Camper Bearings

Fellow campers. You would think everyone would be aware of this but after speaking to a number of boat and camper trailer owners, there is a need to get the word out.
Apparently ALL and I mean all trailers must have their wheel bearings greased and maintained on a regular basis. My husband knew this having had boats for years but had not up until recently greased the camper bearings.
After hearing stories of wheels locking up and even breaking off during route, we decided to take it more seriously. One of our friends had a wheel come off and he watched it roll on ahead of him down the road. This happened on a narrow bridge which was very dangerous. The police instructed him to remove his vehicles to avoid a serious traffic jam. He had to drag his boat and trailer off the bridge with one wheel.
As we prepared for our next trip to Gamble Rogers, I found the camper book and the instructions on greasing the bearings and promptly asked my dear Hubby to take care of this task.
Amazingly on our return trip we saw an unfortunate soul on the side of the road with a wheel missing from the boat trailer. The trailer had made quite a mess as it skidded off the road. We were almost certain this was caused by a bearing problem.
So fellow campers, in the name of safety we urge you to follow your campers instructions and GREASE YOUR BEARINGS!

Granny Knows Best

My mother in law Doris,aka Granny,knew a secret that took me years to learn: cast iron is the best type of cookware for many meals and recipes and is a must for camping. We inherited Granny's cast iron skillet. I did not really use it until my own mother got cancer and began researching some of the poisons we put in our bodies. One of the first things she discarded was her Teflon pans. It is reported (though I can't substantiate it) that these pans give off toxins when heated at high heat. I cooked everything in them and it did give me the creeps when they would get old and start to "shed" some of the coating. So I started cooking in cast iron or stainless steel only. At first the cast iron seemed cumbersome and hard to clean. It is so heavy.
I had people tell me not to wash it. That just did not seem right. So, wash them I did and stuff would stick. I would have to soak and then wash them again. I learned how to re-season them and this would make them non-stick for a while. Over time I began to appreciate them and became stronger by handling them. I bought a new Lodge brand skillet and read the instructions on how to care for it. It said "Do not wash with soap, only rinse and wipe with warm water".
Ok, ok I gave it a try and have never looked back. They are truly non-stick. I use them almost daily and of course, for camping. I could forget many things and get by with out them camping but I could never forget my cast iron skillet and Dutch oven. They are perfect for campfire cooking. You can cook anything in the Dutch oven and the skillet is great breakfast, steaks, sandwiches, the list could go on and on. And the best thing is they are tough. We throw them in the back of the truck and go. You can heat a little water in them over the fire when you are done cooking, then wipe them out and they are ready for the next meal. I have seen so many campers struggling with all sorts of pots and pans. All you really need is a cast iron skillet and Dutch oven. I really don't know about the Teflon thing but hey, I know the cast iron won't hurt anyone unless you drop it on your foot! Seriously, do be careful--they get very hot! Always handle with a pot holder or oven mitts. It takes some practice but once you get used to them, you will never go back. I would not however recommend them for back pack camping, unless that is you are a glutton for punishment.
The Happy Camper

Camper Awnings

This may seem like something we should know but if it had not been for a fellow campers misfortune, we may not have thought about it. We typically camp in the fall to spring months and had not encountered any large amounts of rain. However, our friends did and during the night water ponded on their awning until it collapsed. Lesson learned always make one end a little lower to allow water to run off. On a trip to Sebastian Inlet it rained quite a lot and this saved our awning. Also if you have time and a storm is approaching, it's a good idea to take down the awning. Several campers lost their awnings in one of the storms.

Keep it simple

Always take tin foil camping. It has so many uses. Of course you can cook in it, then wrap up the leftovers. No messy plastic bags to fool with, then re-heat in the foil.
Use it to cover a dirty grill or better yet, ball it up and scrape heated grill grate to clean. We forgot our grill brush once and the foil worked great.
Even been camping and it would not stop raining long enough to keep a fire going or cook? Use foil to "tent" the fire. Use sticks or a campfire tripod for support. Just leave a small opening for a vent and your fire will stay lit in the rain.
Use it to cover a pot if you don't have lid.
I am sure there are many others, just take some along and see.