Breakfast is often our biggest meal of the day when we go camping because we like to spend most of the day out on the trails exploring. That means we need a good breakfast to fortify us. Eggs seem to give us the most staying power so we have them a lot.

On our last camping trip we experimented a little bit and came with the recipe that’s now one of our favorites. It’s scrambled eggs with italian sausage and vegetables. We made it two days in a row and had it with whole grain toast and fresh fruit.

Here’s how we made it:
Breakfast Eggs Italian Style
Ingredients for every two people:
1 mild italian sausage with the sausage removed from the casing
olive oil - about 2 tablespoons (regular olive oil; not extra virgin olive oil)
1/4 each of a green pepper and a red pepper; chopped
1/4 of a sweet onion, chopped
6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 eggs
2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper to taste

In a large frypan over your campfire or on your cookstove (we used both - a cast iron pan over the campfire and a non-stick pan on the cookstove; they were great both ways), fry the sausage in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil crumbling it into bite size pieces. Add the chopped peppers, onion, and mushrooms; saute for 1 to 2 minutes depending on how hot the pan is (the vegetables should get warmed through but still have some crunch to them).
In a small bowl, crack the 4 eggs and beat them with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with about 2 tablespoons of water (helps to make them extra light and fluffy).
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan; pour in the egg mixture. Cook and stir until eggs are cooked.
Serve immediately.

Notes: eyeball the olive oil and substitute the vegetables however you like. We didn’t measure anything. You can use as little or as much of the vegetables as you like, substituting to suit your taste. You can also use butter in place of the olive oil if you prefer.

Camping season is hitting it’s stride now that summer is here. That means people will be out in parks and the wilderness among the wildlife.

And with many new babies out there, it’s tempting for many people to want to try and interact with them but don’t do it.

Let me give you an example. I live in Wisconsin. May and June is when baby deer are born and it’s not uncommon to see a baby that looks like it’s all alone. But it’s usually not. It’s mother is hiding nearby. If you go up to that baby deer that you think may be alone and touch it, the chances of its mother coming back to it are slim because you left your scent on the baby.

The same goes for baby birds that have fallen out of their nests and nests of baby rabbits that look like they are all alone. Their mothers are nearby waiting for you to leave so they can go back to the nest and attend to their babies.

Even if you are 100% positive that the mother is dead, or if you find an injured animal, don’t approach it. Instead contact your local DNR (Department of Natural Resources) or law enforcement who will then in turn contact the DNR. They will make sure the animal is taken to certified wildlife rehabilitator to be cared for.

For more information, go the Department of Natural Resources website for your state. To find the DNR website for your state, go to google.com and type in: DNR plus the name of your state.

Do you like to go camping but hate setting up and taking down your campsite?

Evergreen Lodge, a hotel very close to Yosemite National Park, which offers fully furnished cabins for rent is offering a new service this year called “Custom Camping.”

The lodge sets up a tent campsite for you; you show up and use it. There’s no setting up and taking down on your part, nor do you have to pack any camping gear and lug it to and from the campsite.

According to Evergreen’s website the special tents are available on selected days from May to October. The tents sleep 1 to 4 people. The tents are mesh topped so you can look out at the stars. Inside the tent there are air beds, sleeping bags and liners, pillows, towels, toiletries, camping chairs, and a lantern.

A bathhouse that was built in 2005 is available for the exclusive use of custom campers plus there’s access to all of the property facilities which includes their restaurant, tavern, recreation building and all activities. You’ll appreciate having access to the restaurant because the only downside of custom camping is that no cooking is allowed at the campsites because of fire and bear related issues.

The cost is $50 to $80 per night.

To make reservations, call 209.379.2606 or send them an online reservation request by clicking here.