Friday 12/18

Novato, CA to Winnemucca, NV  368 miles

Our original plan was to leave at 0-dark o’clock on Saturday morning but the rain started earlier on Friday than expected so Bob came home and we were able to leave Friday afternoon.  We made it all the way to Winnemucca for a late dinner. Traffic from Vacaville through Roseville was horrible but we managed to make really good time after that.

We did most of the organizing and packing on Thursday night.  #ListMaking:

Checking into the Town House motel in Winnemucca (our third or fourth visit), we were distressed to hear that our favorite Basque restaurant, Ormachea’s, had closed in November. Booooo. So the Martin Hotel, the other Basque restaurant in town — and the only non-chain, non-casino place to eat — was where we headed. It was full of locals, as usual, most in cowboy hats, some in sleeveless dresses (35* and snow on the ground….wtf? ), some in Christmas finery. Pretty loud and noisy but we were happy. Bob had ribeye with all the sides and I had soup and salad and sides plus a few bites of his steak. House wine (included) is always surprisingly good at Basque places. We had a cocktail at the bar before we left: Chivas for Bob, Picon punch for me (a splash of grenadine, bitters, club soda and a splash of brandy – I always ask for more club soda). We fell into bed because we have another long day of driving on Saturday.

 

Saturday 12/19

Winnemucca, NV to West Yellowstone, MT  560 miles

We were at the counter at The Griddle at 6:05a. Eggs, Canadian bacon, hash browns and rye toast for Bob and oatmeal with walnuts and cinnamon for me. Good coffee so I got one to go.  Leaving Winnemucca, very dark and cold:

Views of the morning:

Except for a gas and potty stop or two we kept going til lunch in Pocatello. On Yelp we found an Italian restaurant downtown, Villanos. The downtown area was very depressed and very depressing.   We shared a caprese salad that was really good with cherry tomatoes. Bob had baked chicken with penne that he loved. I ordered a small pizza with artichoke hearts and mushrooms that tasted tinny. The excellent marinara sauce on Bob’s dish didn’t make it onto the pizza for some reason. Had a couple of bites and asked for a box for the rest because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. But I threw it away at the next gas stop.

We saw a coyote! And out of the blue Bob said, “I have absolutely no stress.”

And. Then.

We got gas in Ashton, ID at 4:11, about 60 miles from West Yellowstone, MT where we decided to stay for the night. Those last 60 miles were hairy. It was snowing hard and getting dark fast. Neither of us had been on that road before and tons of traffic was coming towards us, down from Montana. The road was completely covered in snow. It was a long, slow 90 minutes!!

The Best Western Desert Inn was between a bar, Bullwinkles, and the Spitting Otter Pub so we didn’t have to drive again til morning. We got a really nice room for $89. It was snowing hard!

Had cocktails in Bullwinkles and watched it snow. Bob told the bartender that I like my martini really dirty and it was excellent. Turns out he added a splash of vermouth! Who knew? My life got more complicated because now I need vermouth… We traipsed over to the Pub for dinner.

My feet:

We always talk to the nicest people on these trips when we sit at the bar. Bob had the prime rib special and excellent French fries. I had a Caesar salad with a ton of delicious anchovies and a bison burger that I inhaled. I wish it were easier to get bison at home — in restaurants and stores. We each had a glass of H3 Cab from Washington that neither of us had heard of and really enjoyed. Bob had a piece of cheesecake and I had another glass.   Learned that in one square inch, otters have one million hairs. No wonder they can live in freezing water…

Sunday 12/20

West Yellowstone, MT to Livingston, MT  146 miles

Sunday we were downstairs getting juice and tea and checking the weather reports at 6a. Still snowing! And really dark; we didn’t want to be driving in the dark so we scraped the car with a borrowed broom and headed to the Running Bear Pancake House, recommended by Carlos, the bartender at the Pub. We got there at 7a and it was still quite dark. Place was full of snow mobilers. Bob was delighted to see pigs in a blanket (“I was 7 years old when I first had them in Green River, WY”) on the menu and I had a poached egg with Canadian bacon, rye toast and hot salsa. And, again, good diner coffee!

We left West Yellowstone at 8a and another semi-stressful drive given 6+ inches of snow. Everyone we asked had said the Bozeman to Livingston segment was liable to be icy and windy. Yikes. It was beautiful through Yellowstone Park (another coyote) and past Big Sky, into Bozeman. There was definitely ice on the roads but also lots of packed snow and trucks had been through scraping and dropping sand. The Bozeman to Livingston stretch wasn’t bad but it was windy. $1500 for new tires the week before was money very well spent!

 

Livingston is adorable. There is an old downtown that is pretty vibrant with restaurants, bars and coffee shops as well as shops, a beautiful post office, movie theater (showing Star Wars) and some lovely old brick buildings. We stocked up at Albertson’s on essentials and stuff for dinner and breakfast then we searched for a place for lunch. Our first choice, Montana’s Rib and Chop House isn’t open for lunch on Sundays so the next top Yelp was The Sport Bar and Grill on Main Street. We sat at the bar and ordered a fresh lime margarita for Bob (super refreshing) and a Bloody Mary verde for me made with fresh tomatillos and hot pepper/basil infused vodka for me. The. Best. Ever.

Bob had a bison burger with bacon and I had a spinach salad with smoked cherry tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, crispy shallots and a warm pancetta vinaigrette. Yum.  Oh and an order of fried pickles.  With siracha ranch on the side.

We drove about 20 miles from town and got to our little (tiny!) cabin on Dexter Peak Road about 2:30 and quickly made ourselves at home.  The bed is in a loft that Bob is barely able to sit up on without banging his head. It’s like camping and crawling into the tent. The kitchen is small but has everything we need – plus we bring a ton of stuff! We headed out to check out Pray, a teeny tiny — town isn’t right; hamlet? — with not even a stop sign but a church, Post Office and the Pray Cafe; Emigrant, about 5 miles away, and the Chico Hot Springs Resort. The Old Saloon in Emigrant is pretty closed down for the season serving only breakfast. We had a cocktail (the usual) at the bar and pumped the bartenders for area info. Checked out the Emigrant General Store (needed matches and ice cream) and drove by Chicos Hot Springs and the Rivers Edge Bar (tons of cars in front).

Views around the cabin and our closest neighbors.

We hunkered down in the cabin lighting candles (Jo Malone freesia and pear in the living room and Myers Clean Day in the kitchen) and finding football games/scores. Baked chicken breasts for dinner with a baked potato and roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli and salad. The oven is way off and the chicken did not cook. The vegetables took way longer than usual but tasted good. Tomorrow: buy an oven thermometer.

 

Monday 12/21

For such a funny bed in the ceiling, it is super comfortable and we both slept really well! It gets dark so early (by 5p) and it doesn’t get light til after 7a. Bob found ‘White Christmas’! It started at 7:30 after we caught up on news, weather, CNBC… so happy! I sing along (badly) to every song and laugh and cry at all the same spots. I made two cups of coffee and Bob made breakfast (fried eggs, Canadian bacon, sourdough toast, salsa). We caught up on emails, etc as best we could with sketchy wifi and headed into Livingston at 10a. It is a beautiful 20 miles on a two-lane highway surrounded by mountains. First stop was the butcher shop that wasn’t open yesterday and not open today either. We want to get a good beef roast or filet for Christmas. Next stop was Ace hardware for an oven thermometer.

Montana’s Rib and Chop House parking lot was already filling up at 11:45 when we arrived. Sat next to a nice guy named Tom at the bar who is a fisherman. Bob had a bourbon blood orange something (good!) and I had a local wheat beer. Bob had the special sirloin with mashed potatoes and a salad. I had the Dalryimple salad: romaine, chunks of apple, dried cranberries, crumbled blue cheese, almonds and spicy blackened prawns. We are definitely going back there. Nice atmosphere and people.

Stopped at Albertson’s on the way out of town for taco fixings for dinner.

Whenever we take road trips and are out in the ‘country’ Bob takes on this accent that is a cross between Forrest Gump and Smokey and the Bandit which cracks me up; nothing is really suitable for printing here but I cry with laughter.

Tuesday 12/22

We decided to drive into the park, about 40 miles away.  We stopped in Gardiner at the Chamber of Commerce to ask about winter tours of the park and decided what we would like to do next Christmas!  They have these snow trek trucks that will take you in from Mammoth Hot Springs (about 5 miles inside the park) to Old Faithful.  The Snow Lodge is open so you can stay for a couple of nights and do snowmobile tours, moonlight tours etc and then trek back to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Sounds like so much fun and so beautiful in winter with very few people.

After going into the park as far as Mammoth Hot Springs where we saw the snow treks, we had lunch at the Yellowstone Bar and Grill in Gardiner.  We both had the Roosevelt Ranch salad: romaine and spring lettuces with a spicy corn salsa, shredded grilled chicken and a spicy chipotle dressing.  Bob had a Blue Moon and I had Bozone Amber Ale.  Cute little place that serves breakfast and lunch til 2p and was full of locals of all ages and sizes.  They gave us two free cinnamon rolls when we left — past closing time.

On the drive back we saw bison, hundreds of deer, antelope and big-horned sheep, all within about a mile!!

We got back to the cabin late afternoon and played 3-13 and read til about 7p when we drove to Chico Hot Springs Resort and our dinner reservation.  This is what it looks like at Christmas:

We had a cocktail in the lounge off the dining room and felt like we were in some resort in the 50’s or 60’s.  LOVED it.

The dining room was packed with hotel guests as well as locals.  Lots of white-shirted/black panted servers and a female sommelier.  Initially, I ordered the special bison ribeye but it was sold out so Bob and I had the ‘beef Wellington for two, carved tableside.’  Bob loves it and the first time he ordered it with me was one of our very first trips together in 2000 to Mammoth when we stayed at the Tamarack Lodge and ate dinner at Convict Lake Resort.  This was the first time I ever had beef Wellington and it was delicious!  So rich but also delicate even though it’s puff pastry and a thin layer of pistachio and cognac duck liver pate wrapped around beef. Seriously, I loved it. The meat was phenomenal; tender and juicy.  It came with asparagus and puffy potatoes – really light mashed potatoes piped into piles and browned.  YUM!!  Bob had prawn cocktail as an appetizer and I started with smoked trout that was heaven and took half of it home.  Ditto the beef and potato mounds– plenty to have for dinner one night.  The whole experience was delightful.  We brought a bottle of wine but ordered a Siduri Pinot Noir from the (extensive) wine list.

We both want to go back and stay there for a night or two.  At Christmas!  Didn’t get home til 11p.  Party on LOL.

Wednesday 12/23

We were up early and headed into town to the Coffee Crossing café with our computers.  The wifi situation at the cabin is quite sporadic and unreliable.  We both have been working off our phones and needed some real computer time.  What a find is the Coffee Crossing!  Sheree is the one-woman barista/sandwich maker/greeter/etc.  We were there a couple of hours (at adjacent tables) and she probably made 100 cups of coffee and no idea how many bagels and breakfast sandwiches.  She knew every person’s name and what their order was.  “Hi love.  A latte or a cappucinno this morning?” “Hey Dave, how is your mom?”  It was such a lovely slice of small town community.

 

From there we went to Matt the butcher’s and ordered a small tenderloin for Christmas.  Then to Albertson’s to shop for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  Then to Spirits Liquor to get a bottle of champagne (I remembered to bring the champagne stopper but forgot the champagne…. #listfail).

Soup bone:

We again landed at the bar at Montana’s just before noon.  Kevin, the bartender, is the guy who made up the blood orange bourbon cocktail and I had to order it.  Bob had another Kevin-made concoction: a bourbon and huckleberry version of a Manhattan; also very good.  He ordered the grilled chicken and mashed potatoes on a bed of spinach and I had a bowl of mussels and frites that I would order it again in an instant.  Kevin was great.  He worked six years in Yellowstone, including winters so was a fount of information.  A truly nice young man.

Holed up in the cabin playing 3-13, reading and watching Christmas movies.  I have been reading ‘Grace’, the latest memoir by Grace Coddington and really enjoying.  It’s a book book that I ordered when it first came out but it has been ignored by my bedside thanks to my Kindle. Then we decided to head over to Chico’s for a cocktail, about 10 minutes away, in the Saloon, adjacent to the dining room and the HUGE hot springs which was packed with people.  Outside, 20*.    We liked in here better.

The leftover beef and potatoes with roasted cauliflower, carrots and broccoli were yummy and the cabin was toasty.

 

Thursday 12/24

We were up really early and headed back to the Coffee Crossing with our ‘puters for an hour or so.  Sheree didn’t even ask for our order!  She made me an almond milk latte with two shots and Bob an Americano with two shots.  Yesterday he had a blueberry muffin and she asked if he wanted one this morning (no).  Amazing.  We shared a table because it was more crowded and, again, she knew EVERYONE.

Kevin, the bartender, had recommended Pinkys on Main Street for breakfast but it was closed so we went to The Other Café, a small breakfast/lunch place that always has a bunch of cars in front.   I was anticipating being disappointed (“Sit there” said the elderly owner/server pointing at the only empty table in the crowded corner of four; “we don’t poach eggs”) but it turned out to be perfect.  Bob got a huge plate-sized pancake, fried egg and sausage patty; I ordered a fried egg over easy with an English muffin and hot sauce.  Really really good.

We picked up our filet from Matt, the butcher, (yeah, we know people) and then got some cheese, prawns and crackers to have lunch at home.  Played 3-13, read and watched a super sappy movie that I cried the whole way through.  “Looking for Santa Paws” or something that involved little orphan girls, a mean foster woman, an ill Santa and an adorable talking (yes) Golden retriever puppy.  Seriously.  Do the math.  I was a mess.

Dinner was a fabulous pork roast with potatoes, carrots, petite peas and pearl onions in our trusty red Le Creuset dutch oven that goes on every trip.  Cheers.

Friday 12/25

Snow on Christmas morning!!  Very light and fluffy.  We just had to go in to town — an adventure in the snow! — and Sheree had said the Coffee Crossing was open til noon so…..

Left the cabin just before 8a after clearing the snow off the car.  The temperature hovered between 18-20* on the drive in and out of town, snowing the whole time.  Snow makes even crappy things (dead cars and trucks, broken fences, dirty rundown things) look beautiful.  Nothing in town was open except a couple of gas stations (regular $1.99) and motels.  And Coffee Crossing.  Turns out they give free coffee to all customers on Christmas Day.  Again, she just made ours without even asking; Bob’s Americano was in front of him before he even stopped saying good morning.  Awesome woman.

We got back to the cabin just after 9a and made YOYO breakfast.  I had an omelette with leftover roasted cauliflower, broccoli and carrots with hot sauce and Bob had scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast (he calls it Formula 4-4-4 and I have never understood why).

Lazy. Day.  John Wayne movies on AMC and snow and wind outside.  Champagne.  We played dominoes.

Since the plan is to leave at the crack of dawn on Saturday, we packed up the car with stuff we won’t need til we get home before we made an early Christmas dinner.  And while we were doing that this happened.

The little one we named Stella after the lovely little malti-poo puppy who is our occasional houseguest when her people need to leave her behind.  She was fascinated with my car.  Our guess is that she liked the salt from the highway.    The Warriors were on tv and we were in the middle of preparing dinner but we were mesmerized and going from window to window for at least half an hour.  It was so much fun watching them paw the ground to move the snow away.

Dinner:  perfectly cooked filet roast, baked potatoes, roasted broccoli and leeks with red pepper flakes and salad.   Full disclosure:  originally wanted to make potatoes au gratin (almost nothing stinks up a house better!) but we forgot parmesan cheese so made baked potatoes and roasted the leeks.

 

Saturday 12/26

Pray, MT to Elko, NV 628 miles

It snowed another inch or two during the night and got much colder!  But thankfully, for the first time since we have been here:  no wind.   We were out of the cabin at 7:20a, dark and snowy and 7*.   No sign of any of our deer though their tracks were back and forth all over the roads.  Needless to say we were first tracks until we got on the main road.  What a beautiful drive into Livingston!   The full moon that we were unable to see on Christmas due to clouds, was gorgeous!

We gave Sheree a bottle of Moss and Roxx Lodi Ancient Vines Zin and got our coffees to go.
The full moon was in front of us until the fog took over in a big way.  Bob wanted to show me the headwaters of the Missouri where the Gallatin, Jefferson and the Madison come together – part of his Lewis and Clark adventure last spring – but it was a complete white out with fog and snow.  And negative temps.  The lowest was -8*.

We happened upon the Wagon Wheel Cafe, with a dozen cars in front, in a tiny town in Idaho called Twin Bridges around 10a. 2* and partly sunny.   We sat at the counter and Bob ordered one sausage pancake and one bacon pancake.  We could see the cook and he put chopped up cooked sausage on the flat top and poured the pancake batter over it.  Then he did the same with chopped up bacon.  Ridiculously delicious!  Bob said they were the best he ever had — and he has had many…..  For the record, he preferred the sausage and the waitress agreed.  She said it’s like sausage cake.  And boring but ideal for me: two perfectly cooked poached eggs, an English muffin and hot sauce.   And a couple of pieces of canned pineapple.

The rest of the day was gorgeous.  We stopped in Twin Falls at Idaho Joe’s for a quick bite around 3p.  They are known for their pies – and have at least a dozen on offer at any time – and we have been for breakfast a few times but never for lunch.  I had a bowl of vegetable soup and a house salad and Bob had a burger, fries and a slice of sour lemon cream pie (“Burger, fry and pie”).  He didn’t eat even half of anything but said he would order it again.

I found the Thunderbird Motel online because it was close to our dinner restaurant of choice, The Star Hotel, a Basque restaurant.  We are still mourning the loss of Ormachea’s and don’t really like The Martin Hotel so the allure of staying in Winnemucca is gone.  We went to Lucciano’s, an Italian restaurant, in the old part of Elko a couple of years ago for lunch and really liked it but wanted to try The Star.

Other than the ‘Th’ not working on their neon sign (“  underbird Motel”), we were thrilled with the huge double king room for … drum roll…. $44 including taxes, etc!  (That is our comforter from home on the bed…. even I wanted more heat!)

It was clean, new bedding, thick towels, flat screen.   Yeah, we’ll be back.  We watched the Eagles and Redskins for awhile and then headed to The Star.  It was packed but two stools miraculously emptied and we parked ourselves.  I had a Picon Punch and Bob Chivas.  It was FREEZING (1*) and lots of snow.  And yet.  There was a silly girl on a date in open-toe sandels, bare legs and a sleeveless dress.   Even if she got dropped off and picked up AT THE DOOR, what a nut job.

We put our name on the list and were only one of four two-tops in the entire place.   All big parties of 6, 8. 10. 12.  I swear we were the only non-locals, though many of the families included other out of towners.  After less than a half hour we were seated and before Bob got to the table from paying for the drinks ($11…total), the bowl of soup and bread was on the table.

We found a new favorite.  The servers (all young females) are charming and share in the serving and clearing.   Bob ordered the petite filet (12 oz. LOL) with a side of mushrooms ($1 re-LOL) and tons of sliced garlic.  I just had the sides, knowing the mushrooms and a few bites of the filet were mine.  The food is way better than The Martin Hotel and on par with Ormachea’s.   Filet was tender and pink.  The sides, while much too much, were all tasty: soup with loads of cabbage, tomatoes, chunks of potatoes, beans and onions; green salad with a ‘house’ ranch-like dressing; green beans with yet more sliced garlic; roasted garbanzo beans; baked beans; angel hair pasta with a tomato sauce; French fries.    I ate almost half the bowl of soup, a couple of bites of the salad (too much dressing), lots of the green beans and garbanzo beans and a bite each of the pasta and baked beans.  Plus some filet, all the mushrooms and a few French fries.  OOF!  Bob brought the cheesecake, minus two bites, home.  Oh and we had a bottle of Klinker Brink Zin for $35.  Entire bill:  $84.

Sunday 12/27

Elko, NV to Novato, CA  499 miles

Woke up at 4:30a as we planned to be on the road ASAP but weather channel said “-4*, feels like -16*, and foggy”.  Oh s***.

We watched for awhile and then just decided to go for it, counting on trucks to be on 80W that we could just stay behind.  It was FREEZING.  We left the car running with heater and defrosters on while we got some hot tea for the road in the lobby.  Outside, Bob threw some hot water out of his mug and it immediately vaporized into nothing.  Not a drop hit the ground.

It was dark but roads seemed ok except for Emigrant Pass which was foggy with swirling snow; it looked like the contents of a cauldron  on the road in front of us.   Bob, as always, drove like a pro.

We stopped at The Griddle in Winnemucca for a quick breakfast (apple cinnamon pancakes and two poached eggs with rye toast and we split an order of Canadian bacon) and the coffee place next door was actually open! So we got an Americano and almond milk latte for the road.  Really the only two things worth stopping in Winnemucca for now… sad.

From there we only had one potty stop at Fallon and pushed through to home.  Buzzed right along until just past the Truckee inspection station when we met up with all the crazies.  It was pretty awful until Applegate and then really awful in Sacramento about 2 miles before the 80 and 50 merge.  We were cursing Bay Area traffic after more than a week of NONE.

Made it to Novato about 2:40p.  Except for the last 2+ hours, a dream of a trip.  We always say it but: maybe our best one ever.

Some little bits I couldn’t fit into the narrative but loved about Livingston:

Persnickety Dry Cleaners.

Mark’s In and Out Burgers sign:  Closed for the season.  Reason? Freezin

Rivers full of ice but the many fly fishing shops were all open, every single day but Christmas.

Zero California license plates after Nevada until we were back in Nevada.  Not one.

When we were returning the keys after last Thanksgiving, we reserved the house at Sea Ranch for this year.  It is our fifth time here (third Thanksgiving, one Super Bowl and one May trip) and perfect for us: one main room that is kitchen/dining/living with a fireplace and tv; a loft (which we never use); two bedrooms (one super small with a double bed; we keep the door closed) and a bath at the back.  And a big deck with a view of the ocean.  And silence.

Wednesday morning we both had minor (me) and bigger (Bob) fire drills at work but managed to make it to Mendocino for a late lunch at Patterson’s Pub in Mendocino after a quick stop at Goldeneye to pick up some chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Photos are Goldeneye’s gorgeous tasting room and back patio area in the vineyards.  At Patterson’s, we sat at the bar and ordered prawns and chips (Bob) and the special udon noodle miso chicken soup, full of chilis and cilantro and ginger.  And Navarro Chardonnay.  We drove down Hwy 1 to Sea Ranch and it was gloriously clear, sunny and quite cool — mid-forties.

We unpacked all of our stuff (sheet pans, parchment paper, salad spinner, baster, wine, herbs and spices, etc etc etc).  We know: we are nuts but it is always worth it to have everything we need!  We put some lovely lamb chops from Surf Market on the grill for dinner  — always have to check out the two super markets in Gualala on the first day even though we bring most produce and food from our stores and farmers markets at home.  Baked potato for Bob, roasted green beans and salad.  Very COLD night!  Excellent sleeping weather.

 

Thursday we were up and at the store at 7a to get little things we thought of that we ‘need’: chips, salsa, more bacon, parsley, melon (we brought prosciutto) ……

It was 34* with a full moon in the pink sky.

Back at the house we made coffee and breakfast (eggs, bacon and muffin for Bob; avocado toast with salsa for me).  I brined the turkey (Fred Peterson‘s recipe from years ago that can’t be beat) and we put it outside in the cooler where it stayed for about 5 hours.

Watched football, looked at the sea and started preparing things.  We played dominoes and nibbled on ham, cheese, and crackers while turkey was on the grill.  Bob had seen a turkey with boobs (half lemons) on FB so we had to do it, too.  In memory of Carol Doda.

Sat down for dinner about 5p with gorgeous sunset and a delicious Migration Chardonnay.  Menu: turkey (brined, lemons, garlic, sage, parsley and salt and pepper in the cavity; sage and parsley compound butter under the skin along with two lemon halves); dressing (sourdough bread, onions, hot sausage, celery, chicken broth, jalapenos, a little pepper jack cheese); gravy (really au jus as no flour; Bob simmered the neck and giblets most of the day with onion, carrot, celery and added water as necessary; strained it through cheesecloth and threw in a bunch of mushrooms near the end); mashed potatoes (sour cream, butter, parmesan cheese, scallions); roasted green beans and pearl onions; salad; cranberry relish (fresh cranberries, juice of one orange, zest of same, minced jalapenos, about 2 T brown sugar); cranberry jelly (open the can).  It was superb.  Gravity is not a girl’s nor a turkey’s friend.

Friday we slept in til about 6a (ha. Pretty good for us.).  Bob flipped on the fireplace and put the news on in the living room and we listened under all the covers from the bedroom.  We were at Trinks in Gualala when they opened at 7a.  They were, sadly, closed on ThanksgivingDay.  When we were at Irish Beach a couple of years ago for Thanksgiving with very sketchy connectivity, Trinks saved us with their wifi — about a 40-minute drive but worth it for both work and family communications.  We were just going to get coffee but raspberry scones just appeared out of the oven so, um, yeah we got one.  Excellent. Damn. Scone.

We bought a cheap nonstick pan for eggs for breakfast back at the house.  Fried egg, bacon, and a muffin for Bob; omelet, pumpernickel toast, canadian bacon, salsa for me.  We took a long, chilly walk (3.92 miles according to Walkmeter) on the beach to the point where the Gualala River hits the ocean.  It was gorgeous and not too windy, hardly any people.  Bob even found a heart stone to continue our tradition of finding hearts on vacation.

We had leftovers for lunch — perhaps even tastier?!!?!  Then we headed into town to get something for dinner and to check out the Gualala Hotel & Saloon which we were delighted to see is once again open.

Our delight was short-lived… it is a wonderful 100 year old building with a massive long wood bar.  There were about a dozen people, some having lunch, and one very harassed, short on people-skills woman behind the bar.  We eventually got our drinks (JW red on the rocks with an olive; half-pint hard cider) and cringed at what went on with other customers, people waiting for food, tables uncleared, dead drinks left on the bar long after customers had left.  Sigh.  The hotel isn’t open just the bar and restaurant but they clearly need work if they are to stay open.  It seemed like it was a pretty new operation but no, they re-opened in February so clearly should be more on track than they are.  Really too bad.

Back at the house, I did a dry rub paste (chipotle chili, turmeric, pepper, oregano, cumin, salt, orange juice) for the pork tenderloin.  I also roasted all the vegetables I brought and didn’t use for Thanksgiving (eyes. too. big.) all with olive oil, sea salt and pepper plus: brussels sprouts (red pepper flakes); cauliflower (cumin — ever since I had it at Skywalker, this is my favorite way); sweet potatoes (cumin and cinnamon); green beans (shallots).  We also warmed up some of the stuffing.  And salad.  And, again, the sunset.

Saturday, same drill as yesterday: awake early, fireplace and news on in the living room while we stayed under the covers.  Even colder this morning!  31* at 7a when we headed to Trinks.   Bob swore he was just getting coffee.  But. Then.  There were the warm raspberry scones.  Oops.

Today is the only day that Twofish Baking Company makes biscuits.  Last year we were quite disappointed that they took the week off.   They have all sorts of other delicious baked goods, breads, pies, sandwiches, pizza, flatbread…. but the biscuits are stellar.  I stood in line (34*.  Did I mention my uniform consists of leggings, Uggs, cashmere and down?) for about 15 minutes to get the biscuits.  So worth it!

Bob had his with butter and black raspberry preserves and I had cranberry relish, extra jalapenos and a slice of rosemary ham.  So buttery and yeasty they almost taste salty.  Truly worth the calories.

We watched Michigan lose (boo), futzed around catching up on email and I walked the loop (2.95 miles, thank you Walkmeter).  When I got back, Bob was grilling sausages and wrapping prosciutto around melon for lunch.  Lovely.

We made a quick trip into town to pick up a head of lettuce and something to throw on the grill.  Thought about stopping at the Gualala hotel but neither of us could face it.  We want to be supportive but ugh.

This was taken through the roof.  Brilliant blue sky in 44* never gets old.

And better than any bar: Breckenridge bitters, bourbon, lime, tangerine and club soda. I love my husband and his culinary and mixology skills!

 

More of the sunset….

Dinner was filet on the grill, leftover dressing, leftover vegetables, salad.  With a Moss Roxx Ancient Vine Zin from Lodi.  Another fun, relaxing day.  Go Stanford, RIP Dana L. Smith.  Ditto OU.  Cal did their thing too.  And the Dubs!  Already dreading Sunday and the 49ers….

Our workhorse fireplace.

 

Sunday, going home day.

Our last sunrise photo.  35* with some wind for the first morning.

None of the bakeries open til 8a this morning ha! so made coffee and started packing things up.  Our plan is to drive home via Skaggs Springs Road through Healdsburg and pick up our shipments at Peterson and C. Donatiello Wineries.  Sad to leave here as always.  There really is something to the sea air negative ions or whatever that makes one feel good and feel calm.  We both sleep really well here, too.  It has been a wonderful long weekend and so easy to be thankful for all we have.

Sunday September 27, 2015

369 miles to home

We got gas and were the first customers in The Griddle at 6am.  We sat at the counter and were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was.  We hadn’t been in a couple of years and they really upgraded the food, menus and space.  They now have restaurants in Boise, Eagle and Meridien.. our new neighborhood.

We are back in our own ruts:  fried eggs, Canadian bacon, hash browns, cinnamon toast for Bob; poached, Canadian bacon, fruit, rye for me.  Coffee was excellent so I got one for the road.

Beautiful morning (again!) with sun rising behind us.

We stopped once for potty about 93 miles in and managed to get home at 11:52a.  Traffic not terrible though lots of jerks and dorks and dangerous drivers once we passed Reno.

Almost home!

We had to grill something(s) for dinner and make lots of leftovers for the week:  chicken, peppers, roasted red and yellow beets, roasted cauliflower, salad, baked potato…we are home!

I love our view.

 

Fabulous trip! We always have great road trips but this one was really special.

Saturday September 26, 2015

816 miles driven, 1+ walked

We were on the road from Breckenridge at 6:10a in the dark.  This is what it looked like about 45 minutes later at Vail.

We stopped in Glenwood Springs for breakfast at the 19th Street Diner (per yelp) which was slow but really good.  Bob: two eggs over hard with the yolks cracked, potatoes, Canadian bacon, biscuit.  Me: two poached eggs, Canadian bacon, rye toast, sliced tomatoes.  Place was full and we there 20 minutes after they opened.  Service wasn’t great but think it was just our server.

From there we got gas and I got a drive-thru Americano (good) and we were on the road for the next 10 plus hours only stopping for gas and potty.  Drove through Colorado to Utah and up to Salt Lake City and through Nevada.  Always weird to go by the salt flats.  The mound of salt is much bigger than when last drove by (Bob: “Baked potato!”)

We arrived in Winnemucca at the Town House Motel at 6:11p (we gained an hour at the UT/NV border).  We walked the half mile or so to Ormachea’s for dinner.  Since it is Basque, entrees come with soup, salad, sides, bread and a glass of Burgundy.  Bob ordered the filet and I ordered the soup, salad and sides.  Their minestrone-style soup is fantastic and I had two bowls.

Here is the table before the filet, fries, chorizo rice and braised garbanzo beans showed up…..

I had a 1/4 of Bob’s filet and tasted the rice (weirdly appealing) and garbanzo beans (really good but I was full) and a couple of hand fulls of the FANTASTIC fries.  Stuffed.

We walked back to the room via a casino to try to place some parlay bets on NFL games but they only had weird machines to bet so we passed.

Full moon looks very different than last night.

 

Friday September 25, 2015

4+ miles walked plus 2+ on treadmill, elliptical

This was our laziest day of the trip.  Maybe of the year?  We walked down to the coffee shop with our computers and spent an hour or so on email, etc.  Then we thought and talked about what to do.  Mulled various excursions then dismissed a driving destination as tomorrow we are headed home and will be in the car for 12 hours or so.   Our French place was jammed so we stopped at the Coffee Depot next to the hotel (used to be my go-to until they changed hands).  Bob got a danish and I got an apple cinnamon scone and we did Sudoku and crossword for awhile.  Back in the room Bob wanted to work on something so I visited the fitness center for the first time, reading my book for an hour or so.

We decided to visit all of our favorite restaurants and walk Main Street for the last time.  Showered and changed and went to lunch at Kenosha’s to sit on the deck in the sunshine of yet another spectacular early fall day — cool in the shade, warm in the sun, about 70*.  We ordered a bowl of bison chili and cornbread and a spinach and quinoa salad (by now you know who orders what) and lingered, looking at our photos.

Walked up and down Main Street for a few hours, going in and out of every shop even though we weren’t really looking to buy anything.  It was fun.

Our first last stop was Modis.  Our two favorite bartenders were on duty and helped us order: La Paloma for Bob, a margarita with grapefruit juice and the Bourbon Smash for me with muddled raspberries and lemon and a fresh mint leaf.  Yum.   We mulled over dinner ideas and decided to attempt a table outside at Hearthstone which are first come/first serve.  There was a buy-out of the restaurant for a Memorial Service.

But first, our next last stop was the Briar Rose.  MJ was one of the bartenders who we remembered from last year.  I had the St Germain cocktail which is prosecco with lemon and St. Germain elderflower liqueur, so light and refreshing.  Bob had a Chivas.  We ordered (and I ate all of) the shishito peppers.

Next stop, Hearthstone for dinner.  We had a lovely table under a big tree, facing the mountain and the sinking sun.

We ordered a bottle of Edmeades 2012 Zin which was perfect.  The tasting room in Anderson Valley is NEVER open when we are driving by and we love the wine.

We shared a Beet Salad 3 ways (red & yellow beets:  herb braised, pickled, housemade crisps, arugula and humboldt fog cheese) that was one of the best beet salads ever.  Bob ordered the Harris Ranch filet with organic mushroom cabernet demi, Yukon gold roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach.  I ordered the Colorado buffalo short ribs which were braised and falling off the bone with roasted tomatillos and roasted green chiles, sauteed kale and a parmesan risotto cake that Bob absolutely loved.  I swapped out the goat cheese polenta for the risotto cake and we were both glad I did.  The short ribs meat would have made a wonderful pasta sauce.

It was an absolutely lovely evening and nice way to end a great vacation.

Good bye, Breckenridge.

Thursday September 24, 2015

25 miles in car/van, 19 miles biking, 4+ miles walking

We were up early and seated in the window at the coffee shop getting work done in preparation for our bike ride down Vail Pass.  We grabbed a quick breakfast at the french bakery:  ham and bacon omelette for Bob and a tomato and spinach omelette for me.  Served with a hunk of fresh fresh fresh baguette.  #AnyExcuseForBread

Got fitted on our bikes and followed the trailer over to Frisco where we parked our car and got in the van to be dropped off at Vail Pass.  The day today could not be more different than it was last August when we did this ride.  Bright sunny sky with not a hint of a cloud.  We were dressed in layers as it was in the high 40s/low 50s when we started (shorts, cotton t-shirt, thin cashmere long-sleeve, heavy cotton sweatshirt for me; I didn’t take off the sweatshirt until we got down to Frisco).  It is SUCH a great ride!  Obviously downhill so no exertion is required (though you do actually have to peddle the last 8 miles….) but so invigorating.  It was clear, crisp with gorgeous views every way you looked.  We stopped on the way down to take photos this time but we didn’t need to stop for fear of frostbite and hypothermia like last time.  We made it down in about an hour and a half.  Truly glorious.

The bike guy recommended The Boatyard in Frisco for lunch so that is where we went.  They have a lovely outside deck and this was our view.

Bob ordered a margarita and me a Bloody Mary.  And water, tons of water.  We drink at least 2 liters a day in Colorado, especially when we are outside walking, etc.   Bob ordered a small order of the onion straws which was not small.  They were fantastic; light and airy and crunchy and not greasy at all.  Yet we barely made a dent.

I ordered the sesame seared ahi appetizer that was served on a bed of Aisan slaw (snap peas, matchstick cabbage, fennel, celery) and a tamari sauce.  One of the best ahi dishes I have ever had.  And I couldn’t finish it!  Ate all the ahi but left most of the slaw.  Bob ordered the burger with a side salad and barely ate a quarter.  #EyesTooBigForStomachs

We went to Whole Foods where we bought stuff to make dinner in the condo for Thursday night football.  Since we weren’t hungry, our earlier menu ideas went out the window and we decided on Polish tacos cause they are easy to do with a stove top and convection oven/microwave.  It is a really nice WF and ‘the highest Whole Foods in the world‘ at 9,097 feet.  Went to the liquor store next door to try to find some Colorado wine but very limited — and pricey!!– selection and not much enthusiasm from the wine guy. So no Colorado wine.

Back in Breck we walked around til about 5p buying gifts, etc.  There was a down and out Vietnam Vet, maybe Bob’s age? who was sitting on a bench wrapping polished stones in wire, like jewelry.  We passed him once going and stopped about an hour later when we were headed back.  Bob asked if he had any stones that were shaped like a heart (we collect heart shapes on our trips, rocks, small sculptures, leaves).  He had a couple of stones that were close to heart-shaped and said he would wrap one for us, a purple polished stone.  He used very delicate copper wire and worked with such concentration, his jaw jutting in and out.  It was heartbreaking.  His nails were black with dirt, his clothes old, faded and not too clean and he smelled terrible.  But he was so soft-spoken.  Said he happened upon a quartz field at Pikes Peak when he was 15 years old on a family vacation and was hooked when he realized “no human being had ever seen what I had found.”  He has searched out rocks ever since, mostly in Colorado, and had about two dozen different polished and unpolished stones, all of which he found himself, in a battered small case. He had a very elaborate silver necklace and I asked if his name was Bud, which was part of the design.  Um, no, the Bud is for weed and the elaborate design was a marijuana leaf and the stem was actually a roach clip…. he was quite proud of it and said it took him six hours to make.  I always forget we are in legal pot land.  “Bud’s” skateboard and very old backpack were by his side.  When he finished with our stone — about 15 minutes — he held it up to me.  Bob asked how much he owed him and the guy said “whatever you want to give me; I can’t charge you.”  Bob gave him $40 and the guy was incredulous.  He started to protest that it was too much and I muttered ‘thank you’ and walked away in tears.

Perspective.

Since it was the middle of happy hour (ahem), we found our way to our two favorite end seats at the bar at Modis.  Bob ordered a drink that I can’t remember the name of (!): rum, champagne, lemon juice and a twist.  Sounds weird but was delicious.  I ordered a Grayson Chardonnay that was meh very drinkable.  We really like the bartenders, same gals as last night.

This is what it looks like, just normal walking up the street.

Then home to the condo for catching up on work email, news, showers, make dinner and figure out how we are going to spend our last day tomorrow.

Wednesday September 23, 2015

40 miles driven, 5 miles walked on hike and around town

Woke up to the news that Yogi Berra died and then laughed ourselves sick reading all his ‘isms.  “These hotel towels are so thick, I can’t zip up my suitcase” and “Always attend your friends’ funerals so they will come to yours” were two particular favorites. RIP, Yogi, one of the greatest of the greats.

We packed up our computers and walked down to the coffee house to work for a couple of hours.  Clear and 39* at 7:30ish.

We went to the french bakery for a croissant for Bob and a sandwich to split for lunch on our picnic/hike.  We got a Le Mozzarella Plus:  proscuitto, romaine, mozzarella, pesto on a french baguette. Plus a couple of bags of Boulder salt and pepper potato chips.

We drove to the Montgomery Reservoir and mine and hiked about a mile back.  I keep using the same adjectives but it’s beautiful!  The last photos are the views from our picnic spot.

Got back to Breck about 2p and spent a couple of hours on email, etc.  Showered, dressed up (ha! jeans, clean shirts, cashmere sweater….) and set out.   Got two seats at the end of the bar at  Modis and ordered a Bourbon Smash for Bob (Bourbon, lime, mint, sugar and fresh seasonal fruit muddled) and a Manhattan (Bulleit rye, Carpano Antica and Angustura Bitters) for me.

Both so different, so good.  We tend to branch out here a bit  from our ‘same old’.  It is so much fun to talk to and watch the bartenders make different drinks.

We were figuring out our dinner options and had a glass of wine to take advantage of happy hour prices.  Bob supported Lake County with Vigillance Lake County Cimarron (Zin, Syrah, Petit Syrah, Caberanet) and I had the Matchbook Tinto Rey Red (Tempranillo, Syrah).  Both were good after they opened up a bit, especially the Vigillance.

We decided to have dinner at Giampiertro’s.  My favorite thing is their white clam pizza which is a special and only comes in one size (LARGE) for $21 but I always order it and just eat the leftover slices as much as I can in the days following  Sadly, that special night is Monday so we missed it.  No amount of begging works.  So I ordered the linguini vongole and arugula salad and Bob ordered the chicken parmesan and caprese salad.  There were more than a dozen whole, fresh clams which I devoured and ended up taking most of the pasta home — we will probably make dinner in the condo tomorrow.  We also had a glass of Italian Barolo.  So. Damn. Good.  Place is always packed with eat-in people and lines for take-out orders.  Walked back looking in stores and bought some cookies from the awesome cookie place (peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal cranberry).

Lovely evening with showers on the horizon but clear above us.

Tuesday September 22, 2015

Aspen – Breckenridge over Independence Pass

98 miles driving, 5 miles walking around Independence Pass, Breckenridge (per iPhone)

Hate to leave our beautiful room and fun town of Aspen.  We had the car packed up and were at Paradise Bakery for the first time this visit by 8:15.  I walked down for my $6.56 latte around 7a and took these photos of the cottage cheese sky and the Hyatt.

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We ate our warm apple-filled croissant (Bob) and my Morning Glory muffin (like a spicy carrot cake — gluten and dairy free; Bob: “Barf.”) sitting outside while looking at this.

We headed off to Breckenridge via Independence Pass and, once again, these photos do not do justice to the brilliance of the colors.  I probably took 100 photos as every turn was more beauty.  We took our annual photo at the top of the Pass.  We always look freezing!

We arrived in Breckenridge at 11:30, parked the car and set out to explore and find lunch.

We walked around for an hour or so looking at menus, reminding ourselves of places we have been before, and landed — per usual — at Kenosha for lunch.  It has become a tradition.  It was cloudy and cool but still nice on the patio.  They always have really interesting cocktails — the whole town does.  Bob ordered a Master Caster (Breck bourbon, Breck bitters, ginger ale and fresh squeezed lime juice, served on ice.  I had the Sunshine Bloody Mary (lemon and basil infused vodka with the house Bloody Mary mix, three olives, a pepperoncini, lime wedge).  Refreshing and tasty.  Bob ordered a Polish hot dog with cole slaw and a loaded bake potato.  I ordered a cup of bison chili and the quinoa spinach salad with red peppers, glazed walnuts, apples and mustard vinaigrette.  Delicious and too much to eat.

While we were eating they called to say our room was ready so walked back and spent the next couple of hours catching up on email, news etc.

We saw these guys.

We wanted to go to Hearthstone for happy hour but they were closed for a private event:  500 lawyers are in town for a convention.  Yikes.  So we went to our next favorite place, the Briar Rose.  There were two seats left at the bar and nice Henry is still bartending.  Cocktails are two for one during Happy Hour and they have lots of small plates. Bob had his Chivas and I had the White Flame Martini: Breck chili vodka, habanero olive juice, Turkish stuffed olive.  Not as hot it sounds but a pleasant quick. Had to try the grilled shishito peppers.  Tasty and done the way we (used) to do them with just olive oil, salt and pepper.

Modis is another of our favorites.  They have a spectacular (and not crazy expensive) wine list and during happy hour glasses of wine are $3 off.  We have discovered great wines here in the past — Orin Swift’s Prisoner for one.  Bob ordered the Coppola Directors Cut Zin and I had the Project Paso Zin.   A local named Dan was next to me and was quite the talker.  A retired chemical engineer who splits his time between Englewood and Breck.  Reminded me of Dad a little bit.  Bob bought him a glass of wine so he kept talking… he was very nice.  We ordered Bison sliders and parmesan fries to split.  Spicy sliders and decadent, delicious fries.

We were still just a little hungry so we stopped at Kenosha on the way back to the hotel for a cup of Bison chili.  Bob had a glass of the Terra d’Oro Zin we had in Grand Junction and I had the Quandry Zinfandel.

Done!

 

 

Monday, September 21, 2015

Aspen – Maroon Bells – Aspen

20 miles on the bus, a few miles walking

Went to get my $6.56 coffee after 7a this am — vacation kicking in!  We walked to the store to get some more fruit, nuts and decided to take the bus to the Maroon Bells and see the colors.   So we get a free city bus a block down from the hotel to Aspen Highlands, about 20 minutes.  We buy tickets for the roundtrip Maroon Bells bus ($6 each) in the sport shop and get in line.  One bus was loading and leaving as we got in line and the next one came about 10 minutes later.  SO. MANY. PEOPLE.  It’s Monday for chrissake.   Given all the people, Bob’s sore hamstring and my problematic lower back we voted against the hike to Crater Lake which we have done twice — first time in freezing drizzle and the last time when we came face to face with a big bear.

No such excitement this time just gorgeous yellows, greens and blue.  The photos do not capture the beauty — nor the mobs!

We got the bus back and went to CP Burger for lunch in the little plaza in front of the Hyatt.  Yum!  Bob got a regular burger with fries and a Pepsi.  I got tuna with tomato slices, onions, kale and a wasabi mayo wrapped in lettuce.  Really messy but really good.  Joel Gott Pinot Grigio in a box too.

We spent a couple of hours at the pool.  Swam a few laps, read our books (The Little Paris Bookshop as a book book and Circling the Sun on Kindle; both for book club and enjoying both), sat in the jacuzzi.   Views from my chaise.

 

We steam showered and dressed for our last night in Aspen.  Started at the Limelight happy hour with a jalapeno margarita for me and a glass of Chard for Bob.  We sat at the bar and learned how to make pizza watching the pizza chef.  Fun.

Then we walked over to Steakhouse 316 which we had our eye on all week.  We sat the bar in comfy armchair stools at a corner of the marble bar.  Beautiful room with rough beams, backlit bar, high tables as well as deep booths for dining and lots of white table-clothed tables on the front patio.  We ordered a Chivas and a dirty martini and made friends with Lauren the bartender.  Started off with grilled shishito peppers that changed the peppers game: grilled with a miso glaze and finely sliced fried shallots.  Had to stop myself from licking the dish.

The wine list.  OMG.  It was pages and pages and pages long and incredibly spendy.   Prices went from $70 to $22,800.  HA.  There were less than a dozen under $100.  The best ‘value’ was a Rafanelli Zin for $110.   Lauren was quite wine savvy — her husband is a wine buyer for a big retail outfit, mostly high-end French, Italian and Spanish — so we talked about Sonoma wines.  She knew Rafanelli well.  We split a Caesar salad that was one of the best either of us has ever had.  Crisp romaine, garlicky dressing but sort of dry, tiny croutons you could easily ignore and a PILE of tiny fresh white anchovies.  Bob got the filet with frites and I the mussels and frites.  All of it delicious, including the wine.  We had fun watching and listening as the bar filled up — all regulars; young kids (how do they afford??), two middle aged women discussing the (lack) of Aspen dating scene, a couple of guys.  By the time we left, the restaurant was jammed inside and out.  One of  our best steakhouse experiences and we didn’t feel ripped off at all.   We will definitely go back.

The only photo I was comfortable taking was when we were first served our cocktails, before the bar filled up.

Sunday September 21, 2015

Aspen

0 miles by car, a few miles on foot

We can’t stop appreciating this room!  This morning I was at my favorite coffee shop, Ink, at 6:45 for a medium almond milk latte.  $6.56.  HAHAHAHA.  But really good and especially when it’s in the high 30s outside.  Bob took a long steam shower and we hit up the continental breakfast.  Bob had oj, an English muffin and coffee and I had an apple with peanut butter while we read the paper.

We walked around town, thought about taking the Gondola to the top of the mountain but they stopped having live music at the end of August so decided against that.  Decided to have dinner in our room so bought stuff for One Pan Pasta and salad and stuff for lunch.  Beautiful clear sunny chilly morning.

We spent the whole day in our room and on the two patios going between the sunny one and the shady one.  A couple of more walks to the grocery store for roast chicken and the wine shop for some chardonnay (we brought 6 bottles of various reds…. to take in restaurants and/or to drink in our room).  A wonderful relaxing day watching football, reading, playing dominoes, eating proscuitto, havarti, salami, crackers, chips, salsa, watermelon, cantalope….. Heaven!    49ers lost but so did the Seahawks so balanced somewhat.

Did I mention the 6 foot jacuzzi tub and bath salts?  Yeah, that happened.