, easy and tasty recipe for Grilled Scampi/Shrimp Toasts. This recipe captures all the goodness and "comestibility" of Shrimp Scampi...hold the pasta, please...and instead, put it on toasted sourdough slices! Yum!

 

Finger food, or eaten with a fork and knife if you must, Grilled Scampi Toast is delicious and nicely pairs with a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, or best of all...champagne!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

    

 

 

    

    

 

 

 

 

How I Roll - Camping the Jeep Gypsy Way (Part IV: In-Jeep privacy Hacks)

Setting up camp at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. On this fall trip there was only one other camper in this vast park and he was on the far opposite end of the campground.

 

    In this post I'll cover some of the miscellaneous considerations of car camping such as privacy after dark and while sleeping.

    My Jeep has a windshield, six side windows and rear hatch. I simply don't want anyone to be able to see me reading or watching a movie after dark. Nor, is the idea of someone peeking into the car while I'm snoozing a happy thought. And, at 72-years old I sometimes need to pee during the night and wouldn't want to put that spectacle on view when I turn on a light to do so!

 

 

A product called Reflectix, or its generic brand at Home Depot, is the choice of many.

 

    Reflectix is basically bubble wrap sandwiched between shiny, reflective vinyl. It not only confers privacy but supposedly adds an insulating factor. Maybe in cold conditions it might keep the inside of a vehicle one or two degrees warmer, if that.

    Reflectix is fairly sturdy and stands up well to repeated use.

 

I made brown paper templates for the six side windows of the Jeep. The fold marks are because I store the templates in a file folder in case I ever need to make another set of window covers for my Jeep.

 

    Using a roll of brown paper, the Jeep's window frames became templates by cutting off pieces of paper larger than the window, pressing the paper over the window, and pushing it up against the window frame. Then I traced the resulting crease using a felt pen.

     Scissors were used cut out the pattern and refine it slightly to fit snugly into the frame covering the glass completely. After cutting the pattern to its desired dimensions, I taped it to the  Reflectix with painter's tape and cut the Reflectix to its proper contours for each window, I used clear packing tape to cover all the cut edges of the Reflectix. The tape also added a bit more stiffness allowing me to tuck the edges more easily into the window frames. I  labeled each window cover so I'd know at a glance with window it fit.

    I only needed three patterns because, although each of three windows on each side are different, they match their opposite side windows perfectly. Simply by flipping the three pattern over I have patterns for all six side windows of the Jeep.

    Due to the hinges and electric cord on the rear hatch window,and its curved shape, I didn't make a template for that one or the windshield. For the windshield I purchased a windshield cover from Weathertech that protects the dashboard from sun damage and helps insulate the inside of the car from heat. Reflectix likely works better for this purpose than insulating a vehicle from the cold.

    Another advantage to using Reflectix on the windows at night is that its reflectivity maximizes whatever lighting source you may be using after dark. It bounces the light around much as a mirror would without being blinding or annoying.

 

 

To store my Reflectix while traveling, it's slipped behind the passenger seat, between the seat and the head of my bed. It can also be stored under the bed, as well, to keep it flat.

 

    Over time I realized that I really only need Reflectix on the two driver's and passenger windows. 

    On the set of windows at and behind the rear passenger doors - if the weather is warm - I purchased and use a set of mesh window socks that allow air in and keep bugs out.

I had hoped that these socks would fit the driver's and passenger doors - the seller on Amazon indicated they would - however they are two small, so I now use them on the rear passenger doors, whose frames are smaller. And they just barely fit at maximum stretch.

 

One of the side window socks. The sock fits over the door frame allowing the window to roll up or down between its two sides. They are very stretchy and at full stretch, when tabbed into place they barely cover the window frames properly.

 

The window sock fits over the top of the door allowing the window to be rolled up or down inside the sock. I haven't centered the seam or tab properly so as to illustrate what the tab/s look like. If the sock is properly centered the tabs don't  show from either inside or outside when the door is closed.

 

    In the photo above you can see that there's a gap at the bottom of the window which might allow insects in if the window was rolled completely down. When the socks are correctly centered  and tabbed to the insides of the door frame they cannot be seen when the door is closed, and the sock completely covers the window. 

    Having the socks on the rear passenger frames allows a cross breeze over my bed. They also provide privacy during the day, however, at night if a light is on in the car, I can be seen lying on my bed.

    For privacy at night I install my factory-fit (to my vehicle model) Weathertech windshield cover. Reflectix is installed inside the frames of the driver and passenger windows obscuring the inside of the cab from view.

    Privacy "curtains" are Velcro-ed over the rear side and hatch windows. I use small Velcro tabs to attach the curtains. I can also attach a pair of curtains over the window socks. The curtains simply hang inside over the socks.

 

I've attached tabs on either side of the four rear side windows and back hatch window.

 

    The square Velcro tabs were purchased at Joanne's Fabrics in their "notions" section. To stick the two-part, self-adhesive tabs to the vinyl areas on each side of the windows I cleaned the area with rubbing alcohol to remove any grime or oil in order to maximize adhesion.

    Instead of purchasing and altering house curtains to provide privacy, I simply attached the Velcro's matching tabs to 39-gallon Hefty yard and garden bags at two points along one side of the bags so they'd meet the Velcro adhered to either side of the windows.

 

While the Velcro tabs adhered securely to the window frames, they didn't attach quite as well to the Hefty bags, so I stapled the tabs to the bags.

 

While not a fancy answer to privacy at night, my Hefty bag curtains are lightweight, don't require curtain rod or ring attachments, fold flat when not in use, and have a far slimmer storage profile than cloth curtains. 

 

    When my Hefty bag curtains aren't in use they fold up and fit into a Ziploc baggy. The baggy is stored behind the spare tire. The window socks, in their bag, are also stored there, as well. A label adhered to each Hefty bag lets me know which window and Velcro tab arrangement each bag fits. When in place the bags overlap so no light comes in between them And their long enough, hung horizontally, that no light comes under them, either. 

    The Hefty bags act as blackout curtains without the weight and bulk of fabric. And, if I hear a strange sound outside at night I can lift the curtain to take a peek.

    During the day, my Hefty curtains can be rolled up and secured above the window with a strip of Velcro or tied with string. If I were to use my Reflectix on the rear side windows it would be more troublesome to partially bend it to look outside. And more troublesome still, is that on a few occasions when I've bent a corner up to look out, the entire piece fell out of the window. Furthermore, I try not to bend my Reflectix so that it lasts longer

    Light at night to read, move about, and find stuff is essential. It doesn't need to be very bright. If you read a printed book, you'll want more light. I read my Kindle Fire and unlike some of the earlier versions of Kindle, the Fire screen is lit just like a computer screen. Therefore, I need only "mood" or ambient light at night.

 

My choice of lighting is a Luci Light. It's solar charged by sitting on my dash while I'm driving or in a sunny spot during the day. It has a low and high feature and a "candle" mode that flickers pleasantly. I fashioned a hook from rebar wire and it hangs from a bungee cord strung across the roof of the Jeep. The circular spot on the solar tab at the top adjusts the lighting functions. The light may be inflated by blowing into the nipple at its base.

 

    The Luci Light on its high setting is sufficient to guide my way around camp after dark, if needed, although generally I use a flashlight. The Luci Light operates for several nights on a single charge.

    In my next post, the last of this series, I'll extoll further upon the virtues and reasons why I use my Jeep as my "RV", and share some things I've learned about car camping.

   

 

How I Roll - Camping the Jeep Gypsy Way (Part III: Personal Grooming and Pottying)

 

A pop up tent, open at the top, allows for privacy when changing clothes, using a porta-potty, or showering.

 

    When car camping it can be nice, especially in proximity to other campers, to have a place for changing clothes.

    I don't always use the pop up tent, but always take it on trips. Stored collapsed and flat under the car bed it's only about 1-1/2 inches thick. I can change clothes in the car if I'm going to wear something easy to slip out of, or slip into.

    In the tent I can set my porta-potty on a small stool to elevate it to a comfortable height for sitting. A mirror, a roll of toilet paper, a towel, a face cloth can all be hung up inside on bungees and provided loops. The pop up tent has no floor or roof. If rain threatens, I throw a tarp over and tie it in place with cording and tent stakes. 

 

Behind the Jeep the pop up tent is rain-ready with its tarp. Tent and tarp are roped and staked to the ground in case of wind. If high winds threaten I collapse the tent and lay it on its side, sliding it under the car. A collapsible bucket for washing up dishes sits beneath the Jeep near the rear tire as part of getting ready for a rainy day. Only the camp stove and another wee item await stowing in the car.

 

    I haven't yet used the pop up as a shower stall yet, but plan on getting a solar shower which is essentially a plastic bag left out to heat in the sun. It has a hook on one end and a spray hose on the other for showering. The problem is that a tree from which to hang the bag so it dangles over the pop up is not always available. I'm working out a way to attach a metal arm, angled upward, to my luggage rack to hold the solar shower over the pop up. And, I'll need a mat for the bottom of the pop up so I'm not showering on dirt. After I collapse the pop up flat, there's an inventive and tricky maneuver that "folds" it into a circle so It fits into a convenient zippered bag for storage. While easy peasy to unfold and pop up, it usually takes me two or three tries to get the folding maneuver correctly so it collapses down into a flat disk. For spending one night at a campsite, I don't usually erect the pop up.

    When car camping my passenger seat becomes my clothes closet.

 

My suitcase holds clothes, underwear, casual shoes, towel and washcloth. Hiking boots are tied together with their laces and hung over the spare tire. Walking shoes are kept in the door well near my bed, and flip flops, for in-camp comfort, slip behind the spare tire so they're handy near the rear hatch.

 

    Riding on top of the suitcase sits my grooming bag containing everything I need for hygiene, grooming, some pharmaceuticals (allergy, eye wash, tummy, and headache meds) and showering needs. The grooming bag is secured by bungee to the seat back when the car is moving so it won't fly off if I have to stop suddenly or am driving a rough road.

 

If I'm taking an ice chest it will ride on the suitcase next to the grooming bag where the black shoulder bag is presently sitting. The ice chest is secured with a bungee to the seat back also. At night it sits next to the foot of my bed so I can easily access my grooming bag and suitcase in the morning without having to hoist the ice chest which is a light weight Coleman Playmate (why oh, why, did Coleman not insulate the lid?! ).

 

    During the day the ice chest is either in the shade of the car or a tree, or if there's no shade I can slide it under the car. 

    Now we come to the inevitable, and all-important question always asked among the RV, van-life, and car-camping crowd..."How do you potty?"

    While a somewhat indelicate subject, it is of vital interest how one, either car camping or living in one's vehicle, handles a need we all have. This is likely because everyone is always looking for a better method, an easier method, a more convenient method. RV'ers and van folk have more latitude in this department. Those camping or living out of their cars have less options.

    Camping in campgrounds solves the problem as they are equipped with either flushers or pit toilets. Dispersed camping or boondocking means this "how to" has to be addressed.

    At my age of 72-years, an added problem is that many seniors - me included - sometimes have to pee in the middle of the night. No way am I going to awaken myself, get out of my car, and walk in my PJ's to the campground facility...if I'm in a campground. Nor, if I'm not in a campground am I going to get out of the car and stumble around in the dark.

    So, I have a folding, compact toilet that has a multitude of uses - stool, footstool, and potty. And, of course, a supply of plastic bags, and some wood shavings - the type used for hamster cages.

 

Nice that this potty has a lid! For the occasional nighttime "whiz" I line the potty with a couple plastic bags, toss in a couple handfuls of the wood shavings, and put on the lid.

 

This Shinee brand potty has a toilet seat and a lid. The lid is a great feature because I can keep the potty next to my car bed for when needed. A simple fanny-shift from bed to potty is all it takes. I don't even have to awaken fully. The absorbent wood chips provide a nice cedar scent, too.

 

When all the Shinee components are folded and put together the Shinee is about two inches high for storage. When put together for use it stands about eight to 10-inches tall and sits securely without tipping. It has a handy storage bag and is carried in my miscellaneous bin.

 

    For the daily poop, I'll walk to the camp bathroom to accomplish the deed if I'm in a campground. If I'm dispersed camping I dig a hole and do the deed and cover the hole. I have a folding camp shovel for this and any other digging needs.

    There's a lot of controversy about burying toilet paper...animals dig it up. I keep a plastic bag handy for storing the used TP until I can dispose of it in a trash bin or can.

    I recently looked up the Shinee to see its current price and couldn't find the brand but both Amazon and Walmart have similar products, and many styles of camp potties to choose from. Most of the simplest (utilizing plastic bags) are under $30.

    Well, this post winds up the subjects of clothes, grooming, and pottying. In the next post I'll cover a few miscellaneous subjects that may be of interest to campers.

 

PS I think I know why Coleman didn't insulate the lids of their Playmate line of ice chests...because they're meant for keeping drinks and snacks cold for day trips, not long term ice preservation. Oh well, I use what I have!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

How I Roll - Camping the Jeep Gypsy Way (Part II: Pantry and Cooking)

 

A camp stove of some type is essential for cooking delicious camping fare, heating up canned foods, and boiling water for hot beverages and washing up. I like this type where the burner sits atop the propane canister. It takes up less room in my car and I like that the burner is elevated above any surface the stove is resting on.

 

    If weather is good and a picnic table is available I set up my camp kitchen there. My table top kitchen consists of my camp stove, a bin containing 2 plates, a bowl, a mug, cutlery, cooking utensils, cutting board, wash clothes, dish towels, paper towels, matches, wand lighter, and an apron. A small bin contains spices in wee bottles and salt and pepper shakers. During the day my condiment bag may sit on the picnic table.

 

A small bin for spices and the larger kitchen bin on the seat of the table. Atop the table a cutting board, a leftover can of chili to heat up, the camp stove, a towel covered (to keep insects off) water jug and an insulated cup. The other end of the table may be used to sit and eat at, particularly if I'm camping with others. I also cover my cutting board and any washed dishes with cloth towels to keep flies and insects off them.

    I don't leave food, an ice chest, or my condiment bag on the table overnight. Bears are attracted to ice chests and bags of food stored outside or in a tent. At night I keep these things in my car or in the food storage lockers some campgrounds supply.

    While a hungry bear might try to get into my car, I could likely drive away before much progress was made by the bear ripping off the door.

    If I'm in a dispersed campsite, I have a metal table called a "tail gater", or "tire" table. One end of the table is curved to fit over a tire. An expandable leg on the other end adjusts to level and support the table according to your car's tire height. I don't always bring this table, but if I do, it rides on the tarp-covered bed beneath my folding camp chair. I suspect the table is called a "Tail Gater" because it can also be used over a spare tire mounted to the rear hatch of a vehicle.

 

My Tail Gater table (tire table) is big and sturdy enough to hold my kitchen bin, set out drinks and snacks for cocktail hour, cook on, set as a table for one,two, or three, or to use as a handy side table for a camp chair/s.

 

      If the day is rainy and I'm confined to the car, I can boil water and heat up a canned or instant Ramen meal in the car, if needed. My camp stove then sits on the floor of the cargo area, near the bed - windows cracked for safety. It's height keeps it on a level above anything flammable and far from the ceiling of the car. For a rainy day "in-car" I carry easily prepared canned or instant prep foods, artisan bread and spreadable cheese, or sandwiches. If rainy weather comes confining me inside the car I store my camp chair folded down under the car to keep it dry. An ice chest may be slid under the car during the day, if I've brought one.

 

On this trip I didn't bring the tire table so my kitchen bin rests on a tarp on my bed so it's handy to my cooking area which is on a folding table next to my camp chair.

 

    My pantry occupies the floor of the front passenger side. I begin loading my pantry by adding three gallons of water that I carry in used, clean gallon-size vinegar jugs. I prefer gallon vinegar jugs (I do a lot of canning so I buy vinegar by the gallon) because any plastic container for carrying an acidic product such as vinegar or tomato juice is thicker and has sturdier seams.

    I've had seams fail on water bottles causing a gallon-size leak. Vinegar bottles have thicker walls and can handle the stress of movement while driving, and having other items crowded around them.

 

Against the passenger side console, I load a folding step stool that has a variety of uses...elevating my porta-potty, as a footstool, a side table, accessing the luggage rack on the Jeep, etc.

 

    In case of spills or mud, and to keep my carpets clean, I've installed Weathertech floor mats on both the driver and passenger floors.

 

Next I load three gallons of water. The spray bottle contains a solution of half water and half vinegar for cleaning dishes and surfaces. The bin contains a variety of dehydrated beans, veggies, fruits, instant potatoes, gravy mixes, minute rice and barley, biscuit mix, and pasta. The bin makes a great platform for other additions comprising my pantry.

 

    In my food bin I also carry baggies of pre-assembled dehydrated soup mixes by mixing up veggies, beans, onions, grains, or pasta, dried herbs and powdered broth for quick and handy meals.

    There are tasty recipes for making dried mixes on the Internet and in books on home dehydrating.

    In addition to canning, part of my home's long term food storage strategy is to dehydrate foods - fruits, veggies, beans, mushrooms - in my home dehydrator. By doing so, I have plenty of delicious home-dried foods that are compact and economical to take on camping trips and are cheaper than any sold by markets. Dehydrated foods stored in baggies in my food bin enable me to make a variety of tasty meals while camping.

 

Condiments bag with a fresh apple ready to grab for on-the-road noshing, an insulated bag or an additional wine tote may carry either food or spare propane canisters, and personal protection is near at hand while on the road.

 

    In addition to the dehydrated food, I carry some canned chili and soup. Wild Planet's canned tuna salads are tasty and great for a quick lunch on the road. Canned goods and instant Ramen-type meals are carried in an additional wine tote.

    A net market bag, handily hooked over a cargo hook inside the Jeep, carries potatoes, onions, fresh fruit, a loaf of artisan bread, and tortillas.

  If I'm carrying an ice chest I can take eggs, cheese, and veggies that require refrigeration.

    On my most recent trip I left the ice chest at home and enjoyed some tasty canned and made-from-scratch dehydrated meals.

 

Two bins - my kitchen bin on top of the miscellaneous bin beneath. The misc. bin holds tent stakes for securing tarp poles, a can of clothes pins, Velcro, duct tape, rope and line, tools, a whisk broom, and my collapsible porta-potty. The bins sit stacked next to the bed. A piece of anti-skid for rugs sits on top and between the bins so they don't slide while I'm driving. On rough, dirt roads I can bungee the bins to the drivers seat.

 

    The miscellaneous bin on the bottom is rarely removed from its spot in the car. It serves nicely as a side table when I'm lounging on the bed. The kitchen bin rides atop the misc. bin for easy removal and access, and unless rainy it remains outside most of the time. The two bins are kept from sliding while the car is in motion by inserting a cut-to-fit piece of anti-skid fabric for rugs.

 

The misc. bin is just the right height to serve as a bedside table. The anti-skid material on top keeps my bedside items - kindle, reading glasses, phone and other essentials from sliding off the bin lid.

       

    With a comfy bed to sleep in and lounge upon and tasty victuals to eat my needs for comfort and remaining well-fed are met while traveling and camping in my Jeep.

    In the next post I'll show how I pack clothes, grooming essentials and take care of potty needs.

 

* * * * *

Recipe: Quick Vegetable "Fried Rice" (serves one)

In a cup or bowl add in the amount and variety of dehydrated veggies you need...

...such as chopped onion, red and green bell pepper, corn, green beans (also called "leather breeches"), and chopped mushrooms. 

    Pour on boiling water to cover and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

    Meanwhile cook up the desired amount of minute-style rice until the water is evaporated (about 5 minutes). 

    When the veggies are softened strain off the soaking water (I drink the soaking water as it contains vitamins and minerals) and stir the veggies into the hot rice. Add a dash or two of soy sauce and a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Stir and eat.

    The cooked rice and veggies may be fried in a pan with with a bit of oil, if desired, for a more authentic fried rice. Cooked egg, bits of ham or chicken, or cubed tofu may also be added to the mixture.

 

 

    

 
 

 

 

 

 

    

 

How I Roll - Car Camping the "Jeep Gypsy" Way (Part I Sleeping in Comfort)

 

My 1998 Jeep is often my "home away from home" when I travel.

 

    So why does a 72-year old woman travel and sleep in her Jeep? Certainly not because I have to...it's because I want to! I love Nature and want to be out in it, communing with it.

    Once upon a time I owned a 20-foot, Class C RV. I loved it. It was my home when out gold prospecting and rockhounding...a tiny house on wheels with all the comforts of home.

    Living in Southern California at that time, I could go RVing year 'round. However, I now live in Northern Idaho where there's only about five months when I can use an RV. Yes, I could drive to southern deserts to escape the snow and ice but I do enjoy winters at home watching the snow fall while sitting in front of the fireplace sipping hot cocoa, knitting, or reading.

    And, I live in a condo that doesn't permit storing an RV on site, I'd have to pay for offsite storage and leaving an RV sitting idle for six or seven months doesn't appeal either - nor is it good for the vehicle to sit idle.

    Having to maintain and insure two vehicles is not a choice I want to make either. Having an RV and all it's attending expenses and limitations would make me feel obligated to use it more often than I otherwise might and an RV limits where I can go. It's just easier to pack the Jeep and take off at a whim.

    My Jeep's four-wheel drive capabilities expand my horizons by allowing me to go more places away from the usual camping crowds and side by side RV parks. 

   "Simplify" is my motto! And it is for all these reasons that my Jeep has become my "RV" of choice. It's, well, simpler! Furthermore, I'm a fan of using what I already have and re-purposing, if possible. Thus, Jeep-as-RV is how I roll!

    Several considerations arose in making my Jeep my on- and off-road domicile.

    1. I didn't want to alter the inside of my car in any permanent way in case I needed to carry passengers or wanted to trade it in. Therefore, no interior alterations or "builds" as is common among those traveling or living in their cars.

    2. I needed an uber-comfortable place to sleep and relax.

    3. I wanted to be able to prepare delicious meals.

    4. Factors #2 and 3 - if properly realized and implemented -  meant that I could/would be willing to endure less sophistication when it came to bathing and pottying.

 

 

A comfy place to lounge and sleep is essential, preferably one with a view.

 

    I require comfort! Therefore, a standard camping mattress of 24-inches wide, by 1/2- to 2-inches thick wasn't going to cut it. So, I purchased a 4-inch, full-size memory foam mattress from Walmart. I cut it in half and piled the one half atop the other. This gave me a mattress 8-inches thick and 27-inches wide! Yahoo! And, my car bed is as comfortable as my bed at home! Yay!!!

 

    

A Jeep bed fit for a "Jeep Gypsy"!

 

    I selected the area behind the front passenger seat to place the bed thereby avoiding the spare tire which is mounted inside the car  at the rear driver's side. Borrowing an electric carving knife (the only way to efficiently cut foam), I cut the mattress/s to fit the inner contours of the Jeep's cargo area...the wheel well and a few other minor contours.

    I like things pretty...and very often homemade. I cut and re-sewed a blue and white duvet cover to fit a comforter created by cutting a flannel-lined sleeping bag in half. For a sheet beneath the comforter, I cut and re-sewed a matching top sheet into a "sleep sack" that sits atop the mattress and can be removed and washed.

    The mattress itself is double-wrapped in a fitted twin sheet that serves to keep the mattresses together and dust-free. The matching blue and white shams were perfect for the two bed pillows that when used together make a comfy backrest when lounging. I use one pillow for sleeping and the other between my bed and rear passenger door for insulation on cold nights and as protection against the door handle.

    A problem that solved itself is that my cargo area is two inches shorter than I am. Hmmm...what to do. By removing the headrest of the folded down passenger seat from its storage spot I was able to gain the needed two inches, and because my bed is 8-inches thick - coincidentally the same height as the headrest storage spot, my pillow bridges the space between mattress and passenger seat perfectly.

 

When the passenger seats are folded down their headrest posts slide into storage spots behind the two front seats. I removed the headrest from its storage slots behind the passenger seat gaining a few needful inches. 

 

    Removing the headrest gave me an additional few inches allowing me stretch out fully on my car bed. This was the only alteration I needed to make and it's temporary. When not traveling I replace the headrest into its slotted storage spot.

 

Two pillows create a comfy backrest turning my bed into an area to lounge, read, watch a movie (on my Kindle), knit, or enjoy the view.

 

As you can see, the factory installed spare tire is inside the car.

 

    Although the spare tire takes up room in the back of the Jeep it too has it's silver lining. It's mounted slanted over the rear wheel well leaving room behind it to store mosquito netting "socks" that slide over the passenger door frames. These socks allow me to keep the windows cracked open, or down, while keeping bugs out.

    Behind the tire I also store the blackout "curtains" (Hefty trash bags) that I velcro over the windows for privacy at night.

    The zippered pocket on the tire cover holds a variety of supplies...a can of flat tire fixer, a portable battery charger for the engine battery, a can of bear spray, and there's still room for a bottle of wine and a bottle of vodka. Never let it be said that I roll without "comforts"!

 

Conveniently located on either side of the spare tire are factory-installed metal loops that I use to hook a bungee cord for holding rolls of paper towels and toilet paper. What could have been an obstacle has become storage! The tarp on the bed allows me a spot to store my camp chair while driving, thus keeping my bed clean.

 

The tarp has several uses. When I'm driving my camp chair lays on the tarp keeping my bed clean. If I'm in a camp without shade I attach the tarp to my rooftop carrier along the driver's side. I have a couple of expandable poles that enable me to create an effective sunshade and tent rope and stakes to secure the poles in place. 

 

    Notice in the photo above a red bungee cord used to secure my rolled up windshield cover and a collapsible camp table in its bag (hidden behind the windshield cover). Behind the bungee storage is a netted storage compartment that holds toilet paper rolls and boxes of ammo. From a bungee stretched between ceiling handholds a solar charged Luci Light provides in-cabin ambient lighting at night. I charge the Luci light on the dash board while driving, or in camp. A charge will run the light several nights.

 

    In my next blog I'll share my camp kitchen options. One for nice weather if there's a picnic table, another for nice weather if there's no picnic table, and another for a rainy day in the car. I'll also share my "rolling" pantry, clothing and grooming storage which...hint, hint...all takes place on the passenger seat and it's floor space.

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chipmunks Running Amok At the Prairie Campground

 

Up on a rise, my Prairie Campground site looked down onto a meadow with a creek emanating soothing, relaxing sounds.

 

    After leaving my dispersed campsite of the previous evening and driving 33 miles into La Pine, Oregon for gasoline, I backtracked a few miles to Pauline Road and followed the forest roads to the Prairie Campground.

    On Google I'd read that the water system had been shut off at this campground. I surmised that no water might mean fewer campers. And, due to the lateness of the camping season it was likely that summer vacationers had vacated, as well. I later found out by talking with the campground host that the water table had dropped below the 150-foot level of the well pipe rendering the campground without water.

    As I haul at least three gallons of water with me when on a camping trip, I was well supplied for a few days.

 

Backing into my ample campsite and unloading my camp kitchen onto the picnic table.

 

    The site fee was $16 per night. With my Senior Annual Parks Pass, the fee was only $8 per night. As the campground host was away, I clipped the cash envelope to the post for my designated spot.

    Almost immediately I was discovered by some very cheeky fellows!

 

My "condiments" bag had a first visitor even before I had a chance to take it over to the picnic table!

 

    This first wee visitor was a sign of things to come! 

    My wine totes are meant for carrying 6 bottles of wine, although I seldom use them for wine. These are great for compartmentalizing camping essentials. I have one bag for "needful things" containing spare batteries, headlamps, backpacker's candle lantern and spare candles - regular and citronella - device cords, bug spray and sunblock, bear spray, wee sewing kit, and a handheld solar device for charging my cellphone.

    The condiments bag - vastly interesting to my furry welcoming committee - contains a couple of canned items and instant Asian-style noodles for quick on-the-road meals (or a rainy stuck-in-the-car day), also Dandi-Blend (for my morning "coffee"), liquid stevia, cocoa powder, dried soy milk, cocktail essentials - beverage glass, olive pick, lemon reamer and whisk, tea cup and tea bags, a packet of dark chocolate, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, chicken bullion,Tabasco, citron vinegar, biscotti, coconut and olive oils, a fork and a spoon for on-the-fly meals, and a couple apples for a quick snack.

    After moving the condiments bag over to the picnic table I upended a collapsible bucket - for rinsing dishes, pots, and pans after their cleanse with a vinegar/water solution. The bucket would foil any attempts at chewing through plastic and foil bags.

    When camping in nice weather I keep my rear hatch up for air circulation and ease in accessing and removing things from the Jeep.     To shut off the interior cabin lights which come on each time a door is opened, there is, just above the the back hatch, a light that when clicked twice shuts off the cabin lights as long as the four side doors remain closed. Each time I open a side door, I must close it and re-click the rear hatch light (located above the rear hatch inside the car). This feature saves the battery from running down due to leaving on interior lights.

 

Just after getting my camp set up, the wind changed and began blowing smoke into the area. The skies took on an ominous orange glow.

 

    After a lunch of canned tuna and red bean salad with corn (Wild Planet), I walked down the rise and along the creek below. Its burbling sound would be delicious to fall asleep while tucked up cozily in my comfy car bed.

 

Ahead of arriving in Cottonwood for the family reunion and trip to the grave site for the memorial in Chester, CA, I thought I'd make the camping part of my journey one of contemplation, prayer, and Bible reading.

 

    After positioning my camp chair and collapsible side table overlooking the wee meadow and creek below, I was suddenly inundated by a curious mob of wee, stripey "menaces." I tucked my Bible out of harms way of tiny feet, shredding claws, and pooping posteriors to enjoy the show.

    One fun thing for the wee beasties was to take a running leap and repel off of my lap! Another was to sit on my flip flop-attired feet. This was way to close for my comfort! What to do besides put on shoes?

    Aha! I also carry a gallon bag of muesli with dried fruit. The bag was about half-way empty and I wasn't planning on soaking and eating any more on this trip, so I opened it up and set it at the base of a tree about 20 feet from my sitting spot.

 

The muesli and dried fruit were a hit! This furry fellow nibbles rolled oats while keeping his piece of dried pear safe under his foot. Some of the chipmunks liked the oats, others preferred the fruit. I laughed out load at one who picked up a piece of fruit, took a taste, and flung it away as far as his little front paws allowed.

    After the introduction of muesli I was able to return to my reading and quiet contemplation unbothered. Other than the smoke, the breezes were mild and the day comfortably warm. 

 

Later in the afternoon more smoke began to assail the campground. This photo didn't capture the deep orange coloration of the sun.

 

 

    Carried on the afternoon winds ash began to fall. I decided that later after dinner and cleanup, I'd pack everything into the Jeep except my camp chair (which travels on a tarp laid on my bed) before going to sleep. If I had to vacate the campground in a hurry I could do so by simply tossing in the camp chair and driving away.

    For dinner I made vegetable "fried rice" by soaking a selection of home-dehydrated vegetables (onion, green beans, bell pepper, corn, peas) in hot, boiled water for about 20 minutes, then draining them.

    In a pot I cooked up 1/4-cup "minute" rice, then mixed in the veggies and a dash of soy sauce. A big, red apple was a welcome dessert. 

    After dinner, and after packing the car, I set the camp chair next to a stump overlooking the creek to enjoy a cup of herb tea and a nut bar. 

 

A wee visitor joined me at the stump for a sunset cup of herbal-peach tea. A few nut chunks from my nut bar kept the visitor from climbing into my tea.

 

    After dark, and some reading and journaling, I lowered the back hatch and snuggled down into my bed and locked the car. I could hear the creek down below through the mosquito netting on my partially down windows and the occasional hoot of a hunting owl. The smell of ash prevailed upon the breezes. Pines made silhouettes against a moonlit sky. Soon I was overcome by sleep.

    The next morning, the Jeep and campsite were strewn with ash. After some personal grooming and taking only my condiments bag, camp stove, and a pot from the car, I had a small breakfast of dandi-latte and biscotti at the stump. No furry visitors were evident. I soon saw why. A hawk circled above the tops of the pines.

    Repacking my camp stove, cookpot, and condiments bag, and the chair, I headed out of camp and drove to La Pine where I'd get a room for the night to shower and ready for arrival in Cottonwood, CA later that day. Googling the area for proximity of wildfires, I discovered that the Prairie Campground where I'd spent the night was under a "potential" evacuation order if the fire should expand.

    In my next blog post, I'll share "how I roll" when packing the Jeep for a few days of car camping. I'll explain what I take and why, and give some tips for living well - and comfortably - on the road...in a car!

 

 

The Silent Forest

 

The "Silent Forest" in the Deschutes National Park, Oregon

 

No peep, tweet, or squeak

Nary a flutter, nor footfall

No rustlings or mutterings

No wind, breeze, or dust devil

No animals, birds, bees, butterflies, or "buzz" a'tall

Utter deep silence

No comings, goings, echoes, or sounds...but my own...

 

* * * * *

 

    Last week I had occasion to drive from North Idaho to California for a family reunion and memorial. Cousins from Hawaii and Texas met in Cottonwood, California where my brother lives. My stepmom joined us from nearby Redding. 

    We had a wonderful time reuniting, then caravaning to Chester for the memorial. 

    As my drive to California would take me through Oregon on Hwy 97, I decided to load the car such that I could enjoy a couple of days camping on my way to Cottonwood prior to the family gathering.

    My first day's drive brought me to the Deschutes National Forest in the La Pine region.

    It was late and I had no reservation for a campground so I simply drove deep into the forest on a narrow, dusty dirt road and found a small clearing in the woods big enough to back my Jeep into.

    Camping in undeveloped and undeclared camping areas is called "dispersed" camping or "boondocking". There's no fee. There are no improvements such as picnic tables, pit toilets, showers, or running water. And, it's allowed in most National Forests and Bureau of Land Managed areas (excluding National Monuments, of course).

    The next day, I thought I'd go explore the Lava River Cave - a lava tube that takes about 1-1/2 hours to traverse before looking for another campsite - this one in the Prairie campground off of Pauline Road nearer to the town of La Pine.

    My dispersed campsite was remarkable because other than trees and shrubs there were no signs of life! Very unusual and even a bit eerie.

 

     Someone had camped here previously and built a fire ring.

 

    Backing my car in so that it faced the narrow, dusty road in case I needed to make a quick exit for some reason, I set up a minimal camp. I moved a cut section of log into the existing fire ring so I could set my camp stove on it. A painted heart visible on one side of the log section seemed a good omen.

 

An omen? Someone had painted a heart onto the section of log I set into the fire ring to elevate my camp stove

.

    Fire danger was listed as "extreme" in this area and smoke from wildfires was heavy in the air. Should my stove fall over, I wanted to be sure it was contained by the fire ring. As dry pine needles littered the area and I had nothing to rake them aside with, I took this extra precaution.

    This forest was tinder-dry and the slightest spark could ignite the area...so I would not light a campfire for this evening.

 

As the shadows were already lengthening into evening I opened a can of roasted chicken soup packed for a quick dinner. No insects meant I didn't need the bug spray in the lower right corner of the photo.

 

    The night spent sleeping in my Jeep was uneventful...and quiet. A full moon lit the smokey forest in silver.

    The following morning upon awaking, silence still reigned in the forest. A few drops of rain teased but quickly ceased.

    I thought of the book by Rachel Carson, "Silent Spring" where silence prevails because wild creatures are extinct. Perhaps, the beings of the woods sensed fire was coming to the area and had already fled?

    I had googled "forest fires nearby" and learned that two fires were burning in the Deschutes National Forest. Near, but not near enough to my location to cause worry. One was 20 miles away from La Pine.

    After packing up my Jeep, I headed to the Lava River Cave. It was closed...perhaps due to the fires? There was no sign on the gate to indicate cause of closure. No one showed up at opening time or afterward to open the gate so I headed into La Pine for gasoline then out towards Pauline Road to locate my next campsite at the Prairie campground with such luxuries as a picnic table, a barbeque pit, and a wee pit toilet. Ahhh...the concept of luxury is, indeed, relative!

 

With the rear passenger seats folded down, I have space for a comfy, cushy bed in the back of my 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. It's safe from rain and critters. I feel secure locked inside my car. 

 

    In my next post I'll share my "squirrelly" adventures at the Prairie Campground.

    Here's a hint...

 

In the bag! And...everywhere else, too!