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Plotting an escape

I wonder if anyone remembers when getting lost didn’t involve losing cell coverage? The smart phone has become more than a communication link, it is also a navigation tool.  How easy is it to just email the directions for Google and have turn by turn navigation to nearly anywhere?

The trouble with this method of way-finding is a matter of screen size, well, and the need for a cell connection. We are rarely on the road without at least one paper map. Free highway maps from AAA are standard, as is a USFS Forest map. And when there’s a hike or off road we also have the USGS Quad handy.  

We love maps and have quite the collection.  Paper maps offer big picture views that don’t exist on a phone screen, don’t require cell reception, and can hold pencil marks and sticky notes from past adventures. 

Recently we added a handheld GPS to this navigation tool set and have been enjoying the planning process even more. With any GPS system you can track or set waypoints, making getting to a spot really easy. All of these resources together have made it easy to plot an escape.

If you want more info, this is a list of the apps and web sites we use regularly:

Gaia GPS – online and app to plan routes

REI’s National Parks – An iPhone app with guide info to national parks

Hiking Project – find and keep track of trails and hikes

Outlay – Nice resource for dispersal camping and you can get a free one year sub right now, this is also an iPhone app, but there is a web component

USFS  Forest info – online maps and info about any national forest, we still get specific forest maps but this is a great resource for planning out of state trips

Rec Gov – Bookmark this link, it’s the place to make camp reservations

Garmin Basecamp – Specifically aimed at Garmin GPS devices, this is a cool piece of software to map out routes for uploading to or saving from your GPS.

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Summer Salad part III

You didn’t think we’d do a series on summer salads and not cover the classic … Potato Salad … did you?

The trouble with potato salad is there are so many different kinds. From yummy, warm german style to mid-west mayo encased potato salad. It’s very much a personal choice. 

My father, Earl Schommer was a bit fanatical about recipes for pancakes (a future post) and potato salad. So we’ll include what I think was his favorite … at least it’s from the family recipe file titled “Earl’s.”

But our “go to” potato salad is a recipe JQ has fine tuned over the years. She insists this potato salad have yellow mustard (no substitutions please). Yes, French’s Yellow Mustard is in the dressing.

That said, there are plenty of options, depending on the taste profile you prefer.

We use our home canned bread and butter pickles in the recipe, but I think you could sub in a good pickle relish or sweet pickle. If you prefer more of a dill flavor, add a good dill pickle and sprinkle in some fresh dill.

Actually, this is a hard salad to ruin. So give it a try and perhaps you have some twists on the old classic you’d like to share.

Print Recipe

JQ's Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 - 3 potatoes
  • 1/4 cup carrots, diced
  • 1/4 cup celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup pickles reserve a few tablespoons of pickle juice
  • 1/8 cup onion, diced
  • 1 - 2 tsp salt and pepper

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup mayonaise or miracle whip
  • 1 - 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 - 2 tsp pickle juice optional

Instructions

  • Boil whole potatoes until cooked.
  • Place cooked potatoes into cool water bath.
  • When potatoes are cool, peel off outer skin. Skin should peel easily.
  • Dice potatoes and place in large mixing bowl.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Dressing

  • Mix together mayonnaise and mustard.
  • Stir dressing into salad ingredients.
  • Potatoes may absorb dressing leaving salad a little dry. To moisten add pickle juice as needed. We like adding juice to the dressing to help add flavor.

Notes

There are many ways to vary the taste of this potato salad. We use our bread and butter pickles (which includes marinated onions) which adds a sweet taste to the salad.
Sometimes we prefer the flavor of dill, so we substitute dill pickles and add a pinch or two of fresh dill.
Experiment and make this salad your own!
Print Recipe

Earl’s Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 - 8 large red potatoes
  • 6 large eggs 4 are hard cooked
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup water
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup onion chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsely minced
  • ¼ cup celery chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • Boil potatoes until tender - 20 minutes - @ 15minutes you can add 4 eggs to hard cook. Cool, peel and cut into ½ inch cubes.
  • In small bowl beat 2 raw eggs with sugar, mustard, and salt. Whisk until sugar is disolved.
  • In a 2 quart sauce pan over medium temperature, heat water and vinegar until warm. Add egg mixture and whisk in cornstarch. Increase temperature and bring mixture to a boil and stir until thickened. Cool sauce in bowl covered with plastic wrap.
  • In large bowl mix together potatoes, onion, parsley and celery. Add equal portions of mayo and sauce in ¼ cup increments, mixing after each addition until the salad is desired consistancy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish by slicing hard cooked eggs over the top.

Notes

NOTE: Two things we've always done; 1) half the recipe, 3 or 4 red potatoes make the right amount for two people to share over a couple of lunches. 2) use less mayo than egg mixture, for us ¼ cup egg mixture to ⅛ cup mayo until you get a desired consistancy but these portions are changeable to suit your tastes. 
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South Ice Cave

It was chance that led us to South Ice Cave.

We were exploring unmarked forest service roads in the Cabin Lake area, when we came upon a controlled burn. Instead of driving through, we took a turn leading away from the fire and choking smoke.

That was when we saw the Ice Cave sign. Jack and I agree on a great number of things:

    • IPAs are highly overrated
    • Border collies are the smartest dogs in the world
    • and you never go into a cave.

Before I go any further … I want to make it really clear … neither Jack nor I are interested in going into the cave.

We pull into a small dirt parking area dotted with picnic tables. A path leads to a fenced area which surrounds a pit. This must be the place.

We peer down and see several dark, yawning openings in the side of the rock face. Sure enough its a cave.

During the course of our first and dare I say last cave adventure, we notice a  scurry of chipmunks leaping and perching just inside the entrance. Yellow-rumped Warblers buzz from trees to cave. Cool! I imagine the bat colony that makes this cave home is located somewhere further inside.

Glad we checked it out. Time for lunch and on to another adventure.

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Summer Salad part II

When you are looking at summer sides, cucumber salad is a great addition. This one is actually like a fridge pickle but with less sugar. It keeps and travels (think camp & picnic) and makes a great fresh addition to any offering.

We like to use English Cukes, as they have fewer seeds and seem to hold up better, but any cuke should work. 

Print Recipe

Asian Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 english cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and cut iinto ribbons
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 1/2 tbsp Mirin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 3/4 - 1 tsp granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Place sliced cucumbers into a fine-mesh strainer suspended inside a medium sized bowl. Season with salt. Toss thoroughly to combine.
  • Place in the refrigerator for a least 30 minutes or up to overnight to drain the cucumbers of excess moisture.
  • Remove cucumbers from fridge and transfer to a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry.
  • Add the cucumbers and red onions to a bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat.
  • Place salad in refrigerator and allow flavors to develop for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Taste and add more of the dressing as desired. Garnish with sesame seeds, peanuts and avocado.

Dressing

  • In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sesame oil, Mirin, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar.
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Fire Season

Compared to the rest of Oregon, we live in an area that has higher than average wildfire danger. I’m talking, evacuate your neighborhood type of fire danger.

Just a few years ago, a 168-acre wildfire, ignited by a downed power line, threatened homes in our neighborhood. High wind helped spread it quickly. The fire forced an evacuation neighbors still talk about to this day. Evidence of charred ground and trees show how close the fire came to wiping out our area.

So … we take our wildfire abatement seriously in these parts.

Primarily in the spring and fall, prescribed fires are planned and implemented. These fires are supposed to reduce the severity and intensity of future wildfire. Targeted areas are usually forests surrounding communities and homes.

There is even a map illustrating planned fires. Just this spring a fire took off just miles from where we live. We assumed it was a controlled burn but found out later it wasn’t. Several homes were destroyed … so now we regularly check the controlled burn map.

Luckily for us our HOA (Home Owners Association) has scheduled a wildfire abatement crew to remove excess combustible materials in and around our neighborhood. And the local fire folks regularly send out information on how best to manage hazardous conditions on private property.

Recently we drove through a controlled burn south of Bend on Highway 97. As you can see there’s plenty of combustibles right next to the road. Kinda of scary.

Of course one of the effects of these controlled burns and wildfires is smoke. Depending on prevailing winds, the stuff moves into the area, sometimes lingering, other times moving on. We quickly realized we needed a plan to deal with the stuff.

Number one defense strategy is to control the air quality inside our home. We decided on the Molekule Air Purifier. It does a great job cleaning smoke, pollen and mold in our air.

We’ve made small adjustments to how we do things. If we can’t walk outside due to smoke, we drive someplace we can. We open windows by using the sniff test … we walk outside and test the air quality. For the most part this is a seasonal inconvenience we have learned to work around.