The evening chill was creeping in and night was soon to fall. We were almost done setting up the van for a stay in Sedona's dispersed camping area, but there was one thing left. Our Ranger 2.0 Solo Stove. Pulling this portable fire pit from the back of the van and our pre-chopped wood, we were able to sit by the warmth of the fire before night fell.
Camping in the dispersed sites of Sedona, AZ enjoying a winter camp fire. Photo by Dalton Johnson
A couple of weeks prior to the trip, I was worried. There is a fire ban in Sedona's dispersed camping lands. But, the wording of the fire ban confused me, so, I called the Coconino Forest Service to ask about their ban. A ranger quickly picked up my call and responded to my inquiry as such, "If you have a Solo Stove or similar portable fire structures, you can have a fire. The fire ban is for those looking to build a non-sustainable fire ring and scare the desert landscape." Worries faded away and the stoke was real!
As our first night under the Sedona stars burnt on, we stayed warm. To my surprise, the Solo Stove did not use up much wood. As we roasted marshmallows and attempted to find the big dipper, then the little dipper, and onto Gemini, we only burned one bundle of wood.
After hours of chatting and only one bundle of wood burnt, I guess we are going to need to have more fires, I thought to myself considering we bought four bundles for this trip.
As yawns overtook conversation, we let the fire burn out and headed to bed. While sleeping, an idea came to me on how we can get rid of more wood. Cook over the Solo Stove instead of the van's stove top.
Cooking a breakfast over the fire with a Solo Stove. Photo by Dalton Johnson
Getting my morning fitness in, I chopped some wood to restart the Solo Stove for breakfast. In no time, the flame was burning and I tossed the kettle on top of the skillet. Coffee always comes first. Then came the good stuff. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, all cook perfectly on the skillet. Giving the food an added smoky flavor, I was in heaven as I sat in my chair and watched the sun rise overhead.