Camping In Style

My neighbors always seem to catch our local bear. On this night he or she was in pursuit of a meal. 

Image from Fish and Game California California Department of Fish and Game News Release May 5, 2011 DFG Offers Tips on Staying Safe in Bear Country The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) reminds campers, anglers and hikers enjoying the outdoors to take precautions to limit black bear encounters. A key element to safe camping and recreating in bear country is to limit food odors that attract bears. Image from Keep Me Wild “Bears are constantly in search of easily obtainable food sources," said Marc Kenyon, DFG statewide bear program coordinator. "A bear’s fate is almost always sealed once it associates human activity with potential food. It’s always unfortunate when a bear has to be killed because people either haven’t learned how to appropriately store food and trash, or simply don’t care." California’s growing black bear population is now estimated at more than 40,000. Black bears are located in most of the state where sui...

Getting Ready For Summer Camping List of Gear you WANT see RETAIL THERAPY for ideas List of Gear you NEED see list of "Shopping Resources" to right of posts on HOME PAGE OR BLOGGER. R eview your CAMP CHECKLIST and go through your first aid kit to refresh and review what you want to work on till it's time to camp. Take a look at the cloths you have , if you have changed sizes you may need to start replacing SEE CLOTHS  for a list. If you have a kid you will want to consider their size change and needs too. SEE KIDS .  For ideas. Start doing a quick run through of the local thrift stores  for the items on your list. Plan on purchasing what you don't find at the thrift and discount stores the month before your first trip. Or try Lands End , Sierra Traders etc... for some GREAT deals. Play camping in your house to inspire your kids, DOG'S and husbands. Make a RESERVATIONS for a camp site if you haven't already Wipe and wash coolers....

If you can't see clip click here Lucille Ball and Ricky Ricardo as newly weds learning how a camping honeymoon from the East Coast to Las Vegas can almost wreck a marriage.  Great comedy - it's hilarious. says my new camping buddy Linda.

Portable Propane Coffeemaker with Stainless Steel Carafe   •  Fantastic portable propane powered coffeemaker •  No cords, stove, or percolator required •  Operates on a single standard 16.4 oz propane cylinder •  Easy to start - simply push the InstaStart™ auto ignition button to get the coffee brewing •  Authentic stainless steel carafe •  4,500 BTU for effective heating •  Delivers fresh brewed coffee in 18 minutes •  Easy to use, just like coffemaker at home •  Water reservoir cover opens, filter basket removes for easy cleaning •  Runs up to 4.4 hours on one 16.4 oz propane cylinder •  Maximum capacity is approximately 10 cups •  3 year warranty FREE SHIPPING FOR MEMORIAL DAY CLICK HERE  WATCH VIDEO HERE The type of percolator I use COMMENT: I wonder how this works in person, I prefer to use a peculator camping mostly becaus...

Taken last year in Lake Tahoe of our friends car and very cool trailer Does anyone really go camping on Memorial Day?  I stopped camping during Holidays when I hit my mid 30's. The crowds, traffic and hoo ha's drove me out of the Holiday Camping Crowd. Hey HCC camping! Are you HCC or NOT HCC

image of the new iPhone 4 in white Free Camping Apps In the Iphone and Android era there is much to explore using our phones/mini computers as a Camping In Style tool. I recently purchased an Iphone and it has been a love affair since. Here are a few apps I've tried. Please share your experiences too.     FREE APP:  Coleman’s Cookout Cookbook and Meal Planner  I actually surprised myself by liking this one. The choices of meals are good to great and the app allows you to plan with shopping list and directions for cooking right at the campsite. Check it out for sure. FREE APP:  Bug Spray - Ultrasonic By Apptomic LLC Ok the ratings are not high on this one. But just to be curios I'm going to try it. It claims to have a high frequency tone that has an effect of repelling insects. RIGHT? Customer Reviews           Hurts My Daughters Ears by Mommy's itunes acco...