This year we are going to go camping for the 4th of July. The 4th of July is my husbands birthday, and he likes to go camping for his birthday. We have a small 23ft trailer that we tow, and a 69′ fishing boat that we take out.
Some years we will desert camp in Southern Utah, and some years we will camp in the forest, usually up in the Uinta Mountains of Northern Utah. There are lots of good dispersed campsites all over Utah. I swear every year gets busier and busier with more people than ever camping, so it is imperative to book months in advance if you want to reserve a campground camp site.
If you are interested in dispersed camping in Utah, you can look up BLM land. Camping on BLM land is allowed all over the country, however the western United States has a lot more BLM land available for use compared to the East coast.
I have spent years curating my camping gear, and have compiled a list of my favorite gear, here.
Birthday Planning
This year’s birthday theme for Kole is nautical. He loves being on boats, fishing, sailing, snorkeling and diving. If he could live on a boat, he would do it. He has taken sailing lessons and owns a fishing boat. So I thought this would be a fun theme, and it includes the typical 4th of July colors, red, white and blue.
I picked up this birthday banner to hang on the outside of our trailer. Link here. I also picked up some fun nautical themed birthday plates, and some candles.
Birthday Dinner: Classic Americana
- Grilled Hot Dogs
- Potato Salad
- Deviled Eggs
- Chips
- Fruit Platter ( I’m going to include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, banana’s, and a dragon fruit) for a red, white and blue colored plate
Camp Meal Planning:
When I plan out meals for camping trips I will make a high level list of how many meals we will need, then from there I plan out meals, and create a shopping list. I will also make a list of items that we have at home, so that I remember to pack them for our trip.
I’m planning on baking my favorite gooey, soft chocolate chip cookies before we leave. You can find the recipe on this blog post here. For the second night I’m planning on making carne asada tacos with a kiwi pico de gallo salsa. My husband loves kiwi’s so I thought this recipe would be fun and add a bit of summer flavor to the salsa.
Camp Activities
- Kubb– This is a fun game that originates from Sweden, some even say it is an old viking game. It can be played on grass, sand, or dirt. Basically you set up wooden blocks and try to knock them down with a dowel. It’s a really fun game that adults and children will like to play
- Cornhole– This is a bean bag toss game, that adults and children love. You can buy smaller sets that are more portable, or larger sturdy wooden sets that are perfect for home (or taking camping if you have a truck)
- Lake Day– There is a small reservoir near where we will be camping. It has a sandy beach, and a boat ramp. The water is relatively shallow so it will be warm, and you can swim or float. We do have kayaks, and I have been wanting to buy a SUP for a couple of years now. Dogs are allowed, which is nice, because our Weimaraner Ernie loves to hang out with us at the lake. Even though he is a water dog, he is terrified of getting in all the way.
This will be a shorter long weekend camping trip, because we used up a lot of vacation days on our recent trip to Japan. If you are interested in reading about our Japan adventures, stay tuned!
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