Turbulent (but beautiful) skies over northern Ohio
Photo by: George Bosela (Stock Exchange)

Good morning, campers!

You know, it’s a pretty rare thing when a brand new campsite opens up, but news that affects outdoor adventurers comes along all the time.

Today, we’ll be looking at some of the news for camping hobbyists and the latest bulletins from state and national parks around the country.

From camping pie to camping bathrooms, there’s a little something for everyone in today’s news collection!

Camping Cuisine, Part Two is an encore of Mercury News’ Camp Cuisine 101 series, which is calling on readers to explain and share their favorite recipes for camping. Check out the much longer original article and look at the sidebar for camping recipes that run the gamut from simple to sophisticated. Tortellini Italian medley and brie and egg strata are just some of the tantalizing choices for your next campfire meal.

When it comes to any skill or hobby, every once in a while you should revisit your fundamentals. Every tent camping enthusiast has his or her own favorite tent or brand of equipment, but J. P. Freek Adventure Magazine is offering a primer on picking a shelter at camp and also has an ever-growing compendium of outdoor adventure articles. A good many of these are focused on Jeep fans, but there’s also a terrific selection for general camping and outdoor expeditions. Check it out!

It just got easier to make a statement at national parks around the country. Following a court battle that challenged a long-standing rule by the National Park Service, which administers national parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and hundreds of other sites, Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C. issued a ruling striking down certain NPS regulations on 1st Amendment grounds. Those wishing to engage in public speech at the parks will no longer need to obtain permits.

In other national news, parks are joining First Lady Michelle Obama to launch “Let’s Move Outside, Junior Rangers!” programs. The programs are intended to help kids get excited about getting exercise in the great outdoors, offering kids rewards for such great activities as canoeing, swimming, hiking, and camping at dozens of parks. By the end of summer, 50 parks will be engaged in full-scale Junior Ranger programs with a variety of fun, educational, and adventurous activities for kids to choose from. The main Junior Rangers website can be found here.

Good news and bad news for campers on the environment. The good news? Odwalla’s Plant a Tree Program has planted over 160,000 trees in 2,000 state parks all over the United States – and you can participate simply by going to the program website and selecting where you’d like trees to be planted. This great endeavor is going on until September 1st, so there’s plenty of time to visit every day until then! Let’s get some trees planted, AllCampgrounds readers! Get started here.

And the bad news? If you’re camping in Ohio, be aware of environmental warnings about toxic algae. Water quality investigations are ongoing at a variety of Ohio lakes, and there are a total of six sites throughout the state where water is believed to be toxic. Residents or visitors of Ohio should take care to visit the state park service website and remain aware of warnings as they progress, expand, or hopefully, are rescinded.

Finally, a little fun from the Chicago Tribune’s Travel section: RV Your Family Through Colorado. It’s a great little glimpse into the RV life from Eileen Ogintz. She’s a writer who made the journey through southwest Colorado in a Winnebago, meeting some interesting characters and giving insight into the growing trend to RV adventures even in these tough times. There are lots of valuable links here, and you can get much more on this terrific trip of hers at Taking the Kids.