The 5 Best Camping Gadgets We Take

We've gone to a couple of cabins since the last post.  The first was in the fall - we went to Nancy Lake, which was a really great little cabin.

We were there for two nights, wandering around, playing games, making fire.  It's an awesome location.  The cabin is about a half a mile hike from the parking lot.  The trail is well traveled, but it's full of roots.  We took a big wagon to carry our stuff.  Fortunately it has big wheels, but even the little hills plus the tons of roots made the going pretty rough.  Just for future luxury campers like us.  But we do want to go back with some boats.  It's a beautiful lake.

We also went glamping with Tanya's parents at Kenai Lake in their camper.  We were just there for a couple of nights, but we got to hang out on the lake beach wandering the area.

We will definitely be coming back here.

We also went to the Alaska State Fair to see Pat Benatar.  Needless to say, it's been an eventful and wonderful fall season.

Most recently, we spent our Christmas holiday at another cabin in Bird Creek Campground.  It was a little colder, of course.  These cabins are heated by propane tanks rather than wood stoves.  This isn't ideal, but surprisingly cabins fill up fast on the holiday.  However, it is really close to home, so for families or people who can't hike far, this is a nice tucked away little spot.  It's also really roomy - enough to lay our cot out so Karis (who is 5 months pregnant!) could sleep a little more comfortably.

We had planned to spend a little more time snowshoeing.  Unfortunately, near blizzard conditions, short short days, and as in Alaska winter fashion, rain and ice and slush kept us from it.  (This picture was taken the day we got there.  That snow didn't last long.)  The good news is we had a lot of other things to experiment with.

So here they are, the five best things we found for our camping pleasure.

1.  BioLite Base Camp Stove

This thing is AWESOME.  It's a miniature wood stove, basically.  You feed the wood into the mouth, and it heats up the body of the stove and the grill.  Obviously, this cooks your food or boils your water or whatever.  (There's a pizza dome accessory you can buy - we didn't.)  When the body heats up, it turns on this box (sounds like a fan - I'm not a scientist, so I'm not totally sure what it is), into which you can plug in anything that is charged with a USB.  That's right, you can charge stuff with this wood burning stove.  It comes with a light, too, that is also powered by the USB plug in.  It's actually very efficient.  It hardly took any wood at all to get the stove hot enough.  We're basically in love with this thing, and we will never cabin camp or car camp or glamp without it.

2.  SunJack Portable Solar Charger

There are a couple of solar chargers on the market.  One of the more popular ones is the Goal Zero.  We had one of those, but it took a long time to charge and it didn't hold a charge very well.  So we sold it and went with the SunJack.  The pack is a fold out of five panels and it comes with two battery packs.  These hold the charge for quite a while.  We also got the CampLight USB light bulb, which was perfect for us now that we are working with 18-hour darkness.  And even though it was cloudy, it picked up some charge when we put it outside during our short daylight hours.  Fortunately, we had already pre-charged the batteries on sunny days.

3.  RedHead white camo winter jackets

We each got one.  Tanya found these gems on sale at Bass Pro.  They were crazy on sale.  But they are heavy and warm, water proof, wind proof, and somehow also breathable.  And they are comfortable as all get out.  I may have mentioned that it was raining at the cabin.  It was raining everywhere except inside my coat.  I honestly didn't even know there was precipitation until I got back inside and noticed that my dog was wet.  Plus, the size that Karis will need when she's not pregnant fits her even now that she is.

4.  AYL SoundFit Plus

This is a bit of a luxury.  However, when sitting by the campfire or playing cards by candlelight, a little bit of music from your iPod adds joy to the joy.  Plus, this little guy is waterproof.  And the sound is pretty good.  We're not too proud to admit that we're glampers, especially at cabin or in a camper.  But it's not just good for background music by the fire pit.  It can attach to a bike.  So for avid riders who don't want to wear headphones (because running or biking with headphones is dangerous) but also don't want to leave their tunes at home, they don't have to.  It connects by bluetooth or by USB, and it is absolutely affordable.  (Like, $33 on Amazon.)

5.  United Cutlery M48 Hawk Axe

Yes, it's just an axe, like any other small axe out there.  But we want to give credit where credit is due.  This guy is relatively lightweight, but still large enough to do some real damage.  We cut kindling and chicken.  We carried it around when walking at night.  Not only does it make one feel and look like a badass, it's actually quite useful.

In addition to these awesome things, we also made use of some homemade camping gadgets, some simply prepared survival items.  These are all pretty much for starting a fire.  They are not replacements, but we did try them all out, and they all work.

1.  Tanya's super amazing campfire starter

For the last few months, Tanya has been requesting that all our dryer lint be saved in a baggie.  When we got to camp, she showed us why.  This lint had been mixed with egg crate carton, newspaper, vaseline, and then covered in wax (all leftover from our burned up candles).  They were also sprinkled with wood kindling.  These suckers are about the size of an egg and burn a significant flame for just over ten minutes.  They're kind of awesome.

2.  Char cloth

These are pretty easy to make.  You put some cotton (has to be 100%) in a tin, cut a hole in the top, then put it on a fire.  Once smoke stops coming out of the hole, that means that the oxygen has been sucked out of the cotton.  Take the tin off the fire, open it up, and you'll have yourself some char coal.  This is another way to start a full on flame.  To be fair, we didn't really start a fire with this one, but we did light it, and it does burn.

3.  Penny stove

Have you heard of these?  They're pretty easy to make.  Just cut about an inch off the bottoms of two drink cans.  In one, put in a pile of steel wool or lint or some other kind of thing that burns a lot.  Cotton balls, whatever.  Then put the two pieces together to close it up.  Cut five holes in the top, then holes all around the edge.  Pour some denatured alcohol into the newly formed container, then make a trail of said alcohol, and light that sucker up.  Oh, and cover the top five holes with a penny (or any coin) to force the flames out the holes along the edge.  This will disperse the heat.  This is maybe a ten minute stove.

Our travels haven't taken us out of the state for a while, but there are plenty of things to do and see right here.  We are making the most of these opportunities before we become parents and these adventures become a little harder to come by.  Having a baby will be a whole new adventure!

First Camping Trips Since...

It has been a year since I last posted about a trip.  We were supposed to have posted in January about a two-week trip through Asia in December.  This trip had to be cancelled, however, because of what happened in August: Tanya was in a motorcycle accident.  It was bad, but she's alive, and she's walking.  We were in Seattle for about a month for her initial treatment, but that wasn't exactly a vacation.  We went back for a follow-up appointment in March - again, not a vacation.  We were there for less than 24-hours that time.  But Seattle really is a lovely city, for what it's worth.

Now that summer in Alaska is officially here, we don't want to not enjoy it.  So in the coming months, we'll be doing a few trips throughout the state.

We had one short trip in May to Whittier, AK.  Tanya, my brother (who just moved here in May), and I joined Tanya's parents in their camper.  We may actually really love glamping.

Back in December, I booked a cabin up north.  It's a drive-up cabin, since neither of us were sure where Tanya would be with her recovery, and it was something to look forward to.  It's at Fielding Lake, which is a bit far out.  For those of you who don't know where it is, it's north of Paxson, AK, at mile 200.5 on the Richardson Highway.

We arrived in the evening - the Golden Hour, if you will - just in time to start a fire, drink a beer, and watch a beautiful sunset behind the mountains.

The cabin is small and very well managed.  We were pleasantly surprised, actually, with how clean it was.  It's very accessible, too, and although there are plenty of camping spots in the immediate area, it doesn't seem to be a very frequented spot, so it was pretty quiet.

We spent some time walking around the lake, letting the dogs run around.  This is one of my favorite things about traveling in-state - we can take our pups!

As you may be able to see, though, clouds rolled in.  It rained for most of the day, although that didn't stop us from practicing our fire-starting skills outside and cooking some brats and s'mores in the pit fire.  But with the temps dropping to 46°, it did mean that I got to use the wood stove, my favorite part about cabin camping.  Also, lots of card games and relaxing with my favorite person.

We've already decided that we will be coming back to this low-key spot, but with kayaks and fishing poles.  Also, it was a beautiful drive!!  Definitely worth the several hours in the car.

Oregon Sampler: Day 3-4

On Wednesday morning, we left Union Creek and headed north toward Bend.  We've heard a lot of great things about this part of Oregon, so we wanted to check it out for ourselves.  As we drove further and further north, the tall forests faded and the landscape flattened and turned less green and more brown.  Bend is on the other side of the mountains, which causes a rain shadow effect, making this area more arid.  It's also really, really hot.

Besides its reputation for adventurers, Bend is also known for its breweries.  In fact, they even host their very own original (trademarked) Bend Ale Trail.  It comes with a map as well as a space for each brewery to stamp their logo as proof that you drank their beer.  Our initial goal was to make it to four breweries.  We more than exceeded our expectations and sampled beer from a total of six breweries: Boneyard, Wild Ride, Riverbend, Deschutes, Good Life, and 10 Barrels.

We ended our day in a motel in nearby Redmond.  To give us the most time in this area, we decided to stay here for two nights.

The next morning, we got up and prepared for our day hike.  In Redmond you will find Smith Rock State Park, a popular location for climbers.  It's an incredibly beautiful area.  The big rocks you see in the photos were formed by volcanoes, as many of the most beautiful geographical features in the world are.  We took a hike up what's called "Misery Ridge," and it indeed was a little miserable.  And it only got harder and harder the higher we got.  The top, however, was really incredible.  In addition to multiple rock climbers (some doing pretty crazy and amazing ascents), we also saw lots of golden eagles and two huge eagle nests on the face of the mountain.  The river made the perfect contrast between the red-faced rocks and the greener valley below.  And even though the climb was more strenuous than it was advertised, the reward was more than worth it.

We spent more than three hours walking around at the park.  The heat was pretty exhausting, so the rest of the day was a vacation day.  We did laundry, we ate light, we watched OITNB, updated the blog.  Good times.  This is what vacation is about. :)

Oregon Sampler: Days 1-2

Now that Tanya's class is over, we're taking the week to drive around Oregon and explore some of the things the state has to offer.  Tanya calls this route the "Oregon Sampler."  Before we left the city, though, we stopped at a local favorite doughnut shop: Blue Star Doughnuts.  As it turns out, Voodoo Doughnuts, while good, is really more of a tourist place and a novelty than a local favorite.  After eating Blue Star Doughnuts, however, while they do have unique flavors, Voodoo Doughnuts actually makes the better tasting pastry (in both our opinions).

Anyway, south we went.  It is really beautiful here.  There's mountains and trees and long sandy beaches along the ocean.  Monday, we headed south along the coast.  Our first stop was the ever popular Cannon Beach.  This is a cute little town, mostly a tourist stop.  But tourists come here for a reason, right?  It's really pretty.

While here, we ate at Moe's, a local chain famous for their clam chowder.  Tanya says it was pretty good, top two of clam chowders she's had (I don't really care for clam chowder).  Their cabbage salad is also pretty good, as well as the cod tacos and grilled shrimp skewers.  Very much a seafood place.

We continued our journey south.  Along the way we stopped at the Tillamook County Creamery.  We're big fans of Tillamook cheese.  Actually, anyone who lives in the Northwest is a big fan of Tillamook cheese.  We got some delicious ice cream and took a self-guided tour, which is basically just watching the factory line below cut and package cheese.  It's kind of mesmerizing, actually.  Then we got to go and sample some of their cheeses.

We then continued on our journey.  Of course since this is the Oregon Coast, there are lots of pullouts and beautiful views.  We did pull over a few times.  It's a really pretty area over here!

We made a pitstop in Depoe Bay - home of the world's smallest harbor - to taste some wine and take some pictures.  Shocker, we left with two bottles of wine.

Our day ended in Newport.  After checking into our hotel, we headed over to Rogue Brewery.  Interestingly, in Oregon it is the law that any place that sells beer must also sell food from a kitchen.  So we got to taste some beers and eat dinner.

We spent the night in Newport in Travelodge, which ended up being a really nice place, especially for the price.  The room was really clean and inviting.  We both agreed that we kind of wished we had had this room in Portland.

The next morning, we continued our journey into Oregon.  We stayed on the Oregon coast for a little while, making several stops along the way.  There are tons of pullout spots on this highway, all with really amazing views.  We were looking in particular for a place called "Thor's Well," which basically looks like a hole in the ocean.  There are pictures on Google, and there's a spot on the map, but there are NO SIGNS that we could see from the highway, and even when we stopped at the place Google Maps said it should have been, it was not there.  We were both super disappointed.  However, all the other beautiful scenery mostly made up for it.

Eventually we made our way east away from the coast to our lodge for the night, Union Creek Resort.  If you're into camping and being in the woods with a nice creek, maybe a log cabin, no cell service, perhaps an old family restaurant down the road, this is definitely a great area for you.  We loved it.  The only thing we could possibly complain about was the heat in the room we got.  There were fans, but it was not enough.  We roasted until the night time air cooled it down enough for us to really sleep.  However, we got to see some cool things while we were there.

Before we slept, though, we went over to the Natural Bridge.  This is a short hike into the woods from the parking lot.  This underground tunnel was formed by underground lava, and now it houses this mysterious, wondrous underground river that pops out seemingly out of nowhere.  Over top of it there is a natural land bridge that has been used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years.  Now they have it fenced off to preserve the land, but the rock formations are as cool as the river itself.

After this short hike, we moved on to the reason we came to this area in the first place: Crater Lake.  This is the deepest lake in the United States, and it was formed by the volcanic collapse of Mount Mazama almost 8,000 years ago.  The deepest part of the lake is almost 2,000 feet, and only 2% of the floor of the lake has been explored.  The water is so clear, even from the highest point of the cliff side, you can see into the water.  We paid a $15 fee to get into the park, but this ticket is good for seven days (for those of you who would stay longer).  We had to drive up the mountain to get to the first viewing point.  When we turned the corner onto Rim Drive and saw the lake for the first time, we lost our breath.  It is incredible from all angles.

One of our favorite experiences while being here was when we came up to one of the viewpoints and a chipmunk came up right to us.  Literally.  He just scooted right over to us and stood up, as if he was expecting us to feed him something delicious, even though his cheeks were already swelled.  While I don't typically support the idea of feeding the animals, I will say that all we gave them was a few organic cashews.  And they loved them, okay?

After almost three hours of enjoying this lovely area, we headed back down to our lodge.  The first two days of the Oregon Sampler was awesome!  When it's over, we'll post a map of our route so that you can also enjoy this journey!