Improv
Frequently campers are required to improvise. Sometimes it just means coming up with a way to cooked a particular meal. It might be a way to set up the cooking area  to be convenient. Often it is a way to do without an item that was not packed or left behind. Since this occurs frequently on our trips I have decided to photographing some of our inventions. If you would like to submit your own photo please send them via e-mail and I will evaluate them for inclusion here. 

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Pancakes anyone?
When our spatula turned up missing a piece of plastic was cut from a side of a milk jug and fastened to a stick. It might not look pretty but kids got their pancakes.
         
Note: For extra support the stick extended further on the bottom side than the top side.

Coffee to Go
To satisfy our most avid coffee drinker, we found a great way to give that fresh brewed taste with out the hassle of a special coffee maker. Just place fresh grounds into a drip filter. twist the top of the filter and seal by twisting short pieces of aluminum foil around the top and drop directly in boiling water. Maxwell House sells sealed filter packs that work great but our critic will only drink fresh ground using vanilla flavored beans purchased from Dunkin Donuts. And believe it or not when she goes camping she brings her own ants with her but that's a story for another web site.

Kitchen is open for business
Knowing that there would not be a fire pit available, the chief cook and bottle washer for this group, threw a few concrete blocks in with his fire wood. His quickly assembled kitchen was great but the fresh game cooked on it was even better

Note: the blocks can be turned on their side for increased ventilation or up and down to better reflect the heat.

Eggs without pans
This wasn't our invention but we did use it on a trip where the egg pan was left at home. We cooked a couple of eggs inside an empty orange peel from a orange picked within the park. We also cooked a couple inside an onion. Both methods resulted in unique flavoring. And last but not least eggs cooked in a paper bag. I have a 4th method I wish to try, boiling eggs in a paper cup but we left those at home as well as the pan. Don't let the picture fool you the eggs in both the orange peels and onions cooked better directly on the coals.

Homemade Sports Equipment
It is surprising what you can do  with a little imagination and things you find laying around. The mallet, made from a tree branch also worked great for pounding in tent stakes.