More Camping Stuff

All righty then, back to camping. Where was I . . . oh yeah, rain and lots of it.

But that's over now. It's Day 2 and the sun is shining. We are at Blue Lake Provincial Park, which is just north of Vermillion Bay, which is just east of Kenora, which is just east of the Manitoba border. Way up north, for most of you. A little south for us.

And today we are exploring . . . exploring Vermillion Bay and Bobby's Sport Shop at 6 a.m. because we didn't have electricity yet and they had hot coffee. Really friendly place, friendly people and everything a fisherman could ever need, or want, in one of the most awesome northern tackle shops EVER!

And, as the rain finally blew off to the east, and the sun began to shine we headed back to our campground to get a fire going. Breakfast that day was bacon and eggs, in a cast iron skillet. And it was awesome. Supper the night before was ribeye steaks, in a cast iron skillet. It was awesome. And over the course of the trip, I would cook pancakes, pork chops, potatoes and peppers and lots of other stuff that doesn't start with the letter P. 

And it was awesome.

I LOVE cooking in a cast iron skillet. The key, I discovered, is bacon. Doesn't matter what you're cooking, you start with at least six strips of bacon, just to wake up the skillet. Then pull the bacon, set aside in foil by the fire to keep warm, and make your pancakes, or stew, chicken, lobster, soufflé, whatever. It's all better in cast iron and bacon grease.

See?

Oh, one other thing. I took along, on a whim, my Starfrit silicone oven mitt. And I will NEVER camp without it again. It is perfect for the cast iron cookery and it even works for re-arranging the logs in the fire. It's that good. 

See?

Of course I don't recommend it for anything other than its intended purpose. Just telling you what I did with it. And what I will continue to do with it on all future camping trips.

Anyhoo, we had planned two full days in Blue Lake. The first was spent exploring the park and its surroundings, and much of the second was spent swimming in the beautiful, very clear water that bordered the long, long, sandy beach. 

The staff was impressive (even if they couldn't find my electrical outlet). They tried hard, were eager to please and friendly. Probably the top park staff we encountered on our 3-week adventure.

Recommend Blue Lake very highly if you're planning a little vacation. It's about 3 to 3.5 hours from Winnipeg. A little further from Toronto. But worth the visit either way.

Have a great Wednesday.