Pepsi Can Stove

I have to take a second here to praise my favorite camping device, the Pepsi can stove. I am always amazed at how well this thing works. No moving parts, weighs a few ounces.

I use "Heet" gas line antifreeze and water remover as fuel. It comes in the convenient yellow container shown in below, and is available at most gas station mini-marts. There are no moving parts, and it heats almost as well as the burner on our stove at home.

Here's a picture of it cooking my chili.


This is a closer view of the stove.


And this shows the flames.

Day 3 -- Santa Cruz to Pismo Beach

Sorry that this blog is all about me, but I'm alone on this trip. Besides, how else will everyone know how cool I am?

Predawn check of the weather and it's time to get up.


BTW Ihave to admit that some of these pictures are staged, since I'm by myself, and have only the timed release mode to work with.

These guys were checking out the campsite. The racoons here were not agressive like those I've seen at other campgrounds.


This campground (New Brighton State Beach) doesn't have wi-fi, but I realized that I don't have to edit the pictures and compose the posts at a coffee shop, I can do it ahead of time.

So here I am uploading photos and writing this very post.


I finished up writing, and finished breakfast, then packed up the campsite and headed back to the 38th street break in Santa Cruz. The waves were even smaller than yesterday and besides it was low tide, which meant that there was a lot of kelp around. But I was here to surf, so I put on the (wet) wetsuit and headed out.

I actually had plenty of fun rides and surfed until about 11 AM. I got a medium ding following a collision with a beginning surfer's board, so I had to quit so that no water would get in.

I headed back to the campground, made a sandwich for lunch, had a shower, and rinsed the wetsuit. Hopefully this will be the last time I'll need the wetsuit.

I'm posting this from Aptos Coffee, and will be out of power soon. I'll repair the ding with my "sun cure" repair kit, then drive to Pismo Beach, charging the computer along the way. Stay tuned.