Over the years our tents and shelters have found their way into some pretty amazing locations.  Certainly into more amazing areas than we'll ever get to visit, despite our best efforts to camp as often and in as many different places as possible.  It is very interesting and exciting for us to see and learn about all the places that our customers camp in our tents.   

A number of years ago we sold a Pamo Valley Tent to an outfitter in Alaska who led helicopter tours on the Mendenhall Glacier.  He sent us a photo and we have it hanging on our walls to this day.  

We took our first prototype Pamo Valley tent on a trip to Arizona in 1998.  When an unexpected winter storm rolled in over the mountains, we were honestly unsure of what to expect.  The tent survived, and that experience inspired us to work towards making PahaQue a well known manufacturer of high-quality tents.  We did not, however, envision just how many awesome places our tents would wind up over the years. 

Buffalo River, Arkansas

Minnesota north woods

Sonoran Desert, Arizona

Myrtle Beach, SC

As the photos from customers began to arrive in our mailbox and emails, it was very gratifying to see so many folks enjoying our tents, in so many diverse environments.  From blazing desert heat, to the pouring rain of a midwest thunderstorm, folks are loving our tents and using them in places we never imagined.

Just last week we had the opportunity to provide some gear to our friends at Xpeditions TV for their current trip deep into the jungles of Peru.  The Tocache Expedition 2013 is currently underway, searching for the lost cities of the Rio Tocache, deep into the remote Andean rainforests.  Their primary shelter for this 2 month trip is our Promontory XD tents, and Tepee Shower tents.  We only have one word for that - Awesome!

Whether it's hearing the waves on the beach, the crystal clear desert skies, or great hiking trails to explore, each new site offers its own unique outdoor experience.  Where will you camp this year?  Will you choose a local campground with lots of available activities, or somewhere in the backcountry to escape for a few days?  Wherever you go, we would love to see photos of you and your PahaQue tent - we will add them to our ever growing list of Awesome places that our tents have been!

Thank you for being a member of our growing PahaQue family. We appreciate your support past and present that has allowed us to live our dream of designing and building the best camping tents and shelters available. Now more than ever we remain committed to offering our customers the very best in quality and performance, backed with excellent customer service.

I hope to see you 'round the campfire soon!  

 Jeff Basford

 President

  

Ring of Fire - Solar Eclipse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May is going to be a great month for Stargazing, including the annual solar eclipse on May 10th!    Be sure to pack your telescope or binoculars to camp this month.  

 

• May 4, 5 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. Most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, which has known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. It peaks this year on the night of May 4 and the morning of the May 5. The second quarter moon will block out some of the less bright meteors this year but you should still be able to see quite a few good ones if you are patient. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
• May 10 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 00:28 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
• May 10 - Annular Solar Eclipse. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The Sun's corona is not visible during an annular eclipse. The path of the eclipse will begin in western Australia and move east across the central Pacific Ocean. 
• May 25 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 04:25 UTC. This phase occurs at 11:09 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.
• May 28 - Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. Conjunctions are rare events where two or more objects will appear extremely close together in the night sky. The two bright planets will be within 1 degree of each other in the evening sky. The planet Mercury will also will also be visible nearby. Look to the west near sunset.
• May 25 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's partial shadow, or penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of North America, South America, western Europe, and western Africa.

 NIGHT SKY OBSERVING TIPS

• Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe faint objects, such as meteors or dim stars, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
• Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars and sometimes the brightest planets. But to fully enjoy the heavens - especially a meteor shower, the constellations, or to see the amazing swath across the sky that represents our view toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy - rural areas are best for night sky viewing. If you're stuck in a city or suburban area, a building can be used to block ambient light (or moonlight) to help reveal fainter objects. If you're in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help.
• Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be out for more than a few minutes, and it's not a warm summer evening, dress warmer than you think necessary. An hour of observing a winter meteor shower can chill you to the bone. A blanket or lounge chair will prove much more comfortable than standing or sitting in a chair and craning your neck to see overhead.

For more visit seasky.org 

Hey there, campers! Here is a quick and easy meal that is one of my favorite camp recipes. When camping, the rule of thumb for great recipes is to maximize taste and nutrition while minimizing preparation time and cleanup. The best camp cooking recipes allow you to do this with the limited resources available in the outdoors. 

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

• cooking spray
• 1 medium tortilla
• 1-2 eggs, depending on preference
• 2 bacon strips
• Optional: mushroom, onion and green pepper
• Salt and pepper, salsa

To make these quick, easy-to-eat breakfast burritos, start by building a bed of hot coals and setting a frying pan on them. Give the pan a shot of cooking spray, and place the bacon strips on it. While the pork's sizzling, use a mixing bowl to whip the eggs and optional chopped onion or peppers together. When the bacon's done, set it aside on a couple of paper towels and pour your egg mixture in the pan. Stir frequently, as the coals will be hotter than the eggs' optimum cooking temperature. When they're finished (it should only be 5-10 minutes), lay the already cooked bacon and fresh eggs in the center of your tortilla, salt and pepper to taste, and roll it on up.

Contributed by Jason Rogers - outdoor industry veteran, military veteran, actor, and PahaQue's very own Cooky!