Well that’s just great. There is no grate. Since we couldn’t find a camping spot in Glacier National Park, we had to settle on a private camping ground outside of the park. We settled on one what advertised having WiFi but whose router was on the fritz. But, hey, it was somewhere the sleep.
Most campgrounds we visit we buy wood from the camp host. National Parks are trying to protect the woods from pests brought in by outside firewood, so we do our best to oblige. But now we weren’t in a national park and there was no campfire wood for sale. I was, however, welcome to collect our own.
Given that it had rained earlier, all the wood was wet. I collected soaked logs and sopping kindling and constructed a fire. Fortunately, I not only carried a large collection of useless paper to start a fire, but I also had a lot of cardboard from equally useless packaging. By building a cardboard and paper fire beneath the wood, I was able to sustain the fire long enough for the wood to dry off and catch.
Then there was a new challenge: how to cook. Most campsites in parks have a grate. This fire pit was just a ring of rocks. There was no grate. So I found some more wet wood and propped it along the rocky rim to hold up the cast iron pan over the fire.
Getting tired of quinoa? We aren’t. We found these excellent bags of precooked rice and quinoa. They are meant to be warmed up in a microwave but that is hardly flavorful. Instead, we saute the mix in olive oil and whatever magic flavoring comes with the cast iron pan.
I wrapped the salmon in tin foil with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. While I usually pan fry fish at home, I prefer the tin foil method for camp fires.
