Too much iron

I have this problem. I can never pack the right amount of cast iron cookware for a job or camping trip. I always take more gear than I use in the end.

This ailment struck as late as yesterday. In the morning, I loaded three 14-inch camp ovens, one #10 Dutch oven and one 14-inch skillet into the truck for an outdoor meal at work. While this may not seem that excessive, I also packed the Navy surplus coffee boiler, fire iron set and fire pan.

Part of the problem was that I threw together the dinner menu for the residents at work at the last minute yesterday. So, I quickly grabbed Dutch ovens and necessary accouterments as I left the house for the commute into Sacramento.

My initial though was to hang the coffee boiler from a tripod on the patio, mostly as a conversation piece. Shopping for the weekend and other administrative duties interfered. In the end, I hauled too much cast iron to work and home.

The picture shows the iron that I hauled to Lake Tahoe last month. In the seven-day vacation, I only used each Dutch oven one time.

I should've followed my own advise from a 2002 trip and limited the iron to one skillet and two Dutch ovens. My Griswald skillet with domed lid was the most versitile piece of cast iron on the trip.

Barely visible in the picture are two additional skillets that my daughter brought to the lake. I had asked her to bring the fire pan from the house. When she showed up with my two largest skillets, I knew they'd sit next to the trailer, unused.