Suzi’s Blog
The U.S. National Forest Campgrounds Guide website, www.forestcamping.com, is a wealth of information about developed campgrounds in all 176 national forests and grasslands across the country. It is basically an encyclopedia, straight forward and impersonal. Suzi’s Blog adds a little personal touch to the ForestCamping.com website with postings about our experiences, adventures, and discoveries along with other postings related to camping, national forests and grasslands, and family fund.
I am Suzi Dow and I hope you will find something interesting, something helpful, something informative, but mostly something that will help you get out and discover our national forests and grasslands.
Morning has broken
As the temperatures stay in the “chilly” range and the weatherman is predicting snow, my thoughts return to the time we spent researching the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico and all the beautiful places there. Originally posted 1/19/15. In my opinion, few places on Puerto Rico are as beautiful as the shoreline of Read More >>
Essential equipment
There are some items I consider to be essential equipment when camping. Things like: a fan (the old-fashion wave-by-hand as well as electric fans), a stick of Afterbite (Fred and I must have be the main course for a wide variety of bugs), and a wide brim hat, to name just three. But on the Read More >>
Stressed is Desserts spelled backwards
No need to stress over dessert, even when in the great out doors. Try this recipe and put your own little twist on it. Camper’s Fruit Crisp
Western Prairie Fringed Orchid
Often overlooked, the iconic Western Prairie Fringed Orchid (Platanthera leucophaea) hides in plain sight. With a fondness for moist places, the showy orchid can be found in ditches along roadway. This means drivers fly by on the road near Lisbon in the Sheyenne National Grassland and won’t even notice the treasure in the ditch. This Read More >>
Novice campers – Buying a tent
This year more novice campers will discover the joys of camping and the wonders of national forests. This is a good thing but camping can be scary. Especially to novice campers. If you have never build a campfire, slept under the stars, or spent time in the woods, there is a lot to learn. Camping isn’t Read More >>
No Ash trees in our national forests? Say it ain’t possible
A tree with many uses Black ash, a dominant tree species of forested wetlands in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, serves several purposes. It provides multiple ecosystem services. It is a valuable resource for Native American basket-makers. Now the ash tree’s existence is threatened by the emerald ash borer (EAB). It is killing virtually all ash Read More >>
Looking for Signs of Spring
Okay, the end of January may be a little early to be looking for any signs of springs but I am so ready! There are two signs of Spring I look for each year and they generally happen within a week of each other: lazy circling turkey vultures over the canyon; and, manzanita blooming on Read More >>
Fried Biscuits and Donut Holes – two breakfast favorites
Cooking from scratch wasn’t my mom’s thing. However, what she could do with a tube of refrigerated biscuits was amazing. Fried biscuits and donut holes are two of my personal favorites. Fried Biscuits Open a tube of refrigerated biscuit and separate each biscuit. Flour a flat surface and your rolling pin. Put a biscuit on Read More >>
Earth-friendly BYOBag
I have been advocate of BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) for decades. Last year I did a blog on making your own grocery bags. I hope people have found it useful but I found an even easier, more earth-friendly BYOBag. I don’t know about other men, but my Fred is hard on his clothes, particularly Read More >>
I love broccoli
I love broccoli! Did you know broccoli is a member of the cabbage family and was introduced to America by the Italians in the 1920s? Let’s thank those Italians. Unfortunately Fred’s and my mother’s method of cooking any vegetable was boiling it beyond recognition so neither Fred nor I grew up with a dislike of Read More >>
