Going With Food For A Month

The wind is still blowing pretty good. It’s not howling like it has been for the last couple weeks, which was just grating on the nerves, but still going strong. It’s was supposed to let up today, but the weatherman lied. After getting the grandkids off to school, it was getting a bit late, so I’m off tomorrow morning to give the Arkansas River a go. I’ll be starting from Roger’s Point, Catoosa, near Tulsa. By clicking in the right margin for Ibi’s SPOT, you can follow along, or switch the display from map to satellite for a more realistic presentation. Jean will update briefly while I’m on the river, and I’ll give you the full report with pictures on my return.

Alpine Aire and Mountain House Freeze-Dried Foods

 

I don’t usually eat this high on the hog. Normally it’s Knorr noodles and an envelope of tuna for dinner, but my son was supportive enough to present me with a gift of some pretty fancy and delicious victuals by Mountain House and Alpine Aire. Except for a couple 2-day meal bags, they are all done up in gallon zip-lock bags with one bag containing everything needed for the day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and hot beverages. If I tell you what’s in the feed sack for this trip, I expect a number of people will want to sign on.

Morning Coffee.

I’ve never gotten into fresh perked coffee since I left Thistle and moved into the canoe. After trying a number of unsatisfactory options, I settled on Folgers individual coffee-bags. Just like foil-sealed tea bags, they stay fresh and serve a great cup of coffee every time. They’re a bit pricey, but what’s the value of a hot cup of coffee on a frosty morning?

 

Breakfast: Choices of granola, blueberries, and milk, or blueberry pancakes and syrup,

or a selection of flavored oatmeals.

 

Morning snack: granola and fruit bars while underway.

 

Lunch: This is pretty much my normal fare---tortillas with peanut butter and fruit jam. Tortillas are pretty indestructible. However, several mornings I have packaged soup which I thicken a bit with either potato flakes or stuffing mix to make it stick to the ribs a bit longer.

Dinner: Choices of Shrimp Gumbo, Turkey dinner with garlic, buttered mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, Fettuccine Alfredo and Tuna, Shrimp Alfredo with sun dried tomatoes, Hawaiian-style Teriyaki Chicken, and of course, Mac and Cheese.

For around the fire or star gazing: Pop-Tarts and hot drinks of cocoa or apple cider. The Pop-Tarts are an old stand-by. We used to use them on the night watches when doing ocean crossings under sail. For paddling, the foil envelopes keep them intact. No matter how long they’re in the food pack, even if you lay on them, sit on them, whatever, what comes out of the envelope is just as tasty, as long as you’re not concerned about presentation.