Fall 2017 Campout

Thursday

What can be said about yet another foray to Rancho del Wasko? Plenty!

Thursday afternoon under the Mountain

Some intrepid campers, retired with nothing else to do, or just eager to justify the 675-mile one-way journey (Bosco, Ken, Steve, Kenny, Leah, Cheryl and myself) arrived on Thursday afternoon. The BP was in evidence once again, checking on each vehicle as it exited 98 onto Mt. Signal Rd. The SDG&E yard at the turn towards camp is now instead signed "US Government" and contains materials for shoring up the anti-vehicle wall and the heavy equipment to do so. Indeed, a pair of water trucks made countless trips up and down Signal Rd and the peripheries spewing untold gallons of water. Not much in the way of other activity was seen.

Bosco's newest addition.

Weather was fantastic- mid 70's with a nice light breeze that kept the flies away. Bosco fixed up the shrine to his folks with a painted paver (see above) and was so happy that Ken had brought a bag of sand ;)

Ken & Sue

It happened to be this reporter's birthday and I received some great presents (book, shirts, cap, 1.75 Bacardi) but the best present was the unforeseen (by me) arrival of Sue who surprised me by coming all the way out to spend the night at the Rancho. We all enjoyed great deep-dish pizzas courtesy of the Assistant Wagonmaster and Sue's always fantastic guac and chips.

Bosco installed a putting green near the flagpole and it was used off and on all weekend long. This reporter put two out of three putts in the hole and I don't know if that feat was equalled. The astroturf hid many, many rocks both small, and not so small...

Lots of Fireball was evident and it seems that consumption was somehow intertwined to the relating of stories from Bosco, especially the fabled "Monkey Story." We laughed so hard we cried. "Fireball?!?" 

The wind picked up a bit that evening and the full moon woke my dad up in his truck- it was amazingly bright and clear.

Friday

Friday found the Nevadans fixing a pancake and homemade sausage breakfast for the early birds. Eating well was a definite theme this trip. Sue returned to SD, a class or two to teach that day. The officers then laid out the frisbee golf course for Saturday and began welcoming Friday arrivals. Wayne and Jackie arrived in their jeeps and set up on the northside of camp. Uncle Mickey came in next and was unusually intent on a certain spot near Steve and the NV crew. His reasons would become apparent on Saturday.

The Newlyweds!

Bryan & Janeen Sims Myers soon were welcomed into camp with Bryan pulling Janeen's family rig. They were married just the week before and it was great to celebrate with them all weekend long.

When the Mooney Mobile Mansion arrived, there was a momentary struggle for camping spots as Mooney wedged the MMM right in front of the newlyweds rig- his usual spot. Very funny! Fisticuffs were averted however when the MMM was instead placed in a strategic spot just NE of the Myers-Sims mobile. It was entertaining for the rest of the campers to watch the finely-tuned Mooney setup routine. Everything from noodle and chair placement to the automatic leveling was remarked on and dissected by the peanut gallery with lots of funny observations- all tinged however with a bit of awe and camping respect at their setup prowess...

Bobby Wasko then arrived. His dad was ecstatic- not about his son's arrival but instead of the arrival of his beautiful wheelbarrow in the back of Bobby's truck. Bobby is a blast to have in camp. He gives 100%, 100% of the time, whether it's bringing in firewood, joining in the partying and bullshitting, sacrificing his pants for the good of the Crawl, or defending his bocce record. Great to have multiple Waskos at the Rancho once again. Mel & Marge were smiling down on us :)

Nate, Drew, & Drake then arrived in a snazzy pickup. They had their compound up in no time, as did the Bustos contingent. Vic & Aarons' compound was a bit less sophisticated and the pickup a lot less snazzy but their enthusiasm made up for their usual lack of camping gear.

I'd have to say that the award for Most Waskovian camping device goes to Steve Bouchard for his comfortable mattress (bubble wrap) with a close second going to the Assistant Wagonmaster for his Crawl decor...

The AWM had a plan to astound everyone later in the evening with a 7-11 style rolling hot dog cooker, but it did not work as well as it does in a convenience store. Instead, the plan went forward without the roller- the dogs cooked on the grill. Meanwhile, in honor of Señor Chong, a culinary genius from Guerrero Negro Mexico, we cooked bacon and onions and peppers to make Baja-style hotdogs for everyone. Piled high with the sautéed bacon/onions/chiles were copious amounts of ketchup, mustard and mayo along with jalapeños, cheese and tomatoes. A messy but delicious dog! They weren't quite as good as Señor Chong's but they seemed to be a hit.

The weekend's sunrises & sunsets were unreal...

Some campfire games ensued but the big news of the night was the undisputed reign of Ding and Dong (Bobby & Bosco) on the bocce court. They were on fire.

Their nicknames were given to them by a fed-up John Mooney who challenged them as they were sitting around the fire with the following words: "Ding. Dong. Bocce court. Now." Incredibly, the Waskos fought over who got to be "Dong" (Bosco). Some great night bocce games were played and witnessed, both in competition and in laughs, all weekend long.

Viki Mooney stayed up pretty late that Friday night and even imbibed a bit more than is her usual norm. A concerned Steve Bouchard asked her why she was headed to bed. "I'm drunk dammit!" was her demure response...

Winds came up again but they weren't too bad. Of course this reporter was snug in his trailer so my recollection might be somewhat skewed...

Saturday

Saturday dawned with the promise of a big day (and a few tylenol). Several campers slept in- not hung over or anything. Some guns were fired and a mellow breakfast and lunch ensued.

Janeen's mom Sheila and her boyfriend Bob arrived at the Rancho to spend the day. Both are fun and seemed to have a good time amongst us. I hope they return.

The first tee

After lunch, the Frisbee Golf Tourney began: six holes requiring uncompromising skill, a favorable wind, and a bit of luck. 18 participants grabbed their various discs and plunged (literally) into the first hole, a challenging par three from right off the cliff into the wash. Defending MSCC Disc Golf champion Steve Bouchard looked to be the early favorite, and looked the part in his 20 year old trophy cap. It was a warm day, and twice this reporter/golf tourney director had to fetch cold beverages for thirsty participants, but all survived the hour of competition.

Janeen finishing strong on the last hole

When all was said and done- competitive thirsts assuaged, bruised egos repaired- the scorecards were tallied. Five year old Drake Bouchard won the Junior Golfer prize (a frisbee) as his score of 27 beat 4 adults. But his dad Drew was the champion, scoring a low of 18 to take the coveted Champion's baseball cap and bragging rights for the next 20 years (or whenever we hold this tourney again).

After a beer or two for recuperation, work started on the main event of the 2017 Campout: the Crawl.

The instructions were simple: concoct a cocktail/beverage and appetizer to share with the rest of the campers. Ballots were given out and from those we would choose four prizes: best cocktail, best appetizer, best decor, and finally best host/hostess. This would be our dinner Saturday evening, and at various vehicles and campers a furious activity could be discerned. Decorations were put up and tables erected. Special attire and headgear were changed into. It looked to be a fantastic evening!

Ten stops were announced for the Crawl. Several last minute changes to the order were made as many were not ready or ready early. Here is the culinary and mixological journey we took that glorious night...

Uncle Steve's Half Shell House

Stop number one was a sophisticated foray to the East Coast. Steve Bouchard brought dozens of oysters, kept them on ice, and presented them with lemon juice, garlic, capers, onion and several other condiments to slurp down with. Along with the finest seafood came his bourgeois cocktail offering- Manhattans. The competition was just starting and it was already up many notches! Worried cooks and mixologists hurried from the Half Shell House back to their own stations to make sure their offerings were ready. Probably the classiest stop in the Crawl...

Mel's Mexican Mixers

Stop two was at the north end of camp at Wasko Row. Bosco was at the stove wielding tongs and a colorful hat. His quesadillas melting on his stove were given out to the ravenous Crawlers. A special Waskovian recipe tasting vaguely of Hormel Chili amongst other ingredients, the portions were generous and messy. But the service- the service was the talk of camp. The featured cocktail was called a Waskovian Margarita, placed in small cups by the enthusiastic Bobby and handed out and refilled with gusto (and a bit of skin). Perhaps seeing the level of competition started set so high by Steve, Bobby decided to take his uniform up (or down) a notch. With his shirt unbuttoned and a strategically placed sock in his skivvies (Bosco said he suggested for the placement to be in front rather than in the rear), he whipped around like a country dervish, distributing the Waskovian cocktails and refilling them from a large Mike's Hard Lemonade bottle. "The secret ingredient" Bosco confessed to me. "The only ingredient..." How could the next station stand up to this level of competition and undress?

Uncle Mickey's Island Fusion Hut

The answer of course was the outstanding UMIFH. Uncle Mickey's camping spot had not been chosen at random. With the mountain as his background, easy access to electricity, and the precipitous cliff behind him to discourage snooping, a well-planned station began to take form that afternoon. Rattan covering emerged, camouflaging the UM jeep. The pop up began to sprout island decorations and lighting. A mid-afternoon diplomatic tour of the Rancho, showing off to all his map of the Philippines- where his dad was from, where he had visited- just so happened to be the serving platter for that night. The sounds of island music and a blender cut into the evening. Jackie and UM suddenly appeared in fabulous sarongs. And then the intoxicating smells of skewered monkey began to drift over the camp. It was an assault on all four prizes! The Hut was the happening spot! Located right next door to the Half Shell House, the weary Crawlers recrossed camp to partake in the Fusionary magic. UM in his luau hat from many years ago and Jackie handing out leis started the experience. You were then handed a Yucca Blossom- a delicious cocktail of island origin. Then as you munched on edamame, you were served a skewer of marinated monkey. Delicious! You know, it tasted just like chicken... Then you grabbled a toothpick with Kahlua pig, a complex recipe of hot dog marinated in a secret sauce that included a certain coffee liquor. Actually pretty damn tasty! Of course the hospitality of the host and hostess were top notch. Again, the ingenuity and pure audacity of the MSCC members rose above and beyond once more. The upcoming ballot would have hard choices...

Aaron B & V

Stop number four had the Crawlers recrossing camp to the NW corner and the much hyped Aaron B&V. The decor was minimalistic but they chose their location carefully as it had the best view of the crawl. Vic was in charge of the cocktails and Aaron the appetizer, and that division of labor was very evident. Vic's cocktail was a temporary Waskovian solution- Plan B as it were. Maybe "Bustovian" is a better adjective. His original planned cocktail fell through when he left the ingredients back in OB. Rather than serve nothing at all, he concocted a version of the cocktail he had been drinking all weekend- it's name escapes me. It was a shaken cocktail with several ingredients but some Crawlers were less than enthusiastic about the alcohol content. Let's just agree that it was red and that it was a liquid of some sort. The star of the stop was Aaron's soup. He carefully brought it out of a cooler, cut up the fresh ingredients, and heated it on our stove. It filled our trailer with a delicious scent- I was eager to taste his handiwork. It turned out to be quite chunky- more of a stew than watery soup. It was however delicious and packed a kick of heat as well. This reporter enjoyed it thoroughly and had a second serving. High marks at the Aaron B&V for ambience (the Mountain in the background) and for the soup. And Vic did serve something. That's always a plus...

Reno House of Tapas

The fifth stop I am intimately acquainted with as I was one of the purveyors. Spain, and Spanish food and drink are favorites of ours so we decided to give the Rancho a taste of the tapas of Madrid and of the pintxos of Barcelona. First off, for our cocktail we chose Sangria. A couple of bottles of Spanish wine, some brandy, a little triple sec and lots of different juices and fruits and voila! It certainly was festive. Making them even more festive were the 18 pink plastic wineglasses I found at Goodwill for a dollar. With the appetizer, one kind wouldn't be enough for a true tapas spread. So I marinated olives in garlic, olive oil and herbs for a day at the Rancho for the first tapa. The second was more like a pintxo- jamon de serrano, Spanish manchengo cheese, and an apple slice on a slice of baguette. Very northern Spain. But my favorite tapa, found in Madrid, are fried peppers de Padrone- hot from the oil and lightly topped with course salt. A generator, a $20 deep fryer from Target, a bottle of oil (plus extra from a helpful Vavuska Mooney across the way) and Dios Mio! Yum! I didn't care if others liked them- I ate a couple of dozen :) Our slight attempt at decor amounted to small Spanish and Nevada flags. After what seemed like a blur our ten minutes were up and the crowd moved just across the way to...

Mrs. Emersome's Tasty Bits

Just the name evokes deliciousness! The subtle double entendres were lost on most, but the Mooney stop did not disappoint. At least not at first...

A huge amount of guacamole and chips awaited the hungry ex-tapas crowd. Quesadillas, pronounced "Case-ah-dill-ahs" in this establishment were more traditional than the more traditionally pronounced but spiced-up Wasko versions from earlier. And for their cocktail they offered not one but two kinds of margaritas- regular and strawberry. This is where the controversy started however. When the Assistant Wagonmaster was asked which type he wanted he was also asked if he wanted the glass salted. My poor father said no but Mooney proceeded to salt the glass anyway. What you ask? Where is the controversy in that? Just a botched beverage order, right? However it wasn't the salt that bothered the AWM, it was the salt application process. Most METB's that you see over in England or Mira Mesa use one of those round spongy things to moisten to glass edge to apply the salt. Not this station! Maybe in a Waskovian-inspired dream or maybe because Mooney believes that he is germ-free, he proceeded to lick the glass, get this- with his tongue!- and then dipped it in salt. Now I know that in some cultures in the South Pacific, Oceania and West Derby, this is acceptable cocktail serving behavior, but the Crawlers were aghast at this behavior. Because of this, most limited their margarita intake to 2-3 servings tops...

O.B. Forever!

Our seventh stop in an already epic Crawl was Wayne's O.B. Forever. His decor was deceptive. It seemed very minimal, and then as we moved over to his station near the Half Shell House, the moon appeared on the eastern horizon. Have I mentioned the full moon, cool clouds, and superior sunsets and rises? Wayne planned his placement in the Crawl perfectly. Hungry Crawlers sidled up in the moonlight for delicious "Loadmaster Wraps" and "Herculean" shots of a very fine eight year-old Bacardi Dark Reserve. This was my favorite cocktail. I once had a bottle of the Light Reserve, also eight years-old, but while smooth, it didn't have the civilized flavor and body of Wayne's dark rum. I did not have a wrap (I have an aversion to cheese in sandwiches- just ask my Uncle Steve about Ski Beach) but I made up for it with two servings of rum. Not a bad way to spend part of your evening. Great company. Smooth beverage. All under a huge ovalish golden rising moon...

The Blue Room

The eighth and final non dessert stop was the Myer's Blue Room. Probably the coolest and definitely the bluest station, everything was tinted blue. Blue electric lights hung from the awning. blue plates, shot glasses, napkins, decorations, even blue lit wristbands. Janeen and Bryan had the cool ambiance down, but how were their offerings? Were they up to par with all the previous ones? Yes they were.

Their cocktail was called a C#m Shot. The Cu% Shot was appropriately named. Equal parts chilled Rumchata and Fireball gave it a notorious look. Once you got past the look of it though, it was freaking delicious! Many people had seconds and thirds, including- I am not ashamed to say- me. I heard a bit of social commentary from an anonymous camper, "If the real thing tasted that good, everybody would be much happier!" ;)

Their appetizer was a perfect little slider with bacon and cheese. I'm a simple guy. Since I couldn't vote for my own peppers, the sliders got my vote. They were perfect. I had two... maybe three, but I think two. If we were scoring both together- one score for both appetizer and cocktail, The Blue Room would have had my vote. Yum and cu... yum.

Seasons Greetings!

The Stender-Bouchard consortium put together our first dessert station, Seasons Greetings. It was on the Northeast side of camp, kind of out in the boonies but worth the trek. Campers suddenly felt a winter's chill and heard Xmas music in the distance as they walked between the Blue Room and Seasons Greetings. Around the vehicles, hidden from view was a cozy station, seasonal scents wafting. A complex system awaited the by now intoxicated Crawler. Seemingly dozens of signs spelled out the bountiful goodness offered like some sort of North pole Farmers Market. Their beverage, mulled cider with or without spiced rum was doled out like a Kringle Starbucks, with personalized embossed names on the sides of generous coffee cups. "Victor B!" would be called out by the enthusiastic barista and so named cup would be handed to that particular person. Before you, as you waited for your December Nectar were seemingly dozens of roasted nut varieties, befuddling even the most sober of minds with their descriptions of ingredients and their names derived from prominent Campers. But oh how delicious! Despite the varying types I could only discern through my befuddled palate two main varieties- spiced deliciousness and spiced deliciousness with a bit of cayenne heat. Yum! My mellow glow was warm and spiced as a departed this otherworldly station for...

Desert Desserts!

The Assistant Wagonmaster Ken Bouchard had the last station in the crawl, and he did it up right. While his decor was not as flashy as say the Blue Room or the Island Fusion Hut, it fit his theme (notice the decorations in the bottom right corner). Showing everyone up, he had two appetizers and two cocktails, impeccably paired, as well as some lemonade for the kids. The first selection appealed to the Northern Europeans whilst the second appealed to the Southern. A fine Port wine was paired with dark chocolate and was delicious. Several people exclaimed their delight at the Port. The second pairing was my father's homemade limoncello, paired with vanilla Oreos. Freaking fantastic. All served by the AWM, or should I say 'Is 'Onher, as he broke out the sacred cook hat he usually only wears for Sunday breakfast for this auspicious occasion. The ten minutes turned to fifteen, then twenty as people lingered at his table. As he was the last station, I think I detected a bit of a sad air- people were sorry that the Crawl was ending. I passed out ballots to everyone, and some were still at his table. I then collected them and some were still at his table...

The tallying began in hushed secrecy in the Bouchard trailer. Some races were runaways whilst others were close and one required a tiebreak vote. Armed with the results, I gathered everyone around the fire.

Best Cocktail went to The Blue Room. Everyone loved the heck out of those %um Shots. Close on the Myer's heels was Desert Desserts and The Island Fusion Hut.

Best Appetizer was a tie between us (House of Tapas) and Mel's Mexicali Mixers. As I had the tie breaking vote I awarded the prize to the Wasko boys. Well done Ding & Dong!

Best Decor was a landslide. Uncle Mickey's Island Fusion Hut won with a distant second being the Blue Room. Someone, even though you weren't supposed to vote for yourself voted for Aaron's B&V. Hmmmm.

Finally Best Host/Hostess was anyone's to win. There were many contenders- the Hut, the Blue Room, Desert Desserts, and Mel's, but the winner by two whole votes were Bouchard, Bouchard, & Stender. Kind of has a nice ring to it, right?

A few more campfire games were played as well as night bocce where Bosco didn't win every game and became bitter once more. The usual late night shenanigans included a couple of O-Dee-O's but actually it was a more mellow night and this reporter didn't wait up for the first inklings of dawn like other trips but went to bed at a respectable 1:30am.

Sunday

We had put out a call for cement and buckets, shovels and the saving of water to repair/shore up the crumbling fire ring and at the break of day several intrepid Campers began the process with the accumulated supplies. They first emptied out the fire ring of ash and embers. They then gathered gravel and sand for aggregate and began mixing the cement. Bryan had a mixer that worked perfectly, and from what I'm told Nate, Drew, Bobby, Kenny, Bryan and Mooney, with some officer supervision knocked out the task before breakfast. If I have that crew wrong, forgot someone, then sorry. I was sleeping at the time :)

We had expected to do it after the big traditional communal breakfast but the crew finished it before some of us even awoke. There was some troweling still going on when I got up by the two Uncles. What I though was awesome was the form that I think Bobby made. Two nails, salvaged from around the fire ring holds it together I'm told. One of the Seven Wonders of Mount Signal... Thanks to all whom participated in labor and/or materials!

   The final event of the weekend was of course the communal breakfast. The AWM donned his hat once more and began frying up bacon and mounds of Spam. I deep fried the last of the peppers and some hashbrowns while Mooneys worked on eggs. Uncle Mickey made a salmon dish and the Myers trailer was busy as well with Janeen working her magic inside. Lo and behold, just as we were poised to dig in, a skillet of gravy and platter of biscuits appeared from the former Blue Room! I think that was a Mount Signal first. The biscuits were good, but the gravy was tremendous- full of sausage and velvety smooth <drool>. Needless to say it was a fine breakfast feast in the best traditions of the MSCC. As the morning drew on, Campers somewhat reluctantly packed up, readied their rigs and said their goodbyes. Another fantastic trip in the books. Another whole year to wait until we gather again. What events will we concoct for next trip? Who will win the vaunted cliffside camping spot, Bryan or Mooney? Tune in to the Facebook Group to find out or offer suggestions! Until next time,

Yo dee oh lee oh!