Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

41 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

 

I've actually been considering something like that for my occasional pasta making.  Have a couple long boards to put the wide strips on in between the rolling and the cutting.  Being able to move the pasta to another area while still using the first area for more pasta.  Right now I end up filling up my work area with pasta in different stages.  I could use the ironing board (what an archaic device!) as a landing spot.

 

 

My most memorable New Orleans meal was fried eggs, gator sausage and a cathead biscuit at the old Tally Ho.  I loved the texture and delicateness of the gator meat.   I even remember it better than the Brennan's $100 breakfast.   I'd have bought that boudin in a heartbeat.

 

 

Miiller's ships. 🙃  You could show us what to do with that boudin, and get yourself a long board while you're at it!

[Smithy]

2 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

 

Rummo makes an excellent gluten free spaghetti.  I read about it in Stanley Tucci's memoir Taste.  He developed a gluten intolerance while being treated for mouth cancer, and declared this the only gluten free pasta worth eating.  My nephew has a roommate with Celiac and they have tried every brand out there.  I shipped them a six pack of the Rummo and now they won't eat any other type!  I've never seen it in the grocery stores around here, but Amazon stocks it.

 

Is this it? Rummo Italian Pasta GF Spaghetti No.3, Always Al Dente, Certified Gluten-Free (5 Pack, 12 Ounce Each) (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

I love the way they say it's always al dente. 🙂

[Smithy]

Our trip is winding down, so it's time to wind this blog up.

 

Nobody is likely to be surprised that we ate a lot of barbecue in Llano; Cooper's continues to be a favorite although we got the idea this time that they might be overcooking the meat sometimes. (Some of the brisket, in particular, seemed a bit on the stringy side, but it wasn't always that way.) I didn't take any pictures of the dining hall or the barbecue pits this time. Here's their menu:

 

 

The way it works is, you pick out what you want and tell them how much. They cut it, dip it in their sauce if you want, then set it atop foil to be taken inside and paid for. I always asked for things to be wrapped for takeout. I was too cheap this time around to pay for one of their ribeye steaks, which have always been the best ribeyes I've ever had. We usually get 2 or 3 meals out of those steaks, but still. I didn't do it.

 

In no particular order, we enjoyed beef brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, a bit of their sausage, and a bit of their sirloin steak -- medium rare. I thought that was especially wonderful. I need to learn how to do that at home. We also tried their potato salad (I like it, my darling doesn't) and green beans. I think those beans were basically canned green beans, warmed with garlic. They were okay, not wonderful. I wouldn't bother with them again.

 

 

 

They don't do pork ribs as well as the Mesquite Pit in Mineral Wells (our next stop) does. In all modesty, we both like the way I do pork ribs better than the way Cooper's does them! But it was good to confirm that.

 

Their barbecue sauce, pickles and pinto beans are all freebies and I stocked up on those at each visit. I enjoyed beans for breakfast on many days. This was a typical breakfast:

 

 

I still have beans, barbecue sauce and pickles left. I hope I'll be able to figure out their barbecue sauce; it's still my favorite of any I've tried. We also still have some brisket. I hope to try packing that into jalapenos with cream cheese and bacon wrapping, to see if I can duplicate what Miiller's did. I'll probably be swearing about all the effort after I try it. 🙂

 

We enjoyed the sunshine and flowers, and stayed an extra day because of blustery weather passing through. It dropped softball-sized hail elsewhere in the Hill Country, but missed us altogether.

 

 

The day before we left, I picked a bouquet from the roadside (not park) flowers and enjoyed it for several days.

 

 

The vase was a retirement gift from my partner/coworker and his wife, both of whom retired at the same time I did. I think of them and smile, every time I use it.

[Smithy]

Our next stop was Mineral Wells, about 30 miles west of Dallas/Fort Worth. We were disappointed to learn that the Mesquite Pit Grill closed early on Sunday. Too bad! We'd been looking forward to their ribs, their armadillo eggs, and (in his case) their barbecue sauce. We had to settle for Walmart instead. Their prices were much, much lower than we'd seen in Llano. Note the cauliflower!

 

 

We generally prefer not to shop at Walmart, but since we were staying in their parking lot it was easy and seemed fair. We stocked up on the rest of our road food for the trip: sandwich meats and cheeses, and vegetables. You've seen tomatoes and celery and radishes. In a way I feel I ought to show them anyway, to document that we really do eat things other than meat! But this is what I've photographed so far: the cheese I got there.

 

 

This is as good a time as any to talk about our road food. Depending on my mood and the amount of time available, I might make sandwiches.

 

 

I might rinse and chop vegetables to go into nice travel containers. That particular day, while we were shopping I bought a couple of their Italian sub sandwiches for the next day's drive. When we learned that the Mesquite Pit was closed, we went back and got Subway sandwiches for dinner and the next day.

 

 

The next day was a long drive: longer than we'd intended, in fact. We drove through Oklahoma, only stopping for fuel. I swear their freeways were surfaced using elliptical rollers. We were glad to get through. Nothing shook in the trailer too badly, although when we stopped for fuel and I checked inside I discovered one of the musical instruments had vibrated nearly off the bed.

 

Seen along the way: this temptation (but there was no good way to stop): our first farm stand of the season!

 

 

Also seen along the way, I think still in Texas:

 

 

The flowers were beautiful. I tried to get snaps of the delicate pink primroses, but only got my fingers. 😄

 

[C. sapidus]

17 minutes ago, Smithy said:

We generally prefer not to shop at Walmart, but since we were staying in their parking lot it was easy and seemed fair.
 

 

Can you describe your experiences with Walmart parking lot camping?

 

Are you allowed to set up outside the RV, or are you expected to remain inconspicuous? Are there designated areas and/or times for campers? Is it a comfortable experience, or a little creepy?

 

No campfires, I assume? 😉

 

Thanks!

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

We also still have some brisket. I hope to try packing that into jalapenos with cream cheese and bacon wrapping, to see if I can duplicate what Miiller's did. I'll probably be swearing about all the effort after I try it.

Honestly, I think you'll find it easier than you think.  I've had a huge craving lately for those so I've been making them a lot (minus the meat because I don't have any, but Ronnie would love it if did something like that).  I lay out the cream cheese for a bit to get it softer.  Once soft I use my hands (I know I know but it's just easier for me) and mush in some shredded sharp cheddar, sliced green onions and some smokey paprika.  Then get your peppers,  Slice the stem off, slice in half.  De-seed some --I leave some to keep them on the spicy side.  Again, using my hands, I mush the cheese mix into the peppers and wrap with bacon.  I'm doing them in the CSO so I don't bother with using a toothpick to secure the bacon but if you're grilling you might want to.  The thin bacon works better than the thick cut bacon for wrapping.  

[Shelby]

30 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I swear their freeways were surfaced using elliptical rollers.

OMG I know.  Their roads are awful.  When we used to go to Tulsa--just driving our regular vehicles--I felt like my teeth were going to fall out due to the bumping.  And some are toll roads!

[Smithy]

27 minutes ago, Shelby said:

OMG I know.  Their roads are awful.  When we used to go to Tulsa--just driving our regular vehicles--I felt like my teeth were going to fall out due to the bumping.  And some are toll roads!

 

The toll is the worst part of the insult! We have to pay for the privilege!!

[Smithy]

We rarely, if ever, make reservations for our travels, and go to great lengths to avoid having to do so. As a rule it works out well and allows us the flexibility to change our minds. Once in a while it backfires. That happened to us on the day we left Mineral Wells' Walmart, headed for the Walmart in El Dorado, Kansas. We've stayed there before with no problem. This time, we were confronted with signs that said "Absolutely no truck or RV parking overnight". Well, damn! There were a semi-truck with its load, and a motorhome, parked for the night anyway, and we thought about doing the same. We had already driven over 400 miles. I remembered that we'd been told about a "very nice" state park not far away. I looked on the Maps app. Heck, El Dorado Lake State Park was only another 10 or 15 miles. It wouldn't take long.

 

Ha.

 

Many of this country's park systems have now abandoned Live Humans Who Can Help when you arrive at an entrance. You're supposed to bo online and already have a reservation. We found their maps indecipherable. The cell phone connection was slow. (What happens when the towers are out???) (What happens to people who don't have smart phones???) I made a best-guess effort at registering for a campsite one night, then away we went in search of it. We got lost. We went to way the wrong side of the lake and had to double back. By the time we found a campground, which turned out to be the wrong campground, we didn't care. The sun was going down. We parked. We plugged in. All told I think we drove 430 miles that day and spent 10 hours doing it. One of us ate a bit of Walmart sandwich; the other ate a bit of potato salad, and we dropped into bed for the night. 

 

So much for El Dorado, KS! We'll figure out another stopover point in the future, because the next stop -- our last stop of more than one night -- was only another 90 miles.

[Smithy]

The next stop, Melvern Lake in Kansas, made up for the misery of El Dorado Lake. At this place too we had to reserve sites, but we knew they'd gone to such a system. They also allow "walk-ins" so you can check out the campground, find one you fit into, and take if it isn't already reserved.  We found one available for 2 nights -- all we wanted -- and settled in.

 

Since it was only for 2 nights we didn't open the entire trailer out to reclaim our space. The first day was windy and cool, but the second day had beautiful weather: calm wind, warm sun. We took out our bikes so we could take advantage of the trails. 

 

 

We left the tailgate down so we could enjoy the view out the back door, even though the space wasn't livable.

 

 

On our first night there, we celebrated having a nice place to stay, and good weather, with Superburgers and Salad. Note the tiny living and dining space. It was still good to be there and not have to drive anywhere for a day. Oh, and note the nice tonkasu atop the salad. 🙂

 

 

The next morning, I made cinnamon rolls from a "whomp" package I'd bought in Llano. I was interested to see that these have instructions for cooking in an air fryer as well as conventional oven.

 

 

He loves them. I ate about half of one, and by that time I'd already overdosed on sugar. I'm not sure when / why he developed a sweet tooth, but these are all his! 

 

Our last night there was the last intended night of actual cooking. Tortellini with a jarred spaghetti sauce -- I had to wrestle the jar out from inside a cooler, which is in the back of the 4-wheeler in the back of the Princessmobile. It was good, and there are leftovers.

 

 

We hated to leave the next day, but it's time to push on toward home.

 

[Smithy]

2 hours ago, C. sapidus said:

Can you describe your experiences with Walmart parking lot camping?

 

Are you allowed to set up outside the RV, or are you expected to remain inconspicuous? Are there designated areas and/or times for campers? Is it a comfortable experience, or a little creepy?

 

No campfires, I assume? 😉

 

Thanks!

 

Some Walmarts allow overnight stays in their lots and some don't. I think most do in the states where we travel, but it's left up to the store manager. Definitely no campfires! 😄 As a general rule setups are inconspicuous and out of the way -- say, at the far end of the parking lot (but not where shipments are coming in and out.) I may have seen someone set up chairs outside. Our trailer has a side deck that folds out. If we can park next to a grassy area we'll put that down, but otherwise it stays up.

 

It's generally comfortable as long as we're satisfied that we're well out of traffic lanes (i.e. we're at the edge of the parking lot, or the end of an aisle). The lots are well lit and have security cameras, so we generally feel safe. That said, we also lock the doors. At Mineral Wells we're right across from the high school and the night shift seems to be mostly kids with trucks that make as much noise as possible and sound like would-be drag racers, so things don't settle down until 10 or 11 at night. Nobody's ever run into us yet! 

 

Glad to answer more questions, or in more detail, if you wish!

 

Edited to add: I've never seen signs pointing to "acceptable areas" for overnighting. The way it works in our experience is that RV'ers park in out-of-the-way places as I described. We usually look for a freight truck that's clearly parked for the night, then use that as a guide. One time, just outside Little Rock, we were the first to park (in the dark yet!) and before long, someone else came along and parked near us. He figured we had to know what we were doing! 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Smithy
Added final paragraph to answer overlooked question (log)

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

We've stayed in our share of Walmart parking lots. The best, however, was on the way home from buying our Pleasure-Way van (from Tampa to Colorado). We inquired at a small truck stop if we could park overnight, and they said OK. So we maneuvered the van into a level spot kinda in the middle of a big open lot. I don't even remember where this was. It had been a long day figuring out how to drive the van, how to hook up, how to winterize on the fly (this was in early January, and there were freeze warnings as far south as Biloxi.) So we climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep. The next morning we opened the curtains and realized that we were surrounded by semis, some of them running their generators. Fortunately we had a path to get out. Adventures in RVing! The first of many in our case.

[Shelby]

3 hours ago, Smithy said:

We rarely, if ever, make reservations for our travels, and go to great lengths to avoid having to do so. As a rule it works out well and allows us the flexibility to change our minds. Once in a while it backfires. That happened to us on the day we left Mineral Wells' Walmart, headed for the Walmart in El Dorado, Kansas. We've stayed there before with no problem. This time, we were confronted with signs that said "Absolutely no truck or RV parking overnight". Well, damn! There were a semi-truck with its load, and a motorhome, parked for the night anyway, and we thought about doing the same. We had already driven over 400 miles. I remembered that we'd been told about a "very nice" state park not far away. I looked on the Maps app. Heck, El Dorado Lake State Park was only another 10 or 15 miles. It wouldn't take long.

 

Ha.

 

Many of this country's park systems have now abandoned Live Humans Who Can Help when you arrive at an entrance. You're supposed to bo online and already have a reservation. We found their maps indecipherable. The cell phone connection was slow. (What happens when the towers are out???) (What happens to people who don't have smart phones???) I made a best-guess effort at registering for a campsite one night, then away we went in search of it. We got lost. We went to way the wrong side of the lake and had to double back. By the time we found a campground, which turned out to be the wrong campground, we didn't care. The sun was going down. We parked. We plugged in. All told I think we drove 430 miles that day and spent 10 hours doing it. One of us ate a bit of Walmart sandwich; the other ate a bit of potato salad, and we dropped into bed for the night. 

 

So much for El Dorado, KS! We'll figure out another stopover point in the future, because the next stop -- our last stop of more than one night -- was only another 90 miles.

UGH.  On behalf of the state of KS, I'm sorry.  I know where that Wal-Mart is....I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't let you stay.  And don't get me started on El Dorado Lake.  We used to go there ALL THE TIME.  Fishing and camping for the weekend--I'm talking like 20 years ago.  It started getting really  rowdy....late night loud music etc.  The last straw was we got up early one morning to go fish and someone stole all of our poles, tackle, tackle boxes....you name it, they took it.  

[Smithy]

6 hours ago, Shelby said:

UGH.  On behalf of the state of KS, I'm sorry.  I know where that Wal-Mart is....I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't let you stay.  And don't get me started on El Dorado Lake.  We used to go there ALL THE TIME.  Fishing and camping for the weekend--I'm talking like 20 years ago.  It started getting really  rowdy....late night loud music etc.  The last straw was we got up early one morning to go fish and someone stole all of our poles, tackle, tackle boxes....you name it, they took it.  

 

Oh, my. You make me doubly determined not to try that park again!

 

As for the Walmart: those signs MAY have been temporary. My darling thinks the signs were printed on cardboard and weren't intended to be permanent. He also notes that when we've stayed there in the past the area where we stayed was loaded with pallets of garden supplies. This year, there was nothing. It's possible that the supplies simply hadn't been staged yet, and they needed to keep the area clear.

 

I *might* try, next year, to check with that Walmart before we head home, to see what the deal is. However, if Mineral Wells is any indication I probably won't bother. I tried 3 times to get through to the Mineral Wells Walmart Manager to give a direct compliment about our checkout clerk there, and tell him how grateful we are to be able to stay there. Twice I reached an operator who said "just a moment" followed by 6 minutes of hold music before I hung up. I finally settled for the online satisfaction survey and a handwritten letter that I hope he reads and appreciates. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Smithy
Spelling, minor word adjustments (log)

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

UGH.  On behalf of the state of KS, I'm sorry.  I know where that Wal-Mart is....I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't let you stay.  And don't get me started on El Dorado Lake.  We used to go there ALL THE TIME.  Fishing and camping for the weekend--I'm talking like 20 years ago.  It started getting really  rowdy....late night loud music etc.  The last straw was we got up early one morning to go fish and someone stole all of our poles, tackle, tackle boxes....you name it, they took it.  

 

That's terrible.

[Smithy]

Last night it was Osceola, Iowa -- and the Lakeside Casino. Some years we stay in their RV park -- which also requires online advance reservations, even if they are mostly empty -- grr. This year, we were only staying for one night, so we stayed in the upper parking lot where the truckers pull their rigs in for a break. It's as @Nancy in Pátzcuaro describes: you never know how packed in you'll be, and it's likely to be noisy. However, these drivers are all pros. They know how to maneuver their rigs in tight spots. It's alarming to look out the window and see a trailer two feet away, but they know what they're doing. My darling worked as an over-the-road trucker for about 8 years in an earlier lifetime, and his skills still stand us in good stead. I'm grateful for that.

 

We walked down to the restaurant for dinner, and sat at the bar. The menu is the same whether you sit in the bar or the restaurant, but this way we didn't have to wait to be seated. We could admire the array of draft beer pull handles.

 

 

 

We could admire and marvel at the back wall of TV screens. None had sound, but depending on where you looked you could see news, hockey, a talent show, a police show, other things I've forgotten, and a sci-fi channel full of Star Wars clips. I'd forgotten until today that yesterday was Star Wars day (May the 4th be With You!) I'm sure that's why they were featuring Star Wars and Carrie Fisher. (She got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star yesterday.)

 

 

The bartender was a riot. She was bartender, waitress, and (she said) occasionally a bouncer. She couldn't have weighed much more than 100 pounds, but she had the attitude to make up for it. Great fun!

 

The menu is unchanged from last year. They only have a buffet on Friday and Saturday nights, and since we were there on a Thursday these were our choices:

 

 

We began with glasses of champagne (my darling is such a romantic!) then shifted to sampling beers (him) and wines (me). When we ordered, I think we ordered the same items as last year.

 

 

This is what we got:

 

 

 

Both were good. I don't know that I'd call my chicken sandwich 'awesome' although it was better than last year, but it was good. He loved his burger. We each ate about half our fries, then called it a night.

 

On the way back up to the Princessmobile, we admired the rising moon.

 

 

That night was filled with the rumble of trucks coming and going, and idling next to us, but it didn't keep either of us awake. The next day, we were off at 08:30 -- our earliest departure of the trip, I think. It's easy to get going when there's minimal teardown.

[blue_dolphin]

49 minutes ago, Smithy said:

We each ate about half our fries, then called it a night.

Did you take the leftover fries with you?  I never would have until listening to Tamar Adler's interview on last week’s Good Food. Now I’m quite curious to try that French fry frittata or the buttery roasty smash that are both in her recent book, An Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Recipes for Leftovers A-Z (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

[Shelby]

10 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Did you take the leftover fries with you?  I never would have until listening to Tamar Adler's interview on last week’s Good Food. Now I’m quite curious to try that French fry frittata or the buttery roasty smash that are both in her recent book, An Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Recipes for Leftovers A-Z (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

We make fries at least once a week and always save the leftovers....they are great refried with breakfast for dinner.  Once I even used them in potato salad--just a few chopped up.

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Did you take the leftover fries with you?  I never would have until listening to Tamar Adler's interview on last week’s Good Food. Now I’m quite curious to try that French fry frittata or the buttery roasty smash that are both in her recent book, An Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Recipes for Leftovers A-Z (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

We make fries at least once a week and always save the leftovers....they are great refried with breakfast for dinner.  Once I even used them in potato salad--just a few chopped up.

 

If we weren't so close to home* and all the associated unpacking and shifting of goods, I'd probably have saved them. As it is, I *know* we'll be looking at food from the fridge and freezer and wondering What The Sam Hill We'll Be Doing With It. There will be words. 😄

 

Thanks for the link and ideas, though. I'm still looking at plenty of leftovers taking space in the refrigerator!

 

*(God willing and the water don't rise)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Am smiling at your being lullabied by the the purr of big rigs.    We weren't so lucky when I would book us into conveniently located motels which were 50 yards from railroad tracks, bringing us hourly serenades from high speed rail traffic.

[heidih]

39 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Am smiling at your being lullabied by the the purr of big rigs.    We weren't so lucky when I would book us into conveniently located motels which were 50 yards from railroad tracks, bringing us hourly serenades from high speed rail traffic.

Ha! I lived for a short time next to a significant rail line intersection near Port of L.A.  That horn tooting thing occasionally punctuated by the "shelter in place" siren from the PBF refinery.  The Walmart parking thing - surprised nobody has done a coffee table photo book and history on it.

Edited May 6, 2023 by heidih (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

7 minutes ago, heidih said:

That horn tooting thing occasionally punctuated by the "shelter in place" siren from the BPF refinery. 

Oh, yes!    We lived in El Paso during the Cold War.   Regular strategic "scrambles" from Biggs Air Force base a half mile from us would cause us to jump out of bed and dress since it could always be the real thing, our grab bags always at the front door.  

[Porthos]

@Smithy the Walmart here in Bullhead City put up those signs about a month ago, placed where RVs had been  parking. 

[Shelby]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:03 AM, liamsaunt said:

 

Rummo makes an excellent gluten free spaghetti.  I read about it in Stanley Tucci's memoir Taste.  He developed a gluten intolerance while being treated for mouth cancer, and declared this the only gluten free pasta worth eating.  My nephew has a roommate with Celiac and they have tried every brand out there.  I shipped them a six pack of the Rummo and now they won't eat any other type!  I've never seen it in the grocery stores around here, but Amazon stocks it.

Thanks for this.  I just sent a text and a link to my cleaning angel friend. She loves pasta and can't eat it--maybe this will do the trick  

[Porthos]

Killian's on draft, I almost cried. Decades ago Killian's was our "fishing beer" up at the lake, consumed in the cabin.