Thursday, Oct 22 When you don’t plan ahead . . . you don’t get a camping spot for Halloween!! ANYWHERE! But, we were able to cuddle in at Harrison Lake State Park the weekend before Halloween. Plans were for Caleb and Halie to Join us, but that nose-dived when Caleb had to work on Saturday. This week we have had a cold spell and lots of rain, but by Thursday morning it was clearing up. By 8:00 a.m. the rain quit, but we gave the fog a few more hours to burn off before we left. Stopping at Bryan for a KFC fill-up, the fog was mostly gone by the time we reached the campground at 12:30. The cold temperatures lasted a bit longer, but by 3:00 it was 70 degrees and sunny and fall colors were in display. On a Thursday afternoon, the campground was mostly empty! We have gotten into a trend of having a lot of our food semi-prepared and pre-cooked and in the freezer when camping. This trip was going to be all about cooking (from raw) and tonight’s menu was Chuck Wagon Chili – beef, pork, bacon, beer, onions, broths, dark chocolate, lots of spices, and no beans! I prepped everything and Tom browned it all in the Dutch oven; then it simmered uncovered for two hours – outside in the Dutch oven! Was delicious! During all of this we enjoyed a fire in our biolite fire-pit and moved it up close to the awning where we sat and enjoyed it till dark. By 7:00 it was dark and Tom fired up the TV (television, not the tow vehicle!) to make sure we could tune in the last Presidential Debate. I ended up not watching, but Tom said both candidates mostly behaved this time around. Friday, Oct 23 Breakfast was hash and eggs. We cheated . . . we pulled the homemade hash out of the freezer. I had slow-cooked a brisket and converted it to hash status by adding diced potatoes and onion and letting it slowly absorb a bit of beef broth – then I froze it. Tom fried it up in the cast iron griddle, added cracked eggs, and cooked the whole thing so the eggs were nicely runny, and the hash was slightly crispy on the edges. We were too busy eating to get pictures! The morning was beautiful, and Tom took Charlie for a long walk and I finished a book. With the late breakfast we skipped lunch and patiently waited for the thunder/rain/storm that we knew would hit in the afternoon . . . 3:31 to be exact! There was a steady trickle of campers arriving all afternoon and it was supposed to be full for the weekend. At times the rain was nearly horizontal, but the worst only lasted an hour. By 5:00 it was almost sunny again, and campers were still coming in and setting up. But, the temperature was on the way down heading for the mid-30’s tonight. Our menu tonight was a chile-dog bake: hot dogs wrapped in tortillas, laid on a thick bed of diced onion, smothered in in Cincinnati Chili, and covered in cheddar cheese and BAKED! Evening entertainment: We have always loved the old book and movie “Rebecca.” Hearing that Netflix had done a remake, we had both downloaded it on our iPads ready for a movie night. Partly because it was Ohio State Game Day (at noon) and partly because it was cold and damp – we cooked breakfast and came home. The two days that we were at Harrison Lake had quenched our camping craving until the next time. We’re just not ready to give it up for the season, yet!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |