Teardrop Trailer Trip to Benton Hot Springs and Boundary Peak

For the Labor Day Weekend, we took off for the very edge of the California/Nevada border and had a semi-relaxing few days at Benton Hot Springs. Highway 120 on the way to Benton (from beautiful Mono Lake) is an excellent highway for towing. It's free of any traffic, has some great boondocking spots, and a few roller coaster ride hills.

One day was spent attempting to hike to the top of the tallest mountain in Nevada—Boundary Peak. At 13,147 feet, it is actually more difficult to get to than many tall peaks in the area. You first have to drive an old dirt mining road up several thousand feet just to reach the trailhead. The steep trail then goes up to about 10,500 feet before it reaches a tallus field. This tallus field is where I had to bail out. With one step forward, I would slip about three feet back. My friends continued on, but also had to quit the hike when the trail got too sketchy and dangerous. Maybe that's why the mountain only has a few hundred visitors a year, and a small fraction of them ever reach the top.

The rest of our time was spent relaxing in the private hot pool of our Benton campsite. Benton Hot Springs sites each have their own pool constantly filled with natural, hot water.

His and Hers Minimalist Teardrop Trailer Dopp Kits

Our teardrop trailer dopp kit used to be a single box where we kept shared toiletry items. My husband and I finally realized that we would always be yelling back and forth between campground showers as to who had the soap, toothpaste, bath scrubby, etc. So, I decided to get us each our own his and hers dopp kits.

The blue and pink color coding has nothing to with our gender, but I just happen to like hot pink (matches my camping jacket) and he likes blue. I picked up two soft-sided toiletry bags from Amazon that fit perfectly on top of each other inside our clothes cabinet. The brand is Yeiotsy, but I don't think this particular type is available anymore. You can pick up something similar.

In addition to getting new kits, we got rid of our traditional towels and went with lightweight sports towels which dry a lot quicker. They are also color coded to match the kits...of course. :-) The kits fit a variety of toiletries, a bath scrubby, and first aid supplies. The towels are so small that they also fit inside each kit.

Escaping the Heat: Teardrop Trip to the Mountains

With the soaring summer heat, we decided to take off for the weekend to one of our favorite places in the Sierra Nevada. Forest camping, kayaking, swimming, and sitting around the campfire were the only plans—until the smoke from the northern California fires started to encroach the area. Strength and blessings to the firefighters and residents affected by the fires.

Grand Canyon and Desert Southwest Teardrop Trip

A few weeks ago we were finally able to shake the snow off the Sunflower and head into the Southwest for some desert camping, whitewater rafting, and a stunning hike out of the Grand Canyon.

Our primary goal on this particular trip was a motorized river rafting trip down the Colorado River through the upper portion of the Grand Canyon. For certain this is an item on many bucket lists, so were were so excited to finally do it. We booked a four-day trip with Hatch River Expeditions out of Marble Canyon, Arizona with a hike out of the canyon on the infamous Bright Angel trail up to the South Rim of the canyon.

Our trip began with a drive down the Extraterrestrial Highway and a few nights in Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas. The oldest and largest state park in Nevada is a gem. Full of red sandstone, petroglyphs, great hiking and storm skies, this place is now one of my favorite places to camp. The teardrop attracted a lot of attention from the primarily European RVers traveling through the American Southwest.

When we arrived in northern Arizona (through a snowstorm near the North Rim), we were able to park the teardrop and our vehicle near the river raft headquarters and then we started on our adventure. The trip consisted of two large rafts, three guides, about 20 passengers, camping on riverside beaches, delicious food, and freezing cold rapids. It was a blast and recommended for anyone who loves the the outdoors and doesn't mind roughing it a bit.

The hike out of the Grand Canyon is not for beginners. We were happy we had already backpacked Mount Whitney because the Bright Angel Trail is hot and a lot tougher than we thought it would be. While the hike was just over eight miles and very beautiful, the steep terrain and log steps made the relatively short hike take a long time. We started at 5:30 in the morning and got to the top at around 1:00 pm. I drank over six liters of water—incredible since the temperature never got over 70 degrees.

On our trip back home we stopped at another bucket list location: Cathedral Gorge State Park. This odd and haunting place in Nevada near the Utah border has eerie formations created from erosion eating away at bentonite clay pillars. Several of these formations create narrow caves that you can explore. The farther you go in, the cooler it gets since the desert sun can't penetrate the interior.

Will a thermal cooker work with a teardrop trailer?

A few weeks ago I became very interested in thermal cookers as an efficient, non-electric way to cook food while camping. Video bloggers, Phil and Vanessa live full time out of their Honda Element and use their Saratoga Jacks thermal cooker to make meals on the road without having to plug anything into a socket.

The way a thermal cooker works is by using thermal mass to slowly cook food that has already been brought to a boil. A thermal cooker is essential two pots: one is a thick bottom pot that holds the food and is placed on the fuel source such as a camp stove. The food is brought to a boil and then placed into the second pot, essentially a large Thermos. The food continues to cook for a few hours, providing a hot meal without having to cook something on the spot.

Normally, when we are teardrop camping or on the road our lunches are cold. We have sandwiches, dips, crackers, tuna, etc. I thought a thermal cooker might be a great way to enjoy a warm meal while in transit or while at the campground. We could start it in the morning and within 3-4 hours we could have lunch. Or we could start a dish in the afternoon and have a quick dinner. This could be beneficial if we are camping later in the year when it gets dark earlier or we don't want to cook outside.

Last weekend, I tested a thermal cooker by Cook's Essentials. This was the smallest thermal cooker I could find and one I thought would fit in the teardrop trailer easily. I tested it in my home kitchen with a vegetable curry similar to Phil and Vanessa's road-worthy recipe. In the top pot provided with the Cook's Essentials system, I placed some rice and beans we already had on hand.

I brought the vegetables (sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic), red curry paste, coconut milk and some Bragg's Liquid Aminos to a boil in the inner pot on the stove. I placed the pot into the thermal cooker and went for a three hour hike in the hills. When I got back...success! I had a tender, vegetable curry that was still hot. The top pan with the rice was less warm, but all the food was cooked and retained heat for quite a while.

I have yet to test this on the road. I would need to find a space in our trailer where the pot won't topple over and spill the liquid. While in camp, the pot will fit nicely in our galley until we return for a hot meal.

I'm now on the lookout for a few good recipes...

The 5 best condiments to take on a camping trip

When we go out on a teardrop camping trip, we are limited by space. Our food takes up the majority of the galley area, but we do find room to take a few items that add a little more spice to our meals. There are a few handy condiments that always make it along on every trip, and each can do double or triple duty.


Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Rather than soy sauce, we bring a small container of Bragg's Liquid Aminos. The sauce tastes just like soy sauce, but without all the sodium. We use the aminos in everything from marinades to salad dressing to fried rice.


Cholula Hot Sauce

We really can't go on any camping trip without Cholula Hot Sauce. It's not overly hot and has a really nice, piquant flavor that goes great with everything from eggs and burritos to corn on the cob. We prefer the original flavor.


Kirkland Signature Imported Pesto

I put pesto on everything from pasta to sandwiches. It's also great in potato salad, on wraps and even on scrambled eggs. Unfortunately, it does need to be refrigerated, so it's a condiment that we have to keep in the cooler. We bring a small container of the Kirkland Signature Imported Pesto from Costco since the original container is too large.


Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar

You can tell we like our Asian flavors. We love to bring along a bottle of Kikkoman's Seasoned Rice Vinegar for everything from quick pickles to salad dressing. It's also a good marinade for fish.


Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce

No camping trip is complete without burgers or steak. We like to generously dose our meat with Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce. The sauce is also another great marinade for ribs or skirt steak.

The Sunflower and the Great American Eclipse

Last week we packed up the Sunflower and headed to central Idaho to experience the Great American Eclipse. After listening to tales of the "apoceclipse" for several months, we were expecting the worst, but ended up having an amazing adventure.

After driving through the massive amounts of traffic...

...lining up for gas...

...fighting for space...

...and fending off hordes of multi-colored zombies...

...we finally made it to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes near Rexburg, Idaho.

The dunes were wild with ATVs and motorcycles, but the majority of the people there were visiting for the eclipse. It was the perfect place to set up camp, explore the area and get ready to film on Monday morning.

Then it happened...one of the most amazing experiences of my life.