Hello From Camp Freedom

This is a bit of video that Ray took on our first day at camp. I think it has kind of a Blair Witch quality to it.

Hobo Dinner

This is how you make a Hobo Dinner. Chop up potatoes, carrots, onions and meat into bite size cubes. Put into foil with a blob of butter and salt. Roll up the foil (Thor likes to roll his "candy style") and stick into the coals of the campfire. Cook until potatoes are tender and enjoy!

Dog of the Wild

I think Georgia, our dog, had more fun than any of us this weekend. At home, she always has to be on a leash or in her yard. Unfortunately, she has very little opportunities for freedom, until now. Her favorite activity seemed to be finding something disgusting on the ground and then rolling in it. She got to run, romp and explore - leash free. It was really beautiful to watch.

Sunrise over Mud Lake

Guthrie, the strongest boy in the world

Push the play button to watch an amazing feat of strength! (Sorry that it is sideways - that's my fault!)

It's Official

We went up to camp this weekend to close on the property. I thought it was really funny to keep asking, "So, when do we get the keys?" As it turns out, closing on a piece of vacant land is a lot simpler than closing on a house. We signed a few papers, gave them a check, shook a few hands and that was that. The realtor that handled the deal gave us a very nice gift bag with wine, cheese, olives, fancy salami, and chocolates. We enjoyed all of those treats around the very first campfire at Camp Freedom and toasted to our good fortune and the beginning of great adventures. It was so fun to be there knowing that it was really ours. But then the reality started setting in. There is so much to do to make it a comfortable, usable camp. For example, there is no driveway. We found a clearing and pulled the van over so at least it was off the street. Promptly, several people pulled over wanting to know if we were stuck and needed help getting the car out. Surely, no one would put a car there on purpose! I quickly realized that this was not the middle of nowhere. As it turns out, Camp Freedom is located in a very small town where people noticed when a car full of strangers pulled off the road and started unloading a van full of gear in the woods. Luckily, these were likeable old guys that let us be after we assured them we weren't in any trouble. I have a feeling we will come to count on some of these characters for valuable advice and support in the future. During the course of the weekend, we got a rough idea of where the driveway will go in, as well as a plan for where to build the platform for the wall tent. Hopefully, we will get back out there over Labor Day weekend, ready to dig in, literally. We have a spot for the outhouse all staked out. So if anyone's not busy over Labor Day . . .

Shelter

Last night we picked up a canvas wall tent off Craigslist. This is a huge heavy duty army issue tent from the 1960's. It is 16x16 and weighs about 250lbs. It came with a wooden door and a small wood stove. My understanding is that people around here use these tents as semi-permanent hunting shelters. They are very warm and can be used almost all year round. We are going to build a wooden platform for it as well as a wooden frame so it can be left up most of the year. Making this into a usable shelter will certainly be our first construction challenge. This is the photo of the tent that was on Craigslist.

This is what Ray brought home. . .


Here is the little stove that came with it.


The whole set-up is pretty cool because it was mostly handmade. The family that was getting rid of it had been using it forever and gave us great tips on how to set it up correctly and keep it in good working order. They even gave us this neat wooden chest they had built to store it in. We're not planning on using it right away. I want to give it a good scrubbing and Ray needs to repair a few of the parts. While we're at camp this weekend, we will choose a site for it. Hopefully, the next time we go up, we can build the platform and set it up in it's permanent home. Ray loves it and keeps saying how it's just like MASH. I love it and say it will be just like Out of Africa. I envision 4 cots in there with mosquito netting fluttering over them as well as a small table and chairs with a little lantern hissing cheerfully in the evenings. Thor says he would like to use it as a stable for the horse we going to keep at Camp Freedom. Guthrie is excited to cook a steak over the wood stove. We each have our own fantasies about what this adventure is. Luckily, so far, there is enough overlap between those fantasies to keep us all happy. In the meantime, hopefully, this will become a comfortable home base for us while we work on the rest of our projects.