Kevin and I will be leaving on our desert Thanksgiving road trip tomorrow (Monday) morning early. We plan to take our laptop, and with the joys of free WiFi, we hope to do some live travel blogging as we explore and revisit the secret places of Utah.
So far our itinerary is: (This is a sketchy – and subject to change.)
Day zero (Monday): Leave Denver and travel to Kanab, Utah. Overnight in Motel in Utah
Day one (Tuesday): Get permits for hiking in next day in Coyote Buttes. Explore Kanab area. Some hiking in the Wire Pass area. Overnight: camping
Day two (Wednesday): The Wave hike in, and photograph. Overnight – camping
Day three (Thursday – Thanksgiving): Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks. Overnight – camping. Depends on what is open.
Day four (Friday): Monument Valley, Navajo Nation.
Day five (Saturday) Mule Canyon south fork day hike to Anasazi ruins. Either camp or motel at Moab.
Day six (Sunday) Depart Moab, explore area. Arrive Denver late.
Kevin and I have set up our staging area as we start to gather our goodies. Kevin is in charge of all electronic, cameras and camping related equipment. I am in charge of food, snacks and clothing.
Food wise I try and pre cook everything before hand. The secret to good camping food is that it must be hot (when cold weather) and quick to prepare (no more than 5 minutes.) I bring lots of tins of soup for heating on our propane stove. I pre cook rice to add to the soup, and I add pre cooked sausages, the spicier the better. I also pack couscous, which can also be added to the soup. The idea is to turn the soup into a thicker stew like consistency. I include spices – basil, curry powder, salt and pepper to add taste to bland food.
I also include pre sliced whole wheat bread. We have a special camping sandwich griller to heat up cheese dreams (just melted cheese between two slices of bread) or grilled ham & cheese.
Breakfasts consist of cereal, with soy milk and raisins. I usually pack dried fruit and make hard boiled eggs for extra snacking. Snacks include chips, energy bars, and pre chopped peppers, and carrots. I throw in a six pack of Mountain Dews for their extra caffeine to keep us awake on long haul stretches.
The most important item is water. We always pack more than we think we will need.
