I talked about setting up camp the first day as well as our food and time spent at the fair. After setting up the tent and the campsite the rest of the time is pretty routine with a few tweaks for the most part. I thought I would just give a few highlights and go through breaking camp.
First, there is cooking and clean up while camping. We used cast iron cookware which is really easy to clean by just adding hot water to remove stuck on bits then dumping the hot water and drying the iron. We also ate on paper plates which became fuel for the fire. There were still dishes to wash like knives, cutting board, bowls and such. I brought two plastic dish pans and we added soap and water from the spigot then boiled some hot water either on the camp stove or on the alcohol stove. I also took a small fold up dish drainer but it would have worked fine to dry the dishes too which we did the last morning.
Showers were taken in the bath house with rubber flip flops to prevent nasties on the feet. Its not too hard to walk down for a hot shower with a simple tote containing basic essentials. We slept on and in sleeping bags with added blankets and pillows. While the ground was hard and it got down in the 40s at night, we easily survived the discomfort and didn't even add heaters which I brought just in case.
We took firewood for the campfire and burned any burnables. They had washers and dryers but it was a short weekend so dirty laundry went home for washing. We also took various flashlights, lanterns and chairs. All in all it was hardly roughing it but not like sleeping at home either. Midnight bathroom trips meant planning ahead of time since it was a bit of a trek to the campground bathroom and a bit more light and fellow campers then desired for just going near the tent.
The night before we broke camp we packed most of the truck. Breakfast was prepared quickly since my friend made the gravy the night before. It was simple to bake the biscuits on foil to save clean up as well as reheat the gravy in a foil lined pan for the same reason. Then I lifted the foil and the pan was clean. Dishes were just a couple of forks and a spoon. Then toss everything in the baskets. (I like to pack kitchen stuff and food supplies in clothes baskets for easy packing and unloading). After getting ready and rolling up the sleeping bag, we just had the tent to pack up and stow.
First I swept up all sand inside the tent with a dust broom and pan then we removed the poles that hold the tent up and folded them. Next, I pulled the stakes and placed them in their bag. We both folded the tent and the ground tarp and placed them in their bags. Always make sure the tent and ground tarp are dry. If they aren't then they will have to be unpacked and allowed to dry after getting home to be sure there is no moisture which causes mold. My tent bag is long gone and I have had to replace it. I bought a cloth laundry bag to store the tent, poles and pegs since it helps the tent to breathe better then a plastic bag would do.
It was a simple matter to put the tent, sleeping bags and chairs in the truck. I always like to leave the campsite as clean or better then I found it so we left no trash or evidence of our stay. I also swept off the picnic table. I put my friends stuff on top to make it easier to remove first when we got home. Then we pulled out of our campsite and headed off to the fair for the day. We left straight from the fair to go home with all our stuff already nicely packed that morning at the campground.
I've missed camping which is something I used to do often. It was great to get away and good to practice things like using fire starters, cooking over the fire or with the Coleman stove and oven, using minimal supplies and just getting away from the daily drudge. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our weekend adventures at the fair and camping. More then that I also hope you will find yourself practicing your skills either camping, cooking or something else. We never know what the future holds and it can only be helpful to practice now before your life depends on it.
Southern Wood Elf