Saturday, September 29, 2012

Civil War Hardtack



This morning I don't have to work until noon so I have the whole morning to catch up. I slept in a little (very little)...did dishes and laundry...and now I'm making some hardtack for my full moon hike tonight.

Hardtack is an unleavened bread that was used in the Civil War. Soldiers were always traveling so they needed food that would be easy to carry and not go bad. Hardtack is made from flour, salt and water, then baked "to the consistency of a brick." I found the recipe here.

My first batch was way too bland--I didn't add enough salt! The 2nd batch was a lot better. This will be my 3rd batch for the year and probably the last until spring so hopefully it works.

The full moon hikes start at the museum. I do a short introduction, then we head down the hill to the Officer's Quarters. At the Officer's Quarters I talk about the history of the fort and about the quarters themselves. Then we head to the barracks and then the mess hall. At the mess hall, I talk about food the soldiers would have been given, then I pass out the hardtack...after I warn people that it is really hard and to watch their teeth! Other names for it are "jawbreaker," seabiscuit," and "tooth-duller." Hm.

Anyway tonight is my last full moon hike for a while, probably until May or June so hopefully it goes well!



Sunday, September 23, 2012

Wayne E. Kirch Wildlife Management Area

This is where Dave worked for the summer. I hope I haven't posted these before, but I'm behind on blogging this summer and thought I'd share one of the really cool areas of Nevada I got to visit this summer!

One thing I love about Nevada is the amount of wetland areas within the Great Basin. I didn't expect so many...but the reason it's called the Great Basin is that none of the rivers flow from the basin to the ocean. Instead they create wetlands or sinks, where the water goes underground.


Hotsprings! I only dipped my hand in the water but it was pretty warm...and such a pretty area!


Ducks at sunset...


I don't think I'd ever seen an ibis up close before.

While I was looking at the ibis, I noticed this tarantula hawk in the flowers next to me.

Fort Churchill Summer

I really liked this picture and wanted to share! It's a view of the Fort Churchill ruins from the Fort Churchill Road, which is part of the old Pony Express route. The mountains in the background are the Pine Nuts.