You might be a Northern Minnesotan if, ...

... your big Black Friday shopping adventure is waiting in line at Cabela's ...
                         ...     overnight
                                ...      at 8°F
                                    ...      in an ice fishing house!

Louisa and her good friend, Whitney chose to spend their Thanksgiving night that way with a group of friends.  There were only two people before them, so they got $50 gift cards for being among the first 25 patrons in line.  

They ran into Caleb L., who was with a group further back.  

By the time the store opened, there were two other groups who had put up ice houses.  

At some point in the evening, the employees came out again and gave out more prizes and awards.   Louisa ended up with another gift card, this one for $10.  She was able to order a nice fleece jacket when she got home that day. 

But besides that, she made some fun memories and has a great story to tell!  

Louisa, Whitney, Shawn, and the others in front of the ice house.

Louisa, Whitney, and Shawn

Louisa and Whitney

By the end of the night
they were all staying pretty bundled up,
 even with the propane heater going.

A Grand (but very drippy) Canyon

Day 7, Sunday, August 25
We  had planned to do "family church" as we've done in the past, around the campfire before heading out for our day's outings.  But since we no longer had the option of a campfire, and in fact, were packing up to head on to new locations, rather than simply heading out for a day's outing, we, quite frankly, didn't even think of family church.  The schedule was disrupted and the distraction of life tempted us away from what's really important.  But we did have a little "family church" in Las Vegas in the evening.  But how we ended up in Las Vegas is part of this tale, so I'll just leave it at that.

On Sunday morning, we packed up and left our cozy little cabin.  We might have stayed another day, since the cabin was open for that night, too.  But we felt it was a little bit out of our price range for two nights.  We knew we didn't want to camp in the rain.  And rain was most definitely predicted for the next several days.  Apparently there was a tropical storm pushing all this wetness up from the southwest, across the Mexico boarder, and southern California, but toward the northeast and into Nevada/Arizona/Utah.  We could only sigh at the irony of it.  Here we were traveling in the American Southwest.  All of us for our first time.  And where it was supposed to be hot and dry, was predicted to be wet, wet, wet.

And cold in some areas.

Like the Grand Canyon.

But we're pretty tough.  We can handle wet and cold.  Just not in a tent.

So we had more decisions to make throughout the day.

But first to see what we came to see.  We started off our scenic drive past the lake for which our Inn was named, Jacob Lake.  Louisa and Rachel had returned late to the cabin the night before, all giggly and excited about their walk.  "It ended up being much further than we thought.  We need to drive  past there, Mom.  It's so pretty.  I think you'd really like it, Dad.  It's the kind of place you'd like to take pictures of."

It turns out the girls had a surprise up their sleeve.  I had wondered when making the reservation why there were no water recreation opportunities listed in the attractions, "Camping and picnicking, Hiking, Sightseeing, Wildlife viewing, Naturalist programs at Jacob Lake Campground, Access to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Horseback riding."

Jacob Lake Historic Ranger Station

The girls drew our attention first to the cute Ranger Station on the left.

Jacob Lake

Then they pointed out the lake on the right.




Not only is the lake on private property, it is really, well, not much of a lake.  Not.  Much.  Of.  A.  Lake  (If you can't get the full effect, be sure to click on the image for a better view of this scenic, .. um, ... puddle.

I asked the girls then, why it took so long for them on their walk, since they had claimed the night before to have walked all the way around it.

"Well,"  they explained, with many giggles.  "We kind of got lost and were wandering around the forest service roads.  Luckily when it started to get dark, we ran into some guys who pointed us in the right direction."

BIG LUMP IN THE MOM's THROAT!  Thinking of what might have happened ...  But as Ma Ingalls always said, "All's well that ends well."

We had forty miles to drive before arriving at the North Rim.  We didn't know where we'd end up by bedtime.  So we headed on toward the Main Attraction.  All we could do was forge ahead and hope the rain held off.

Which it did not.

By the time we reached the tourist areas, the rain had turned from sporadic sprinkles into a steady dripping.  And it just kept going.  Not a heavy rain, mind you.  Just a good steady soaking rain.  The kind the farmers at home would like.

It was cold.  With a little bit of a blustery wind.  Not a whole lot of wind.  But enough to make us tuck our hands into our sleeves and hunker down into our hoods and collars.

We checked out the book store and the Visitor Center first, in the hopes that the rain would taper off a bit.

But it did not.

The standing water in the treacherous walkways

So we finally braved the trails along adjacent to the Visitor Center.  We carefully traveled those wet and windy trails that in some areas have no railing guarding visitors from the edge.  We carefully walked out the rocky promontories where they had thankfully erected rails for our protection, but where the rock pathways were filled with water and a bit slippery.

Louisa and Elsie

A view looking down

Notice again, the standing water in the trail.  Oh, and the lack of railings.

We overlooked Bright Angel Canyon, which we had heard about in the book, Brighty of the Grand Canyon.  We talked about how amazing this was, and yet it wasn't even the main canyon.  We hoped to drive to either Cape Royal, or Point Imperial to take in the view of the main canyon before leaving the area. 

The drippy tourists

Then we shivered our way back up to the Lodge area.














We got to have our picture taken with the bronze Brighty statue.

John, Elise, Sohie, Rachel, Louisa, and Mary

We so totally splurged on a rare treat of a round of hot chocolate at the Rough Rider Saloon.  $30 for 10 hot chocolates.  Wow!

Donna, Stella, Clara, Inge, John, Elsie

But it was worth it.  That's what vacations are for.  Treats and memories.

Mmmmm.

I have a feeling even Inge will remember at least that we were somewhere drippy and having hot chocolate.  And we'll be able to say, "Yes, yes!  That was when we went to Matt's Marine Corps graduation and stopped at the Grand Canyon and it was so cold and rainy."  And then we'll continue with memories of all the other fun things we got to do on this trip.

After we warmed up a bit, we moseyed our drippy way to the gift shop and looked around.  The kids got to pick out a few things to buy for themselves with some Christmas money they had saved.  The first thing John got was a baseball cap, since he didn't have a hood on the sweatshirt he had brought along. 

Besides that, John got a bandana and a sheriff star.  Donna got a nightlight made with a slice of agate.  Inge got a bag of rocks and Stella got a bag of magnetite.  I'm not sure what the older girls picked out, since they had their money in their own care.

After the purchases were made, we sadly headed for the van.  It was still raining steadily.  It was still cold and blustery.  When a family comes to the Grand Canyon with plans to spend three days hiking and other outdoor activities, a rainy several days really changes plans.  We headed toward the Country store that was alleged to be a mile or so down the road and have wi-fi.  We hoped to check the weather one last time and get info on potentially cheap or dry places to stay the next few nights. 

But the store was not clearly marked and we ended up passing it by.

We had a short debate about whether or not to drive out to the other look-out points.  I was all for it, of course, since I wasn't the one driving.  Joe was a little more trepidatious.  The dirt roads were wet.  Visibility was low.  He was driving a new-to-us van that was 20 inches longer than our previous one.  And there were warnings about the safe length of vehicles (30 ft) on the roads out to those viewpoints.  "But we're nowhere near that long," wheedled theMom.  "I'm sure we can make it."

But all things considered, especially the fact that we didn't know how far we'd need to drive that day, we decided to head onward on our way, rather than meandering along scenic drives.  Sadness!  After forty-six years I finally get to the Grand Canyon, and can't even spend any time there.  Alas!

I had to shake myself out of my self-pity.  "For goodness sake, Mary.  This wonderful trip you're on!  You're wonderful family!  And you'll get to see Matt soon!  Get over it, Girl, and count your blessings!"

And so we drove.  And drove.  And drove.  And for the first couple of hours, we enjoyed the scenery we'd seen the day before.  Then we veered off to the southwest, in the general direction of San Diego.  We still didn't know how far we'd go, or where we'd end up.

The immediate goal was the town of St. George, UT, where we were hoping to hit a wi-fi spot to do some lodging research.  We had hoped to go to the public library, having forgotten, once again, that it was Sunday.  See, this is what happens when you miss church.  You're discombobulated for the whole week.  We arrived in St. George around 5:00 and realized we'd not be likely to find a library open at that time on a Sunday evening.  So after we fueled up, Joe asked the station attendant if there was public wi-fi anywhere in town.

And as is often the case, God worked everything out for us just right.  The wi-fi hotspot in town was at the Wendy's restaurant.  And Wendy's has one of the most "official" gluten free menus of any of the fast food chains.  And we were hungry.  And tired of being in the van.  And truth be told, kind of tired of eating food from the cooler.

Now, just imagine what it's like to try to order for our family at a place like this.  Firstly, we are almost totally unfamiliar with the menu.  Then we've got to try to explain it all to the littles.  We usually go directly to a table, until we can get it all worked out.  "A burger or a wrap?  Chicken nuggets?  Or a bowl of chili."  Mom, can I have three wraps and a chicken sandwich?  I'm really, really hungry."  "Do they have fish sandwiches?"  "No. No happy meals.  No. no pop."  And so on.  Until we've finally got it all written down and approach the counter.

And get ready for them to stare at us in wonder, as we continue to order and order and order.

We got our food and everything passed out to the right people.  We got the ketchups and waters and napkins and straws passed out where needed.  I hit Kayak to get some help finding a place to stay.  We'd kind of decided by this point, that it was futile to try to camp.  Our whole route was under this system of rain and storms with only spotty sun.  Without going too far out of the way, we'd not find a dry place to set up a tent.

Where can we get the cheapest lodging in that part of the country?

"Las Vegas, Baby!  Viva, Las Vegas!"

It was a little tricky searching for hotels in the Las Vegas area, since apparently, the system there is to market the rooms at about 1/2 price and then charge for fees and services which about doubles the rate.  As I was frantically trying to figure this all out, the kids were finishing their meal.  And the battery life was expiring on my laptop. 

No problem.  I'll just go out to the van, plug the computer into the power jack, and use the wi-fi from there.  Nope, sorry, the wi-fi didn't reach to the parking lot.

Hmmmm.  Maybe they'll let me plug it in inside somewhere.  I was thinking maybe a table or booth had an adjacent outlet. 

When I re-entered the store, and explained my problem, the manager pointed to a utility sink just inside the kitchen area.  "Hmmm?  Curious," thought I.  "And not terribly convenient, but I guess it will do." 

So there I stood, balancing my laptop on one hand; digging in my purse for my credit card with the other; moving out of the way anytime one of the workers needed to access the sink; trying not to drop my cord into the water; just to start all over again when I got situated once more.

But it was soon done.  Reservations were made.

Anyone who's traveled into Las Vegas from the northeast on I-15, will recognize this view.   The canyon through which the highway is carved is tremendous.  Down and down we went, though layers of cliff.  It was very cool.


Las Vegas, here we come.

Texas Station Casino on the north side of Las Vegas.  $12 per night, plus a $15 service fee.  Two rooms.  Two nights.

Unexpected Pleasures, aka, the Silver Lining in a Wet Cloud

Days 5 and 6,  Friday and Saturday, August 23-24 (having been written on Day 6)

Oh, where to start!

I'm not going to start at the beginning. I'm going to start right now. I'm sitting in a cabin! A cabin that's not where we planned to be. And the power is out!

Our lovely van outside the Jacob Lake cabin

Joe, Elsie, Clara, Sophie, and John are at a talk on the Navajo, particularly focusing on the weaving and other handicrafts of the women. Louisa and Rachel took a walk around the lake, and it took them longer than they thought it would, so they were late for the talk. Instead, they shopped at the gift shop and then came to the cabin all tuckered out and ready for bed, and grinning ear to ear. I was here with Inge and Donna and we were playing a Pictionary Card Game I picked up at Wal-Mart today in anticipation of the rainy weather.

But what about Stella, you may ask. Where is Stella?

She is here with me now. But a little bit ago, when the power was still up and running, she had been with Joe at the Navajo talk.

A few minutes ago, Inge, Donna and I were sitting in our cabin playing our card game. Suddenly everything was pitch black. And at the same moment, there was a knock at the door. We were all a bit befuddled, trying to figure out where the lights were, and where the sleeping bags and tote bags were, compared to the walkway.  And who would be knocking at the exact moment the power went off.  All I could do in answer to the knock, in the dark, in a strange place, was to holler, "I'm coming, just a minute."

Fortunately, I had left the door unlatched. And in tumbled Stella. She had become bored at the talk, so Joe said she could come back to the cabin. She was walking back here all alone, in a strange forest, through the roads and paths of an unfamiliar inn and cabin facility. Thankfully, she was just about here when the power went off, so she could find her way all right! Poor little goose. She didn't seem too phased, which I suppose it good. Inge was kind of freaked out, so she crawled into bed with Louisa and Rachel until her heart stopped racing.

We got the littles all jammied by the glow of Sophie's dollar store LED lantern. They crawled into their bed on the floor of the cabin. We sang I am Jesus Little Lamb and Jesus Loves Me. We said prayers. Besides our regular nightly prayers, we thanked God for the blessing of this cozy little cabin, in which we can sit out tonight's storms.

We prayed for Matt, as we've been doing each night all summer long. But this time we included his birthday prayer. His birthday was really a few days ago, but with not much for schedule these days, we'd forgotten it was his birthday. We always say a special birthday prayer for each of our children on their birthdays. We thank God for the precious gift of the child, and his or her particular personality. And we ask God's blessing on the coming year. Particularly, we ask that according to His tender Mercy and Wisdom, God grant us another year with that child.

Now everyone under my immediate care is tucked in tenderly, so I have time to write. To share the excitement of the evening, and to talk about the wonders of the last few days.

Yesterday morning, we were still in South Dakota, in the lovely Black Hills.  We woke the kids early and rolled everyone out of their sleeping bags and bedding. And yes, there were a few whom we quite literally rolled out. They all worked very busily to get the bedding rolled up and the tents taken down. I packed the van, which job traditionally falls to me. I'm a pretty good packer. I learned from my dad, a Navy man and an excellent packer. Joe finds packing very frustrating, trying to make everything fit. I find it kind of a fun puzzle. But I'm also discovering that, well, I'm not as young as I used to be. It's kind of a drag, really. the getting old thing. I want to be tough and be able to work hard and stand anything. But by the time I get the van loaded and unloaded a few times in a few days, I am pretty much worthless. I'm sure that it's mostly my age. But I'm secretly blaming the altitude. That must be it, right? I can fool myself into believing that were I simply vacationing in Minnesota, I'd be just as spry as in years past.  Or maybe it's the bruises all along my hips and rib cage from sleeping on the deflated air mattress.  Or maybe all of the above.  But mostly the altitude.

We had gotten the van mostly loaded the night before, and slept in our traveling clothes. And we'd planned to eat breakfast at a stop later on our way. We didn't want to mess with a fire that morning, and we knew as damp and chilly as it had gotten, nobody would want to eat cold cereal at 6:00 am. (We have done that before and trust me, it's really, really no fun. For the parents or the children.).  So all we had to do that morning was roll up sleeping bags and take down the tents.  And pack said sleeping bags and tents.  Just a quick morning pack-up.  Ten sleeping bags; six or eight other quilts and blankets; pillows for all; and two tents.

We ended up stopping at a rest are in Wyoming to eat breakfast. There was another family there at the same time, doing the same thing. They were a young couple, with six small children. It was fun to visit and to be able to encourage another younger couple. We certainly remember those days when the number of littles was still far too great compared to the number of bigs. It's a very difficult time, but so worth the work.

We traveled many beautiful miles yesterday, through the southwestern Black Hills area, diagonally across Wyoming, and on into Utah. We listened to Ann of Green Gables as we drove.

We arrived at the Hamilton's house for our evening sleep-over at about 8:00 pm. They are in the middle of preparing for a move to Wisconsin! In just a few days! When we found out, we made other plans, to travel a different route instead and see a few different sites. But they encouraged us that they were game for a little bit more crazy yet. I'm not sure they really were, but we totally understand. Their children were kind and welcoming, and they all made every effort to accommodate us even through they were in such an upheaval. We are thankful for this very great offering. And we understand, too, their desire to have us stop. They are a pastor's family, too. And we understand the sense of gratitude that comes with a visit from another pastor's family. It's always a treat. I'm glad Aaron and Joe had those few hours to visit and build each other up in their Holy Callings.

We got up and left kind of quickly this morning. We had to run back in once, just before we pulled out for a pair of flip-flops; and then we circled back a few blocks away from their house because a certain one of us remembered she had left her pillow. This time, when pulling out, we immediately got lost. Not really lost, lost. But mixed up anyway, to the point that Joe and I had differing ideas of where to go.

But that was soon resolved and we hit the road. I was quite bleary-headed the first hour or two. Just felt in a total fog. Joe drove until he felt groggy and then he pulled off at a truck stop/travel center. He parked way out away from everything, thinking since I was so befuddled, we'd just sit awhile and let the kids run a bit and he could nap. But by the time we got everyone pottied and bought some snacks, and one of the older daughters painter her toe nails in the truck stop parking lot, I was fully awake and ready to roll.

What a beautiful drive we had this day!  Since our destination for the day was the North Rim area of the Grand Canyon, we listened to Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry as we traveled.  We saw view after view of colorful cliffs, lonely looking draws, majestic rim rock, rugged gullies, and mountains and valleys of every shape and color.



The weather continued wet, alternating storm and sun throughout the day. We wound and climbed and coasted and braked. We took time to pull off the highway and photograph the vistas. We drove like old folks, meandering slowing and pulling off to let others pass us when necessary.

John leaving Utah

And so South through Utah, and into Arizona.

And entering Arizona

But with the continuing dreary weather, we really did not feel up to setting up our leaky, somewhat primitive tents. I didn't feel strong enough to deal with a three day cycle of hauling wet bedding to the laundry mat or hanging it all on our clothesline to try to dry between showers. So we just drove. Without worrying. When the kids asked, we'd answer along the lines of, "We don't know yet we'll have to wait and see."  It's always a challenge to find lodging for a group this size. If places have the space available, they often want us to get two or three rooms. Some places even require an adult in each room.  That's really challenging when they sometimes want to put us in three rooms.

We had reservations for three nights in the National Forest Campground, at the Jacob Lake area, about 40 miles north of the North Rim.  When we arrived, we consulted with the nice lady at the Forest Service information desk about the weather forecast and the various options available for lodging.  She said the weather was expected to continue much the same for the next several days, rain and storms with only a bit of sun peeking through.  She called the Inn area nearer the Rim to check on their prices and space availability.
Then I went next door to the lodging complex at Jacob Lake. I had read they had hotel, motel, and cabin options. When I asked at the desk, and explained about our large family, they were very helpful, even recommending we could all squeeze into one cabin, if we put sleeping bags between the beds and in the hallway area. Wow! I was astounded! Rarely have I had anyone encourage me to get fewer rooms! They usually cite fire code or company policy, etc, to get us into more rooms rather than fewer.

And so we had a lovely, relaxing evening. We had to eat cold supper, since there is no cooking of any sort in or outside of the cabins.  But we all filled up on a variety of good things. Sophie took the littles to the playground. Louisa and Rachel took their walk, and Elsie and Clara did dishes. I got the food put away, and the bedding organized for later.   Joe downloaded today's photos. 

The Main Room

Here's a view of the main room of the cabin.  Joe and I in one bed; Louisa, Rachel, and Elsie in another; we put a sleeping bag on each side of the beds and in between, which were occupied by Clara, Sophie, and John.

The Alcove

But that's not all, ... We still had three more kids to bed down.  Here's the little alcove where we made a bed for the remaining three.

A view of the other cabins and the forest setting

The back deck

Later in the evening, those that were interested headed to the cultural talk.  Joe is still there now, at 9:51.  He must have found a kindred spirit in somebody there. By now, the kids who had been at the talk with Joe are back.  They came in almost an hour ago and brought word that he was staying for the discussion afterward.

Everyone here is nicely settled in. The power is not yet on, and I'm at the end of my tales thus far.

Hope all is well with you, my readers.  Goodnight.

A Very Cold Swim and the pursuit of the National Treasure Rock

Sylvan Lake

Part 3, Day Four, Thursday, August 22
After the fun hike and the adventurous drive, we finally made it to Sylvan Lake.  We toted our coolers to the nearest picnic tables, through the natural spring-fed ground that was kind of mushy-muddy.  Ish.  It was grass, like any other park picnic area I've seen, but it was deceiving.  The ground was sodden and sucked at our feet as we walked through it.  Several of us had mud splattered legs and clothes by the time we got to the picnic tables. 

No problem, though, since we're finally going swimming!

Playing in the sand

We quickly ate lunch, but not quickly enough to please all the kiddos, especially the older ones who'd been waiting to swim since we started out Monday morning.  Some kids had swimwear on under their clothes and others changed in the van.  The off we went to the lake.  To the beach.  Along the path.

Until we once again got into some spongy ground.  Thinking it to be only about the same as the ground in the picnic area, since there was a path there, after all, we continued on.  Only to learn too late that we really, really ought to have turned around and found another way.  There was a paved walkway further in, but we hadn't seen it until things got gooey.  But this time, besides just the gooey, spongy ground, we also found the water was sedentary.  Whereas on the hillside where the picnic area was, the springs flowed downhill toward the lake, here on the path too the lake, the ground was level enough it simply sat.

And stank.

So that by the time we had gotten through the quagmire, we were all quite coated with stinky, smelly mud.  Most had on flip-flops, so it wasn't too much trouble. 

But I had my tennis shoes.  Ish!  As soon as I got to the lake, I dipped them in and swished them around to get the stink out.  Which would have been fine had we sunny weather in the days to come.  But those poor shoes ended up in a bag in the car for several days.  And ended up in a gas station dumpster somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico.

But I get ahead of myself.

John trying to open the cave

One of the fun bonuses to which the kids looked forward at Sylvan Lake was the possibility of finding The Rock.  The rock into which one of the treasure hunters in National Treasure Book of Secrets had to stick his or her hand to open the cave or whatever it was to solve the mystery. 

Stella trying to open the cave

But they all knew just what Joe meant when he said, "Sylvan Lake is the Lake where they filmed parts of National Treasure.  The one that's alleged to be above Mt. Rushmore, but isn't really.  But it is a real lake and we'll get to go there when we're in the Black Hills." 

"Can we stick our hand in the rock?"

Sohpie getting bitten by a brown recluse--JK

As it turned out, no, they didn't get to stick their hand in the rock.  That particular rock must have been a prop.  But they found the promontory which was where the rock was supposed to be.  At least they think they did.  Joe took some of the littles around to other places until they found a similar enough looking rock that the kids could stick their hands in.  What a guy!

Climbing the rocks

By the time we were done with lunch and ready to swim, the wind had come up and it was quite chilly out.  The more mountainous lake temp compared to our still shallow lakes in Minnesota was also colder than they expected.  So as it turned out, nobody really swam much.  But they played in the sand, took walks and climbed the rocks.

Trying to keep warm

We listened to the chit-chat of the other tourists in many languages.  We heard German and Turkish and Russian, just at the beach among the few families that were there.

When we tired of shivering, we headed back to the campground to get an early bedtime.  In the morning it'd be time to break camp and hit the road again.

Rock Climbing

Hang on, girls!

Rachel and Louisa

Teeny Sophie

Sophie

Inge

John

Clara

Donna

Camping, The Abrahamson Way

This post is mostly pictures and links. The pictures are from this camping trip. Just shots from around the camp site. The links are to things either Joe or I have written in the past about how we camp.

Our two lanterns, the trusty Coleman that uses white gas, and a very cheapo one that uses kerosene.  We use tiki torch oil in that one, since it's so readily available.  The cheapo read one is easier for me, since I am a bit intimidated by the mantles and pumping, etc with the Coleman, but Joe, since he's the lamp maintenance guy, says the red one is much putzier to keep clean.

I like this photo, since it gives a little glimpse of so many parts of our camp life.  The clothesline, Clara foraging wood, the dishpan, the hot water pot and coffee pot and the stove.  All of us in various kinds of jammies, and etc. 

A closeup of our water heating pot and coffee percolator.  This one is kept filled all the time, and as soon as the food prep is done, it's put on the hottest part of the fire to have hot water ready for dishes.  The coffee pot is prepped for coffee the night before.  When it's not being used for coffee, it often has hot water, too, in case of need.

Kids always like to play with fire.  We have specific rules and try to enforce them diligently.

Joe uses leather gloves for cooking over the fire.  He finds them much safer than quilted pot holders.

This is Joe at our cooking/clean-up table.  It's a lightweight roll-up table from Cabela's that's very handy for traveling.  It gives us extra space to prepare food and wash up afterwards.

Our hand-wash station.  Since we generally camp in primitive campgrounds, we have to provide our own "plumbing."

The Dome Tent.  This was our big extravagant purchase about seven years ago.   It's been very well used.  The selling point on this one is that if fits a playpen in the middle.  But, ... this trip marks the first time in, oh, 20 years that we didn't need to camp with a playpen.  And the dishes bin sitting by the tent.  This is our Kitchen on the Road.

This is the newest addition to our camping gear.  This style of tent is notoriously leaky in the rain, but it's spacious.  The three oldest girls were able to share the left room and the next two girls the smaller room on the right.

Joe's favorite camp cooking equipment.
Joe tries a new primitive skill, cooking with moss.
Cheap grilling pans.
For a look at a different kind of primitive camping, Joe documented our cabin camping trip at Glendalough State Park several years back, in part 1 and part 2.
And check out the "camping" and "vacation on a dime" index tabs on this blog for more glimpses into camping the Abrahamson Way.