When you're camping in the wild, you'll want a few games to keep you busy. Here are some we love!

• Any board games
• Purchase a portable corn hole set
• Spike ball
• Make Smores
• Dance Party
• Glow in the dark football
• Read a good book
• Play football in the dark
• Corn Hole

Lakes, rivers, creeks... I’ll swim in any water! Gerle creek is perfect for floating, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking or even swimming for the day. If you want to boat or fish, I’d suggest visiting Loon lake for the day. It’s sometimes difficult to find sites right near the lake but you can drive up for the day. We stayed near a river off the side of the road since we weren’t able to secure a campsite beforehand. Our site was a perfect little secret and we were able to use our floaties to swim and ride down the river. Make sure wherever you decide to camp, that you’re near the water. It’ll make your experience so much more fun, and you’ll have a place to wash up!

You’re still in a forest so make sure fires are allowed at the time that you visit and that it’s in a safe pit dedicated to fires rather than just making one on your own. You should plan to bring wood and a fire starter, but you will also find wood in the surrounding areas if you need it. Please also remember to NEVER leave your fire unattended, and put it out once you’re done or ready to go to bed. Don’t forget to bring your sticks, marshmallows, chocolate and grahams for yummy s’mores!

As I’m writing this we are in 2020, and in the middle of a pandemic. Most of us are at home, unable to do much other than walk around our neighborhoods after working from home. I live in an apartment, so sitting outside and watching the sunset in the middle of nature is like a dream. I appreciate every ounce of the orange clouded sky, the bright yellow sun blaring through the trees while you breathe in the fresh air that is usually covered by a mask. It’s absolutely breathtaking!

This is an easy meal that you can put together over a camp stove in an iron skillet. Make sure to bring spray olive oil or cook the bacon first to grease up the skillet. We purchased a small cooking grill which you can buy at any home improvement store.

Start with the ingredients below

• Bacon
• Onions
• Cilantro
• Bell Peppers
• Jalapenos
• Eggs
• Potatoes
• Shredded Cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder and Thyme
• Cooked Tri-Tip, recipe below

Cooking is super easy!

• Bacon: Fry bacon in a pan over the stove until cooked.
• Eggs: Chop up onions, cilantro, bell peppers, jalapenos (if you like spice) and mix in a bowl with scrambled eggs. Pour out into a pan to cook all at once. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Time to cook depends on your stove.
• Potatoes: These can take a while so it's a good idea to put them on first. Wrap them in foil and put on indirect heat. Keep cooking until a fork can be inserted smooth.

These are great after a long day of swimming in the river.

Here's what you'll need.

• Tortilla Chips (Doritos if you're feeling wild)
• Disposable Aluminum Tray
• Shredded Cheese
• Cilantro
• Jalapenos
• Green Onions
• Bacon Bits or Chopped Bacon
• Any Cooked Meat

The super easy instructions are below!

1. Add chips to a disposable tin tray
2. Sprinkle shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, chopped jalapenos, chopped onions, bacon bits and any other cooked meat you might have.
3. Cook over the stove until cheese has melted.

This is the best camping dinner! You’ll want a meat thermometer for the Tri Tip to make your life easier.

Shopping list below

• Spray Butter
• Bacon Bits
• Shredded Cheese
• Green Onions
• Sour Cream
• Tri-Tip

Baked Potatoes

• Slice the potatoes 3 times on their side to allow the potatoes to breathe (do not slice all the way through unless you want to make fries)
• Wrap each individual potato with foil (cover fully)
• Place foil wrapped potatoes on the grill (1 hour or until fully cooked)
• Cut cooked potatoes in half and add spray butter, bacon bits, cheese, green onions and sour cream

Tri-Tip Tips

• Try to get seasoned or marinated Tri-Tip from the butcher. Be sure to bring Pappy's Seasoning on your camping trips if you buy the Tri-Tip plain.
• A half pound per person rounded up is the minimum amount of tri-tip to buy. It's best to get at least one pound per person to have leftovers to throw in the Breakfast Scramble the next morning.

Cooking Tri-Tip

1. Wait for the grill to get hot before putting the meat on
2. Put the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat
3. Sear the outside for two minutes or until it has a nice sear
4. Close the lid for faster cooking
5. Move to indirect heat and let cook to 115°F
6. Flip the tri-tip and move back to direct heat to sear this side
7. Move to indirect heat and let the internal temp rise to 135°F for medium rare or 155°F for well done.
8. Move it off the grill onto a plate and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
9. Slice against the grain and enjoy!