FamiLee Life

Bringing Back the Coleman Stove

Coleman 2-Burner Compact Gas Stove

It's as All-American as a hot dog - The Coleman Stove. My family had one when I was a kid and I recall using it on my first "on my own/without family" camping trip as a college student to Martha's Vineyard and the rugged coast of Maine. Then, somewhere along the way, it disappeared. I am not sure if another sibling absconded with it or if it just got lost/tossed in subsequent moves to other homes. Regardless, I never fully appreciated it back then.

As I have started to become Minnesota, I moved on to purchasing a smaller, lightweight portable single-burner stove. The kind that can be carried in a backpack. But every now and then, there is a need for a larger, more durable stove that can safely carry the weight of a big pot of water or handle two pots at one time. Our recent camping trip to Afton State Park confirmed the utility of the two-burner Coleman stove on car camping trips.

Fast forward to this weekend on a trip to Williston, North Dakota to visit HW's extended family. This town now has the catchy phrase - Rockin' the Bakken - to entice folks to move there to work in the oil industry. Despite such marketing, it will always be a small town in a remote corner of North Dakota.

And such small towns means (or equals) great deals at yard sales. Driving around the downtown area, we stopped at a yard sale. My eye had caught a Coleman stove for sale. I immediately walked up to it, assessed its condition (like brand-new!), and paid for it with a crisp $10 bill. Ten dollars! What a steal. Perhaps only in Williston.

Can't wait to use it on our next car camping trip....

UPDATE: A helpful YouTube video on how to use the 425E version. By the way, the purchased stove was made 30 years ago in October of 1978. Sweet.

BWCA Recap: The Horseshoe-Hensen Loop

Having now lived in Minnesota since 2000, I have developed a motto to describe how I have embraced the local culture -- "Becoming Minnesota, not Minnesotan." One important aspect of becoming Minnesota is to embrace the beauty of the landscape. Another important aspect of becoming Minnesota is to embrace the weather, namely the long, cold winters but also the joy and pleasures of its other three seasons. Perhaps the ultimate Minnesota experience is to travel to the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota.

As I previously wrote, a group of seven of us made our way up north to the BWCA last Tuesday and returned on Sunday evening. I am not going to post many photographs but this one picture may say it all.

The photograph was taken on Winchell Lake which was our second campsite during the trip. Here is a full description of the Horseshoe-Hensen Loop. We followed it pretty closely with the exception of staying two nights on Winchell and then our last night on Meeds Lake.

Prior to the trip, we were aware of the high chance of rain and wind during the entire trip and it was indeed the case. But the wind and rain usually came at night and was not a problem. In some ways, it was great because it kept the bug count fairly low. Fortunately, we brought plenty of tarps and rope to create ample shelter and did not have to retreat to our tents. So we were able to enjoy the campfire during most of the stormy weather. Otherwise, we explored the landscape, fished on shore and in canoes, and ate plenty of gourmet camp food.

We saw a momma and baby moose about 100 yards from our campsite, across the water, as well as plenty of eagles. We fished every day but fishing was not great. We caught a grand total of three fish over 5 days (two bass and one walleye). I was fortunate to have caught the largest bass and then learned how to gut and fillet a fish. At first, I was a bit hesitant but then quickly caught on. I'm looking forward to another attempt.

This trip was my first time to take my canoe on a major expedition. I was a bit nervous because the water can get pretty rough, choppy, and difficult to navigate. Plus, I was expected to read the map to find portages and not get us lost. I wisely bought a second map to put in another canoe so others could help out (which they ably did - often). To my relief and happiness, no canoe was tipped and we never got lost...um...really lost.

Otherwise, it was a great relief from the day to day grind of work and busy city life. I was able to enjoy the moment and get to spend time with good friends. Perhaps I will write more about the experience another time.

Countdown....BWCA

On June 10th, a ragtag group of men will embark on a 5-day trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). These people include a university professor (me), an information technology executive (KO), an executive director/artist of a homeless arts program (Hapa9), a writer and creative writing professor (EBok), a banker/artist (SV), an actor (K-Matt), and a bike mechanic/writer/realtor (CC). Only three of us (including me) have gone to the BWCA before and, I believe, two are new to the whole concept of wilderness. It will be a test of man vs wild to determine who among us is and is not a survivalist.

We will make camp on Tuesday near the BWCA and will enter on Wednesday morning at Lizz Lake (entry point 47) near the Gunflint Trail via Poplar Lake. We hope to return on Sunday evening, fittingly Father's Day.

Eat Your Veggies! CSA News

HW and I took the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) plunge this spring and the above photograph is our first box of vegetables from Harmony Valley Farm in Wisconsin. We were unsure of whether we could eat all the veggies ourselves, week after week, given that we are just a 2-person household, so we enlisted our friends Ken and Chamindika to join us. A few days after, we all were chatting with other friends, Wing and Tara, and they joined too. So we are sharing one box with three households! Then, when we picked up the first box, we realized that it would be difficult to split things up into three's. We decided to alternate weeks starting with K/C and then W/T. This week was finally our turn - yay! Here is what came in the box for this week (read newsletter for more info).

* Arugula or Spinach or Saute Mix
* Rhubarb
* Asparagus
* Radishes
* Green Garlic
* Hon Tsai Tai
* Green Bok Choi
* Pea Vine
* Salad Mix
* Broccoli

In addition, there was a "choice" veggie that is offered in addition to the regular load. This week, it was Burdock. I have no idea what is burdock except that it is a root. Here is the recommended way to prepare it, but it seems you also can just eat it - popular in Japan too!

Burdock — Cut into pieces and put them on a cookie sheet in an oven set at low heat, about 100-150°F. Let it dry until there is no moisture left. Remove from oven and store pieces in a glass jar with a lid at room temperature. Drop a piece into your morning tea for help with indigestion, cleansing the liver, clearing acne and toning the stomach!

Vertical Leap!

While watching the NBA Conference finals last week, the guys got into a conversation about the average vertical leap. Don't ask how or why this topic of conversation began - it just did. Anyway, we had no real parameters for average in any given population and we just guessed. I said 6" and others said upwards to 24". Later in the week while playing basketball, I asked another group what they thought the average vertical leap might be. Again, answers varied. Finally, I looked online and found an interesting calculator. According to this site, the average vertical for someone 18-29 years old is 19.5 inches. The data apparently is drawn from an institute at the Univ of Texas at Austin (if you read the bottom of the website). Another website on bodybuilding listed the following numbers:

Average Vertical Leap of NCAA Div. 1 Football player: 29-31 inches.
Average Vertical Leap of NCAA Div. 1 Basketball player: 27-30 inches.

So, I closed my office door, emptied my pockets of wallet and keys, marked the highest spot on the wall that I could touch with my hands in a standing position, and then jumped from a stationary position. I jumped four times for an average vertical leap of 20-21 inches. Just slightly above the average for folks younger than me but much less than elite Division 1 athletes. And about half of Spudd Webb's 42" vertical leap!