The Perfect Picnic Idea #3

We learned a lot of interesting facts at Wolf Haven International in Tenino like how wolves in the wild regularly go a week or more between meals.  I’ve never been so glad I’m not a wolf, especially when there is delicious picnic food waiting in the cooler!

Wolf Haven International

Since 1982, the mission of this nonprofit wolf sanctuary has been to “conserve and protect wolves and their habitat.”  They provide a permanent home to captive-born wolves that have been rescued and offer education on wolves and their natural environment.  Another aspect is working in partnership with several other organizations on a breeding program to reintroduce the endangered Red and Mexican Gray wolf into the wild.

On Saturday, July 23, we attended the second in a series of four annual Howl-Ins at Wolf Haven.  While they are open for tours every day during the summer (except Tuesdays) the four Howl-Ins offer a unique way to experience the sanctuary.

The gates opened at 5:30 for the 6 p.m. start of the event and while our group of seven arrived early, we still didn't have enough time for all the activities offered. 

We started with a picnic dinner.  I brought the giant submarine sandwich (recipe below) while my sister, Wendy, rounded out the meal with fresh veggies, potato chips, sliced watermelon, and crispy rice treats.  There is a hot dog vender on site with a diverse menu of food and drinks.  Picnic tables are scattered around and were mercifully shaded from the unfamiliar but welcome sun.

When you arrive, you are assigned a time for a tour of the area where the captive wolves are housed.  Normally the tour is about an hour but with the large groups that attend the Howl-In, they were reduced to about 20 minutes.  It was still enough time to view about 10 wolves and hear the stories of how they came to live here.  Since many came from private owners, they were accustomed to humans and came right up to the fences to greet us and have their photos taken.

After our tour and the obligatory visit to the gift shop (it’s for a good cause, as my children pointed out,) we spent the rest of the evening visiting the various booths brimming with games and information.  Among them was face painting, interactive storytelling, rock painting, and wolf mask construction.

A self guided tour into the prairie leads you through the mysterious Mima Mounds and ends at a Grandfather Tree.  The malformed evergreen tree boasts sprawling branches that provide a canopy over a sitting area.  A Native American gentleman seated at the base of the tree had a small crowd spellbound with tales of his ancestors.

Back at the sanctuary, the Evergreen Grotto stage hosted a wolf trivia game then the Straw Hat String Band wove a musical backdrop to the activities going on all around.

At 8:45 p.m. the band wrapped up and the entire group congregated at the stage for the finale:  The Howling Contest.  Brave volunteers divided into age groups took the stage and each gave their best wolf howl.  At times the wolves would join in and all would fall silent as we listened to their mournful but beautiful cries.  Then the humans would chime back in and eventually a winner for each age group was crowned as King or Queen Wolf.

Overnight tent camping is allowed during the Howl-Ins by pre-registration.  Those folks went onto to a bonfire complete with toasted marshmallows.  But as this “Queen Wolf” likes her comfy bed, we packed up the car and headed back to Gig Harbor with the wolves serenading our departure.

There are two more Howl-Ins scheduled for this summer:  August 6th and 20th.  Pre-registration is recommended.

Giant Submarine Sandwich

OK, this isn’t really a recipe, more of a process.

Take a large loaf of French bread and cut lengthwise.  Hollow out each side by removing enough of the soft insides to leave about an inch of bread.  Spread each side with a generous amount of pesto mayonnaise (below).  Stack sandwich ingredients in layers on bottom half.  Here is what I used in our sandwich:

• Sliced salami
• Sliced deli turkey
• Sliced deli ham
• Sliced provolone cheese
• Sliced tomato
• Mixed baby greens

Add the bread top and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  It’s best made at least 2 hours before serving but not more than 8 hours.  Store in a cooler with plenty of ice.  Unwrap, slice into individual portions and enjoy!  I provided these additional condiments on the side for each person to add:

• Sort of Homemade Sub Sauce (see below)
• Sliced banana peppers
• Thin sliced sweet onion
• Thin sliced cucumber marinated in the sub sauce
• Sliced pickles
• Dijon mustard

Pesto Mayonnaise

• 1 cup good quality store bought or homemade mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp pesto (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine!

Sort of Homemade Sub Sauce

• 6 oz store bought Italian dressing or vinaigrette (my favorite is Safeway Select Tuscan-style Basil Herb)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp white sugar

Blend thoroughly and store overnight.  Shake well before use.