2019 Summer Trip To South Dakota

Post by **JEBar** » Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:17 pm

with us arriving out here one day, our daughter flying in the next, 280+ miles making two round trips to the airport in Sioux Falls, the steady arrival/departure of relatives, the rodeo coming to town, thunderstorms, a day spent fishing, another working on a boat, etc, the last week has pretty much passed in a blur .... it was really nice today to have things slow down a bit ....

Post by **PT7** » Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:25 pm

Always good while away or traveling to let loose of housekeeping and grab hold of relaxation, Jim. Way to go.

When we did tent camping years ago, a comfortable lawn chair, cool evening, and gentle fire were great relaxation.
Even when not on vacation, often during my working years, along with maintaining our KS two-story farm house and property, the one relaxation spot that always soothingly called me was my hammock. It was great to "hang out" with that hammock, enjoy the blue sky and white clouds, looking through the branches of those two large maple trees.

Post by **JEBar** » Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:13 pm

I've never paid more than a casual glance at a hammock which I now tend to believe has been my loss .... I do enjoy sitting around a fire with family and friends .... in recent years we've camped at more and more campgrounds that do not allow traditional wood fires .... for them we use a Campfire-In-A-Can which I believe is no longer in production.... it burns propane

Post by **JEBar** » Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:53 pm

yep, a clear blue sky was the order of the day

Post by **Mags** » Wed Jun 26, 2019 12:14 pm

.
There are other brands that make them.
https://www.amazon.com/Outland-Firebowl ... ay&sr=8-10
https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-gear ... gJXLfD_BwE

JEBar wrote: ↑
Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:13 pm
.... for them we use a Campfire-In-A-Can which I believe is no longer in production.... it burns propane

Post by **JEBar** » Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:08 pm

Mags wrote: ↑
Wed Jun 26, 2019 12:14 pm
There are other brands that make them.

there certainly are .... we camp with some folks who have a Little Red Campfire .... it has been around a long time and performs as advertised .... it is smaller in both size and BTU output than the Campfire-In-A-Can .... ours could use a new ceramic log, the OEM one in ours has cracked .... unfortunately none are available .... all that being said, ours should last longer than either of us and one of our kids can worry about trying to find a replacement

Post by **JEBar** » Wed Jul 03, 2019 12:50 pm

Sunday has been designated as the day we have 30 +/- of my wife's relatives over for a gathering featuring a Frogmore Stew (pictures from a previous year) .... consequently preparations have already begun .... Thursday - buy and put ice in our big cooler .... Friday - shopping for all of the ingredients that aren't already on hand (example, we bought a bunch of extra large shrimp before leaving home) .... Saturday - precook as many items as possible, begin stocking up RO cooking water, remove and clean the necessary pot and burner out .... Sunday - put it all together and have a good gathering .... projected weather ===> high 79 with 76% humidity, 40% chance of scattered Thunderstorms, 8 mph SE wind .... all-in--all, not bad

Post by **JEBar** » Thu Jul 04, 2019 9:11 pm

its been a beautiful 4th in east central South Dakota .... understand from our kids that they've had pretty strong thunderstorms back home .... at noon we grilled burgers at a relatives and later mowed under our slide overhangs .... we have to get serious in the morning about getting ready for Sunday's Frogmore .... we've been in Estelline for 3 weeks and since our arrival we have put over 500 miles on our truck .... if things continue as they appear, we'll be pushing 4,500 miles covered by the time we get back home

Post by **JEBar** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 7:52 pm

yesterday in what has become a family tradition we had my wife's relatives over for a family gathering featuring a Frogmore Stew .... for those who may not be familiar with Frogmore, this video ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqtxKcAzUuo might offer some info .... the pictures below give a short view of the way we prepare them .... for us its one of those things that we really look forward to and are somewhat relieved once its over ....

for the most part, today was a relaxing one and for the most part, a beautiful one as well .... 2 housekeeping chores taken care of --- cleaned and placed the Frogmore cooking gear back in storage --- had to drive 3 blocks to town where we refilled one of our camper's 40lb propane tanks .... sadly, refilling tanks is expensive out here but its cheaper than hauling it 50+ miles to save a few bucks at the next place where we can get it filled ....

Post by **JEBar** » Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:54 am

the picture below was taken yesterday .... it shows Highway 81 7.5 miles south of Arlington .... 81 is a main north/south 2 lane Federal highway with a 65 mph speed limit .... that area is about 18 miles south west of where we are camped .... the only thing on our schedule for today is a 40 mile round trip to Brookings for grocery/supply shopping