It's been a long winter...........

[Mike]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

Question not particularly related to this thread.

A friend of mine owns a retail store. He specializes in purchasing liquidating stocks from insurance losses, bankruptcies, trailer upsets, closeouts, railroad salvage, and salesman samples. Whenever you hear of a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, semi rollover, and any other disaster, there is a good chance he buys the merchandise.

Anyways...........he informed me that he has a truckload (literally) of Dura flame logs and I can help myself to as many as I want.

I do not have a fireplace or wood stove in my home. However, could I burn these logs in my new wood stove for my tent? In doing some quick research it looks as though the logs do not emit as much heat as wood. I car camp so hauling these "logs" would not be an issue. Anyone have experience or opinions with this?

If I were you, I would buy that inventory from your friend at pennies on the dollar, then go to locally owned gas stations, hardware stores, grocery stores, etc and sell it at an irresistable discount. Look at the price of Duraflame logs and realize that retailers add about 40% mark-up. This way, you can figure out about what they are paying for them and you can give them a price below that.

Make a bunch of money. If it is a full truckload, there will be about 10,000 logs. IF you can make $0.25 profit per log, you can make $2,500 profit for yourself. Use the money to have a camping equipment spending spree. You can upgrade everything you own and never have to worry about using logs when you camp. You can go propane!

[gmann]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

Still early in 2014. I'm sure something will come up.

Along those lines...I just got me a new (to me) truck. 99 Ford f150 4x4. At the moment it is a smoking deal at $2500. Will wait to see if the transmission falls out or something that will make it less of a great deal. But I bought it with camping in mind. The truck I have now is just a 6 cylinder and I wanted (from the day I bought it) a V8.

Good for you.

Our household is comprised of a four door mid sized car and a minivan. I would love to get a pickup for the extra room the bed allows and the capability to haul and the ability to use four wheel drive to get into spots the other vehicles can't get to. However, that's not in the immediate future. Maybe someday.......

In other news...........I stumbled across a few campsites in the Chippewa National Forest that I had assumed were off limits to car camping but in fact they are available. As soon as the weather breaks I am there............

[MacGyver]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

I have to admit - talking to people west of the Mississippi is making me envious. I really like the parks around here, but the nearest National Forest from here is about 4 hours away (without traffic). I'd love to be able to drive down a road, see a spot that looks promising and set up camp. But there's just no dispersed camping anywhere near here.

[James.]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

I have to admit - talking to people west of the Mississippi is making me envious. I really like the parks around here, but the nearest National Forest from here is about 4 hours away (without traffic). I'd love to be able to drive down a road, see a spot that looks promising and set up camp. But there's just no dispersed camping anywhere near here.

I feel for you. I have little to no desire to stay at a campsite. My thinking is that I am going camping to get away from everyone.

[gmann]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

I have to admit - talking to people west of the Mississippi is making me envious. I really like the parks around here, but the nearest National Forest from here is about 4 hours away (without traffic). I'd love to be able to drive down a road, see a spot that looks promising and set up camp. But there's just no dispersed camping anywhere near here.

I live in an area which to the west and south of me is grassland and to the north is deciduous forest. Sort of unique.

I am also lucky in that within a one or two or three hour radius of me there are some incredible spots to pitch a tent. I am literally surrounded by thousands and thousands of acres of either state forest or national forests. Aside from campgrounds, picnic areas and boat landings one can pitch a tent anywhere for free. Granted, no mountain views but if you want to locate yourself in the middle of the sticks on the shores of a pristine lake with nobody around then we have that. If you want to camp in an established camp with neighbors, hot water and wii fi we have that as well. Another nice thing about MN camping is that there is practically nothing in the woods that can bite and hurt you. Except of course for the billion Mosquitos buzzing around.

Regarding the Mississippi, I am about 90 minutes from its headwaters and it's a really neat spot to camp at. One of the most remarkable camping spots in the world is just to my north. I might be biased but the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is awesome.

[MacGyver]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

I feel for you. I have little to no desire to stay at a campsite. My thinking is that I am going camping to get away from everyone.

Don't get me wrong - western Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have plenty of places to go where you can get away from people. Once you know the parks (after about 40 years, I should), you know which sites to grab that are secluded. But everything here is seriously structured. All the sites are numbered and each has a fire ring and table. It'd just be nice, as I said, to be able to make your own site for a change. I've lost count of the times people in our usual gang of idiots have said something like, "That would be a great place to setup". But you can't. You gotta play by the numbers... pfffft.

[MacGyver]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

I am literally surrounded by thousands and thousands of acres of either state forest or national forests.

I think you posted that just to piss me off! LMAO
Nah - I'll get out there one of these years. Sounds awesome!

[NYCgrrl]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

Just want to say that I just noticed the saying under your photo, MacGyver, and it's cracking me up. Up until recently when we went to our regular CT camping locale the park employee who greeted us at gate would glance at the car's license plate and give ya a brief opinion of his nabes. He called NY (license slogan is The Empire State), the Vampire State and M**** Taxachussetts. Never did find out his opinion of RI and NJ though.
And now back to our regularly scheduled thread......

[gmann]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

I think you posted that just to piss me off! LMAO
Nah - I'll get out there one of these years. Sounds awesome!

Just to piss you off some more........we get free ice cold beer and our eggs never break nor do the containers get waterlogged.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

Just to piss you off some more........we get free ice cold beer and our eggs never break nor do the containers get waterlogged.

Sounds like you camp just to the left of the Big Rock Candy Mountain.....

http://youtu.be/Q2EeMB6tRMg

[gmann]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

Last week at this time it was -35 with wind chill. Today? Well it's currently 53 degrees. The boys and I drove home with the windows down in the car and I seriously considered turning on the AC in the car.

Camping is right around the corner. Might consider setting up the Alaknak in the back year this weekend.

[noelectricplease]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

I can tell you I bought an OLD Coleman tent from a relative that had been used all over for about 12 years - 4 windows and arched fly over all 4 and it is still going strong - lived thru a week last summer of nothing but hard thunderstorms up on skyline drive. I have never camped in the winter except in Wyoming one time on the Green river, 30 degree winds sustained and 30 degrees and a little snow in June, and we just put an extra tarp over the whole tent, and tied it well, and had sleeping bad heaters and wool hats and slept soundly. Sadly, (this is the Shenandoah Valley) we are expecting snow again Monday. I am dying to camp. Thinking about driving south....

[gmann]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

So much for spring. Winter storm warning has been issued for my neck of the woods. Tomorrow at this time it has been predicted we will have at least 14" of snow.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

The pond outside my abode is no longer frozen. It literally happened w/i 24 hours this weekend. This is wunnerful not simply because it means Spring might be trying to sprung. No, no it also means I know longer have to call 911 to keep the old and young "Darwinists" from running across the length of the water and falling in. This ain't Minnesota, peeps!

[MacGyver]

Re: It's been a long winter...........

Yeah - it's been crazy the way this Winter doesn't seem to want to let go. We've now had two episodes of 60°+ weather followed by some decent accumulations of snow. Just about everybody I know is complaining about it but I love it! As much as I'm looking forward to Spring, I know that Summer follows it - and around here, that means days of stifling heat and humidity. Come July and August, fishing is more or less done as soon as the sun breaks over the trees, and camping is out of the question unless you like sitting in the baking sun, with dust and bugs everywhere. I'll take 2 feet of snow over 105° and 100% humidity any day!