CAMP COFFEE

Coleman aluminum percolator

Making coffee from scratch at camp is not as difficult as it seems. The hardest part is getting water to boil, so I use a white gas Coleman pump stove (I found one through Craigslist in someone’s basement for $40). I also use a Coleman aluminum percolator that you can get at any department store. Here’s how I do it:

1.    Water-fill the percolator to the full line or desired amount. I use bottled water instead of the campground spigot.

2.    Place a coffee paper filter into the basket by poking a hole in the center with the percolator stem.

3.    Fill the basket with coffee—the more the stronger. I fill it approximately ¾ full and it’s plenty black and strong.

4.    Place the basket on the stem and set the basket lid on top.

5.    Place the apparatus into the percolator and set the percolator lid on top.

Lighting a white gas Coleman pump stove is tricky but is a good way to boil water quickly outdoors. The first time I started up a Coleman stove, I was really unsure about it; so, here’s what I learned:

Coleman Stove

1.    Remove the red tank and generator assembly from storage position underneath the grill; do this by pulling up the right side and turning it towards you.

2.    Fill the red tank with white gas. Just about any sporting goods department sells white gas by the gallon. There’s a twist-off cap at opposite end the generator. Be sure replace it tightly as it will be place under pressure.

3.    Unlock the plunger by turning it counterclockwise a half turn, place your thumb over the hole on the knob, and pump the tank 35 to 50 times.

4.    Lock the plunger by turning it clockwise a half turn.

5.    Place the red tank and generator into the green stove: there are two hooks on the red tank that hang it from two slots in the front of the green stove; a hole in the stove leads the generator stem to the silver manifold.

6.    Turn the instant light stem up. Hold a struck match to the master burner while turning open its black-knobbed valve—it should light immediately; if not, turn off the valve and inspect the condition of the generator and its parts.

7.    Once lit, burn the oxygen out of the tank by turning the master burner high until all orange flame has evaporated into blue flame. Blue heat is desired.

8.    After long use, pressure in the red tank may go down. You can pump more pressure during operation. Be sure to hold the tank steady in your left hand while pumping with your right.

Once the water begins to boil in the peculator, the stem will begin to spout coffee in the glass knob on top. About 1 to 1½ minutes of spouting or brewing should be enough. Remove the peculator or turn off the stove. Caution: boiled coffee is much hotter than coffeemaker coffee. Once cooled to drinkability, camp-brewed coffee is very enjoyable outdoors. 

CADE'S COVE

John Oliver Cabin

Cade’s Cove is home to ghostly homesteads on rolling, Cherokee-made prairies inside the mountains. The 14 mile loop road passes centenarian frontier houses, barns, churches, and a mill that anyone can walk through. The two-storey John Oliver cabin was the first to be hand-built in the cove and today has more "f**k yous" and so-and-so's family is #1 carved in the walls than perhaps the whole cove. A sign out front called “Bob was Here” tells the story of a man who was fined $100 for scratching his great, imbicilic initials into the pine. When I stepped into the cabin, I smelt a rustic,  old-timey smell that took me back to my elementary school where I was paddled for climbing railings and laughing at the punishment. I also had to write sentences. I was ten and Bob wasn't.

Cable Mill

Cable Mill is as adventurous as the day it was built by hand. First sign we read on the homestead warned us of snakes living underneath the boards of the historic structures. Just beyond the sign a small barn stood with a small serpent head popping out of the floorboards---the sign was no joke. The white house use to be a general store down the road and was purchased by a woman who owned the mill and farm. The inside is virtually unchanged with the exception of more graffiti wallpapering.
The slash-and-burn prairies were perhaps the best attraction. The clearing gave way to scenic pictures of the Smokies---dark blue and grey rocks above a green tree line and yellow fields below. The fields grew crops years ago but today they are a sea of tall grass, most likely periodically mowed by the National Park Service to retain its views and quaintness. Folks here and there lawn-chaired along the loop road. It was nice.
Even though the speed limit is 15 MPH on loop road you will be tailgated. Sight-seeing and sereneness demands a slower speed. The loop road is a well-paved, one-lane road frequented with spaces to pull aside for viewing and reducing traffic (side-spaces are common in the entire park). However, it is uncommon to see tires rapping the pavement in your mirrors. It takes about 45 minutes to get to Cade’s Cove and about two-three hours to drive and see the loop. The views were awesome. We weren’t in a hurry.

Cade's Cove