Great camping games: Connect Four

Connect Four is fun for all campers, young and old.

Taking the kids on a camping excursion means you have to keep them entertained, too. Over the years we've found a few games ideally suited to the rigors of the campground. One of our favorites is Connect Four, from Milton Bradley [retail price, $19.99].

Connect Four is billed as "the vertical four-in-a-row checkers game," and looks like an upright version of Tic-Tac-Toe. This game is neither checkers nor the classically unwinnable kid's pastime game. In fact, Amazon.com rates it four stars out of five, and we agree wholeheartedly. Players can indeed win this game; it provides a serious challenge to strategists who can see a few moves ahead.

The game "board" is an upright enclosure that accepts traditional checkers pieces in sequence. It's seven slots wide and six spaces tall. The object of the game, quite obviously, is to "connect four" of your red or black chips -- vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Since red and black alternate play, you have to plan ahead to set up unstoppable combinations while keeping a watchful eye on your opponent's moves. We've seen many games lost by a player who forgot to play defense as he plotted his offense.

What makes Connect Four such a good choice for camping?

1. It's waterproof. A sudden rainstorm won't hurt this game one bit. Believe me, this matters!

2. It's wind-proof, too. Trying to play card games or Monopoly at the campground can be frustrating if there's the slightest breeze. Even if a sudden gust topples the game board, you can stand it right back up and continue playing.

3. No batteries or power cord required. This should probably be listed as reason number one!

3. Campers of all ages and skill level can learn to play in just minutes. You won't need an instruction sheet. New friends from the campsite next to you can join right in without hours of initiation.

4. It's far more challenging than it first appears. How many times have you heard that timeless whine, "I'm bored"? That's why we play games while camping, in the first place. Finding an easy game that doesn't "get old" in minutes is a big win-win for kids and parents alike.

5. Individual matches are over quickly. Some games last less than a minute; others take as much as five, but rarely longer. Players can come and go, yelling "I play winner" as they switch between this game and other activities.

6. You can buy more than one game. At $20 or less, with used games easy to find at Goodwill and yard sales, you can have two or three available so more players can compete at the same time. This makes things more interesting, because:

We like to hold Connect Four tournaments.

Because the game plays so quickly it lends itself to tournament play, even when you have other things going on at the same time. By using simple "brackets" like you see every year for the NCAA's basketball March Madness, you can easily arrange competitive match-ups that eventually crown a Connect Four Champion...

Read the rest of this game review as it appears on Helium.com

copyright 2009 - all rights reserved (reprint rights available)
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How about you? Do you have a camping games review you'd like to share? We'll feature these during the season as available. If you'd like to submit your review for posting, you can reach me via Comments or by using the link at the top of this page.

See this camping games review as it appears on Helium.com

Read Jim's Profile on Helium.com

Ten tips for a safe holiday camping trip

The Fourth of July weekend rings in official summer, and marks many campgrounds with No Vacancy signs. Despite the recession, Americans will be on the move during this holiday in large numbers. Some of us will be staying closer to home than usual; but we're going camping nonetheless. July 4th is also a popular time to put together groups of family and friends at adjoining campsites, since so many people schedule their vacations around the date.

It's a dangerous time for driving, with traffic statistics showing a shocking spike in alcohol-related fatalities during the holiday. Smart campers know that drinking and driving never mix well; that's why they go camping -- so they don't have to leave after the party. Even when you stay put, however, trouble can track you down at the campground. Here are ten tips for a safe holiday camping trip for you and your family.

1. Check and re-check your vehicle and camper before you leave. Make sure your signal and brake lights are working, and that your hitch and braking system are ship-shape, if you're towing. Kick the tires and check air pressures, too, while you're at it. Blowouts while you're hauling a camp trailer or fifth wheel, or driving a big motorhome, can be disastrous.
2. Carry a good first aid kit. Campgrounds don't always have medical help handy, especially at night; so bring your own. Bug bites, minor burns and sunburns, and small cuts are all easy to handle if you're prepared.
3. Be careful with perishables. Most of us have experienced at least a minor case of food poisoning while camping. Don't risk it. Use double-insulated coolers and plenty of ice (or ice packs). Use your camper's refrigerator (if available) for foods that don't suffer heat well -- use coolers to store drinks and watermelons, not the mayonnaise.
4. Keep a close eye on your dog. Crowded campgrounds and noisy kids make for nervous canines. Who needs the hassle of a dog bite incident when you're among strangers and miles from home?
5. Keep your kids in check, too! Sugary soft drinks, too much junk food, and new friends at the rec center can lead to unpleasant results. We can't watch our little devils all the time, so be sure to set some limits. Use walkie-talkies to keep in touch with and check up on your wandering offspring.
   
6. Remember you're playing with fire. Nighttime at the campground is all about gathering around the campfire. It's a mesmerizing ritual we all take for granted. Don't use gasoline to jump-start your fire. Keep the burn within the fire ring, and don't compete with your neighbors for the "tallest flames" award. Airborne sparks can destroy tents and camp chairs, even hair! And don't leave your fire unattended; that's rude and dangerous.
7. Should you drink the water? In theory, drinking water supplied by reputable campgrounds should be fine. In reality, water quality varies dramatically. Most camping resorts are, by nature, in remote locations and rely on well water. Almost all non-municipal water contains an assortment of other "additives" -- most of them completely harmless. However, we vote for "better safe than sorry" and recommend BYOW.
8. Beware of cheap fireworks. It doesn't have to be Independence Day at the campground for the low-grade fireworks to show up. Sparklers and bottle rockets are fairly tame, but can lead to trouble for smaller kids and for campers who've over-imbibed. Larger munitions can be far more dangerous. Be wary of strangers bearing explosives, and keep a tight leash on the teenagers after dark.
   
9. "Hey, that kid has a knife!" All the cool kids do, apparently. Perhaps this is so they can set to whittlin' when they get bored, which seems to happen about two hours after you finish setting up camp. Regardless, be aware of whatever weaponry your own kids are toting; and warn them to be cautious around their new campground friends when the cutlery comes out.
10. Know how to identify poison ivy. Bring 8 by 10 glossies if you have to. For whatever the reason, campgrounds always seem to have plenty of poison ivy on hand. If your kid is half as allergic as mine is, you know exactly how important this final safe camping tip really is.

The best camping trips always end with the whole gang arriving home safe and sound. That way, the stories that begin "remember that time...?" can be funny ones, rather than horror stories. Save those for the late night campfire gatherings.

copyright 2009 - all rights reserved
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Do you have a camping story you'd like to share? If you'd like to submit your story for posting, you can reach me via Comments or by using the link at the top of this page. ~Jim

In the Zone: Jim Johnson's Hiking and Nature page

by James Johnson, guest author

[Editor's note - Jim is a prolific writer and site steward at Helium.com ]

Jim Johnson would like to invite everyone and any one to visit the Hiking and Nature Zone , hosted on Helium. It was designed for those that like the outdoors. It has flowers, birds, and scenic vistas as well as fun information and links to other hiking and nature articles. It is for those that like to explore the natural world!

Here's Jim's intro:

A hiking and nature zone is just what it says, about hiking and experiencing nature, having adventures. It is about walking places and discovering locales that are missed by many because they won't walk or take time to truly explore. I hope to populate it with birds, butterflies, bugs, flowers and strange plants as well as scenic vistas, that is provided I can find out how to download photos!

Read Jim's article, Surviving in the Wilderness, on Helium.

Posted by request from James Johnson. Read Jim's profile at Helium.com
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Jim and his wife, Nikki set up Adventure Tours/Top to Bottom as a guiding agency in 1993 and were the first licensed hiking guides on Nevis. The police were worried and sent out observers hidden on the trails. The reports were that "they looked at birds, bugs, and plants, and told bad jokes". Most would agree with this.

See more articles from Jim on Helium.com

Do you have a related Zone or blogsite you'd like to share? If you'd like to submit your web page for posting, you can reach me via Comments or by using the link at the top of this page. ~Jim Bessey

Starlight, a campfire, and a good book: Heaven

Camping offers us the chance to get away from our regular routine -- the mailbox and bills, email, household chores, the telephone and television -- whatever we choose to leave behind. We spend time with family and friends just talking, playing games, fishing, playing volleyball, swimming, hiking, and grilling food outdoors.

By the end of a good day at the campground the kids are exhausted and the grown-ups can gather around a campfire under a starlit sky. Heaven. Daytime's little breezes and noises die down in the darkness, and the night-bug chorus harmonizes with the sputter and crackle of burning logs.

Eventually, usually before midnight, those gathered around the fire stretch and yawn dramatically. Cloth chairs get stowed; trash goes into the embers; the bottles and cans are tossed into the bin for recycling.

"Whew, I'm beat. See you in the morning," is the parting consensus.

If I'm not too awfully tired, this is the time when I reach for whatever novel I'm reading at the time. I've got a big iron shepherd's crook I can stick in the ground next to my favorite chair. It holds the gas Coleman lantern at just the right height above my right shoulder.

Then I find the page where I left off, settle into my comfy canvas chair, and spend a solitary half hour escaping even farther from daily life into someone else's world. Beside me the lantern hisses softly. By now the campfire is a pulsing blend of orange and gray, with only an occasional quiet crackle. Surrounding campsites are silent and mostly dark. Makes it very easy to disappear into a well-written story for a while.

For me, that's the perfect ending to a good day. I'd never head for the campground without a good book from one of my favorite authors. Here's a review of the novel I just finished reading yesterday.

Book reviews: The Hard Way, by Lee Child

There's a line in Lee Child's tenth Jack Reacher novel, "The Hard Way," that sums things up perfectly:

"Reacher, alone in the dark. Armed and dangerous. Invincible" [page 420]

Former US Army MP Major Jack Reacher has been wandering among us for eleven years now, since "The Killing Floor" from 1997. Lee Child's debut novel and first in this series, earned both the Anthony and Barry Awards for Best First Novel.

Reacher is a tough guy to know, much less to love. But he's the one person you'd want by your side in a showdown; that much is certain.

The man travels light:

"...Reacher had long ago quit carrying things he didn't need. There was nothing in his pockets except paper money and an expired passport and an ATM card and a clip-together toothbrush. There was nothing waiting for him anywhere else, either..."

Read more

copyright 2009 - all rights reserved
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How about you? Do you have a favorite novel you'd like to share? What do you like to do at the end of a long day camping? Drop me a line via Comments or by using the link at the top of this page.

Finally: Our first Perfect Camping Night of 2009!

Suddenly, with very little warning, the camping season has arrived in Upstate NY. Tonight marks our very first (only slightly late) Perfect Camping Night. It's dead-calm and 69 degrees outside, after a week that started with heavy rains and temp's in the thirties.

This morning it was barely 40 degrees. Then the sun came out and Summer displaced a dreary drizzly spring just like that. I'm ready to go hook up our camper in the dark and head for the nearest KOA right now.

Last year was stunning, and the season started even earlier with five 80-degree days beginning on the 18th of April. By the end of October we'd had more than eighty "PCN's." Ironically, very few of them occurred when we were actually camping. Yeah, go figure.

For those who don't mark and count every PCN as I do, here's a refresher. Perfect Camping Nights almost always follow on the heels of a (wait for it) Perfect Camping Day. Temperature matters: anything under 60 degrees overnight is a no-go. The night must be perfectly still, with nary a whisper of a breeze. Audio effects supplied by crickets, pond-dwellers and cicadas are required. Of course, no rain is allowed, despite the fact that rain and camping seem more closely entwined than peanut butter and jelly.

I suppose that sounds a little obvious, after all. But those nights, those perfect under-the-stars nights, are rare enough -- even when we can count 80 of them -- that each must be treasured. Our weather here is so desperately fickle, so fiendishly temperamental, that the magical "I hate to head for bed at all" nights have to be savored.

What do you need to properly honor a perfect camping night?

First, you need a reasonably quiet campsite, so you can hear the night sounds. A snug camper or tent, with little more than a night-light left on is a must. A couple of exhausted sleeping kids helps the ambiance. Your sweetheart should be there to share the evening with you; one or two good friends who can tell a decent joke helps, too.

What else? An orange-coals glowing fire, punctuated by the occasional snap and crackle of expiring logs, is critical. Depending on your taste, an icy-cold beer or a steaming mug of camp coffee should be at hand. You could have a little music, turned way down, just for background. Maybe a box of Nilla Vanilla wafers -- just my personal preference.

No clocks allowed, since the sun will be your only alarm clock for morning.

So tonight is our first candidate. I'm doing my best to savor the moment, though we haven't even registered the camper for this year yet. Yup, the first one caught me off-guard. That's okay, though. I figure there'll be more, right?

And with that, Just Camping Out is at last awakened from its winter doldrums. Please stay tuned for more substantive content. We'll have plenty of guest authors, product reviews, pictures, camping tips, and short stories during the coming months. We might even let Grace Alexander return with her I Hate Camping columns. I miss those!

For tonight, just a small celebration of a gorgeous evening. Tomorrow is soon enough to tackle the chores lined up to prepare our camper for the summer season. I can't wait to get started!

copyright 2009 - all rights reserved
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How about you? What makes a perfect camping night for you? Do any from the past stand out in your memory? Share them here. It's good to be back!

~Jim