Matter of Facts: Summer Camp

[00:00:03] Welcome back to the Matterfax Podcast on the Prepper Broadcasting Network. We talk prepping guns and politics every week on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Go check out our content at MWFpodcast.com on Facebook or Instagram. You can support us via Patreon or by checking out our affiliate partners.

[00:00:17] I'm your host Phil Rabelais and my co-host Andrew Bobo is on the other side of the mic and here's your show. Welcome back to the Matterfax Podcast. Hello. I am still nursing away from my first cup of coffees and um

[00:00:29] I look like I got hit by a bus so bear with us But the annual Matterfax summer camp is in the bag. We all literally got home yesterday at varying hours after I don't know, I think the shortest drive had was probably five hours and

[00:00:48] I think the longest one was probably about what 14? No thinking of our Wisconsinites Yeah, yeah, no, I mean they I think he said it was like just over 12 It was a good little haul I think and then uh wasn't I mean Tommy I mean they're only

[00:01:05] Weren't they like like four or something like that or five are they five hours? Yeah, they were pretty close. They had a nice little easy hop this year Yeah but For those that are tuning in that don't know what the uh

[00:01:19] The mof summer camp trip is like this is something we started doing now two years ago. So this is the third annual event And it really has always been restricted to like, you know patrons of the show and

[00:01:34] Some really close friends. We've invited like the the crew from prepper broadcast network to come join us But it's always been like an opportunity to get together like the show's most Intimate supporters and also like the people we've been at prepper camp with and things like that

[00:01:54] To get together and just cut loose for a weekend have or you know, a long weekend or a week and have some fun and Well, it's I mean it it To me to me it like because I mean we were the whole patreon thing I mean

[00:02:10] We're so grateful to the people that help support the show, uh, because without them. I don't think the show could exist I mean so The one thing that we've been racking our brains on is perks We're always constantly trying to think of perks for the patreons

[00:02:28] and everything so one of the perks that uh, you and I kind of brainstormed one year was Just the uh, the mof camping trip just to get together for those of uh, I mean We like to go to prepper camp

[00:02:39] But for those the ones that can't make it to prepper camp because of certain obligations or whatever This is just another thing that we can just get together and Uh, is it going to get as big as proper camp? I don't think so

[00:02:51] But it's one of those things where we just get together and honestly We don't even it's not even compared to proper camp like we don't talk I mean we'll talk preparedness like it'll come up obviously because of the group of people that we're with together

[00:03:02] but this is honestly like just a good vacation for the family and then just uh, we just we use it to just meet everybody that helps support us and Then we just do events together like I mean

[00:03:17] You know any if you don't want to do events together, it's I mean I went golfing this last time I went golfing. Um Josh and his family

[00:03:25] I mean they they you know, they did their thing a couple times you guys everybody kind of everybody kind of just did Their own thing. I mean we went to the caverns and uh, a few of us went to the caverns

[00:03:33] A few people went hiking down a big really large down to a waterfall down the mountain Uh, and you know, so it It really like you can do your own thing

[00:03:44] uh, and if you want to do in a group you try to just hey like if you're gonna plan something Throw it out there and if other people want to join then cool But uh, I mean this is really just it's a good vacation for the family

[00:03:55] I think and then just yeah on top of that we get to kind of hang out like some good like-minded individuals And just have fun. Um Yeah, but but the vibe is very

[00:04:06] The vibe is very much like a vacation it's not centered around an event. It's not centered around Classes or preparedness like prepper camp is like when we when we originally started talking about doing this

[00:04:19] Like my my my big 30 000 foot vision was always like I want to do something that people will bring their spouses and kids to because i've always felt like You know the group of us that got together for prepper camp

[00:04:33] Like we've become very very good friends over the years over the what's six seven eight years of going to prepper camp together But I felt like if we can't Knit the families together get the spouses together get the kids together if we can't if we can't do that

[00:04:48] We're missing something here And that's why this event has been It's been intentionally done very differently from a lot of other preparedness events it's It really is a big group of people who if you weren't friends when you got out there

[00:05:01] You're going to be friends by the end of it but we're just gonna you know share drink and eat ourselves until we're swollen like ticks and we're gonna go on hikes together and just goof off like it is it has intentionally been formatted as the

[00:05:17] The zero expectations run what you're brung do what you want. It's a vacation Yeah, and that's the thing is it And there's no expectation so As far as if you want to show up and you and the family want to go do whatever honestly

[00:05:30] It's like it's one of those things where if you guys want to show up say hi Maybe chill here and there all the time, you know, but basically have the family and go

[00:05:38] I mean it's that's what it's for. Uh, there is there's zero obligation to hang out with the group the whole group It's just we want to meet the people who help support the show

[00:05:49] And at the same time we wanted to connect like-minded individuals across the united states, I mean I always take I take this book. I take the whole page out of like franklin horton's Locker nine series where you know, the the father has uh his his daughter grace

[00:06:06] He has people lined up across The united states to get her home in case something were to happen Uh, I did a similar thing I remember uh my mom and my sister brother-in-law and like some of my nieces and stuff like that

[00:06:19] They went to florida. They drove to florida And I can't remember what was going on But I mean I coordinated with like tommy I I reached out to franklin I reached out to a few people And I was just like hey along their route

[00:06:29] Is it okay if something were to happen? Can they stop in and yeah? Oh, yeah You know that's and I made them a document saying hey, this is their address. This is who they are Just tell them who I am stuff like that

[00:06:41] And this is the kind of things that you can That we're trying to push is just we're just trying to build that the community now off of from texting in the signal chat

[00:06:50] Uh or whatever to just broaden it to hey, can I get your number? Can we hang out? Hey, I don't know. You're that close to me Uh, and just try to make I mean like josh and I were talking about uh, you know him taking some mdf

[00:07:01] I classes or or just come over when you know next time it comes to michigan hit me up I mean, it's those kind of things that it's just like You really you don't realize how close some people are so if we can

[00:07:12] use this event to help kind of coordinate and get people together and Basically Increase your group Your mag or whatever. I mean it's that's a plus so So we're looking forward to it. I know next year. I guess you want to say it now or

[00:07:30] Yeah, I think I think it's pretty official next year is going to be in michigan Yeah, so if you guys anybody north, uh, I mean honestly if you're from if you're in the south and you want to travel by all means

[00:07:41] If you fly in let me know we can coordinate and i'll pick you up from my i'm not very far from the grand rapids airport So if you want to fly in um, by all means, uh, let me know and I can pick you up um, but

[00:07:55] Uh, but yeah, it's gonna be in michigan next year. Uh still looking at locations Uh still looking at what everybody you know for places for people to do But yeah, so if you can't if you couldn't make it this trip or the trip before that or whatever

[00:08:09] If you live close to michigan or if you honestly like I said if you live far away and you want to fly in or even driving Uh, just coordinate with us. Let us know Shoot us an email if you're in the uh, the signal chat. Let us know

[00:08:22] Obviously we're gonna put this in the signal chat with everybody but if you're not in the signal chat, let us know if you are

[00:08:27] Uh, not in the signal chat in your patreon, uh, and you want to be let us know or if you don't really won't care to be Uh, just shoot us an email. Uh, just go to do Go to the mofpodcast.com and go to the contact

[00:08:41] At the very bottom and it'll send to both phil and I If you guys haven't already done that yet, but let us know you're coming Uh, just so we can get a good head count and that way I can figure out spaces and stuff because yeah

[00:08:51] I'm on the i'm on the hunt for locations To set up so Uh, but yeah, so yeah i'm I feel bad because michigan it's it's a long drive for everybody but michigan in june is nice. It's not terrible. It's not Uh july it gets muggy

[00:09:10] Uh and everything and right now the mosquitoes aren't terrible knock on wood Uh, but uh, but no it's it should be a good time Yeah Well, let's talk again. Let me kind of like unpack that just a little bit like

[00:09:24] You know the first two years we did this we did this earlier in the year Over um like easter break and we did it further south And the problem we kept headbutting was like Since of the two of us i'm the one with you know, little hell spawned

[00:09:41] And I was coordinating this around like, you know when easter vacation was for my family and that doesn't line up all the way Around the country So this year we made the decision to move the summer camp to the summer instead of spring

[00:09:55] And everybody's kids would be out of school Hopefully there'd be less obligations. We'd be competing with people be able to come out and bring their families But that now necessitates we have to go places where it's like semi-reasonable camping weather In the summer

[00:10:10] Yeah, and uh, unfortunately y'all are never ever we're never going to do this in louisiana unless y'all come down here for like Thanksgiving break. It's just It's just too it's too hot in the summer Um, yeah I mean, it'll be 92 degrees at two in the morning. Geez

[00:10:28] Yeah, no, uh, but no, um If what I was gonna say Uh, if you're interested Uh, let us know just because uh, I mean we don't have an exact date yet, but it will probably be sometime in june We just don't have an exact date yet but

[00:10:47] That kind of narrows it down for everybody As far as june goes but uh, but yeah, um if you're not a patreon member Uh, this is patreon only if you want to become a patreon member. I mean by all means

[00:10:59] Uh, I don't remember the tiers, but it doesn't it's not I think what a dollar five dollars and starts at a dollar a month Yeah, and so That's the thing is we appreciate it and this is just like I said a perk for everybody uh

[00:11:14] That helps support the show just hey, we were grateful. We're thankful Uh great to meet you stuff like that. So And I did want to take it just ever so brief a moment like talk through like what

[00:11:27] summer camp was like this year just try to give everybody an idea of like, you know kind of like roughly how we try to work this because I feel like we have some plans in the wings for next year

[00:11:38] But we really can't trot can't trot those out until we get we get things for a little bit But like for this year, you know so every year our criteria for where we host this has always been That I want to go to a place where we have

[00:11:55] Multiple options for accommodations so that people can can come at their comfort level. We have a couple of campers who Like their comfort level is lodge or cabin and that's cool We have some campers who if I told them hey

[00:12:08] We got a can't we got a warm bed and a toilet for you They would snicker and go set up in the parking lot, you know, because like that's just that's how they like to do things And everybody's in the middle. So

[00:12:21] We've always said that we need everything from You know unimproved campsites all the way up to cabins that way everybody can come at their own home level we do that also because like Some of us godless heathens will live like hobos for a weekend quite happily

[00:12:36] But our spouses might they want things like, you know running water in toilets flipping things that no one should really have to have I'm totally kidding. I hope my wife is waiting to smack me when I get out of this office but um

[00:12:51] You know, so those are those are requirements for us I don't get really hung up on What is there to do in a certain area? Because to me like, you know, we find stuff to get into like this time andrew you were at the golf course

[00:13:04] A bunch of us all took it upon ourselves to go on what? Why not being about a four and a half mile hike Through the woods over the hills to grandmother's house past that All the way down into a gorge

[00:13:19] To jump in like a lake at the bottom of a waterfall and that sounds amazing Like i've got I have so many pictures on this phone gillian actually started putting them on her personal instagram yesterday And I got spent some time today like

[00:13:34] getting all that together and starting to get that on our social media because It it's the pictures we took out there were incredible. It was fun. We all got to Some people got to push their What they thought their limitations were

[00:13:49] you know i'm saying like i'll admit I was huffing and puffing and sore the next day because I don't know if you can imagine this but in south in south, Louisiana, we don't get a lot of hills much less mountains Well, but also I was

[00:14:03] Well, so I was cool. I would have been cool walking four and a half miles. That's fine But I use muscles I don't use to go up and down hills well, but what I was also going to say was

[00:14:13] Uh, I mean, I don't think it was like extreme but even like I mean just think about the elevation change From where you're at where you're at now to I mean even if you're 15, you know 2 000 feet higher

[00:14:28] Uh that I mean that's a slight elevation change for you and your body has I mean like I said, it's not extreme But you know some people their bodies just have to adapt to it

[00:14:38] When you spend 360 days of a year at um, you know 20 feet above sea level 1700 feet is is a thing. I'm pretty sure my body was wondering what in the hell I had done to it at that moment

[00:14:54] But the hike was probably like the wildest thing we that most of the group did the whole time A lot of time was spent like, you know Jumping in watering holes and just driving around seeing the parks looking at the scenic overlooks

[00:15:06] Honestly, we probably spend more time than anything else Because like the one thing we did this year that gillian and I agreed we're not doing next year Is this year we kind of penned ourselves into like hey

[00:15:19] Breakfast lunch dinner who wants to cook where and because of the group we hang out with everybody wants to contribute so we wound up with like Three meals a day planned for most of those days And that's by itself is not a problem except you know

[00:15:35] You kind of when you're being when you're invited to eat at somebody's table, you kind of feel obligated to come But that then meant that we were trying to shove like fun in between breakfast and lunch and in between lunch and dinner and

[00:15:46] Quite a few times the breakfast the after breakfast activities You know pushed lunch back to like 2 3 pm which pushed dinner back even further So I think I think in the future we're going to learn from this experience and say like

[00:15:59] We can get together for breakfast. We can get together for dinner and that's it Lunch eat mres you're on your own Well, it's just a lot. I mean we had so much food

[00:16:08] And I mean I I brought home a bag of chicken from uh, what what tim cooked Yep, uh, I I mean chicken. Yeah the sous vide chicken that he did. Uh, willow had um God we had I don't

[00:16:25] I I don't know how many I don't know if the burgers disappeared or but or not But I know she had another six or seven that were not cooked that because we had so much We had like 30 something patties that her and I made up

[00:16:36] Uh plus everything all the salads and stuff that she made Uh, and so I mean that was just our meals and then I know josh and his family had a ton of food left over

[00:16:46] We had so much food and then on top of that though because we didn't make this this was like a last-minute decision And we I had I had steaks and chicken and all kinds of stuff that I I brought for myself just to cook

[00:16:57] And I never touched it Because there were so many group because there's yeah because there are so many meals So so yeah, so I mean it's just one of those things is yeah

[00:17:04] And then honestly that's another thing is if you don't want to join in on the meal I mean you don't have to it's like hey I brought I I got some new camping gear

[00:17:12] I want to test out and you want to test it out cool more power to you So but no, I mean it's fun. I mean that's the thing is it was it was a lot of fun It it could have went

[00:17:22] I know like gillian was even saying like she wishes it went like maybe another a day or two because of we there's so Much to explore in that state park Uh, and so you almost felt like you just cut up, you know you you

[00:17:34] I mean i'd love to go back to that state park just to visit to do it more Uh, and so no it was I mean, yeah, I know to beat the dead horse. It was uh, it was fun And I hope uh being in michigan. I'm hoping

[00:17:49] There's a few individuals that can make it next year, especially one down in illinois not going to name drop nick, but um Hopefully you can make it Uh, but yeah, no, I mean it's fun. So

[00:18:02] And I do know I do know because I I do not remember his name. Please forgive me for that I saw we had a message from a relatively new patron from the michigan area

[00:18:12] I'm assuming he's from michigan. I think he saves from michigan. I know he said where'd you get the message? Um Uh, it was on the website All right. I just logged into the wix app and I saw it. Yeah but um He was actually he was asking

[00:18:29] I mean just a couple of days before we left to go on this summer camp He was asking about where was and I responded back and I was like, uh, there's unfortunately there's you know It we're leaving tomorrow to go

[00:18:42] Yeah, but I did but I did go ahead and tell him like we're talking about doing next year in michigan Which should be pretty convenient for you

[00:18:49] But that's kind of the idea is that if we if we bounce this thing around every year if we move it around every year And i'm okay with moving it kind of in the vicinity of a different patron each year Even that way it's convenient for them

[00:19:02] But then they also become our kind of embedded asset in that area to say hey Help me find state parks help me find stuff in that area And they can become our little ad hoc tour guide You know because that by moving it around every year

[00:19:16] We're going to get the ability to see people that we otherwise wouldn't because we're too far away from them And we'll prepper camps too far away from them But we're also going to get a chance to expose the rest of the group to different environments

[00:19:30] Like to me that is that's the joy I go through. I love seeing everybody and I love meeting all these people And I don't mind I mean like next year I don't know where we're going to have the event next year

[00:19:41] But I do know that from my front doorstep to yours is 15 hours Mm-hmm. That's not bad It's really well But again, I don't know like how if we're gonna why don't we have them drive north of you to the event?

[00:19:53] We haven't we haven't picked a spot yet. Yeah, I know but yeah, that's not terrible man. That's like a that's a day drive Yeah, I think I think what Gillian and I talked about was we were probably going to like Bulldog it up to probably Nashville

[00:20:07] The first day maybe push a little further And then find a place to bed down because I would rather have a long drive the first day And the second day have a shorter drive

[00:20:17] Because I know that especially if we go camping next year like I would like to We're gonna wind up having a drive and then set up a campsite Mm-hmm, so If I have to pick I'd rather like, you know, kill ourselves the first day with 10 hours

[00:20:29] And then the second day we have a five hour drive And then we can just hit it But we'll see I mean we got time to figure that out

[00:20:37] But I did want to go ahead and kind of preload the conversation with next year's probably going to be in Michigan And if that sounds like a hop skip and a jump away from you

[00:20:45] Then you should probably get in touch with us and let us know. Hey, I'm curious If you're not a patron and the show is worth a buck a month to you, like we certainly appreciate it

[00:20:56] I'm not gonna lie that goes directly to defraying the cost of the show Defraying the cost of running a podcast while not a multi-million dollar operation Would be a drain on my finances otherwise

[00:21:08] So for those of you who feel like, you know a cup of spending the cost of a cup of gas station coffee with us every month Thanks, it really does help out and quite frankly

[00:21:19] It means something because it tells me that there's people out there that find some value Even if it's just entertainment from the stuff we put out But I do have a an absolute mountain of uh pictures to go through today, I have

[00:21:34] The uh the round table chat we recorded monday, which I am waiting to I'm waiting to fire that up on my laptop and see how that went I'm pretty sure it was I was in a drunken stupor. I was on my third margarita when we fired that up

[00:21:49] Yeah Oh, that could be bad It's okay It might that was probably going to be patron only because like I didn't intend for it to happen But several of the kids joined in and I just

[00:22:01] I'm not totally convinced. I want to put children's likenesses on our publicly available youtube channel. You know what i'm saying? Yeah, even though they're I mean their parents might be totally cool with it I can make a couple phone calls and ask

[00:22:14] I just don't know if I want to do that. So that one will probably be patron only But we did record it video and audio so y'all can listen to all the drunken shenanigans and the kids egging us on by the way

[00:22:26] But I don't know what else to say about this. I didn't want a really long episode today. You've got work I've i've cut 14 different things to jump to I haven't even finished. I'm packing yet

[00:22:35] And this is my first cup of coffee since I landed back here in louisiana yeah, no, it's uh, I mean I got my laundry about done and uh luckily the the I'd like to do a uh Maybe a unpacking of the camping rig Of the truck rig

[00:22:53] How it went but I mean because this was like this was like the first major, uh Camping trip with it. Um, i'm back for a week or so and then i'll be gone

[00:23:04] I'll be camping again for another week coming up up in the upper peninsula with one of my good friends Uh, so it'll be another and that's the thing. That's actually going to be even more remote. That's uh,

[00:23:15] Actually that reminds me I need to buy a solar panel for my goal zero because that I believe is complete, uh Roughing it like there's I don't think there's electricity or running water or bathrooms Besides the pond or the lake that we're gonna be camping next to

[00:23:29] So but yeah, so anyway, um No, it was fun No, it was a blast and I just want to say like For for the patrons and for the friends of the podcast that came out to join us Thank you all like it

[00:23:43] I could have if it was nothing but me and andrew getting together I would I would love every end every minute of that because i andrew and I the only times we get to see each other Face to face most years is prepper camp in the summer trip

[00:23:55] So like we've gotten to be such good friends over the years of podcasting together like It it's something to me just for us to get spend time together But then when you add in

[00:24:06] You know everybody else that I don't want to name drop that comes out to this thing You know gillian gillian refers to it as it's like it's like a family reunion and it really is even when like

[00:24:18] you know one of our one of our patrons for the first time brought his wife and one of his daughters that hasn't come in previous years And i'm not 100 positive, but I think she might have been um

[00:24:30] I think she might become a regular to this thing because like you know, we did what we normally do we welcome welcomed her in with open arms and sat her down and we just brought her in

[00:24:42] I see christin just joined us and christin's another one like thank you so much for coming I mean, I I love I love getting a chance to see and hang out with your husband and uh his friend who i'm

[00:24:53] Trying not to name drop on the show. I'm like making a conscious effort not to But it's just it's something it's something special when The people that we've gotten over the years

[00:25:03] Say these people are normal enough. I can bring my spouse and my kids out and not be shunned for it afterwards But Yeah, that was great definitely All right. Well you got anything else you want to insert here or punt this one out the door so we can

[00:25:21] No get back. No, it was uh reality. Yeah, right. No, it was a it was just a great time Um, it was awesome seeing everybody. I love seeing tommy and his family

[00:25:30] Uh christin, it's always fun seeing your guys as rig because I I based my truck off a lot of conversations I had with tommy Uh, so seeing what you guys have it's always an inspiration. Uh for me anyway

[00:25:43] Um on what what are the next what's like what I what do I need to add or what am I missing kind of thing? Because you guys have been doing this for so much longer than I have uh, but uh

[00:25:52] It was awesome seeing you guys and the kids and uh, I mean just everybody so i'm grateful for uh I'm very thankful for everybody who supports us The opportunities that we've gotten so Yeah, and personally like I feel like between prepper camp and the mof summer camp

[00:26:12] I feel like we have finally accomplished something that we set out to do years and years ago, like the idea of this podcast was always to try to Try to convince people that preparedness wasn't some

[00:26:25] Weird thing that nutcases did that it was a normal thing done by normal people for Very normal reasons like we all just want to take care of our families ourselves. We all just want to be able To respond to life's little emergencies

[00:26:39] and I feel like this this has helped break that stigma because I will always go back to the comment we got from holly the first the first year We did this when her and her husband and her child came out

[00:26:51] And she just remarked like very off the off the cuff like wow y'all are really normal Because she she she'd gotten drug out by her husband saying hey It's the podcast and preppers and we're gonna go hang out with them and she was a little reticent

[00:27:05] And then she was like, oh wow. Y'all are really normal like You know, you don't live in bunkers and eat mres and like y'all are just normal people and i'm like, yeah, we're normal-ish We have some odd tendencies and some interesting hobbies sometimes but like

[00:27:21] You know for the most part we are normal people and I love breaking that stigma down so that we can we can My hope is that over the years of doing this Maybe just maybe we convince enough enough people's like spouses and their kids

[00:27:34] Spouses and their kids and you know, maybe they're then a little bit Maybe they're a little bit more secure about like exposing themselves to others and saying hey Yeah, i'm in a preparedness. That's a normal thing I mean at the end of the day

[00:27:51] This is all about trying to spread that message so that everybody's better able to take care of themselves if the flag goes up And on top of that it's just a really good chance to hang out with a lot of really cool people for a weekend

[00:28:04] Have a lot of fun, which is something we always do but I'm gonna go ahead and send it Andrew has work. I have Other kinds of work to do and we will talk to y'all in another week If you're patrons

[00:28:20] If you're not patrons, I would suggest you look in the show description for links to our instagram and facebook Because there will be content going up on those lots of pictures and videos and maybe a reel or two

[00:28:33] If you're a patron, I would say keep an eye on patreon. I will have I'll have something going out there with the video and the audio from the impromptu round table We did out there. I'm not promising it's coherent. It was fueled by lots of margaritas

[00:28:51] So god only knows what we got into I don't even remember what we talked about But y'all can have a good old time giggling at me You

[00:29:02] Next year's in michigan. Don't miss it. You'll kick yourself in the butt if you do talk to y'all later guys. Bye. All right