Go out for breakfast. Literally.
This is our favorite way to squeeze in a tiny dose of vacation or adventure almost any time you feel you need one. It works really well whenever you need a bit of a break from the routine, but your schedule, or weather conditions, or some other obstacles prevent you from actually going camping.
The perfect solution is breakfast outside.
Here’s the deal. You could simply pack a breakfast, bike to a pleasant location and eat eat your food picnic-style. But to get maximum benefit out of the experience, and actually feel a little like you’re camping, you should cook your food outside over a flame.
The time needed is minimal: less than two hours. If you’re super-organized and pack up your bike the night before, you could actually do this on your way to work. (We suggest biking, but there’s no reason you couldn’t do your morning cookout as part of an urban hike.)
Items needed:
Backpacking stove, fuel and lighter (we used an MSR Pocket Rocket). Since time is short for this outing, we recommend this over other cooking methods for speed an reliability. A windscreen is a nice bonus, and would allow you to set up your port-a-kitchen anywhere.
Cook pan & spatula. You could use backpacking cookware, or a lightweight, inexpensive non-stick pan. Both are easy to wipe down after use, and stash in a pannier or backpack.
Plates and utensils. We suggest easy to wipe down reusables.
Food! We brought 4 eggs, pre-buttered bread, and pre-chopped veggies mixed with a little breakfast sausage, plus a chunk of butter for cooking. You would of course want to adapt this to your dietary preferences, but definitely do your chopping at home the night before. The bag that carries the chopped veggies can be used to store used cookware and plates after you’re done, and keep your bike bag or backpack reasonably clean.
Hot beverage of choice in a thermal flask.
Paper or reusable towels for quick clean up.
Pro Tip: we always bring a tightly rolled up tablecloth or large scarf, so we can set up our meal on a surface that’s less than pristine.
Benefits:
A lot of bang for the buck: requires less preparation, time and equipment than going overnight, but you won’t believe how much like a vacation this simple outing will feel.
You’re likely to get in a few extra biking miles to get to a suitable location.
Food tastes amazing!…
…and you’ll feel amazing all day.
Suggested locations:
We prefer a place that’s wooded, away from major streets, and near a body of water. In windy or inclement weather, a little shelter might be nice. In the Chicago area, we’ve tried the following locations:
The Lakefront at Montrose near the bird sanctuary
Gillson Park on the lakefront in Wilmette
North Park Village waterfall
LaBagh Woods on the bank of the north branch of the Chicago River.
Try it, and let us know you favorite spots (we won’t tell).