Solar Cooking and Bread

I love to bake bread and the solar cooker is fun to use. It doesn't cost anything to use while fresh baked bread makes even the simplest meal very good. In most instances, the bread will cook in one to two hours. You may want to use sugar, egg, or honey to help the bread brown on the top. The best time to bake bread is starting at 11am when the sun in high and hot. I have changed the way that I eat so I don't eat 3 meals at normal times. Often, I will eat one large meal in the early afternoon along with a nice breakfast in the late morning. No use conforming to time constraints when you have so much freedom.

How to do it
The dough needs to rise before you bake it so let it rise once in a warm humid area. Now, you will need a black pan with a lid on it. The dough gets punched down after the first rise and placed in the pan. It will rise again in the pan even in the refrigerator. Let the solar cooker warm up to 220-230F before you start to bake. It will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to bake the bread.

Bread recipes
There are a lot of bread recipes but here is one that doesn't use anything but basic bread ingredients. If you aren't familiar with making bread dough, find a good cookbook with the finer points of making bread.

French Bread

1 package yeast
2 cups water
4 1/2 cups white flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Dissolve yeast in one cup lukewarm water. Sift flour with sugar and salt into a large bowl. Stir in dissolved yeast. Add just enough of the second cup of water to hold dough together. Mix until dough is sticky. Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled. Butter or grease a round roaster and add dough to dark pan. Let rise another half hour. Cover. Bake in solar oven until golden brown, about 2 hours.

Solar Cooking
Solar cookers work great, are inexpensive, and use no fuel but the sun. They work great when boondocking in the desert. There are a lot of things you can cook in them. They make a great slow cooker to have a meal ready in the late afternoon.

Edible Plants

You will find a lot of edible plants while out boondocking. You don't have to know all those exotic plants that are edible or the difference between a good mushroom or a poison one. Just stick to the ones you are familiar with and know how to use in your daily meals. You can find plants in public places, along right of ways, and even ask some farmers for extra. Foraging can be a good way to cut your food costs.

Nuts, Berries, and Fruits

Nuts, berries, and fruits are some that are easily recognizable in the wild. They also tend to be some of the more expensive food items in the store. Even on public lands, you can pick all you want for your personal use. Nuts, fruits, and berries can add flavor and be a treat for your basic diet. The exercise you get while hiking around looking for food is also good for you.

Pecans, bramble berries(blackberries, dewberries), and blueberries are common. There is even a place in West Virginia where you can get cranberries. Don't forget wild grapes and even mulberries. Wild fruit trees can be seen along right of ways and on public lands. Anything from apples, pears, peaches, or even persimmons can be had if you just look around while driving or walking.

Herbs and Wild Vegetables

Herbs and wild vegetables are the next easiest plants to identify. Wild onions and garlic can be found a lot of places. Herbs and vegetables can be found where gardens used to be tended but grow wild now. Asparagus is one plant that grows for 20 years. I also carry some pots around with my favorite herbs in them like basil and rosemary. I use the local water source to keep them healthy instead of using my potable water. They always get put out if he looks like rain.

What I take with me when hiking is a back pack full of plastic containers, water of course, my lunch, and some plastic bags. When I come across edible things in the wild, I can collect them and they are then easily transported back home. Take your fair share and leave the rest for others and the local wildlife.

Free boondocking in your RV in the Carolinas

I love the Appalachian area and this is a short trip headed to the coast after spending some time there. It will take you through the Carolinas. In this series of free camping spots, I selected 4 places you can stay for 14 days each. After each 14 day stay, visit a low cost campground with full services to take that long hot shower and recharge your batteries. After your water tank is full, you can travel along to the next boondocking adventure. Two months and you only have to pay for for those 4 nights camping.


There is a complete trip across the southern states and one across the southwestern states if you are a full timer and want to enjoy these area for a few months.




A: Franklin, NC
Franklin is a small mountain town surrounded by beautiful streams, waterfalls, mountains, hills and valleys. The Franklin area is the Gem Capitol of the World, so if you try your hand at mining you are bound to find many beautiful and sometimes very valuable stones. The forest is the Natahala and Franklin is 11 miles away from the Appalachian Trail. It is a popular stop for hikers. The Mountain Waters Scenic Byway is a 61.3-mile drive that winds through southern Appalachian hardwood forest, two river gorges, and rural countryside. Traveling from Highlands to Almond the byway follows U.S. 64, old U.S. 64, SR 1310 (Wayah Road), and U.S. 19.

In Franklin, NC, at the intersection of US Routes 23/441/64, take US Route 64 west for 12 miles to Wallace Gap/campground sign (Old Murphy Road. Old 64). Turn left onto Old Murphy Road and proceed 1.9 miles to the sign for the campground. (Forest Route 67) Turn right onto Route 67 and drive 1.8 miles to the "Y" intersection. Just pass the campground is forest service road. There are some decent spots where you can park a travel trailer along the Forest Service Road. You just have to search for suitable locations.


B: Mills River, NC
This is a popular spot for fishing, mountain biking, and horseback riding. There are several popular starting points for trails along both the North and South Mills Rivers. The South Mills River is rugged and wild, with many excellent trails criss-crossing the gorge and mountains through which it runs. Several of these trails can be accessed from the Turkeypen trailhead. Don't forget tubing or floating on the river. It is a popular past time in the area.

Public campsites in the Pisgah National Forest along a gravel road in the mountains. From Asheville, follow Interstate 26 East to Exit 9 (Asheville Regional Airport). At Exit 9, follow SR 1419 past the airport, to the intersection with Highway 191. Turn left onto Highway 191, and then turn right onto SR 1345. Follow signs to the North Mills Recreation Area. Following FS 479 from the recreation area to the first Forest Service road on the left accesses the upper North Mills River, Big Creek, and Fletcher Creek. Primitive camping is allowed on forest Service lands throughout the North Mills River area, except where signed: no camping.

C: Whitmire, SC

The Sumter National Forest and its diverse resources provide a full range of active outdoor recreation activities. These include hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, canoeing, photography, scenic viewing, etc. The Tyger, Enoree, and Broad Rivers flow through the Enoree Ranger District. All three rivers, along with several of their major tributaries, offer good fishing for catfish, bream, and bass and have several good access points along their lengths. Don't forget to check out the Woods Ferry Recreation Area.

Check with the local rangers in Whitmire for a primitive camping pass.

D: Congaree National Park Hopkins, SC

This is an old growth forest with hiking, canoeing, fishing, and just general enjoyment of large shade trees. There are numerous hiking trails here with the Oakridge trail being a moderate one. It passes through a rich stretch of old-growth forest and is a good choice. Traveling by canoe or kayak is a great way to enjoy this primeval wilderness while floating past some of the tallest trees in eastern North America. Paddling is also a thrilling way to encounter the diverse wildlife of the park. Deer, river otters, turtles, snakes, raccoons, and wild pigs are a few of the animals that may be seen. The Congaree River Blue Trail is a 50-mile designated recreational paddling trail, extending from the state capital of Columbia, downstream to Congaree National Park. Paddlers begin with an urban adventure experience, with quick access to the Three Rivers Greenway hiking trails, as well as opportunities to learn about the historic significance of the capital city, including prehistoric Native American sites on the river's tributaries

You must enter from the North, off Hwy 48. Look for bluff road, then Old Bluff Rd. Stop off at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center for a camping pass.

Fall Foliage

You can't spend a lot of time in the National Forests of the US without looking forward to the fall and the turning of the leaves. There are many areas where you can go for the fall to see  the most beautiful foliage of the year. I like going to the smoky mountains but I am sure each person has there own favorites. Either way, you need to go hiking deep into the forest to enjoy a nice cool walk in the fall.

Prepare for the cool
Along with the nice colors of the fall, you will surely find cool evenings and mornings. Be prepared to either use that heater while boondocking or get a sleeping bag like I have for those extra cool nights. This is the perfect time to sit around a nice warm fire in the evening and listen to the crackling. Stars in the sky are so bright in the crisp night air. You couldn't ask for better weather to have for viewing nature.

Head South or Southwest
When the fall foliage trip comes to an end, I head south and southwest to find more desirable winter climate where I can hang out for the winter months. This is a perfect time to take those side trips to visit relatives. I just pull up in front of there house and meet them at the door with my power cord. The holidays are a great time to catch up before returning to the boondocking life of a vagabond.