Camp Review
I had the pleasure of staying at Camp Serranova which is for non-profit organizations with our cub scout pack from Thursday night to Sunday morning. We had an absolute blast! The camp is privately run and sits back in the woods of Macungie, Pa. It is minutes down the road from Bear Creek Mountain Resort and about 25 minutes from Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown.
There are a few camping options available at the camp for your non-profit organization.
Individual Tent Camping Sites = $50.00 per weekend, per site.
Unlimited Group Tent Camping = $100.00 annually per group.
Adirondack Cabins = $90.00 per weekend. (5 Cabins each sleeps 6 total 30)
Memorial Lodge [lower building] = $125.00 per weekend. (Cabin sleeps about 25)
Bender Building [upper building] = $150.00 per weekend. (Cabin sleeps about 35)
Entire Camp = $300.00 per weekend.
We were supposed to stay in the Adirondack Cabins which were really neat. They were three sided structures with about a 6 foot roof overhang. They were then screened in and there were 6 bunks that were just plywood. You would definitely want to bring a sleeping pad or pool float or child’s air mattress to sleep on. You cannot drive directly up to the cabins. You need to park down below and walk up the side of the hill approximately 100 yards away to get to the cabins. There is an outhouse nearby however there is no running water. They were in the process of building a pavilion for an Eagle Scout project so we had to stay in the Memorial Lodge. We had to pack up our stuff we already lugged up the hill and move all the way to the other side of the camp. This was annoying as I had my stuff all ready to go and had my 1 year old daughter with me and had to relocate. However, I was glad we were in the cabin as we got a few really bad thunderstorms over the weekend.
Once we arrived at the Memorial lodge we were set up in a few minutes. There were two separate rooms for sleeping quarters. The adults stayed in the smaller room which had seven beds. The large main room is where the boys slept. There was a loft area with two ladders to climb up and most of the boys slept up there. A few slept down below which I am sure was much cooler! There was a large wood stove in the middle of the room and two picnic tables. There was a kitchen as well equipped with a refrigerator, gas stove top with flat griddle and two burners, microwave and toaster oven. Off of the back of the cabin was a large deck with three picnic tables and two sets of stairs off of the deck which lead to a large fire pit and out into the woods. It was very peaceful and beautiful. Some yellow leaves were even starting to fall as the wind blew from the incoming storms and I can only imagine how beautiful it would be to stay there during fall.
There was a large pond about 50 feet from the cabin which was great because the boys had a wonderful time fishing at their own leisure. The main fish that was caught was trout. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures with the catches! We also used the pond for the boats the boys built out of sticks and string and all equipped with a tea candle. They worked in teams and built a total of four boats. Each one was unique and they had all day to work on them. We all assembled before dinner on Friday and tied the boats together about five feet apart. We set all of them in the water and lit the candles. The boys stood back on the bank about ten feet and once the boats were floating they all launched small pebbles and rocks at the water. The goal was to put out the candle, not sink the boats. It didn’t take long for all of the candles to go out but they had a great time throwing stones. Not only that they worked together to build something and they all had fun.
There was a large open grassy area with a hill aside of the pond by the pavilion. This hill was absolutely perfect for the 100 foot tarp we used for our giant slip and slide! Normally I would have been in line with the boys however I have had experience with slip and slides and let me tell you my body does not recover like a 9 year old boy would recover. So I passed and just watched the shear joy and fun on their faces as they were cruising down the hill. We used some soap and hooked up a hose to the water faucet near the upper cabin. I said earlier there is no running water however there are two faucets to get fresh water. There are no bathrooms or sinks in the cabins or out houses that have running water.
In the afternoon after the thunderstorm rolled through the boys spent the afternoon making tool boxes. We had a pre-cut kit and they had to arrange in the correct order, insert the nails and hammer together. We had a branding iron in the shape of the a fleur de lait which is the boy scout symbol. An adult was branding the bottom of the tool boxes and after that was done the boys stained them. It really brought out the branding very nicely and they all looked great. The rest of the afternoon the boys had free time and spent it by fishing, hiking, playing in the fort they created, playing games, whittling or sleeping. Please note - all boys have to have pocket knife training before they are allowed to carry and use a knife on their own. Also, the fort they created was dismantled and no trace was left behind when we left. They ended the evening by making jiffy pop (which some boys have never seen before!!) and glow bracelets and necklaces. They couldn’t wait for lights out after we gave them the glow items.
The camp was extremely quiet and peaceful. Some of the grass was a little high which was concerning considering tick season is full blown right now and Pennsylvania is experiencing an invasive new tick species. So we were constantly having the boys check themselves for ticks. The caretaker was very friendly and tried to accommodate us however he could considering we couldn’t stay where we originally booked. Overall I give this camp a 4.5 star rating. We are looking forward to coming back here next year and staying in the Adirondack Cabins.
Product Review
This trip was the perfect opportunity to try out a product I was testing. As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time and this weekend I was testing Nature’s Coffee Kettle. Believe me, coffee was an absolute necessity this weekend. We only got about 5 hours of sleep the first night so I was not looking forward to making coffee the next morning. However, all I had to do was boil water. Easy right? Absolutely!! All you need is hot water and you open the top of the package and slowly pour in one cup of water. Let it steep and it will slowly flow to the bottom of the bag. That’s right! It brews right in the bag!! Then, after the first cup drains you pour in the rest of the three cups. Each bag makes four cups of coffee. I didn’t want to overfill so I pre-measured out four cups prior to boiling in my tea kettle. It is important to read the directions and follow them in order to ensure a great cup of coffee. Once it brewed for about five minutes, or after you cook three packages of bacon, it was ready to drink.
Pros:
I was completely surprised at how simple it was. I twisted off the cap and poured out a delicious cup of Colombian coffee. The bag was warm but not hot. I didn’t need a heating pad or anything to hold it but beware it can get very warm. It had a wonderful aroma and had a great bold taste. I added my creamer and oh the taste was exactly what I needed as it helped wake me up and get me going for the day. It is a resealable bag so I was able to continue to drink the coffee as the day went on even though it had cooled off. I actually rather enjoyed it as a cold coffee maybe even more so than hot. It was great to be able to walk around the camp and carry my coffee kettle everywhere with me. A great cup of coffee was only a reach away at all times. It really made it nice not having to stop what I was doing to walk back to the cabin to refill my cup considering sometimes we were pretty far away from the cabin.
Cons:
Since the bag is reusable I wanted to make sure it was dried out completely before storing. I had to prop the bag upside down and it kept falling over. It would be nice if there was a stand available to help hold the bag up so you can dry it out for your next use. If you are backpacking or on the road you also may not have a measuring cup nearby. I would suggest marking a line on the bag so you know where to stop so you don’t overfill.
Other than those two suggestions I really didn’t see any other cons about this product. I think the company did an overall fantastic job in their design. They have minimal waste and have created a product that is extremely versatile and affordable. This product allows you to be able to enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate or hot apple cider on the go and wherever you go. Camping, hiking, in the car, at your child’s sporting events, add to your emergency kit, backpacking or at home. They even make refills that you can order since you can use the kettle multiple times. They have several different flavors of coffee such as guatemalan, french roast, sumatra, blueberry and hazelnut. They also have a variety pack as well. I am very excited to get and try out some of their other products. I give this product a 5 star rating! I was super impressed and will definitely be purchasing more in the very near future!
