Over the weekend, I visited the Olympic Peninsula. Specifically, I went CAMPING on the peninsula. I am not the biggest of camping fans - it often seems like a lot of energy expended just to pretend to be homeless. But I've learned that when you can camp in a beautiful rainforest, the effort doesn't seem quite so taxing. In addition to this, over the weekend I learned:

1. It is possible for tupperware in a hot car climbing to high elevations to "pop," as in, lose their tops and tip over. This can be annoying and messy when carrying small containers of dish soap and maple syrup in the same bag.

2. It may be a good idea to verify what poison oak looks like before hunting for effective marshmallow cooking sticks. I didn't run into any poison oak, but it only takes somebody asking you once if you saw any to give you pause before using the sapling you just cut.

3. Nalgene water bottles can be used to shake pancake batter to perfection when you don't have any alternative. I now plan on using mine even when making pancakes at home.

4. When you really need to clean your pots/pans/dishes while camping, you will use what ever water source is available - even if it is a giant toilet. That's right, I said, toilet. I guess this is the only way to be sure that food waste is removed enough to make sure that animals won't be tempted. It has to be flushed away. Needless to say, I was not the only person who stood paralized with confusion in front of this contraption.

Me: Um.... does anybody else have a problem with this?
Guy: I dunno, man. I'm waiting for my wife.