Philip W Holland

I’ll stay here a few days in Holland, Michigan. There were literally signs, so I followed them, and stayed a couple days in Holland State Park. The price for tent camping here has led me to employ less official options, but that’s the way of the road, bub. Hammock weather will be back soon but it has been low 40s at night.

I have to get some tchotchkes with the family name on them, and also would like to make it to the post office again tomorrow to have things postmarked from Holland.

I stopped at a health food store across from the auto parts store when I rolled into town to stretch my legs. Cashier’s name also was Philip and very friendly so that was a good sign. Bought some garlic, whole milk, bread flour, and yeast.

No bread pics because it was not pretty, but did the job. My dutch oven was occupied with the pulled pork that I have been preparing while traveling across the country, when the oven is freed up for baking you can see my frontier bread.

I brought with me, from Texas, a frozen pork shoulder, defrosted as I drove, dry rubbed in Missouri, smoked over open fire in Illinois, braised in the dutch oven with wild sassafras on top of my engine while I drove, and final shred and simmer done appropriately in Holland State Park.

I have plans for sharing and preserving this because it is a lot of meat, but will serve me well as long as I keep mind of food safety. I have forgone any general refrigeration on this journey, perishables must be consumed within freshness and prepared items reheated to temperature periodically.

With the butane camp stove, reheating the entire preparation to proper temperature at meals is more practical on the road than maintaining refrigeration. The quart of milk was plenty fresh with no icing down for a couple of days.

Granted, night temps have almost almost reached safe refrigeration. I see lots of pork buns and pork n beans in the near future as it will be warm tomorrow and more so when I hit the road again.

Scratch that. Woken up by small planes landing at the airstrip behind the Zeeland restaurant area, which is lovely, but time to go somewhere else. Eastward. Stay tuned.

live carelessly pwh 06-02-25