PROJECT: camping

Well, am thinking that this heading doesn't really work, but then camping IS a project. We had a great camping trip to Arches and can't wait to go back. I am glad that everything and everyone fit in the small car. Rees and Kadin did an excellent job putting up with being squished for the drive. Now we're back and Bart and Kate and Cuillin are visiting. Hooray! Everyone is very happy. Why don't we just all move in together?

Some of my favorite camping ideas:

For the "kitchen" I have a set of cheap plastic storage drawers on wheels. I used to have all the kitchen stuff in a box or bag, but the drawers make things easier to organize and access. In the top drawer I have silverware and kitchen utensils. In the middle drawer there are kitchen staples like salt, oil, tea, coffee, and some canned goods. In the bottom drawer are cups, mugs, and bowls. The top of the drawers makes a nice extra surface. When the drawers are in the back of the car, we can access all this stuff there as well.

For dishes, I have an oblong bucket (fits plates) where I keep some Dr. Bronner's soap (biodegradable) and a sponge. When the meal is over, everyone puts their dishes in the bucket. I fill the bucket with a little water, soap and scrub everything on the way out of the bucket, then rinse out the bucket and rinse everything either in the bucket or on its way back into the bucket. Then the bucket serves as a drying rack.

For storage, I like to hang things. I have a couple of different types of "chains" for this. One is made of the cut off tops of socks looped together. One is made of a bunch of ties tied together. The third is a plastic chain made from the plastic interlocking links from a baby toy and plastic interlocking shower curtain rings. You could also just buy a length of plastic chain (lightweight) at the hardware store. You can hang things like clothes and towels by stuffing them in the loops of the sock chain, or use clothes pins, or put big S hooks in the loops. We have lots of S hooks and hang pots and pans, a toothbrush holder, a toilet paper dispenser, coats, headlamps, basically everything we can, on these chains.