Camping 101

1. It is a bad idea to stop for groceries at the Dominicks that is celebrating it's grand re-opening after a total demolish/rebuild process.

2. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is a VERY charming town, but if you are there to camp and don't arrive until 2:30 pm, it's best not to get lured into the boutiques because...

3. Cooking in the dark is very difficult.

4. Bring an ax to chop firewood to desired size.

5. Locate kindling BEFORE it gets dark.

6. Foil dinners should be at the bottom of the fire, not the top.

7. Crunchy foil dinners don't taste very good.

8. Giant roaster marshmallows are too big for normal people

9. 35 degrees F is VERY COLD. VERY VERY COLD. Bring winter garb, not fall. And wear at least 3 layers of it on every part of your body.

10. If you are an urban dweller in a relatively secluded site and a car pulls into the campsite next to yours around 10:30 pm, and then doesn't really do much in the way of setting up a tent or scuttling around the site, and especially if you are three women, it's wise to sleep with a baseball bat in the tent with you.

11. Pee immediately before entering the tent. Especially if it is 35 degrees F.

12. Cooking Pilsbury buiscuits in a cast iron skillet over an open fire is completely doable and quite delicious. So is scrambling eggs over an open fire with a fork.

13. Farkle is a really fun game, even if you teach your friends how to play and then they smoke you. (repeatedly) Have dice at all times. Remove gloves for best rolling technique.

14. Smoke stings your eyes. Bring protective eyeware, like goggles.

15. It is ok to eat s'mores following any meal. Including breakfast. (A s'more with 1/2 a giant roaster marshmallow is pictured.)