Our family just got back from our Annual Family Camping Trip. I must say it is one of the things I look forward to most each summer. In 10+ years of making our pilgrimage into the woods for some summertime R&R, we have learned a few tricks and set a few family camping rules:

• Tent camping only! None of this RV / camper stuff. Canvas should be the only thing between you and nature.

• No need for flashlights. It’s Alaska in the summer – it never gets dark.

• You can never pack too many blue tarps. Being dry and staying dry are very important.

• Always cook over an open fire. These propane camp stoves take all of the adventure out of the process.(And being married to a gourmet cook really adds to the adventure!)

• Take the people you love most with you. Nothing brings people together more than a roaring fire, melted chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows on a stick!

~Steven