I added a grill stake to the fire pit at Adams County Airport.
A couple months ago I flew up to Adams County to try out my new percolator. I want to try airplane camping this summer and it’s always good to have practical experience with a thing before you need it. If anybody can fail to master hundred year old coffeemaking technology, it’s me.
The percolator worked fine but the fire pit itself had a usability issue: it had a grill but there was nothing to suspend the grill over the fire. I had to lay it on top of the burning wood and adjust it as the wood burned down. The process required more care and feeding than it should have.
I’d like to do an overnight here, either as a group fly-in bonfire or as the first leg of a longer trip into northern Wisconsin, and I don’t want to mess with this while I’m grilling food or percolating coffee. To that end I went home and ordered a proper grill stake to install at some later date.
I had the plane reserved today and nothing better to do with it, so that “later date” turned out to be today. I headed north with the grill, a hard rubber mallet, and a level, and voilà! Problem solved.
I didn’t build a fire today, I didn’t have time, but I think the new grill will work much better than the old one. It’s level (for now–settling happens) and has raised edges to prevent anything from rolling off into the fire. It can also be swiveled away from the fire for loading and unloading.
I left the grill in the terminal kitchenette between the sink and the stove. I also left a pair of fire mitts, a bottle of citrus cleaner, and a cheap grill pad with it. Hopefully if anybody else uses it, they will clean it and they won’t steal it.
In my experience there is not a lot of crossover between people who fly and people who steal, so I think it will be fine.
Have a plane and an inkling for a bonfire?
Adams is a nice little airport. The fuel price is reasonable, onsite camping is allowed, and there is a shower in the terminal (this is an absolute must for me.)
There is no precut firewood at the airport. There are plenty of fallen trees in the wooded area if you bring some sort of saw. The Kwik Trip in town sells bundles of firewood as well, as most of these small town Kwik Trips do. There is a courtesy car available if you choose to go that route. It’s probably the best option.
Summer flying season is drawing near and I’m ready for it!