The Difference Between Coffee and Colored Water

Lacy and I went camping with The Eversoles over the weekend. The weather was cold (36 degrees IS cold for Florida)and rainy. Poor Lacy was even shivering, so I snuggled her into my sleeping bag to warm her up. She slept ALL day after we got home.

The Eversoles have been my camping buds over the last few years. They were there for me big time after "the incident". April would be the perfect sit-com wife as she's very sassy and outspoken. Her husband, Kevin is very quiet and reserved, but isn't short of coming up with a zinger. We always have fun, humorous, spirited debates about everything from the huge camping kitchen and all of the gear that they bring, to the "inverted canoe incident" or "leaving in the middle of the night" that we won't mention right now.

This time, one of the subjects of debate was coffee or, for lack of a better term, colored water, which is what I call coffee that you can't taste....

Now, you have to understand that in order to not be at the mercy of other people's coffee when I do go with other people, I take along my backpacking stove, boiling container and French Press. For some reason, I go to bed early and get up early. I usually get up when it's still dark, brush my teeth, and start the coffee. To me, Folgers, Maxwell House and Chock Full O Nuts isn't real coffee. An "average" coffee would be 8 O'clock Bean Coffee and a top notch would be organic free trade dark roast that you'd get at a health food store. I guess my exposure to real coffee overseas means that I prefer espresso....also, powdered creamer doesn't count. I like to go with either soy milk or at least regular whole milk.

Back to this weekend.....

After making a light French Press full of coffee since there were other people having some, I used 4 scoops for a 32 oz pot full. April was the only one making a face about "Blah....this is like tar...this is like espresso". The boys thought it was fine. I thought it was fine. It was mentioned that, although Kevin doesn't drink the stuff, he does make it. I asked him how much he puts in and how much he makes for her. He said one scoop for 4-6 cups. WHAT? No wonder she doesn't like real coffee. I won't rag on her too hard because out of the Paula Dean cooking camping kitchen ya'all, came some really scrumptious marinated steaks replete with goat cheese, mushrooms and onions....I'm sure there was butter in there somewhere....YUM!

Teva LifeAgents Contest

Teva (the shoe company) is giving several people $10,000 to go on your dream adventure trip. All you need to do is write or present a video essay about the trip you would take with the money if you won. Details here



$10,000 is quite a bit of jack to take a dream trip.

Mine would be a backpacking/camping/fly fishing trip to Costa Rica....backpacking the eastern mountains, down to the Caribbean, camp on a pristine beach, and be wading a flat, fly fishing for bonefish.

Now I just need to find someone as crazy as me to go with.....

Black Friday Camping Trip at Hillsborough River

Went camping out at Hillsborough River State Park after Thanksgiving with Julie, Her son Chris and my dog Lacy. It was Lacy's first camping trip at a family campground. I've taken her backpacking with me before but this was a different experience for her. She loved it.

It was chilly (40) and good campfires were needed. We were snug in our new sleeping bags though. Thankfully, they zip together.

Got out the longstick and was chasing small bass with a purple and black bendback. Had a few chasers but no takers....and of course, hung up my favorite crease fly on a brush pile across the river.

We made a nice dinner one night consisting of steak on the campfire, shrimp kabobs, and potato salad and of course, the always popular S'mores.

Lacy did something really funny. After she ate, she scratched at the door of the tent, so I let her in. She laid down on the air mattress and went to sleep. It was so funny.

Also, the families with kids all left on Sunday, so we pretty much had the whole park to ourselves Sunday afternoon on.

It was a good trip and great finale for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Any Takers for Florida Keys Trip?

Ok...I have this crazy idea.

As was mentioned a few posts back, Julie and I booked a trip to Long Key State Park in the Florida Keys for April 11th-16th 2010. This is prime time for bonefish in the Keys and quite possibly one of the best bonefish flats in the US. Plus the campsites are right on the water and literally steps away from your tent door....plus, it's probably the most inexpensive place to stay in the Keys, as it were, if that interests you. You can camp there for the entire 6 days for under $200.00.

Anyway, back to my crazy idea.

I think it would be cool to get folks together and do this on an annual basis. Bonefishing in the Keys with my favorite bloggers and readers....

If anyone is interested is going, book your campsite now....they go fast and the best time to book a trip there is as far in advance as you can. If you need us to, we can pick you up at Key West Airport.

We'll be in campsite 2. Let me know if you're going to be there.

Camping trip and fall gorge fest

Ok folks!

After much editing of the blog and an exceptional absence, I'm proud to announce an upcoming camping trip the first weekend in November that will get this blog rocking again. Even though it's only out to Hillsborough River State Park (to which I've been countless times), the chance to get out into the woods and build campfires and possibly fish the river for bass is almost too much for me to contain! I'm hoping to get the camera sorted before then as to have some new images to add.

I'm also itching to get out on the flats because the fall gorge fest that the reds and snook take part in before winter. As soon as the water temp drops, I'm hoping to hit a few ambush points along the mangroves with some new flies I've tied....the small pinfish imitations and toad fish look alikes should work fine.

Got a new Pflueger 12 weight reel from wflies a while back and never got to try it out before the end of tarpon season. It's very well built and I'll be pairing it with a Wild Waters 12 weight rod. These are really nicely made 4 piece 9 foot rods. Google them and see what you're missing out on.