our trip in the deep Ozarks

ArkansasDon

ArkansasDon

Adventurist
Sally & I took off for a few days up in bear country in the Ozark National Forest for some cool weather dispersed camping.

We went way back in the woods, not one individual was seen except for a U.S. Forest Ranger & a Game Warden driving by. I took a 1\4 rick of firewood & after 2 days of burning wood I had 6 pieces of firewood left.

Our 1st night was 25 degrees w\ day time high of 50. I though I would have to pull out the Propex H2000 furnace but we didn't need it. The second night was 37 degrees w\ high of 64. We kept warm with 20 degree sleeping bags.

We camped on a ridge line with great view of the Ozarks where we star gazed & went for walks. The hot showers & latrine (Ironman Bush Toilet) shelter worked great.

One morning Sally made breakfast cinnamon rolls with the Camp Chef Everest Stove & the Coleman Camp Oven & hot coffee, that was some fine eat'n right there, with a big slab of butter melting on top of that hot frosting.

The Renogy solar system kept our battery charged & cell phone charged, NO signal but a telemarketer manage to get through while we were up there.

Rain was in the forcast tonight (Thrusday) & some thunder boomers & heavy rain for Friday, so we headed back to home. Great 2 day camping trip, re-freshing, the overland camping trailer pulled nice & held up great down those secluded narrow forest roads with a few more rock chips on the face of the fenders. We were in 39 miles in, 19 miles off the main dirt road.

Tons of coyotes howling @ night, group wild hogs came by our camp, & even heard a few whoops from some critter. This was our 4th outing since I finished the trailer build.

Got to find a solution to this uncomfortable mattress problem.
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The 1st day the winds kicked up about 12mph, I bought one of them Campfire Defenders blanket. On another site, some of the members thought it was a waste of money & time.

I cruz'ed their photo's most members camp at public camp grounds with high metal fire rings. We only disperse camp, go far back into deep country where their is NO people or cell phone signal.

I purchased this item because I wanted that peace of mind known while I am sleeping that no embers will leave my fire ring & start the woods on fire. I do not want to pay for firefighters or their equipment used to put out a forest fire. Plus if I am camping in cooler weather I do not want to drown out my fire with water & have a hard time the following morning trying to restart it.

The many uses of this blanket is great, a shield to block the wind (shown in my photo) plus it radiates the heat back @ you. The video shows its main purpose too.
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That's pretty darn interesting... I needed a few more details on the Campfire Defender.

Not exactly cheap but as ARDon described it's a very cheap one-time insurance policy against out-of-control fires, plus it keep your coals ready for the next day, windshield, etc., that packs down into a small footprint.

Good piece of kit - thanks for sharing!
 
Looks like a great trip! We put a memory foam topper on top of our mattress and that helped some. I am gonna try a self-inflating sleeping pad in place of the topper next. My wife has relatives in Fayetteville and we have been talking about camping on the way there, coming from Alabama could you recommend a must see camping area? Here is our setup
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I may have to get on board the Campfire Defender wagon. I use the fire pit in the back yard 2-3 times a week, and there is always the hassle of dealing with it when you get sleepy. Just the peace of mind is worth the price.

Full-size (Camp Fire Defender Pro) is down to $159 on Amazon.
 
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