Camping With Jan

The Vaude Oddyssee Power Frame Tent is now equipped with the Powerframe construction for even easier set up and improved wind stability. It has one entry and one vestibule with a comfortable entrance area. The Oddyssee has an innovative free standing pole construction which gives it improved stability and safety. The floor of this tent is laminated and is resistant to formic acid from ants. It sleeps one or two persons comfortably with a sleeping area of 3′-11″ by 6′-7″. The peak height is 43″ and it only weighs 4.12 pounds. As with all Vaude camping products, you know you are getting a quality product for a reasonable price.

It’s spring and it is time to start thinking about our 2010 camping season. There are some of our destinations that we want to make early in the spring. Big Bend National Park is one of these. For one thing, the temperatures are much nicer for camping in the early spring. For another, the crowds are not quite as bad this time of the year. Big Bend has so much to offer. In the spring, the cactus bloom in the desert. There is a lot of cactus to see in Big Bend. There are so many different kinds and so many beautiful colors. The mountain part of Big Bend is turning green and the meadows are full of wild flowers. If you are lucky, you may see some of the wildlife babies!

You may camp at the Rio Grande campgrounds or in the mountain basin campgrounds. The nights are a bit cooler in the mountains. There are lots of dirt roads to explore and trails to hike down. A good three-season tent is perfect for this part of the country. A tent with screen windows for ventilation during the day keeps you comfortable in the warm times and can be closed for the cooler parts of the nights. We love Big Bend in the spring and in the fall of the year. This is a great place to visit, but you will definitely need at least a couple of days to fully appreciate all of its places.

These taste so good and are so easy to fix!

Cooking oil                                                     Vanilla

Powdered sugar                                               Cinnamon

Grands bisquits                                                Chocolate (melted)

Heat the oil in your Dutch oven. Open the can of bisquits and flatten slightly. Cut a hole in the middle. Dip the donuts into the vanilla and carefully place into the oil. Be careful - the oil will pop you if you aren’t! Turn the donut over and brown on both sides. Do not overcook. After taking the donut out of the oil, place it in the powdered sugar - I use a baggie for this part. Add cinnamon to taste and dribble with chocolate, if desired. Use your imagination - I have even put jelly on them! Enjoy.

When Henry Flagler built his railroad to Key West, he turned theremote island of Bahia Honda into a tropical retreat spot. the island is one of the southernmost Florida state parks. It is known for its beautiful beaches, glorious sunsets, and snorkeling. You can swim or simply relax in the year round warm breezes. There is a park concession that rents snorkeling gear, kayaks, and also offers boat trips to the reef for snorkeling excursions. There are full facility campgrounds available.

Since you are camping at the beach, it helps to have a tent in good repair with a door mat at the door to keep as much sand out as possible. A screen tent is great to take along where you can cook and eat without swallowing too much sand with the meal. A tent floor saver protects the bottom of your tent, too. We love the screen tent for trips to the beach, even when we are only spending the day. If you choose, you can sleep in your screen tent. It is almost like sleeping in the open with the benefits of a tent around you.

The geodesic construction with its five pole intersections of the Vaude Atreus is in itself extremely wind stable. The Powerframe adds even greater stability by spreading the force of the wind over the entire pole frame. Both of these construction elements perform together making this tent extremely storm-proof. The Powerframe also increases the available space inside the tent. Thanks to the steeper walls, three people have enough room to live inside comfortably. The durable, double-sided siliconized material and the top manufacturing quality of the Vaude Atreus ensures that you will experience many unforgettable experiences in the mountains - for all the right reasons! This is a spacious three-person expedition geodesic tent that is simple to set up. It has one entry, two roomy vestibules, and a laminated floor resistant to formic acid from ants. The Atreus is a light 8.8 pounds for easy backpack camping.

O’Leno State Park is located on the Santa Fe River which is a tributary of Suwannee River. The park features sink holes, hardwood hammocks, river swamps, and sandhills. There are many miles of hiking and biking trails through this beautiful 1930’s CCC era atmosphere. These trails wander through eighteen different natural plant communities. The river actually goes underground and comes back out in the River Rise Preserve State Park next door.  Wildlife sightings are on the rise as the animals extent their home ranges in search of seasonally available foods. O’Leno was one of Florida’s first state parks. The suspension bridge built by the CCC still spans the river. Canoes and bicycles are available to rent.

There is a shady, full-facility campground. This park is located in the northern part of Florida. A good three-season tent and a warm sleeping bag comes in handy. As usual for this part of the country, be sure your tent is in good repair and will keep insects out. Take some bug spray and mosquito coils along, also. This park has great trails and a day pack is perfect for hauling enough food and water to keep you going all day. This is a good park to take along your hiking water filter. You will not have to carry the added weight of water that way.

The tub floor design of the Columbia Mt. Logan Tent helps prevent water from entering. The Camp Port allows easy and convenient passage of cables into the tent. Two vestibules allow extra gear storage without taking up room inside your tent. Two large “D” style doors allow easy entry and exit. The Mt. Logan is extremely light weight which makes it a great backpack tent. It has internal pockets, cup holders and a gear loft which add plenty of organizational capability. The Mt. Logan sleeps two people. The dimensions are 84″ long, 66″ wide, and 46″ in height. Columbia is one of the premier names in camping and backpacking equipment and assures a quality product.

Hontoon Island is located in the St. Johns River in Volusia county. Visitors to this park can enjoy nature and history in quiet solitude. It is only accessible by private boat or park ferry. There is evidence of Native American habitation stretching  back thousands of years. You can see this as you hike through the park and walk through the impressive visitor center where you can learn about the many inhabitants and uses of Hontoon Island. Boating, canoeing, and fishing are popular activities. You can even rent a canoe, if you wish.

The camping is primitive and you should carry sunscreen and bug spray. It does not get cold enough here to kill of the bugs. A good tent with good air flow makes sleeping much more pleasurable. Make sure your tent screens are in good repair. We always place a mosquito coil in the tent an hour or so before we go to bed to discourage the bugs. This time of the year, this is a great place to spend a few quiet days just hiking and looking.

Columbia makes a really great cabin tent that will keep you in comfort spring, summer, and fall. The Columbia Cougar Flats Cabin Tent has the “GoBe Dry” ultimate rain protection system and new welded floor seams which will keep you dry and comfortable in those inevitable rain showers. The Cyclone Venting system allow better air circulation while the rainfly is in use.  The bay window patented design allows them to be open during the rain, providing improved air circulation and helping to elimate those damp walls. Internal pockets, cupholders and gear loft add plenty of organizational capability. Camp Port allows easy and convenient passage of cables. The EZ Pak expandable zippered gusset makes repacking you tent easier. This roomy tent sleeps eight persons. It is 15′ long by 10′ wide by 7.2′ high and weighs 54 pounds. It is your camping home away from home.

Cayo Costa State Park is only accessible by private boat or ferry, but the ferry is free (reservations must be made to use the ferry). The park has nine miles of beautiful beaches, pine forest, oak-palm hammocks, and mangrove swamps. This barrier island park is a Gulf Coast paradise. This time of the year, finding really nice sea shells on the south end of the island is a good bet. There are nature trails for hiking and off-road bycycling. You may see manatees and dolphins in the water around the park, and there are a multitude of birds for all you bird watchers.

There are primitive campsites available for tent camping. As you might expect on an island, there is a lot of sand. We like to cook and eat in our screenhouse and sleep in our tent. Being an island, it can get quite cool at night with all the water around. A good three-season tent with warm sleeping bags feels really good! We have a door mat for our tent when we camp in the sandy areas. This keeps some of the sand out of your tent. A good floor saver under your tent can help keep the floor of the tent from so much wear and tear, also.