stephennielson.com

So you just got your new Pie Iron and you’re all ready to start making savory Ruebens and sautéed mushrooms. But wait! The Pie Iron looks a little strange, its silver not the dark, glossy black that you expected. Whats going on here?

Well, your Pie Iron hasn’t been seasoned yet. That silver coating is the paraffin wax put on at the factory to keep the cast iron from rusting in transit and storage. Before you start cooking with your Pie Iron you’ll need to burn that off and then “season” the cast iron. What is seasoning? Basically it’s applying an oily coating to the cast iron so that food doesn’t stick. As cast iron is used it will become seasoned by the oil from the food cooked in it, but it’s very important to season it properly before first use as well. So how does one season a Pie Iron properly? Follow the steps below to find out!

First things first, remove the Pie Iron from its packaging. For demonstration purposes I’ll be using a Double Pie Iron, mostly because I’ve been wanting to make a cheesesteak sandwich, but the process is the same with any cast iron Pie Iron.

Once you remove the packaging you’ll notice the film of wax over everything. There are two ways to remove it. Either take a scouring pad and hot water and scrub it off, or place it over heat and melt it off. Since I’m lazy, I’m going to melt it off. This requires taking the two halves of the Pie Iron and placing them concave side down over a heat source. I’ll be using my charcoal grill, but it can be propane or a fire pit as well. I highly recommend doing this outside, as the whole process is very smoky.

You’ll leave it over the heat for about 15 minutes, flipping it over half way through.

Once the wax has been melted off the Pie Iron will have a slightly dull grey color still. Wait for it to cool to the touch and then wash it in warm, soapy water. Scrubbing thoroughly with a scouring pad or bristle brush to get any of the remaining wax off. This should be the only time that the Pie Iron sees soap. The reason being that soap will remove the seasoning, which kind of defeats the purpose of going to all this trouble in the first place.

Once you are done washing the Pie Iron, you must immediately begin the seasoning process to prevent rust from developing. Dry the Pie Iron thoroughly and apply a thin coat of quality vegetable oil or solid shortening. I’ve heard of some people using bacon grease, which would work, but that’s an expensive prospect. I’m using Crisco because that’s what is in the kitchen cabinet.

With the coating applied, place the two halves of the Pie Iron back onto the grill concave side up. You’ll put it on for ten minutes, flipping it halfway through.

When the first coating has cooked in, the Pie Iron should start to take on a blackish hue. There might be a little bit of brown in it, but generally it should be blackening over the entire surface. Once the Pie Iron has cooled to the touch, apply another thin coating of shortening. You will need to do this a total of four times to get a good, solid coating.

After the fourth round of shortening has cooked into the Pie Iron, it should take on a glossy, deep black finish all over. This is what you want to see!

So now you’re set! The Pie Iron is all seasoned and ready for serious camp fire cooking! As long as it is used regularly, you’ll likely never have to reseason it again. If it sits for a few seasons unused, or starts to develop any rust, you may want to add a few new layers, but otherwise you’re good! Start cooking!

I’m excited to announce the launch of Iconic Camping!

Recounting our childhood camping trips my friend Jeff and I decided to start looking for some of the gear that we remember our families using back then. As we hunted around we got the idea to start our own camping gear company specializing in these classically styled goods. And so Iconic Camping was born!

Iconic Camping is a full Optimus stove, Rome cookware and Benchmark maps reseller. We carry all of these manufactures “classic” equipment such as Pie Irons and Svea stoves in stock and can generally ship same day or are available for local pickup. We can also fulfill special orders for any of these manufactures other products.

So head on over to Iconic Camping and pick up a Pie Iron, sign up for our newsletter, check out our blog and follow us on Twitter!

Before the snow came, Tomi and I decided to take the Miata out on one last drive. We headed up the Alpine Loop from Alpine, Utah to Provo Canyon with a quick detour to Cascade Springs. It was a beautiful, crisp late October day. A perfect close to a great year of driving.

Day 1

Friday started off by meeting up with Joseph at about 10:30am and making the journey to Moab where we stopped for lunch at Pasta Jay’s. After topping off our tanks at the edge of town we continued on until we hit dirt off UT 211 at the beginning of the Cottonwood Canyon Road around three in the afternoon. Here we aired down and took one last look at pavement for the next few days. Always an enjoyable thing!

We blasted down the Cottonwood Canyon Road and the beginnings of the Beef Basin Loop as we worked our ways to the Beef Basin wash and our first campsite. Both my copilot Scott and I reflected that the Pathfinder was pure luxury on these rutted/washboard roads in comparison to the Samurai. I knew it would be so, but wow. Getting out of the car after a while on these roads didn’t feel like hitting solid ground after a bombing run over Berlin!

Anyway, the wash road was fine until we hit the first creek crossing. Here the heavy rains we’ve been having had made for an interesting crossing. All the tracks stopped here and there was no evidence of traffic on the other side. Well, since we were “gangsta expo” as Joseph noted, we didn’t view this as much of a hinderance. So I popped the Pathfinder in 4-low for the first time in anger and headed down the relatively steep, very soft sandy hill into the creek bed and up the other side with no issue. Joseph followed with the Ultimate KJ idling like a turbo diesel should and we headed off into the overgrown trail to find camp.

The trail had a few other sections that had been washed out a bit by the rains, but nothing too bad. It was fun to finally have the Pathfinder in 4-low and using it for what it was designed to do. We eventually made camp at about six or so and set about making ourselves comfortable. For Joseph this entailed setting up his slick ARB awning. For a rugged Australian this takes but 30 seconds. For Americans, two people and a bit longer.

After setting up camp we just relaxed, took in the scenery and enjoyed a campfire under the clear night sky.

Day 2

Morning broke bright and warm and we lounged in the sun for a bit before getting underway around 10.

We worked our way back out through the wash to the first creek crossing and I dipped into it like it was no big deal. Well I quickly found that the sandy hill was much softer than I had expected and the boulders at the bottom prevented me from first getting the downhill momentum I needed and second from backing up. This is one of those moments when you think about those parts you have sitting at home that could have made this a non-issue. Like the Limited Slip left uninstalled that would have aided greatly in getting back over the boulder…

After a few attempts to get out on my own, it was time to throw the recovery strap back to Joseph and the diesel beast of his. With a little tug and some tire spin the Pathfinder was free, moved the offending boulder out of the way and we were in business again.

We spent the rest of the morning exploring the Beef Basin Loop, some spurs off it and looking at ruins.

The second camp was planned to be at a location in the Butler Wash area that was a short hike to a spectacular overlook of the Needles District of Canyonlands. We spent several hours going up and down every spur road in the Ruin Park area looking for the right one to get us there. We could see the spot we wanted to be from the main road, but the only road that seemed to head to it was also the only one with a “Road Closed” sign. According to my BLM map of the area, that road skirts the edge of the Butler Wash WSA and I guess since the last time I was there in 2009 the BLM has decided that the road is now in the WSA. I was disappointed, but the camp we chose did have some nice ruins up in the cliff surrounding it.

We spent another pleasant night around the campfire and had a lively discussion regarding how “expo ready” our gear was. Personally, I think our hot dog sticks are just as good as any titanium and leather handled ones on the market today! ;)

Day 3

I awoke Sunday morning excited about getting to the “hard” part of our trip through Canyonlands via Bobby’s Hole and out Elephant Hill. So after tea and breakfast we broke camp and bid farewell to Ruin Park. Bobby’s Hole is a moderately steep hill made up of some ledges, boulders and loose dirt. Nothing too technical, but certainly entertaining to crawl down. I was throughly impressed with the Pathfinders gearing as it idled down with no issues.

From Bobby’s Hole we continued on to the Canyonlands boarder and into the always stunning Needles District. Along the way we stopped for some “expo ready” poser shots and to check out some petroglyphs.

After our stop at the petroglyphs we quickly came upon SOB Hill. Now SOB Hill has been in various states over the years. Way back in 1994 with my dad it was considered an optional obstacle on the Elephant Hill trail during the Easter Jeep Safari. Now being in a stock Samurai at the time my dad wanted to show off. But of course, had no issues getting over the ledges, boulders and making the very tight turn. The second time a few years ago the Park Service had filled in most of the hill and the only difficult part was tight turn. This time around the hill had returned to presenting a bit of a challenge with a climb up loose dirt and rocks to the sharp turn through the cut in the rocks. I had a few points where I again regretted no installing the LSD before I left, but nothing that couldn’t be over come with backing up and changing my line. Again, I was very happy with the Pathfinders stock gears and grateful for the OME suspension.

Joseph, demonstrating that true players only drive diesels, idled over the whole thing without an issue.

From this point we were on the Elephant Hill loop and with moseyed along over small ledges and creek crossings.

When we finally reached Elephant Hill I forgot, for some reason, how extreme the switchbacks are. Practically parallel in some spots. My mind always remembers the first time in my dads Samurai and how it wasn’t even an issue to make the turns. Now in a Pathfinder what had been a three point turn in the Samurai turned into a five or six pointer at some spots. Nothing hard, just a few more forwards and backs. The hill is a fairly steep climb heading up a few hundred feet over ledges and a bit of slick rock at the top. Since you need to keep your momentum up, it pays not to stop for photo ops I only have one picture of Joseph at the very top. But hey, what a way to close out the photos! The Ultimate KJ rumbling up the famous Elephant Hill:

And that was it. We dropped down the other side into the parking lot, aired up and headed back into Moab where we stopped at the Moab Brewery for the obligatory bread bowl of beer cheese soup (don’t ask Joseph about the service though). It was a great trip and a great way to break the Pathfinder in as my new expedtion/overlanding/camping vehicle. I can’t wait to get out again.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Nielson and Scott Curtis

This morning when I woke up I had at least two inches of snow on my lawn. This after two days of four plus inches in the morning. It always melts by mid day, but I’m relatively sick of snow at this point. Its April 10th for gods sake!

So I decided to offer up the sacrifice of a couple pounds of flesh to the Spring Gods:

Delicious, and hopefully spring will finally grace us with its presence!

The Spiral Jetty has been called one of the most important American sculptures of the 20th century. Built by Robert Smithson in 1970 out of mud and basalt rocks it spent the majority of its life submerged in the waters of the Great Salt Lake, but over the past decade the waters of the lake have remained low enough that the Jetty has been visible and walk able again.

I had been to the Spiral Jetty twice before, most notably for the 2009 Relic Run, but was looking for a quick, fun first outing to take our new Nissan Pathfinder on. So Tomi, two friends and myself loaded it up and headed out. Our first stop was the Golden Spike National Historic Site. For some reason I had assumed that since it was a Sunday, it would be closed. Fortunately since it is a Federal site, not a state one, this is not the case. So we got to wander the small museum and the actual Joining of the Rails. Golden Spike always inspires a certain amount of awe in me at the level of engineering and personal sacrifice that was required to build the first transcontinental railroad. Plus, its just fun to see how far you can walk along the rails before you fall!

After Golden Spike we quickly hit the dirt road that heads out to Rozel Point and the Spiral Jetty. I have to say going from the Samurai to the Pathfinder is night and day. Sixty miles per hour on a rutted dirt road was smooth as silk, a far cry from the rattling, jarring Samurai.

Just to the east of our final destination is the site of some old oil works. Under the Great Salt Lake is actually a vast amount of oil. Unfortunately it is very young, tar like oil so it is rather difficult extract. Over the years there have been many attempts to make oil drilling on the lake a profitable enterprise and this location is one of these endeavors. The remains here consist of lots of wooden pilings that once held the rigs and piping, rusted out pipes, cables and even some oil barrels that had sunk in the lake when the water was high. An absolutely fascinating place to climb around and see what you can find, you’ll even come up on some seeping oil, just don’t step in it unless you want to lose your shoe.

I’d venture to say that the oil works are more interesting than the Spiral Jetty. Perhaps that’s just me, but they are worth the drive alone and the Spiral Jetty is just a bonus. Some people are concerned that there may be a return of drilling to the area with the increase in oil prices. Interestingly, I understand that Smithson chose this location for the Spiral Jetty because of the oil drilling going on. It was easier to get heavy equipment out there to dump the rocks due to the service road. I guess the return of drilling would place the Jetty to the correct context again.

After climbing around the oil works for about an hour we made our way the last half mile or so to the Spiral Jetty. From the road you can look down and see the Jetty and appreciate the art of it. It is an interesting sculpture as it juts 1500 feet out into what was the lake but is now just a mud flat and, well, spirals to the left. Every time I’ve come out here I wonder what people will think about this centuries in the future. Will this be like Stonehenge (which really isn’t a henge at all, but that’s semantics) where they wonder what its relevance was? Will they realize that it was just some guys’ crazy idea for a piece of art? Who knows.

The previous times I was out here the place was desolate except for our party. This time because of all the news articles about the Jetty and the exhibit at the Utah Museum of Fine Art there where about 20 people there, which made it seem crowded. From the road you have to climb down a rocky hill to get to the Jetty itself. It’s much easier to walk on the mud flats than the actual Jetty, but what’s the fun in that, right? On the farthest edge where the shallow waters of the lake still lap at the Jetty you get some spectacular vistas in all directions. And that’s about the excitement of the Jetty. I know, somewhat anti climatic, sorry.

We hit the road after a bit at the Jetty and on our way back to the highway I remembered that ATK’s “Rocket Garden” was just up the road a bit so we thought we’d stop in there a bit. Glad we did. It’s awesome to think that this remote part of Utah has played such a pivotal part in the country’s space and defense industry. The Rocket Garden displays many of ATK’s historically important rocket motors and components ranging from old Nike Anti-Ballistic Missiles to the Shuttles primary booster and a Minuteman Missile. A very interesting stop even if you only have a passing interest in such things.

It was a very enjoyable day and everyone had a good time, even though they had to endure my history ramblings for most of the day. I’m hoping to head out on a lot more of these one or two-day weekend jaunts all this summer. So you should be seeing more reports soon!

Mr. Shepherd was never much for book reports in school (he was strictly a C+ guy) so I figured I’d write a review in his vein.

In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash is about this old guy named Ralph who goes back to his hometown of Hohman, Indiana from New York. He stops at a bar to see his friend from school, Flick, and ends up spending the whole day talking about their school days during the Depression.

There are lots of stories about fights, blind dates, fishing and getting a Genuine Red Ryder BB gun with a special Red Ryder sight and a compass in the stock with a sundial for Christmas (fortunately, he did not shoot his eye out). Most of the stories are when he was in elementary school, but some are when he is older. Things that happened to him as a kid seemed to have a lot of affect on Hohman, Indiana and all of the Midwest. He must have been very important as a kid.

I think books like this are very exciting, and In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash is a very exciting book. It has two hundred and sixty four pages, and I think anyone would enjoy reading In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.

 

Drat! Only one hundred and ninety-two words and I need two hundred! What more can I add? Umm… Umm… Wait? Is that Little Orphan Annie on the radio? Can’t miss that, I just got my decoder ring today! One ninety-two is good enough. After all, I’m a strictly C+ guy too.

(Next up: Revolution 1989 by Victor Sebestyen)

Just over one year and 4,147 pages (excluding appendices) I have finally finished reading Winston S. Churchills memoirs of the Second World War. All I have to say is insightful. Terribly insightful.
It is amazing that someone who was at the top of world affairs during one of the most tumultuous times in human history would sit down to publish such a detailed account of his thoughts during that time. An amazing account that painted the British perspective in such vivid colours.
The question now, what do I read next? Oh yeah, Jean Shepherds In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. I figured it was time for some lighter fair, even after all the splendid humour Churchill peppered throughout his books (no, I’m not kidding, the guy was hilarious).

Eric demonstrates the benefits of being a Rally fan:

Eric: Hotel fire. Blizzard. Ten car pileup blocking all lanes. Drove the rental Malibu like fucking Tommi Mäkinen on a winter rally stage and made the gate during boarding.

Epic.

Here is my impression of Tron: Legacy:

Taking a movie that is a pillar of computer nerd culture, revitalizing it and presenting a sequel with broad market appeal a generation later is a hard thing to do. The story itself was relatively weak, but easy to follow. But you’re not going to see Tron for the story. Thats like saying you wanted to see The Expendables for the acting. No, you go to see Tron for the special effects, and they were there in spades!
The graphics in this film were nothing short of spectacular. Between paying homage to the original and pushing the boundaries of what is currently capable, Tron: Legacy was all over it. You just couldn’t help but be in awe of the world that they managed to create. The fact that every frame of this movie was digitally enhanced is impressive. And yes, that has been done before, but where movies like the Star Wars prequels failed miserably, Tron succeeded.
All that being said, I think that Tron can also be seen as a bit of a social commentary. Here we are in 2010 and this movie all about a computer world is a major box office release that has garnered a lot of attention. Twenty-eight years ago when the original was released it was praised for its technological achievements, but generally forgotten except for by a very small group of people categorized as nerds. But now everyone is a computer nerd. Who doesn’t have a computer in their pocket? Who doesn’t get on the computer at home multiple times a day? Who doesn’t constantly get online to communicate with other people over vast distances? That is why Disney decided to make a sequel to Tron, because we now live in a world full of nerds, even if most people won’t admit it.
I’ll close with this fantastic comic from Scott Ramsoomair’s VG Cats which sums up my feelings with how society is now pretty well: