Camping, Take 2
aka GFCF Camping
After a wonderful getaway with my amazing husband, we decided to take the kids camping again. (I am on a mandatory five day vacation where I work.) The last time we went camping was in May, right before we discovered Benjamin’s gluten/casein intolerance. That trip started with a big gluten-stuffed meal at IHOP. Nothing like loading your child full of junk that will make him sick, eh?
This time, we headed out fairly early for a breakfast of smoothies and Lara Bars, courtesy One Stop Nutrition…a much better way to start the trip. Of course, I had to make a caffeine stop, but still much better than IHOP.
I had commented to Jarid that we should get gas while we were still in town, as it is quite a bit cheaper than near the freeways. We both spaced it, and before we knew it, we were looking at prices of $4.19/gallon. No matter, though, since there was one more gas station out in the toolies…surely it couldn’t be more than $4.19, right? Except that it was $4.45. As in four dollars and FORTY FIVE cents!!!! Out of sheer principle, we decided to chance it, even though we had less than a quarter tank of gas. If it was a straight shot, no big deal. But to get to Payson, we’re looking at climbing several 6% grades. We literally coasted in neutral on the downhill portions…right into Payson where we were greeted with $3.97/gallon!!!
From there, we were off to our next mandatory destination: the Payson Wal-Mart. Even though we have created a packing list, there were still a few items we needed before setting up camp. Flip-flops for me (those are a must have, camping aside!), a fishing license for Jarid, sinkers, fishing poles for the kiddos, velveeta cheese for bait, marshmallows, and ice…and we were finally on our way!
I’d like to divulge the location of our favorite campsite, but then I’d have to kill you. 
Fortunately, our particular site was vacant, so we got right to work. Within minutes, the tents were up…and we were hungry. Since it was early afternoon, we didn’t want to start a fire yet, so we popped open the portable grill and slapped down the meat. For Jarid, top sirloin; for the rest of us, hotdogs from Applegate Farms. Oh, and cantaloupe.
Then it was off to the creek to catch some fish. As expected, the little ones got bored quickly, so daddy was left to bring home the bacon trout himself. With the attention span of our children, there was only time to catch one. But oh the joy of watching daddy kill, behead, and gut the poor thing. As this production continued, I decided to try my hand at fishing. Considering that I grew up in Montana, it’s really sad that this is my first time fishing. Beginner’s luck? Maybe…
When we finally decided to call it quits, Kaiya was soaked head to toe, Benjamin had long since forgotten his fishing pole, and Jarid had a trout in the net.
After all the hard work, of course, we were hungry again. So we started the campfire and Jarid finished off the steak, and we all had cilantro-lime-chicken-onion-bell pepper-potato packets. (Ben’s was potato-less, as we are avoiding potatoes, apples, and raw tomatoes for him). As we grilled the corn, the sky began to darken and the rain came. So we at corn-on-the-cob in our tent. And raw coconut. Yum.
We had planned to roast a few marshmallows (which are gluten-free for sure, probably casein-free!), but by the time the rain stopped, our little troopers were tuckered out. We moved them into their tents and they fell fast asleep. We weren’t too far behind. Camping is hard work!
Last time we camped, we all froze. I ended up climbing in with Ben and Kaiya to make sure they stayed warm enough. This time, Jarid and I didn’t actually crawl into our sleeping bags until sometime in the middle of the night. Even then, it was just a bit chilly.
Breakfast consisted of eggs and pure maple syrup, along with a huge load of watermelon. After-breakfast dessert, as promised by daddy, was roasted marshmallows with a bit of gfcf chocolate (which is surprisingly good) and peanut butter on top. Fake s’mores!
After taking some time to pack up, we took a quick hike up to the top of the hill, with Benjamin as our guide. A quick wipe-down and a fresh change of clothes and we were on our way home.
GFCF camping? Doable, for sure. Easy, in fact. A little planning and fresh food, and you’re good to go!
Enjoy the pictures. If you click on them, you’ll be able to see a larger version. Be sure click on the one with my big goofy smile to see my “catch”.
First Camping Trip of ‘08
Jarid and I actually had a day and a half off together, so we decided to take the kiddos camping. We went last year, in July, and had a pretty good time. This trip is our second time with the kids. Last time, there were fire restrictions. This time, we made it before the restrictions kicked in (today!).
We left Sunday morning, with the intent of finding a church in Payson. As you can imagine, nothing went according to plan and we ended up starting the trip with breakfast at IHOP (yeesh). The kids LOVED the boysenberry syrup…go figure…if you can actually call it syrup! My deepest apologies to those who love IHOP. Nonetheless, it was fun. Especially with “Big John” as our server. Ben and Kaiya loved calling him Big John. Yikes.
Off to Payson, where the next stop was Wal*Mart. Probably not the best idea on a Sunday, in a little mountain community….I think the entire town was there. Plus tourists. I think that, what should have been a 20 minute trip, took 90 minutes. I’m sure 80 of those minutes were spent in the checkout line. You know how Wal*Mart has 20 lanes, but only 2 open? Yeah. Like that.
Poorer and more frazzled, we crammed our stuff into the Honda and headed for Tonto Creek. Found the campground, then drove to the fish hatchery a few miles up the road. The kids loved seeing the big fish. So did Ben and Kaiya!
After feeding the fish, we headed back to set up our tents. Yep, plural. Tents. This is a big step for a girl who was terrified of camping growing up. Click here to find out why. (It starts in the second paragraph, and should be noted that this happened about 30 miles from where I grew up. It should also be noted that, if I am correct, my dad dated Sandra way back in the day….sorry, dad, if I’m not right.)
Anyway, the tents.
The kiddos got pretty dirty while we set up the tents, so we walked down to Tonto Creek to play around a bit. Ben had a blast throwing rocks in and Kaiya, well, she went for a swim! Nothing too crazy, but she and Daddy had LOTS of fun!
After that, it was dinner time. We roasted hot dogs and chicken/apple brat thingies. And marshmallows. I’ve been informed that you CANNOT go camping without marshmallows. Kiddos got dirty again.
Then it was time for bed. Cute, cute
Once they were asleep, it was finally time for dad and mom to relax. It was so nice for Jarid and I to just sit and talk. And look up at the stars. And miss Colorado. And miss Montana.
Once we climbed into our tent, we realized that we had failed to properly prepare for this trip. It was cold during the night. Being the momma that I am, I got a little nervous in the middle of the night and decided to climb in with the kiddos to make sure they were warm enough. Apparently, Jarid got a little colder after I moved.
Needless to say, he was the first one up in the morning and got a nice roaring fire going for us. We had fruit and cereal for breakfast before packing up and heading home.
All in all, it was fun. We made a list of the things we’ll need to get for next time…and we’ll probably make a master list so we don’t forget anything.
I don’t think I ever would have imagined myself doing this. Guess I was wrong!
