KaZaK Camping Trip

We went camping at Pillsbury State Park in NH with a few people from work this past weekend. It was a good group of people… Me, Adam, Darcy, Kelly, Rob, Nicole and Steve. Darcy and Kelly brought Gus along so Kenzie had a friend to play with this time (even though Gus isn’t a big fan of playing, haha). We had to get two sites to fit everyone and all of our stuff. Luckily we did some moving around and got two sites across from each other. Everyone had a great time. It was not our typical camping trip of go here, hike there, do this, squeeze in that, etc. It was much more relaxed… we never even left the campground, which was actually quite nice for a change.

We all drove up Friday night after work (minus Steve who joined us Saturday night due to a fantasy football party) and got the tents set up, got a fire going, and started up the grill. With Nichole and Rob on site we were definitely fed well. The first night we cooked some awesome turkey tips on the grill and Nicole had made 3 different kinds of pasta salads and dips. I probably ate better on the camping trip than I do at home ;o). That night we had a mellow night around the campfire talking about work I’m sure and reminiscing about our last KaZaK trip to Vermont in the winter. That night in our tent, we heard some loons out on the lake. Their undulating calls were loud and echoed between the mountians. It was an awesome sound to fall asleep to... definitely a reminder that you were in the great outdoors.

The next morning, the feasting started early. We had eggs, bacon, bagels, and blueberry beer pancakes. Yes, you read that right, I said beer pancakes! I got the recipe from Backpacker Magazine and they are actually quite good – and super easy! (Pretty much just substitute a light beer for the water in your favorite recipe). The carbonation in the beer makes for extra-fluffy flapjacks! Yet another reason to love a good brew.

That day was spent mostly lounging around the campsite playing Bags and wiffleball. We had a record long match going of girls vs. guys… until Adam and Rob finally beat Nicole and I in an epic best of 3 series. For lunch we grilled up some sausages, kielbasa, and pepperoni. Oh yeah, pepperoni on the grill. The things you learn to cook hanging out with Italians… simply delicious!

There were a few ponds on the campground that we hung out at for the afternoon. We had two kayaks and two inner-tubes to play with on the water. There were warning signs posted about leeches being bad, so unfortunately none of us really went for a swim. I floated around on a tube for a while before the sun went down. Then I went for a nice paddle at the end of the day and got to enjoy the sunset over the nearby ridge. The wind turbines that lined the ridge made for a unique view.

For dinner on Saturday night we grilled up more tips, steak tips this time. We also had corn on the cob cooked over the fire, baked beans, peppers and onions, pasta salad, spinach dip, cookies, brownies, smores… like I said, Nicole is amazing in the kitchen. That night was spent around the fire again relaxing, playing the name game, categories, and exchanging ghost stories.

Sunday was a sad day. We all had to pack up and say goodbye (see you Monday! haha)… but not before another morning of bacon egg and cheese bagels on the grill, of course. I probably gained 10-lbs on this camping trip! It was amazing. I am already looking forward to our ski trip this winter!