Camp Dining

  Typically when March arrives each year I'm itching to get outside. Despite it's best efforts Winter will eventually yield to the coming Spring and the warmer weather brings thoughts of the annual Easter Jeep Safari front and center in my mind. Being in California has eased that cabin fever feeling this year ever so slightly because, well, there is no snow here. We have been able to explore small areas of SoCal as you have seen if you've been following the blog. As fun as California has been I still find myself wanting to hit the trails in Moab, Utah. Sadly this isn't going to happen for us this year and our camping adventures for 2017 will be a little different then what we're used to. The one thing that has always remained constant regardless of where we've been camping is good food.
  Part of what makes our camping experiences so great is the food that we have. Yes we seem to be the kings and queens of gourmet camp food. From deep fried turkeys and rock salt prime rib to countless dutch oven cobblers we seem to make it a point to eat better in the outdoors then we ever would at home. Heck, we tossed two tri-tips on my portable grill while we were out on the Rubicon trail. Who does that? We do and I would would recommend it any day. With all the different tools and stoves at our disposal nowadays why would you limit yourself? 
  Our camping trips  usually involve some form of exploration which means we're out on the trail with our Jeeps and ATV's. Because of this we have to be versatile when it comes to our food and meal time. There are times when we don't get back until well after dark while on other days we get back with enough sun left to get in a few card games before dinner. So here's how we make it work for our camping trips that makes the most sense to us and has served us well over the years.
  As a general rule we treat breakfast and lunch as fend for yourselves. There are usually six to ten of us for our big camping trips and on some occasions we number closer to twenty. Each of our individual groups takes a different length of time to get ready. Some of us have kids. Some of us like to sleep. And others need their coffee in the mornings. This is why we do breakfast "on the run." Lunch is similar because we all have different tastes but we're always together on the trail. Our lunches are typically of sandwiches of all kinds with various chips and cookies to go along with them. Sodas and waters are used to wash down the meals with a heavy emphasis on the water throughout the day. I would be doing you an injustice if I didn't admit that eating while out on the trail is one of my favorite parts of exploration. The food just seems to taste better out there in the dirt.
  Dinner is where we shine. Pot luck is the name of the game for supper. Months before we leave for our trip we will sit down and have a meeting and plan our meals. Once the meals are decided we can then divvy up the main dishes and the sides which gives us all the opportunity to contribute to each meal. It creates a kind of bond for all of us involved and brings everyone together to enjoy good food and great company. 
  These are simple tips that have served us well through the years and they work in almost any situation. We've yet to plan all of our 2017 trips but I know that wherever we end up we'll have some good eats along with us. If you have any favorite camp foods please feel free to share them with us on our facebook page, Twitter, or in the comments section. See you on Friday. 

Brandan