Keeping kids occupied on long road trips

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Are we…OK, you’ve probably heard that, oh, a hundred times before – sometimes within a ten-minute time period – if you’ve ever taken a kid on a road trip. Or said it, if you were ever a kid yourself.

The attention span of the under-18 set seems to be directly proportionate to the ability of anyone over, say, the age of 30 to come up with ways to occupy them. And our capacity for understanding what’s interesting to young people also seems to diminish in that same ratio, as well.

I’ve developed a complex system for discerning what will distract kids on road trips: making them do different things, and then seeing how long they shut up during each one. The most effective turns out to be a game we call “wear this duct tape,” but it turns out that it has a low approval rating from various parenting groups.

And so here are some that are more politically correct and fun.

Bananagrams

Age range: 7 and up

Basic concept: One to eight people can play this fast-paced game that’s sort of like Scrabble without a board. Tiles are dumped into the center of the table, and everyone has to come up with vertical and horizontal words on their own personal grid. They add and subtract tiles as everyone yells “peel” and “dump” until finally someone is “bananas” when all but a few tiles are used. It sneakily teaches spelling and fast-thinking and is fun. It’s ideal for RV travel because it requires a flat surface, but can also be taken along on a camping trip for down time at a campsite or a rainy day, because it is carried in a small, zippered pouch. The same company also makes a cool word game called ZIP-IT.

Shut-up time: It can go for a good hour, depending on how many people are playing.

Cost: $15

Find it: bananagrams.com

Travel Auto Roadtrip Bingo I Spy

Age range: 4-9

Basic concept: As everyone is tooling along, call out the things you see, and the tykes can slide the little plastic windows over the items on their cards. You can keep little trinkets or treats handy as prizes. You’ll need to keep them a bit engaged, as it might take a while to find enough things to get five in a row for “bingo,” depending on where you’re driving.

Shut-up time: This is more interactive, but it does keep everyone talking for a bit about something besides how long the drive is taking.

Cost: $14 for three cards.

Find it: amazon.com

Radica’s 20Q

Age range: 4 and up

Basic concept: Remember the game 20 questions? This amazing little electronic ball will astound you with how good it is at playing, and you may find yourself stealing the ball away from your kids to try to stump it. The game also trash talks you when it thinks it has outsmarted you, which it does, infuriatingly, most of the time. Kids with tiny fingers may need help with the buttons, but they’ll figure it out fairly fast – you’re the one who may be asking for help.

Shut-up time: Varies, but hands-down one of the most distracting items we’ve had over the years. We’ve purchased several versions of it, gotten updated ones, and given it as gifts many times.

Cost: $10

Find it: Target, amazon.com

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

spring, happy

farm life

I påsken var vi noen dager i Valdres på besøk hos gode venner med gård. Frisk luft. Fint vær. Glade voksne. Lykkelige barn. Masse skjønnhetssøvn. Fine kyr. Og en fantastisk lampe som vi fant på låven - som ble med meg hjem!

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Easter was spent with good friends on a farm in Valdres. Fresh air. Sunny weather. Happy parents. Happy children. Lots of sleep. Friendly cows. And a lovely lamp that we found on the barn - that now belongs to me!

RV-friendly breakfast recipe

Successful meals on an RV trip are dependent on a few things: simple dishes that use a few ingredients found easily on the road, quick cooking times that use up few resources, and easy clean-up.

I’m always on the lookout for recipes that meet these demands, and when I find one that’s especially versatile, it becomes a family mainstay. Bonus: when it’s something that everyone likes. 

Yum! These contain provolone and zucchini.

This fast, flexible, forgiving egg muffin recipe completely fits the bill. These things are delicious, and the best part is, you can put whatever you want in them, taking your favorites when you hit the road, gathering ingredients along the way or using up leftovers whenever possible. Even better, pretty much anyone in the family can put it all together and throw it in the oven.

Toast or quick breads, some fruit on the side – and these are good to go. Two of these are actually what my daughters pack in their bags on the way to school some mornings, with a water bottle of juice and a bran muffin. It’s the way to get kids a fast, nutritious hot meal as they head out the door, and that translates well for a trail breakfast or eating en route.

You can use pretty much anything for the meats, cheeses and vegetables, although you want to be careful with some of the more watery veggies, such as tomatoes or zucchini, because they might need a minute more of cooking to keep the result from being too watery, as well.

Some favorite combinations we have used successfully for the meat/cheese/vegetables: smoked salmon and cream cheese; goat cheese and asparagus (chives sprinkled on top is nice); zucchini and mozzarella; cheddar and onions; chicken and herbed boursin.

RV Eggy Oven Muffins

Makes 6 muffins.

8 eggs

¼ cup chopped vegetables or shredded, cooked meats

¼ cup shredded cheese

Salt and pepper (optional, and about a dash of each)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place six aluminum foil muffin liners in muffin pan (if it's a 12-muffin pan, be sure to put a little water in the rest of the cups so they won't scorch). Beat eggs together well. Add rest of ingredients and combine. Bake for 20 minutes, or until egg is set through to center.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Resources For Camping ( In Style )

ADR in front of the farm stand at school 2011

When I started this blog I put together a list of places to find everything you could need to go Camping In Style. I must say I refer to this list all year long when I need something or want a quick way to research something. You will find this list to the mid right of the home page at all times. * are my favorite sites. A few of them may surprise you.

Let me know your resources too

RESOURCES

• Avon (skin so soft)
• Big Agnes
• Bruton*
• Burts Bees (after sun soother*)
• Cabela's
• Camping Books*
• Camping Station
• Campmor
• Colman
• Craigslist*
• Cuvee Kitchen Apparel
• Dr Bronner (soap)
• E-Z UP Shelters
• Eco Lani (sunscreen)
• Ergo Baby Carrier*
• Eureka OUTLET
• Eureka Tents
• Exofficio (clothing)
• Goodwill (thrift stores)
• GSI Outdoors *
• Ikea
• Intex (air bed)
• L.L. Bean
• Lands' End
• Little Mountain Outfitters*
• Magic Cabin (kids)
• Mel Cottons
• Melissa And Doug (kids)
• Mosquito Repellent
• Mountain Smith
• Outdoora
• Patagonia*
• Peter Grimm HATS*
• Pie Iron
• REI
• Reserve America *
• River Connection*
• Sierra Trading Post *
• Snow Peak*
• The Container Store
• Therm A Rest
• Title Nine Women's Clothing*

 

Consider a camping trip to celebrate the Civil War Sesquicentennial

As the multi-cannon salutes fire up to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the first shots fired on Apr. 12, 1861 – I know, it’s easier to say that than “sesquicentennial” once, let alone ten times fast – it’s tempting to start putting together some itineraries that cluster around some of the major sites.

Because so much of the lodging is already sold out or will go quickly as more events get under way, folks with some flexibility in timing or mobility may be able to more easily get in to visit the battlefields and check out the festivities. The key is to plan ahead, work around the bigger brouhahas and be able to let go of some things if the crowds are too cumbersome.

Another option is to wait until after the party is over. Many of the special exhibits will still be up, and there will still be a festive air lingering around the places. In addition, many of the sites offer re-enactments year-round or at specific times that don’t coincide with the anniversary, so you can still catch cool activities later this year or early next.

A foggy morning at Antietam.

One of the most impressive kick-offs is in Gettysburg, not surprisingly, the weekend of Apr. 29-30. Nearby Fairfield, Pa., and other parts of Pennsylvania will follow suit. In Virginia, activities and events – including several important battle re-enactments – have been planned throughout the year across the state, including a huge celebration at Manassas National Battlefield park July 21.

And, of course, just because some of the sites, such as Antietam in Maryland, aren’t planning anything special doesn’t mean it’s not worth stopping by to commemorate in your own way. It also means that these places might be a little less crowded some days, especially during the week, but don’t count on it too much – a lot of Civil War buffs are planning to tour all of the major battlefields anyway.

Don’t forget that the Civil War was waged out West, too, in places such as Arizona and New Mexico. Swing by the Glorieta Battlefield near Pecos or Fort Stanton in New Mexico. Picacho Peak State Park (5520 Picacho Peak Road, Picacho, Ariz., 520-466-3183) is closed in the hot summer months, but does battle re-enactments in March and is a great place to visit in the cooler seasons, and Fort Bowie National Historic Site (3203 S. Old Fort Bowie Road, Bowie, Ariz.; 520-847-2500 showcases the fort established as a result of the battle between the Union and the Chiricahua Apache.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Spring Feaver Mind Drift

Is it time yet? Should we get into the garage and start going through the camping gear. Can we make a list of the gear we have, need and want....................... yet? 

YES YES YES!

OK close your eyes now, i m a g i n  with me for a minute...........

The sun is starting it's upward journey, you feel the sun begin to kiss your shoulders, not too hot just a reminder of how long it's been since you felt your skin bathed in vitamin K. Your taking in the moment when when you hear...

"M o m   can I have a marshmallow yet!"

"Sweetheart" you say " it's only 8am"

Your kid then goes into the tent for the next hour while your morning joe is peculating bubbles of fresh ground Italian roast before your eyes. You grasp your cup like a long lost jewel and sip it by the morning fire. It's quiet, it's cozy and you don't have to do laundry, answer the phone or rush your kid off to school, you open a trashy magazine or thoughtful book and all worries are gone.................... you have just rekindled your love affair with camping!

Here's to joyful thoughts about camping. 

Ruth

SEE CAMPING CHECKLIST
SEE CAMPING RECIPES


 

midnight sun and a weird house

Det fineste med å være på Sleneset er å sykle tur i midnattsol.

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One of the best things about spending summertime at Sleneset is to bicycle around in the midnight sunlight.

Jeg skulle ønske det var jeg som kjøpte dette huset. Da skulle jeg latt trappa være i fred, selv om den fører rett inn i veggen. 

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I wish it was me who got to buy this house at Sleneset. I would definately have left the stairs as they were, despite the fact that they are leading straight into a wall.

beware of the dog

park life

Sånn flaks at farmor er nabo med den aller beste lekeplassen!

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Visiting grandma and the best playground.

my new watch

Enda en ny klokke har kommet med posten fra supersøte Eva (Misako Mimoko) i Barcelona. Tror jeg må begynne å bære en klokke på hver arm, for jeg klarer ikke bestemme meg for hvilken klokke som er den fineste - denne eller den jeg kjøpte sist.

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Yesterday another watch came to me from Barcelona and the super sweet Eva (misako mimoko)! I can not decice which one I like the most - this one or the one I bought last time.

happy birthday, kjæresten!

an then the fog disappeared

A few years ago we went to Værøy to visit family. We went for a walk to look at the view, but as we reached the top, the fog came in. And suddenly it left, as quickly as it arrived. I come from the northern part of Norway, which is known for it's fantastic scenery, but I have never seen anything like the mountains that surround Værøy and the region of Lofoten.

Packing for a camping trip? Make a list, check it twice

Packing for a camping trip often feels like a no-win situation.

Half the time it feels like you’re hauling along everything you own – it seems as though it would make more sense to watch a video of a fire on the TV and save the gas money, because at least then you could reach into the fridge and all the beers would always be cold. And then there are those trips where you wonder what you were thinking about when you loaded up, because every ten minutes you remember something you forgot.

What to do? Well, the best thing is to make a pack list.

I know, it sounds so…organized. But think about it: Wouldn’t it be nice if every time you went on a camping trip, all you had to do was print out a tidy little list of all the things you needed to take, so that you could check them off as you pack?

There are several websites that offer pre-assembled pack lists, and those are great starting points (Go Camping America has a printable PDF that works nicely). You will probably find, as I did, that these lists require a bit of customizing for your own situation. Over the years, I’ve also found that we need pack lists for different types of trips – we have separate rosters for RV trips, car camping trips, back-country trips, trips where we’ll be mountain biking, river rafting, etc.

The easiest thing to do is start the lists on a computer, naming them according to the type of trip – which  for us means we can then cut-and-paste lists for larger trips, such as when we’ll be mountain biking on a car camping trip.  

We put two lines next to each item, so that we can make a check mark if it’s an item that we’ll need to take, and then mark it off when it’s been packed. It looks something like this:

Cooking

___ ___ propane stove

___ ___ coffee pot

___ ___ Dutch oven

___ ___ utensils

What’s also helpful about the pack list system is that you can print out separate lists for every member of the family, so that kids can pack their own clothes, games and other items. For younger kids, you can always check up on them, but older kids will appreciate some autonomy – they know the basic types of items they need to bring, but they can make decisions about the exact ones. Don’t forget the things you’ll need for the pets, vehicle maintenance and first aid.

At the end of each trip, maybe on the drive home, you can make notes about things you wish you had brought – one of the kids can have a notebook out to jot them down – and then you can add those items to the lists later.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Fun Find - Food Tent

What do you think? A food tent?

Found at best price LG Outdoors for $15.71


Paha Que Food Tent

Sometimes you need to keep the bugs away from your food. Especially during barbecues and other outdoor events. Swatting at the bugs is tiresome and they just keep coming back!

Now Paha Que offers the ideal solution -The Food Tent. Perfectly sized to fit on the end of a picnic table, The Food Tent uses convenient hanging doors for quick one-handed access to your serving platters. Straps at the ends allow The Food Tent to be secured to any picnic table, keeping it in place during the highest winds. Making your outdoor experience better - that's what we do at Paha Que!

Size: 36" x 20" x 20" tall 

my weekend

Went to a couple of flea markets, but found nothing. This is an old treasure.

Watched a big tre fall bam! to the ground outside our apartment. The wind did it.

Saw a nice pile of chopped up trees.

Went for a walk to look at peoples window exhibitions.

Drove to Kolbotn to see the graffiti exhibition Collaborism. See stop motion video here.

Played with Melvin in da hood.

Told him we were going to buy ice cream.

Watched some nice foreign objects.

And then we went home.