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camping

June 17, 2013

Camping Grub That Kids Will Love: Kid-Friendly Camping Food

Cardamom donut holes
Cardamom donut holes

Recently, I had the good fortune to interview Emily Trudeau, a veteran camper and one of the three cofounders of the camping-food blog Dirty Gourmet, along with Aimee Trudeau and Katherine Kwan. She encourages first-time campers to get out there — even if you’re not typically comfortable with sticks, dirt and bugs. “Being outdoors is a healing experience,” she says, whether you’re sitting around a campfire, counting stars in the night sky or watching your kids play (with sticks, dirt and bugs).

Camping doesn’t mean you have to leave the comfort foods of home at home — particularly with kids. Yet, if you’re sick of hotdogs by the summer’s end, I’m with you. With Emily’s help, here’s a quick rundown of popular camping meals for families that everyone will enjoy.

Dirty Gourmet Girls
Dirty Gourmet Writers

Kid-friendly camping meals (links to Dirty Gourmet site): 

  • Campfire Flatbread Pizza
  • Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
  • Skillet Enchiladas
  • Campfire Quesadillas
  • Campfire Roasted Sweet Potatoes
  • Camping Nachos

Great kid-friendly camping snacks:

  • Skillet-fried cardamom donut holes with raspberry jam
  • Apples and cheese (many grocery stores sell tiny bits of cheese, or “remainders” so you can create your own cheese sampler)
  • Campfire-cooked popcorn and root beer
  • Banana chocolate walnut bars (make ahead at home)
  • Dips made at home (such as orange-honey-mustard dip via Dirty Gourmet) along with pretzels, crackers, bagels or other dippables.

Camping with kids in Washington, Oregon and BC
Prepping for S’mores

Top this! New twists on s’mores: 

Emily Trudeau calls S’mores the “all-American quintessential campfire delicacy.” That doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun, though. Stack your s’more in a new way:

  • Pepperidge Farm Geneva cookies, marshmallows and dulce de leche
  • Shortbread cookies, marshmallows, chocolate and raspberry jam
  • Graham crackers, peanut butter, chocolate and marshmallow
  • Graham crackers, marshmallows, bacon, chocolate
  • Graham crackers, fresh strawberries, chocolate, marshmallows

Don’t forget:

  • Your awesome cooler
  • Cooking oil
  • Foil
  • Dish soap and cleanup
  • Cooking utensils
  • Mixing bowls
  • Silverware
  • A sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Plates & silverware
  • A knife for kids to “help” (you could bring bananas, etc).
  • Easy snacks for the kids (goldfish crackers, pre-sliced fruit, Trader Joe trail mix etc)

For more fun recipes, check out the Cascadia Kids “Camp Cuisine” board on Pinterest. Do you have a favorite camping snack or recipe to share?

Filed Under: Get Outdoors! Camping & Hiking Trips Tagged With: camping, food, kids

May 23, 2013

Long Family Camping Trips in Washington State

Seattle-based parenting consultant Jenni Pertuset and her 8-year old daughter Meg like camping. No, scratch that – they love camping. The duo have camped for thousands of miles around Washington State for the past three years. Each year, they wrap a different theme around their two-week camping trips.

The first year, mother and daughter toured Olympic Peninsula destinations Jenni visited with her parents, when Jenni was a child. She revisited these places, in part, to remember her father, who had recently passed away.

The second year followed Lewis and Clark’s westward water route in Washington by road, starting from Canoe Camp in Idaho, following the land along Washington’s Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia Rivers, and ending at Cape Disappointment  on the Washington coast.

Camping with Kids at Cape Disappointment in Washington State
Camping with Kids at West Beach, Deception Pass in Washington State

In year three, the two camped for the entire month of June, with occasional overnight returns to Seattle to connect with loved ones and to wash up. The third camping year focused on water-centric campsites in Washington State, where they could swim. “We stayed at eight campsites, all on bodies of water,” she says. “Considering that my girl will immerse herself in the Puget Sound even in the coldest months, in effect this meant I could pick anywhere with water, as long as it moved slowly enough not to whoosh her away.”

So yes, they love camping in Washington State. Here’s a quick interview to find out how one expert mom camps with her kid.

1. Your Washington State camping trip in year two (following the Lewis & Clark trail) sounds amazing. What was your favorite part of Year Two?

We visited cultural sites, museums, interpretive centers, and Confluence Project installations learning more about the Corps of Discovery and the Native people whose lands they crossed. With a couple of notable exceptions, most were interesting and engaging. We especially enjoyed the Interpretive Center at Sacajawea State Park in Washington State and the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in Oregon.

But far and away the highlight of the trip was the interpretive center at Fort Clatsop (near Astoria) where the Corps wintered on the south side of the mouth of the Columbia. The museum itself is nothing special, but the replica of the fort and the living history guides there are remarkable. My then-6-year-old and I engaged with one man in period dress for over two hours, both of us fascinated the entire time while he told us stories and answered questions, offering interesting facts and considered opinions remarkably well-informed by his studies of the Lewis and Clark journals. I can’t recommend a visit highly enough.

2. What’s your favorite type of campsite?

I love camping on the salt water best. Whether it’s a sandy beach on the coast or a rocky one on the Puget Sound, my girl and I are content to spend hours toe-dipping, seal-watching, pit-digging, fort-building, crab-hunting, and sun-soaking. I don’t think you can go wrong with a beach.

Meg’s favorite spot was Rainbow Falls State Park, because the Doty General Store nearby sold penny candy.

3. Any tips for multi-night camping stays, particularly for parents trying it for the first time?

Go to one or two sites, and stay put. Stay to see the details of one place. Decide what you care about, and relax about the rest. I love cooking over the fire, and it suits us to spend a few hours a day at the campsite to prepare meals. But you might prefer to pack super easy food so you can get out on a trail.

Expect everything to take a long time. Linger. Let it slow you down.

4. Which Washington State campsite would you recommend for first-time camping with kids?

I think Deception Pass  State Park is a great choice for first time campers. It’s astonishingly beautiful, with beaches and trails for miles, and it’s still close to civilization in case you’ve forgotten something or just need to escape from unexpected rain in a public library for a couple of hours. For Seattleites, it’s a quick trip out of town, and if you go mid-week (or on the spur of the moment early in the season as we just did to catch the pre-summer sun) there are plenty of spaces available. Don’t try to go on a weekend in August without a reservation made well in advance, though. And make sure you get a spot inside the main park, rather than across the road at Quarry Pond.

Deception Pass State Park with Kids
Swimming at Deception Pass State Park

5. Anything you always bring on camping trips that you would miss if you forgot it?

Apart from the essentials required to shelter, clothe, and feed ourselves, I’d be disappointed if I forgot a book. Reading by the fire or in the tent before sleep is one of my pleasures while camping. As for tools, my two favorite things are telescoping roasting forks with a knob on the handle that allows you to rotate the fork (you can get them for a few dollars at Fred Meyer OR Lora’s example: Coghlan’s 9670 Telescoping Fork) and battery powered LED holiday lights for the inside of the tent.

Rain paints! Rain pants are the best invention ever, ever, ever. I’ve spent plenty of days out in a canoe or exploring a beach, or even sitting at the campfire, totally comfortable because my backside wasn’t soaking wet.

Two things I’ve stopped bringing: my camp stove, because I cook every meal over the fire, and my camp lantern, because as retro cool as it is and as much as it reminds me of camping with my dad, it’s a hassle to light and it’s blindingly bright.

6. Which games, activities and songs you both enjoy while camping?

We often drive long distances to campgrounds, so we usually have an audio book going in the car.

I usually bring a handful of things to do — art materials, a card game — and we never use them. We mostly poke around at and around the campsite, often literally. Meg dedicates hours to digging a “pit trap” at almost every camp site.

Columbia River Gorge Camping with Kids
Jumping into the Columbia River Gorge

7. Any favorite camping foods?

I usually plan for one night of very easily prepared food — sausages and raw fruits and veggies — for every couple of nights of food that takes a bit more effort. We still get to enjoy the fire, but it allows for more flexibility to stay longer at the beach or hike an extra mile or get the tent up before dark.

I tend to keep it fairly simple, but I cook anything that I could make on the stove or grill at home, using a cast iron pan, foil on the grate, or roasting forks. I haven’t taken my cast iron dutch oven recently, but in the past I’ve taken that along to make stews, soups, and cobblers. (An example of a Dutch oven: Esschert Design USA FF117 Fire Pit Dutch Oven)

One important camping tip: Put a big pan of water on to heat while you cook and you’ll have hot water for dishes and for a post-marshmallow washcloth.

Jenni Pertuset and Meg
Jenni and Meg

Thanks, Jenni & Meg!

Readers, what would you bring on a long family camping trip?

***

Filed Under: Get Outdoors! Camping & Hiking Trips Tagged With: activities, camping, family, Washington State

May 20, 2013

BC Okanagan with Kids: Camping, Parks, Restaurants & More

Jennifer Kossowan is a mom to a 2.5-year old daughter, blogs at her delightful site Mama. Papa. Bubba and lives in Vancouver. But both she and her husband grew up in the Okanagan, part of BC’s sunny central interior that offers warmth and long, lazy summer days. Where would Jennifer send a friend who’s visiting the Okanagan for the first time. She’s most familiar with the Vernon-Lumby-Winfield-Kelowna area, so that’s what we’re covering here.

Family at Echo Lake Fishing Resort
Kossowan with her daughter at Echo Lake Fishing Resort

1. What’s your favorite Okanagan destination with kids?

It’s hard to choose as there are so many wonderful places to visit with children in the Okanagan. That being said, if I had to pick just one it would be Davison Orchards Country Village, near Vernon, BC. It’s been a favourite of mine since I was a girl, and with each year, it gets better and better. On top of being able to pick your own produce (or buy it pre-picked in the market), the orchard includes a small kid’s playground with horse-shaped tire swings, a large grassy knoll perfect for picnicking, hourly tractor tours, a café serving delicious homemade food, a petting zoo that includes chickens, goats, bunnies, sheep, and a donkey.

Family at Davison Orchards
In the Crazy Cow Corral

Even more enticing than all of that though, is the Crazy Cow Kid’s Corral, a huge play enclosure that includes a ride-on tractor track, rubber duck races, giant slides, a tree house, corn bins to play in, a mini golf course, and a huge sandbox, complete with vintage truck and tractor. When you visit, be prepared to stay for the better part of the day – the kids will love it that much.

2. What are some of your favorite Okanagan parks and things to do with kids and why do you like those spots?

Visiting some of the plentiful parks and beaches is an absolute must when visiting the Okanagan with kids. Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park and Ellison Provincial Park, both located in Vernon, are wonderful for biking, hiking, and swimming adventures, while Kal Beach (Vernon), Skaha Beach (Penticton), Hot Sands Beach (Kelowna), Paddlewheel Park (Vernon), and Canoe Beach (Shuswap) offer an array of swimming areas, playgrounds, water parks, and water sports rentals.

Other than beaches and parks, the Okanagan has several really unique spots geared towards families. One of our favourites is Rawhide Ridge Ranch, a working ranch run by passionate owners and filled with wild animals – buffalo, turkeys, and zebras included! Also on the unique animal front, Kangaroo Creek Farm in Kelowna offers the opportunity to learn about and interact with kangaroos and wallabies in a completely non-commercial setting.

Another great spot is the Enchanted Forest. Situated in a gorgeous old growth forest in the Monashee mountains between Revelstoke and Sicamous, the forest is a world of fantasy brought to life. If you’re looking for a little more adventure, Atlantis Waterslides in Vernon is the place to go. With kiddie slides, a popular river riot ride, large hot tub, and slides of all sizes, there’s fun for all ages.

Okanagan splash park
Playing in the splash park at Polson

Lastly, Polson Park, also located in Vernon, is not to be missed. Home to a floral clock, beautiful gardens, duck ponds, a lawn bowling club, a space and science centre, plus a skate park, water park, and children’s playground, you can definitely make a day of your visit.

3. Do you have any favorite restaurants to go with your child in Okanagan?

Though we don’t eat out a whole lot, Friesen’s Country Tyme Gardens in Vernon would definitely be somewhere I’d recommend taking the kids. With hearty, homemade food reminiscent of Baba’s cooking and lots of outdoor seating, wee ones can take in the fresh air and enjoy a delicious meal all at once.

4. Can you recommend any preferred family-friendly hotels or rentawhls? If someone were visiting the Okanagan for the first time, where would you suggest that they stay?

Though it can be a bit of a splurge in the summer months, staying at Lake Okanagan Resort is an Okanagan adventure in itself. Rentals range from studio apartments to 3-bedroom suites, and include gorgeous balcony views and kitchen facilities, which is very convenient when travelling with kids. The resort includes a spa, golf course, multiple pools, various courts, a kid’s playground, an interpretive trail system, horseback riding, and summer kid’s programs, so mom, dad, and the munchkins are sure to be happy.

Echo Lake Fishing Resort a place to stay with kids
Echo Lake Fishing Resort

If you prefer the complete opposite – something small, quiet, inexpensive, very outdoorsy, and not at all commercial, we really enjoy staying at the Echo Lake Fishing Resort. Located outside of Lumby, Echo Lake Fishing Resort has seven small, rustic cabins that line the lake. The cabins come equipped with electricity, propane-operated fireplaces, kitchenettes, cold running water indoors; there are personal outhouses, fire pits, and wharfs outdoors. A small kid’s playground is onsite, along with endless nature to observe and inexpensive boats for rent, which makes for a serene family getaway.

5. Any favorite hikes or camping spots in the Okanagan?

Ellison Provincial Park in Vernon, mentioned before for its beaches and hiking and biking trails, is a very family-friendly spot to camp. In addition to a playground that is almost always filled with kids, it boasts a huge waterfront picnic area, a volleyball court, and designated swimming areas. Haynes Point Provincial Park, located on Osoyoos Lake, is very popular and sometimes difficult to get into, but most would say the ultra warm water is worth the fight. The combination of warm water, lakefront sites, and it being in Canada’s only desert area makes for a special experience.

Also on the popular but worth the effort to get into list is Shuswap Lake Provincial Park. It offers hiking and biking trails, great scuba diving experiences, a large adventure playground and big grassy knoll, as well as horseback riding, parasailing, bumper boats, go carts, and water sports rentals very nearby. The last one is actually a campsite I’ve yet to visit, but always hear great things about. Cedars Campground, just east of Sicamous and the Shuswaps, is known for its river setting, indoor pool, jacuzzi, and elaborate playgrounds.

6. Any toy stores, clothing stores or small-biz shout-outs — somewhere to pick up a new plaything while staying in the Okanagan?

I’m probably a little biased towards Vernon businesses, as that’s where we spend the majority of our time when in the Okanagan, but Vernon Teach & Learn on Main Street is an amazing store that started out small and has grown into a one stop shop for teacher resources, quality children’s toys, and unique learning materials. It also includes a cute ice cream and sweets shop now too! Equally awesome is Chicken Little, a barn-shaped store on 29th street. It’s the best place to buy children’s clothes, baby basics, and innovative kid’s items that aren’t carried anywhere else in the city. They also have a small but wonderful consignment section, and great end of season sales.

Thanks so much, Jennifer! Readers, where does your family eat, stay and play when visiting the Okanagan? Please leave a comment.

Filed Under: BC Interior, Okanagan Tagged With: camping, family, kids, Okanagan

January 11, 2013

Camping Reservations with Kids in Washington, Oregon and BC

How long in advance should you make camping reservations? Now is the time to reserve your camping spot for many Pacific Northwest locations. Don’t wait until late spring or summer, if you want a prime, secluded tent site or one of the much-desired yurts, cabins or fire lookouts. Here’s a quick guide and how-to.

Camping Reservations in Oregon

Half of Oregon´s state park campgrounds accept campsite reservations; the other half are first-come, first-served. Whether you call or go online, you may make reservations 2 days to 9 months in advance of your first night´s stay. “Nine months in advance” counts back to the nearest business day.

You can make Oregon campsite, yurt, cabin and teepee reservations with a Visa or MasterCard through ReserveAmerica’s Oregon page. You can make reservations for national forests, like Mt. Hood National Forest and Siuslaw National Forest at Recreation.gov, but there aren’t many listed.

Read more about Oregon Campground Reservations.

Camping Reservations in Washington

At the campgrounds that accept reservations, you can reserve Washington campsites, yurts, cabins and houses through the Washington State website. Right now, they’re accepting reservations about 10 months in advance – so they’re taking reservations up until the first week of October. You can use a Visa or Mastercard to reserve.

You can make reservations for over 100 National Park Service and US Forest Services destinations, like Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest at Recreation.gov.

Or make Washington State camping reservations at Reserve America, which includes listings from KOA, Thousand Trails, USDA Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.

The county parks system is more challenging to navigate — you’ll need to research the specific county you want to stay in. Popular camping destinations in Washington State include San Juan County Parks, Salt Creek Recreation Area and Dungeness Recreation Area in Clallam County, Snohomish County Parks and Recreation and Wenatchee River County Park.

Camping Reservations in British Columbia 

Frontcountry reservations open at 7:00 am (PST) on March 15. Reservations for family campsites can be made up to three months in advance of your arrival date, and you can make up to three reservations per transaction. Book your tent site at the BC Parks website, read about backcountry camping at Recreation Sites and Trails,  and about Western camping destinations at Parks Canada. Here’s a quick rundown comparing all the BC camping options.

Filed Under: Get Outdoors! Camping & Hiking Trips Tagged With: BC, camping, Washington State

July 26, 2011

Ew, Camping! Alternatives to tent camping to reserve NOW

Camping isn’t for everyone.  These options will get you out into nature and the outdoors — but you won’t wake to mud sloshing around your tent.

Alternatives to tent camping in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia:

Yurts. At Washington’s 412-acre oceanfront Grayland State Park, sleep in a 16-foot-diameter heated yurt outfitted with a queen-size futon, an end table and heater (a fine choice for a first camping trip with a baby or toddler). Or try Cape Disappointment’s yurts, which offer bunk beds that sleep three, a heater, floor lamp and an end table — and you’re never far from spectacular Washington Coast views of the Pacific Ocean. Read more about renting a Washington State Parks yurt. Or research on the BC Parks yurt page and the Oregon State Parks homepage. Renting a yurt on the Oregon Coast is the best of all worlds, and locals know it — these round-a-bouts are booked up fast.

U.S. Forest Service cabin, cottage, guard station or lookout. Some are more like mountainside or prairie chalets, complete with running water and flush toilets (but look carefully — some of the running-water perks are only available in summer). Others are more vintage-Victorian or pioneer days (complete with outhouse) but offer propane cookstoves, fridges, heat and light.

Airstream trailer. Silver Cottages offers a unique (although expensive) stay. Prices start at $849/three nights but includes delivery, setup, sleep spots for four occupants (i.e. two adults, two kids or one adult, three kids) in 31-foot silver Airstream trailer, complete with kitchenette, fridge, microwave, dinette, heat and air. Sleep in Bellingham, San Juan Islands and Lakedale Resort.


Officers’ Quarters. Take shelter in one of the dozen homes lined up in a row, tidy and upright. As they were once officers’ quarters of the early 1900s, you’ll find lovely crown molding, bannisters and loads of vintage touches. Read more about Washington vacation houses on the Washington State Parks website, which also lists lighthouse keepers’ quarters.

Teepee. Fields Spring State Park offers the only two teepees in Washington State, and one even offers an indoor/outdoor carpet floor. Yes, you have to bring your own sleeping bags and pads, but you don’t have to set up the tent! Oregon offers teepees at Owyhee park.

Log cabin. Sleep pioneer-style in a real log cabin — right on the Oregon Trail. Read more about the Emigrant Springs Totem cabins.

Beach house. Once a 1930s fishing resort, the Cama Beach cottages are now rented out by the Washington State Parks. Snore inside a retro cedar bungalow that overlooks the Puget Sound and Whidbey Island. Only a 90-minute drive from Seattle, this is a sweet nearby getaway. However, unless you book a bungalow rental, you’ll still cook outdoors. The upside from your kids’ perspective? That means s’mores for sure.

Treehouse. Want to sleep IN the trees, not under the trees? Check out Vertical Horizons Treehouse Resort for a B&B in a tree. Parents of teens (16 and over) can look into Free Spirit Spheres on Vancouver Island — these orbs float in the trees, like little alien pods. Pretty cool. Here’s a YouTube video about staying in a sphere treehouse.

Filed Under: Get Outdoors! Camping & Hiking Trips Tagged With: British Columbia, camping, kids

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