Monday, September 5, 2011

Campfires n S'mores

Current Location: Valley of the Rogue State Park, OR

Campfires n Smore's...two of our favorite things. OK, maybe only one favorite. The other we appreciate on rare occasion.

Last night we had our first campfire in what seems like eons. And how we enjoyed it. We love relaxing around a campfire. Why is it so mesmerizing to watch those flames dance? Even though it was quite warm (still hovering around 90 well after 7pm), how could we camp without having a campfire?

And how could we have a campfire without making s'mores? S'mores always sound good, but in truth, they are really too sweet for us to indulge on very often. It is typical that we buy a bag of marshmallows, make one s'more each, and usually watch the rest of the bag go stale before we're ready for another one. But alas, we may have discovered a secret! Somehow we got talking about spreading a little peanut butter on the graham cracker...our justification is that the protein would make it a little healthier! :) And how could it not be good? Peanut butter and chocolate are a great combination. Peanut butter and graham crackers aren't too bad either. And as a kid, I sure enjoyed my fluff-a-nutter sandwiches. So why not put it all together? As expected, it was good. But what was an even better surprise, the peanut butter cuts the sweetness so we each had 2!

As a matter of fact, that was our dinner. Yes, seriously. Hey, we're adults here and we can eat what we want! We did have a healthy snack of hummus and veggies a little earlier along with our cocktails of moscow mules. We got turned on to moscow mules through Oprah, who shared them on her camping trip to Yosemite. If you're looking for a refreshing drink on a hot afternoon, give one of these a try. Although we've made them following her recipe, we've found that our simplified version tastes just as good: combine half a can of ginger ale, juice of 1 lime, and a shot (or 2) of vodka and serve over ice. Delish!

I know I said it before, but I'll say it again...we really miss camping. This is one of many conundrums we have with full-timing. While RV Parks have their time and place and we do enjoy the convenience of full hookups, getting away from civilization is the way of life we really prefer. Unfortunately, having a large rig significantly limits the type of camping we can do. Don't get me wrong, we love our rig. It is very comfortable to live in full-time, but it comes with limitations. There were many reasons that we ended up with something this large, some of which are justified and some of which I attribute to beginner's pitfalls. I recall when comparing rigs, saying several times 'a few feet longer won't really make any difference'. Well, we learned quickly that a few feet can make a huge difference, not only in the floorplans and storage, but also when it comes to parking. We also overestimated the space we would need. We have yet to fully fill every storage compartment. It's a nice luxury not to have it all crammed full, but there are times that I would gladly give up the space. We frequently talk about significantly downsizing, but most likely that won't happen until we're animal-free, which unfortunately is probably not that far away. So until then, we continue to learn what works and doesn't work for us. I think it is a continual adjustment process, but then again, so is life.

12 comments:

  1. We definitely are happier with the smaller rig. Being 30' instead of 37' we can fit in a lot more spaces. And we have filled all our spaces. We get weighed in the morning - I'll sure be curious as to how we are weight wise.
    I never thought about the peanut butter - but I would like smores better with peanut butter. That I do know. Not sure when we'll have a campfire again but will definitely try that out.

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  2. Adding peanut butter to the smores sounds like a winning combination. We will try that soon too. Glad you guys are enjoying "camping".
    Take care!

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  3. We are only 26, and sometimes I wish for a bit more space, but you are right, a bit less is sure a lot easier when you like to "camp". Glad you are enjoying the Rogue and look forward to John Stewart SP. That is the first place we camped in the first baby MoHo back in 2005.

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  4. So glad u are back and things are rolling along :) Those decisions..wish they were easier or more defined, but eventually it just 'comes' what is the right way. And if it's not then brush off and re-do. That seems to be life! Take Care & God Bless. Glad to hear from u.

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  5. I was thinking we would just get a smaller class c since we would only be part timing. But as we looked at rigs, they kept getting bigger and nicer. We ended up with a 36'. Tomorrow will be our pick up date. I hope it's not too big for comfortable camping.

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  6. We enjoy a campfire as much as anyone but will have to pass on it when it's 90 degrees. It's just so humid here in NC that we break out in a sweat just sitting outside...or is that another hot flash?
    Syl

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  7. We're back on the road tomorrow or Wednesday doing some camping along the Oregon coast. I like the FHUs too but with most of the Oregon SP you get the hook-ups and the camping experience too - love that. Want to try some boon docking too in the future. Glad you are enjoying your trip and good idea on the S'mores.

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  8. We just had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with milk for dinner tonight. (We are certainly adults...so we can eat what we like, too:) We are going on our trip without taking the dogs this time. Maybe we can have a campfire, since Poppy won't be there to complain!!

    Since you enjoy peanut butter, you might be interested in Jerry's peanut butter and onion sandwiches. He and Suzy swear they are really good. http://jerrysuzylifeonwheels.blogspot.com

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  9. Adding peanut butter to s'mores may be genius :) I'm thinking I'll add the pb and skip the marshmallow! Not sure how to melt that but it sounds better to me :)
    I remember the Moscow Mules from Oprah. Thanks for the simplified version. Will have to try them.

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  10. We went with a 30 ft 5th wheel and actually haven't filled all the space. The only thing that would draw me to a slightly bigger rig would be a bigger kitchen area, mine is pretty small. I'm not a peanut butter fan but my hubby would live that!

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  11. Just wanted you to know for some reason on your newest post it won't let me comment and since I see 0 comments I'm guessing others have had the same problem. Just thought I'd let you know. The coast sounds wonderful!

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  12. I wonder how many fulltimers end up with a second rig that fits them better. So far my 24 foot motorhome is perfect, but I'm traveling solo with a small dog.

    I often have a "weird" dinner, whatever sounds good - ice cream? But, like you said, only if I've had a healthy breakfast and lunch. Why do I feel guilty about that? I guess it's a guilty pleasure. :)

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