Last month I received an e-mail from my husband's sister in Columbus, Ohio. She wanted to know if anyone in the family wanted to go camping in Niagara Falls over Memorial Day weekend. It sounded like an All-American way to spend Memorial Day, so we replied that our family would love to go.
We're not what you call outdoor people, but I figured that it would give the guys a chance to ride their ATVs and I would get to visit with my sister-in-law, her husband and three beautiful daughters.
We have camped in tents many times before when the boys were younger, but now that they are older and much bigger, tent camping has lost its appeal. My husband was able to rent a 28-foot camper from the KOA campsite, which made us all happy. If it was too hot that weekend, there was air conditioning and if it was too cold, there was heat; it was clearly a win-win situation.
My family loves to pack for the great outdoors. Do you have the charger for the cell phone? How about the power cord for the laptop computer? Did you bring the charger for the IPod? Hey, can we play DVD movies on the laptop? They did remember to pack jeans and sweatshirts among all the electronic equipment.
The camper was very nice. It had a full size refrigerator, freezer, microwave and stove top. The bathroom had a shower, but it was very narrow and low. I was concerned that my nearly six-foot tall son would have to kneel to take a shower.
The first night we were there it rained very hard; we were grateful for the camper. We stayed dry and warm and watched Seinfeld DVDs. It doesn't matter how many times you see those episodes, they are still laugh-out-loud funny every time.
While on the American side of Niagara Falls, we all commented on how quiet it was. There were lots of street vendors ready to sell their wares, but not many customers to sell to. It looked like Niagara Falls was ready to throw a big party, but no one showed up.
The busiest place was The Twist of the Mist ice cream stand. With a name like that, how could you not stop there? Even though it wasn't warm out, we stopped and got our chocolate/vanilla twist ice cream cones.
The following morning we decided to visit the Canadian side of the falls. It was busier there, but not as busy as it should be for a holiday weekend. We walked the main drag of Niagara Falls.
Monsters and superheroes have joined wax museums as the theme of the falls. Even the Burger King had a huge Frankenstein monster mounted on top of the restaurant. The Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and Captain America, have a huge place right on the corner where you can go inside and ride simulated rides and see shows. It seemed like an attempt to replicate Disneyworld.
There are now casinos in Niagara Falls, both on the American and Canadian sides. We're not big gamblers, so that didn't appeal to us. My husband did peek his head inside one casino and said that it looked impressive.
Most of our time was spent at the campsite. That's what I like about camping; just spending time hanging out with the family. You get to catch up without the everyday distractions of phone calls, television and having to be somewhere else.
The KOA we stayed at was populated with RVs and campers. My husband has always talked about buying an RV and traveling the country, going wherever we liked. We decided that when the boys are in college, we'll get an RV and take off. Malcolm the dog would love it! We haven't worked out the details yet, like how we would afford to retire at such as young age, but those minor points won't deter us.
Dogs were a common sight at the KOA. too. Just about every RV had at least one dog in them; many had two dogs. When a new dog would arrive at the campsite, every dog would sound the alarm and they would all bark.
Malcolm loves camping because he gets to be outside all day long and people are always eating. They don,t usually finish all of the food, so he gets plenty of leftovers. At meal times, he parks himself under the picnic table waiting for falling food. All of the kids love to pet him, so he gets tons of attention. No one has more fun camping than Malcolm.
He was annoying at night though. The first night he was jumping on and off the bed all night. My poor husband had to take him out in the middle of the night. The second night while we all sat around the campfire, Malcolm was so exhausted, he went inside and slept on the bed. He slept most of the night, getting up at 5:30am. My husband took him out and when they came back in, Malcolm started the jumping on and off the bed again.
My husband tried to stop him by pulling the curtain to the bedroom, but Malcolm just laughed at this foolish attempt to stop him and kept on jumping. He wanted to stay outside and watch everyone that might possibly walk by that early in the morning.
The absolute most enjoyable part of camping is the campfire at night. The little kids love to hear stories about the silly things their parents did as children. Marshmallows are toasted and s,mores are made and eaten. We reminisce about previous camping trips and make firm plans to get together to do it all over again. Next year, Marineland here we come!
Recipes:
Mexican Smores- from www.camping.about.com
INGREDIENTS:
* small flour tortilla shells
* peanut butter
* chocolate chips
* miniature marshmallows
PREPARATION:
Spread peanut butter on tortilla shell, sprinkle with chocolate chips and marshmallows, then roll up tortilla. Wrap in foil. Cook on grill grate over your fire for about 5-7 minutes. Unwrap and eat.
Oriental Chicken Grill- from www.thecampingsource.com
Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine and mix first six ingredients. Set aside 1/4 cup for basting. Put chicken and the rest of mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Put in fridge overnight. Next day drain & discard the mixture. Grill chicken over medium heat. Baste several times with reserved marinade. Serve on rolls with your favorites - lettuce, tomato, etc.
Baggy Omelets- from www.quietjourney.com
Recipe Ingredients: (for one omelet)
* 2 large eggs
* sausage, bacon, or ham
* any of your favorite omelet veggies- peppers, mushrooms, etc.
* shredded cheddar cheese
* salt and pepper to taste
Cooking instructions:
Crack eggs in a ziplock bag. Add shredded cheese. Add meat and veggies salt and pepper to taste. Put baggy in a pot of boiling water for about 5 to 10 min. Then just cut bag off and enjoy!
Camper's Luau Chicken- from www.recipegoldmine.com
Makes 2 servings.
3 envelopes onion cup-a-soup
1 can (8 ounce) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 whole chicken breast, split
1 small green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 (18-inch square) pieces heavy-duty aluminum foil (or use hot bags)
In a small bowl, combine onion cup-a-soup and pineapple.
For each serving, place half the chicken, onion-pineapple mixture and green pepper on foil. Wrap loosely, sealing edges airtight with double fold. Place on grill, seam-side up, over hot coals or high heat, and cook 45 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
We have camped in tents many times before when the boys were younger, but now that they are older and much bigger, tent camping has lost its appeal. My husband was able to rent a 28-foot camper from the KOA campsite, which made us all happy. If it was too hot that weekend, there was air conditioning and if it was too cold, there was heat; it was clearly a win-win situation.
My family loves to pack for the great outdoors. Do you have the charger for the cell phone? How about the power cord for the laptop computer? Did you bring the charger for the IPod? Hey, can we play DVD movies on the laptop? They did remember to pack jeans and sweatshirts among all the electronic equipment.
The camper was very nice. It had a full size refrigerator, freezer, microwave and stove top. The bathroom had a shower, but it was very narrow and low. I was concerned that my nearly six-foot tall son would have to kneel to take a shower.
The first night we were there it rained very hard; we were grateful for the camper. We stayed dry and warm and watched Seinfeld DVDs. It doesn't matter how many times you see those episodes, they are still laugh-out-loud funny every time.
While on the American side of Niagara Falls, we all commented on how quiet it was. There were lots of street vendors ready to sell their wares, but not many customers to sell to. It looked like Niagara Falls was ready to throw a big party, but no one showed up.
The busiest place was The Twist of the Mist ice cream stand. With a name like that, how could you not stop there? Even though it wasn't warm out, we stopped and got our chocolate/vanilla twist ice cream cones.
The following morning we decided to visit the Canadian side of the falls. It was busier there, but not as busy as it should be for a holiday weekend. We walked the main drag of Niagara Falls.
Monsters and superheroes have joined wax museums as the theme of the falls. Even the Burger King had a huge Frankenstein monster mounted on top of the restaurant. The Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and Captain America, have a huge place right on the corner where you can go inside and ride simulated rides and see shows. It seemed like an attempt to replicate Disneyworld.
There are now casinos in Niagara Falls, both on the American and Canadian sides. We're not big gamblers, so that didn't appeal to us. My husband did peek his head inside one casino and said that it looked impressive.
Most of our time was spent at the campsite. That's what I like about camping; just spending time hanging out with the family. You get to catch up without the everyday distractions of phone calls, television and having to be somewhere else.
The KOA we stayed at was populated with RVs and campers. My husband has always talked about buying an RV and traveling the country, going wherever we liked. We decided that when the boys are in college, we'll get an RV and take off. Malcolm the dog would love it! We haven't worked out the details yet, like how we would afford to retire at such as young age, but those minor points won't deter us.
Dogs were a common sight at the KOA. too. Just about every RV had at least one dog in them; many had two dogs. When a new dog would arrive at the campsite, every dog would sound the alarm and they would all bark.
Malcolm loves camping because he gets to be outside all day long and people are always eating. They don,t usually finish all of the food, so he gets plenty of leftovers. At meal times, he parks himself under the picnic table waiting for falling food. All of the kids love to pet him, so he gets tons of attention. No one has more fun camping than Malcolm.
He was annoying at night though. The first night he was jumping on and off the bed all night. My poor husband had to take him out in the middle of the night. The second night while we all sat around the campfire, Malcolm was so exhausted, he went inside and slept on the bed. He slept most of the night, getting up at 5:30am. My husband took him out and when they came back in, Malcolm started the jumping on and off the bed again.
My husband tried to stop him by pulling the curtain to the bedroom, but Malcolm just laughed at this foolish attempt to stop him and kept on jumping. He wanted to stay outside and watch everyone that might possibly walk by that early in the morning.
The absolute most enjoyable part of camping is the campfire at night. The little kids love to hear stories about the silly things their parents did as children. Marshmallows are toasted and s,mores are made and eaten. We reminisce about previous camping trips and make firm plans to get together to do it all over again. Next year, Marineland here we come!
Recipes:
Mexican Smores- from www.camping.about.com
INGREDIENTS:
* small flour tortilla shells
* peanut butter
* chocolate chips
* miniature marshmallows
PREPARATION:
Spread peanut butter on tortilla shell, sprinkle with chocolate chips and marshmallows, then roll up tortilla. Wrap in foil. Cook on grill grate over your fire for about 5-7 minutes. Unwrap and eat.
Oriental Chicken Grill- from www.thecampingsource.com
Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine and mix first six ingredients. Set aside 1/4 cup for basting. Put chicken and the rest of mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Put in fridge overnight. Next day drain & discard the mixture. Grill chicken over medium heat. Baste several times with reserved marinade. Serve on rolls with your favorites - lettuce, tomato, etc.
Baggy Omelets- from www.quietjourney.com
Recipe Ingredients: (for one omelet)
* 2 large eggs
* sausage, bacon, or ham
* any of your favorite omelet veggies- peppers, mushrooms, etc.
* shredded cheddar cheese
* salt and pepper to taste
Cooking instructions:
Crack eggs in a ziplock bag. Add shredded cheese. Add meat and veggies salt and pepper to taste. Put baggy in a pot of boiling water for about 5 to 10 min. Then just cut bag off and enjoy!
Camper's Luau Chicken- from www.recipegoldmine.com
Makes 2 servings.
3 envelopes onion cup-a-soup
1 can (8 ounce) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 whole chicken breast, split
1 small green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 (18-inch square) pieces heavy-duty aluminum foil (or use hot bags)
In a small bowl, combine onion cup-a-soup and pineapple.
For each serving, place half the chicken, onion-pineapple mixture and green pepper on foil. Wrap loosely, sealing edges airtight with double fold. Place on grill, seam-side up, over hot coals or high heat, and cook 45 minutes, or until chicken is tender.