November 28, 2013

Bob made a reservation for the Carter house on Noyo Way in August when he knew we only had a four-day weekend.  We have driven by it (through it?) several times going to and from Mendocino on Hwy 1 and have always been impressed by the nice homes, zero commerse (only the real estate office) and gorgeous coastline.

We had our (huge) shopping and (huge-r) packing lists going since the weekend.  I picked up our 16-18 lb Diestal organic turkey on Monday at the Barn on the way — courtesy of Mr. Lucas, a tradition going back decades.  We could have had an organic vegan tofu something; wish I could have seen Bob’s face when he read the email where I gave him the choice….  Bob did the shopping at G&G on Tuesday night and he arrived home with five shopping bags.  Yes it is only the two of us.  Options, people.  And the nearest good market is 30 minutes away.   Wednesday I got home just after 1:00 and Bob was already there having mowed the lawns and started packing the truck.  I packed up the kitchen (small exaggeration: knives, spices, fresh herbs, condiments, serving utensils, tablecloths, napkins………) and then my own stuff, loaded up the roasting pan, the wine, the dominoes and we were backing out of the drive at 2:10.  We decided to take Hwy 1 since 101 already jammed from Novato.  It was quiet and not much traffic and, of course, beautiful.   We were both hungry and thought we might find something at the Tomales Bakery which was still open for people picking up their pies… God, did it smell delicious.  The only thing they had for sale that wasn’t pre-ordered were rosemary lemon biscuits.  And they only make biscuits twice a year.  Uh, hello?  We got four.  We were going to eat them but I mentioned that they would go really well with the chili we had taken out of the freezer and packed for dinner.  Or for breakfast with the proscuitto.  So we just got bottles of water at the store across the street and kept going to Valley Ford where we stopped at the Estero Cafe (“best burger on the Coast” according to their own sign).  They were just closing but said we could order.  Bob had a BLT (because the addictive smell of bacon wafted out the door as we walked in) and I had a veggie burger (surprisingly good: cooked correctly — crispy not dry — and tasted mostly of mushrooms not mulch as is so often the case) with mixed greens.  Fortified we continued up to Gualala so we could check out the Surf Market and pick up what we realized we forgot to bring (sausage — seriously! — jalapenos for my cranberry relish and whole peppercorns).  And discovered they are open on T Day from 7:30 to 3 which immediately made Bob feel better… ‘just in case, hon.’

Got to Irish Beach about 5:45 and boy, is it dark here.  This is where we should be for eclipses and whatnot.  House is really great.  Big kitchen, enough light, lots of windows, can hear the ocean.  Could not connect to the internet even though they have a 4g cellular hot spot.  This was worrisome as our cell phones were on “extended” and both of us needed to be able to get to our office emails; I needed my office laptop to work!  We made a big fat fire, poured some Chardonnay, heated up the chili and sliced up some sourdough.  There are tons of books around and big window seats, rocking chairs…reading lights by both sides of the bed and in the living room.  Note to self:  ask if owners are readers when renting a condo!  Then you don’t have to buy/ bring brighter bulbs (Mammoth, Incline Village….).  {Bob’s blog of Wednesday (his words):  “We drove a little over three hours, had some wine and chili and went to bed.” Which is why he never reads this blog. Too verbose.}

Today we were up by 6a.  I was awake from about 3:30 trying not to wake/bug Bob (mostly unsuccessful).  Read for awhile, played two games of Sudoku on iPad….then he was finally awake too.  First order of business was to try to connect to the internet.  Well, first I started the water for my coffee. Then I unplugged and re-started the little cassett disk like thing that is the connection here.  Was able to connect on iPhones, iPad, my MacBook and Bob’s ThinkPad.  But. Not. my SPL laptop.  Panic.  Trinks in Gualala 30 minutes away is closest internet.  Bob (bless him!) noodled it for at least half an hour and finally got it work.  PHEW!!!!

We drove down to Gualala to the store at 7:30.  People who know us are laughing/ nodding/ laughing / laughing…  Here’s the thing.  When we KNOW there is a good store we (the royal we) think of REASONS to go to said store.  In this case, wine glasses (ok, that was me.  There are 11 wine glasses in this house and the only two that match are plastic.  Need I say more?), hard cider for the turkey brine, kosher salt for the turkey brine and whatever else we might need want. Stopped in Pt Arena to check out that store and bought the kosher salt to be supportive as it was a co-op and the only patrons were hippies/homeless and homeless hippies.  Tough life up here. As we drove by Trinks, our go-to emergency internet, it was closed.  OMG.  I would have been completely freaked out if we couldn’t connect at the house and then could not get to Trinks either. Crisis averted.  The Surf Market is pretty great for being sort of nowhere.  They have an amazing wine selection though pricey including most of our favorites from Anderson Valley.  We got two restaurant Reidel Zin glass for 9.49 each — excellent price; they only had two or I would have gotten more.  And we drove back.  It was so peaceful and hardly any cars.  We had Spa on XM (Sierra’s favorite; she would literally YAWNNNNNNN in the back seat when it was on.  She, by the way, would love it here.  Nice lawn, lots of deer to ignore, her people just sitting around, available for cuddling and walks… we still miss and mourn her) and barely spoke, just enjoying the ride.

Got home and started the turkey brining (kosher salt, brown sugar, black pepper corns, hard cider and loads of fresh herbs from our garden: sage, thyme, parsley, oregano, tarragon).

Then we had our rosemary lemon biscuits (me with ham and sliced tomatoes, Bob had his with scrambled eggs and bacon) and DAMN! were they good warmed up in the oven.  Flakey as heck and the kitchen smelled like a bakery til the turkey took over.  I took a walk the length of our street looking at beautiful homes and enjoying the views — 1.07 miles total, should you care.  Bob researched the San Andreas fault and drove about a mile from here to see where it crosses Hwy 1 at Alder Creek and goes in to the ocean at Manchester Beach.  There is a magnificent house on the bluff right which could end up in the ocean I suppose.  Wonder if they know?

Started our turkey prep about 1p and opened a bottle of bubbles when it went in which we enjoyed all afternoon while reading, watching football, staring at the ocean, watching the deer….. blissful lazy day.

View from the couch:

Dinner was superb:  turkey (moist! brown crispy skin! took about 4.5 hours), stuffing (Bob: chile cheese bread from Schatz Bakery in Mammoth — yes, we plan ahead, sourdough, celery, onions, hot italian and pork sausage, fresh chicken stock), mashed potatoes (Bob: sour cream, butter, parmesan), oven roasted brussels sprouts (Sharon: Thai chilis, olive oil, shallots, proscuitto), oven roasted mushrooms (olive oil, salt and loads of pepper, fresh thyme), salad with pomogranate seeds, cranberry jelly (from the can, alas, Bob’s favorite) and cranberry relish (fresh cranberries, jalapeno, orange rind, juice from one orange, a knob of ginger).  It was all so so so GOOD!  With it we had a bottle of Phelps Pinot Noir.

We actually went in the hot tub (which was immaculate and faintly smelled of chlorine — I am a freak about other people’s hot tubs.  Like I won’t go in them 99.9% of the time) and sat out there steaming in the chill under a bazillion stars.  Lovely!

Friday, May 11

(Mileage: 176,158)

Bob bought a deal on Groupon for two nights at the Bird Rock Hotel in Friday Harbor and made reservations last February.  Neither of us have been there and both of us have always wanted to.  

After a busy and somewhat trying week for both of us (i.e., popcorn for dinner not once but TWICE), we packed our bags on Friday night and when we were both awake at 2am on Saturday we decided to just get and go.  We were rolling out of the driveway at 3am.  First stop at 5:10 was Nancy’s Airport Cafe in Willows, CA.  We fell upon this place in February on our way back from Redding for the memorial service for Bob’s high school friend.  It has humongous pies and chicken dinners (up to 100 pieces with all the fixin’s to go…) and the waitresses call you Hon.  Bob had scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast and OJ and I had oatmeal — the real, steel cut, slow-cooked kind.  The other dozen people in there were all regulars and three people came in for takeout and to get their thermoses filled.  Classic.

Next stop was Dutch Bros coffee kiosk in Redding for an Americano with half-n-half and sugar and an almond latte.  I HEART Dutch Bros. 

We put the top down and the windscreen up and drove up I-5 in perfect 73* sun.  I only drove for about an hour between gas/pee stops — very dozy!  I Yelped potential lunch stops and we ended up at The Bier Stein in Eugene which was fantastic.  24 beers on tap (that day; there can be more or less) from all over the world and over 2200 for sale — some bottles were $29.

It was very clean and modern with polite, helpful kids server and bartending.  Bob had a Hefweizen from Germany and I had a pale ale from Eugene.  A German sausage on a pretzel roll with sauerkraut, pesto pasta and a pickle for Bob (he could barely eat half) and a roasted vegetable salad with grilled chicken salad, balsamic basil dressing on the side for me (I ate almost all of it).  There was a line of at least 20 people when we left.

Bob drove while I Yelped a hotel in Portland.  We had the top up and the a/c on because it was 85* and the drive was beautiful.  We got to the Doubletree across the river from the Pearl District at 3pm.  We quickly changed and headed out to figure out how to catch the streetcar over to the Pearl District.  Public transportation system is terrific (once we figured it out … asked a few people, all very nice) and efficient.  It was an uncommonly warm day (almost 90* into the evening) and it seemed the entire city was outside.  We walked for about an hour and ended up at the concierge-recommended Portland City Bar and Grill on the 30th floor of the US Bank building for a cocktail.  They had Happy Hour (on a Saturday!) so the bar — with fabulous 360* views– was BUSTLING.  There were bachelorette parties, dates, anniversaries … and not a lot of tourists! drinking and eating the Happy Hour specials of sliders, sushi, seafood cocktails…. menu was amazing but we weren’t hungry yet.  Bob had a whiskey and lemonade (“I like whiskey! I like lemonade!” but, alas, a whiskey lemonade.. not so much) and I had an Oregon Pinot.  Both of us were surprised at how big Portland is and loved all the bridges criss-crossing the city.  

We were Yelping and asking the bartenders for dinner recs.  We ended up walking to Mamma Mia Trattoria which turned out to be fantastic.  It was packed with people and several big parties of families and cute kids on their way to Prom all dressed up (or dressed down in some cases; do parents really let their daughters go out looking like hookers or do the girls change clothes after they leave the house??).  We got two seats at the bar, always our favorite place to perch.  Started off with two glasses of the house Chianti (Happy HOUR!! still. again.)  Bob ordered garlic bread, caesar salad and veal parmesan and I had the special cioppino and the house salad.  The. Best. Cioppino. Ever.  So much seafood and a delicious spicy tomato base.  The woman behind the bar was great, the owner loved that we ordered his two favorite dishes.  He created the cioppino after eating at Tadich Grill decades ago.  Lovely evening.  We were too tired to try to find our way back to the CL streetcar line that would end up near our hotel so took a cab.  Bob wanted desert so we went to the very nice lounge in our lobby.  Really extensive list of wines by the glass as well as deserts with comfortable couches.  I had a glass of Duck Pond Pinot from Oregon and Bob a warm berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.  LONG day but an excellent one.

Sunday, May 12  (Happy Birthday to me)

(Starting mileage:  176,800)

We were showered packed and checked out of the hotel by 6:30.  Quick stop for gas and a failed attempt to find coffee and we were on I-5 to Seattle.  Another failed attempt to find coffee about 15 minutes later and finally scored with a Red Leaf Organic kiosk in Woodland.  I started Yelping breakfast and as soon as I said “The Pancake House” out loud Bob said, “Where????”.  It was in Longview and we pulled in at 8am.  It opens at 5:30a EVERY DAY.  Almost every table and booth (about 25 total) was full.  Lots of bill caps (on the women too) and flannel shirts and jeans and a mother or two at every table.  We might have been the only strangers as it seemed the waitresses hugged almost everyone hello or goodbye and wished everyone Happy Mothers Day.  Bob had thin sourdough pancakes wrapped around fresh strawberries with whipped cream (seriously) and a sausage patty.  I had two poached eggs, griddled ham and a biscuit (no gravy).  Bob ate maybe half (but LOVED it) and same with me.  The eggs were cooked perfectly but the ham slice was almost as big as a plate and the biscuit was deliciously full of baking powder and light despite weighing about 1/4 lb.  Did I mention the cliental was largish???  And yet we want to try and stop here on the way home!

Even though it was cloudy with a few spots of drizzle, we had another beautiful day of driving forgetting sometimes that we were on I-5 — a world of difference from the I-5 between Northern and Southern California.  Hardly any cars, no screaming trucks, mile after mile after mile of ever changing beautiful green vistas.  We got to Anacortes at noon to find out that the next ferry to Friday Harbor was at 2:40.  We had a quick lunch at Agave Mexican Grill (chicken enchilada with rice no beans for Bob and fish tacos for me) and then a beer at a dive called the Anchor Tavern to catch up on the golf before we got in line for the ferry. Great jukebox of whole albums (Graceland was playing when we got there and Exile on Main Street was just starting as we were leaving).   The ferry took about an hour and it was gorgeous — even with intermittent rain — going by all the islands, some fantastic homes!  We are re-thinking again where to retire….  We played 3-13 and Bob beat the crap out of me.

Got to Friday Harbor at 3:45 and checked in to the Bird Rock Hotel.  Friday Harbor is quite hilly with some very steep streets.  The Bird Rock is a 19th century building that has been completely modernized with beautiful fixtures and furnishings and muted colors.  Only a couple of rooms have a private bath but they provide comfy fluffy bathrobes and big fluffy towels.  We changed clothes and struck out to read menus and scope out cocktails and dinner.   We stopped at the Blue Water Bar and Grill for a Happy Hour (on Sunday!) glass of WA Chardonnay from O Vineyard and  The Crusher Cabernet with a smoked salmon bruschetta.  We walked around and looked at every menu and ended up at The Rumor Mill where they had a quintet of locals playing live.  What a find!!  We had a corner table across from the band and a great view of the dance floor — two couples were really  cutting it up and they were good.  We ordered a Broke Ass Malbec from Argentina (I liked the name and it turned out to be really good).  Bob had grilled salmon with potato wedges and a caesar salad; I had the beet salad and steamed clams.  All of it was SO SO good.  The clams were fresh and meaty and garlic-y.  The music was great — the sax guy was especially good.  We loved it.  Walked around a bit on the way back to the hotel scoping out coffee and bought water and chocolate bars.  Bob says I fell asleep in the middle of a sentence which I have to believe.  The bed is super comfortable with lots of pillows, extra soft sheets and windows that open with fresh sea air coming in.

Monday, May 13

Up early and I dozed while Bob showered.  We were out getting coffee at the Crow’s Nest at 6:40 and on our computers in the wonderfully comfortable breakfast room at 7:00.  A woman arrived with her kindergarten aged son at 7:30 to start preparing breakfast.  As she started bringing things out we dabbled: yogurt, berries (black, blue, rasp, straw), banana, hard boiled eggs (I only eat the whites but the yolk was the most brilliant shade of yellow it was obvious they were fresh/organic), another cup of coffee, OJ.. and just as were finishing up she brought out warm homemade scones… OMG.  We split one.

Decided to drive around the island based on recommendations and suggestions from bartenders and other people we asked.  We went out to Roche Harbor at the other end of the island.  It doesn’t even feel like an island as there are expansive views of pastures, several small lakes — stunningly green and beautiful.  Roche Harbor is charming!  We got there just before 9am and at 9 the bells in the church started chiming a series of melodies for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Bob took a lot of photos — the whole place looked like a staged photo shoot — and he happened upon a Whale Watching boat.  No one was there but there was a phone number.  Turns out that at this time of year they only go out from Friday Harbor so we made a reservation for noon.  We finished driving around the island and got ready for the boat.  Got sandwiches at The Bean Cafe (roast beef and cheddar on sourdough and a chocolate chunk cookie for Bob (if you could have seen the look he gave the woman when she asked if he wanted the gluten free or regular…..), a chicken caesar wrap and a ginger cookie (which, btw, is naturally gluten free hahaha) for me) and went to the boat.

We might be the most fortunate people on this little island.  First of all, we gathered to wait with about 20 other people and they were all older than us by a decade or three.  At least two were in wheel chairs and one on a walker.  Then a group of teenage kids showed up with a couple of adults.  Two guys from another whale boat company took all the oldsters to a big boat called the Odyssey.  We were with the group of teenagers (who turned out to be high schoolers on a field trip) and another couple (slightly older than us who did not speak to anyone or each other) and a youngish Japanese couple.  We were taken by two youngish, clean cut guys to a smaller, newer, cleaner boat.  SCORE!  One of our guys was the Captain and the other, Andrew, was our Naturalist.  Both were fantastic.  We were only supposed to be out til 3 (sing along: “a three hour tour”) but we were out an hour longer because they made a point of finding  a pod of Orcas. Chased them to within spitting distance of the Canadian border and Sydney.  It was absolutely amazing!  Like Discovery and a National Geographic Special and the Nature channel all rolled up into one big nature extravaganza on the water.   We watched these Orcas — the consensus was there were six of them; it was hard to count  — jumping around and then THEN! there was a kill and a feeding frenzy for about an hour.  Phenomenal.  They were jumping, breaching, flopping backwards!  Even Andrew was impressed and loving it.

While on the boat, we also saw bald eagles, Commerants nesting, big horn sheep (yes! on an island where they were introduced for hunting), fallow deer, seals, sea lions…….  it was super fun.   They had big yellow slickers and binnoculars for everyone and Andrew was so knowledgeable and informative and truly excited about what he was seeing and sharing with us.  At one point he said we would be coming to a ‘hauling out’ island where sea lions haul themselves out to sun/get warm/rest.  He said that he had heard from one of his pals that there was a huge sea lion who had barely escaped an Orca and he was in bad shape .  He said “so this should be interesting-slash-sad-slash-cool”. He was dead serious so I bit my lip to not laugh.  I didn’t see the poor thing but I didn’t try very hard… there were a ton of sea lions basking in the not-raining-at-the-moment sky (“rock sausages” he called them).  We felt so lucky to see the pod as we learned they can travel up to 100 miles a day and the guy piloting our boat literally chased them down.  It was so great!!

We got back to Friday Harbor and it was pouring!  We didn’t really notice it on the boat because there was a cabin where everyone could stand or sit and also a cover — and we had slickers with hoods.  But we got drenched in minutes so we ran into the closest bar, the Downriggers which had, wait for it, Happy Hour going on.  We were the only ones there and had a fresh blood orange Margarita (Bob) and a blood orange Cosmo.  When the rain let up we went back to the hotel to dry off and warm up and check work emails before heading out again to dinner.

The sun actually came out a bit and the air was super bright and fresh.  We went to the Cask and Schooner Public House which we had looked at several times.  In line for the ferry back at Anacortes, we asked a woman behind us who had two little kids in car seats and bags of groceries filling the car — clearly a FH local — for restaurant recs and she mentioned that her husband is the chef there.  It was packed but we got a table for two upstairs that was very nice.  Bob had steak and chips (island beef!) and a caesar salad; I had beet salad with hazelnuts and citrus vinaigrette and the mussels with bits of chorizo that were delicious! and I got a lot of them because the waitress thought I didn’t get enough so she brought me another dozen or so.

We climbed back up the hill and went to bed since we will be on the first ferry at 5:50 (same time as the first ferry from Larkspur!)

Tuesday, May 13

(Starting mileage: 177,115)

We were in line with all the garbage trucks and commuters.  Very orderly process of lining up and boarding the ferry.  The only coffee available on board was from a vending machine so.. boo.  We read and watched the horizon and then the sky get lighter as we headed back to Anacortes.  Still pretty cloudy but no rain.  Very efficient and orderly disembarking and we were at La Crema bakery in Anacortes for two Americanos, a big cinnamon roll and a cheese stick (not as good as Tomales Bakery) and then hit road towards the Oregon Coast.  We thought we would miss the rush hour traffic in Seattle but it was still pretty busy at 9:30 even with the commuter lane.  We decided to skip The Pancake House since the timing was wrong and we have a long day of driving — most of it pretty slow down the Oregon Coast.

The goal was to stay in Gold Beach but we spent a couple of hours in Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark spent their last winter before heading home.  Bob has always been intrigued with it and called his side of the bed all winter Fort Clatsop (with double the comforters as opposed to my side…..).  It was fascinating and so glad we stopped.  There was a very knowledgable ranger who enjoyed sharing stories and info.  We tried to have seafood for lunch but the restaurant we targeted was closed on Tuesdays so the woman in the adjacent fish shop sent us to the Relief Pitcher Pub and Grub up the road.  There was a big bar and a nice deck and surprisingly large yard in the back.  Bob had a burger and fries that he said was really good.  I ordered the ahi fish tacos that came smothered in melted cheese… Once I scraped off the cheese, the tuna was really good and there was a mound of fresh shredded cabbage and good salsa. The iced tea was good. We continued down the coast which was very slow going though gorgeous.

We decided to stop in Coos Bay for the night since it was already 7:30 and Gold Beach would be another two hours.  We found a huge Red Lion and checked in to a very large, nice room with a fridge.  Between Yelp and the guys at the front desk, we found Little Italy in the old downtown part of Coos Bay.   Despite the overly-friendly, inappropriately nosy waiter, it was a good find.  There was a full bar though no Chivas so Bob had Red Label and I had a glass of the house Chardonnay for $5 that was excellent. We both had a caesar salad and  Bob ordered the veal parmesan which he gave a big thumbs up.  I had halibut with a spicy tomato sauce that was excellent.  A decent wine list that was reasonably priced too.   We crashed in the room watching ESPN….

Wednesday, May 15

(Starting mileage: 177,626)

Our room includes breakfast and it was surprisingly good.  Hot and cold stuff.  Scrambled eggs that had tomatoes and zucchini (and cheese but easy to avoid); sausages, bacon, toast, bagels, fruit, yogurt, variety of fresh juice…  Bob had eggs, bacon, toast and OJ; I had eggs, a banana, coffee (not terrible) and an apple for the road.   Our first stop upon checkout was the Dutch Brothers kiosk and then headed home.

When I plugged in Go Home, Gladys the GPS said 466 miles; turn right in 463 miles, which would be the San Marin exit.  It was rainy for the first hour or so and then got sunny.  More gorgeous scenery and vistas.  We made another Dutch Brothers stop in Brookings and then drove til the Eel River Brewing Company in Fortuna for lunch.  Really really good beer; light wheat with acai berries.  We got a 6-pack to bring home.   I had the Garden Gulch salad with grilled chicken (‘an herbivorian delight. a heap of greens, tomato, mushrooms, avocado, sliced olives, sesame seeds, carrots, bell peppers, sprouts & garbanzo beans’) and Bob got the beer steamed sausage (‘Loleta Meat Market’s very own oops #19 sausage. plump & flavorful, steamed in ERB’s award winning beer, served old world style with sauerkraut & topped with tomatoes and green onion with a slice of garlic bread’) which was HUGE.  We both loved everything.

We stopped in Redway for gas and potty and then onward til Molsberry Market in Santa Rosa for steaks and then G&G on College for salad stuff and vegetables.  Arrived home at 5:30.

It was a Fantastic trip!!  We would like to do the whole thing over in reverse (go up the coast) and take the ferry to Vancouver from Seattle next time.

Total mileage: 2040 miles.

Friday, November 23

Hood River, OR to Bonnevile Dam to The Dalles to Hood River Loop

Up about 6:30 this am.  Dark but not raining.  We decided to get coffee before showering etc.  Went back to 10 Speed and got there just after they opened at 7a.  Bob got another Americano and an almond milk latte for me.  I also got a cinnamon pear scone that was still warm and smelled like heaven.  We drove further into town to find a muffin or something for Bob.  Third try the charm: a piece of sour cream coffee cake at Ground coffee.  And since my coffee was gone, I tried an Americano from there — nice.  We went back to the hotel and decided to do a drive loop and see some of the area.  I showered and dressed while Bob ate his coffee cake and then I blogged about yesterday and shared my DELICIOUS scone with Sierra while he showered, etc.  We were on the road again by 9:15 and it started raining almost immediately.

We headed west on Hwy 84 which runs right along the river. It is funny there are train tracks right down by the river on both the OR and WA sides.  It’s about 20 miles to Bonneville Dam and Locks.  We toured the wonderful visitor center there.  It is four stories (five counting the roof top viewing level), going down, and the first floor has windows to view the fish spawning; since it’s past the season, we didn’t see one single thing going by but some sea grass.  On a normal day in September (high season), there can be 20,000 going by.  We happened to hit the endless movie loop in the theater during the movie about Lewis and Clark on the Columbia in 1805/6.  They waited out the winter in Ft. Clatsop near the mouth of the river at the Pacific Ocean and then headed home when the weather improved.  Very good timing that we caught that movie!

We headed back towards Hood River four miles to the Bridge of the Gods at the Cascade Locks to go over to the Washington side.  Had to go over a toll bridge ($1) that was really interesting. We were crossing the bridge right at 11a.  Still raining.  On the other side, we visited an interpretive museum that was fantastic.  Lots of old artifacts and information about the river, train transportation, history of the area, indians, more Lewis and Clark and the Oregon Trail.  There was a sentence by a woman who was on one of the early wagon trains west that I am going to paraphrase:  “I have not told half of what we suffered. I am not adequate to the task.”

There was a fascinating collection of over 4,000 rosary beads — some huge beads on lengths of 6 feet long strands — collected by a Catholic convert named ‘Donald Brown, Dominican Brother’.  Most were given to him be a variety of famous and not-so-famous including JFK.  He was canonized by Pope John Paul II.  It is the largest collection of rosaries in the world.  That, my friends, is why you hang with Bob and visit every historical marker and museum possible.

We continued along the river to The Dalles.  We got to the Spring Creek Hatchery which was right across from our hotel.  Lo and behold, it was clear enough on the other side to see Mt.  Hood rising behind it!!  Tried to get a photo but hard with light behind it.

We were going right along the railroad tracks and no trains!!!  The geography changed from lava type rock to meadows and back to lava cliffs.  It was beautiful.  Great signs along the way:  “ROCKS” not ‘beware falling rocks’ just ROCKS.  And “Litter and it will hurt you.”  We crossed the bridge back over to The Dalles on the Oregon side.  As we got there, there was this ancient looking billboard advertising the historic Baldwin Saloon for lunch in the historic downtown…. I Yelped and we went.  Great old bar, paintings (nudes, landscapes including Yosemite and Mt. Shasta), ancient huge cash register that they still use…. old photographs.  Bob ordered a French dip with a caesar salad and a Pepsi; I ordered the lunch special bouillabaisse with a caesar — perfect portion of soup bowl size that had perfectly flakey chunks of white fish (I think it was halibut as they had halibut and chips on the menu) and about 1/2 dozen clams and mussels in the shell.  Really good spicy tomato base broth with lots of garlic.  We both liked the caesar and the glass of Maryhill Chardonnay ($6) that I ordered.  Very good stop.

We got back to Hood River by 3p and relaxed, reading, catching up on iPad, etc.  One of just napped.

We can’t wait to have leftovers for dinner!!!  Sad to leave tomorrow morning.  We will definitely come back here.

Thursday, November 22

Hood River, OR

Did not wake up til 4:49a!!  What??!!  And that is with Sierra on the queen size bed.  I don’t think any of the three of us moved all night we were so tired…  I could tell she felt our stress in the car yesterday.

We tried to go back to sleep for awhile but Sierra has as good an internal clock as anyone and hers said PEE.  EAT.  Bob took her to pee and I fed her before I got in the shower.  Bob showered while I gave her a quick pee/poop walk (TMI? yeah, sorry about that).  Not Raining.

By 7a we were in the car on the way to Safeway (open 24 hours even on Thanksgiving which I think is just WRONG but happy to take advantage) since we decided to make breakfast.  And we found one coffee place that would be open this morning at 7a.  Safeway was first stop to get fresh herbs (fail on my part; intended to bring some of our fresh sage, oregano and parsley but in the rush on Tuesday to leave I completely forgot.  Because it wasn’t on the LIST), eggs, English muffins and Canadian bacon.  But.  We also got a 6-pack of Oregon wines (2 Chardonnay and 4 Pinot Noir), chocolate cake for Bob, body lotion (again, me. Fail.) And wood.  We went through our whole allotment for yesterday last night so knew we would blow through today’s pretty quickly.  The store was pretty empty and every single aisle had piles of re-stocking items in it;  yesterday had to be a nightmare in there.

We found 10 Speed Coffee on 13th Street.  The barista talked Bob (non-coffee drinker or carer 99% of the time) into an Americano when Bob ordered “just a small, black coffee.”  The guy said “Want to try something better? Like an Americano?”  If I had suggested that Bob would have made a face and there would be no need to hear a reply.  But for this guy he said “Sure.”  I had (cue the stars and stripes and violins) a large almond milk latte.   The Bay Area thinks we are so coffee avant-garde and we are so not.  People line up at Blue Bottle because of the pour over etc etc.  But every independent or small chain in CO, OR, ID that we have been to in the past year and a half has all the different brewing options available plus alternative milks besides soy. Ok end of that rant.  GREAT coffee.  Bob loved his Americano “That was a great cup of coffee.”  Giving thanks on Thanksgiving for 10 Speed being open.  Which, by the way, would be a regular haunt if near us.  They had a chalkboard menu of delicious-sounding sandwiches, salads and apps plus 5 local beers on tap.  Free wifi, couches, tables and chairs……

Got back to our lovely room (the view from main room below)

See that row of houses on the top ridge across the river?  We are going to find those.  I covet them I think.

Bob made a fire and I dry brined our 12 lb turkey.  Bob made grilled Canadian bacon, fried eggs and English muffins for breakfast. I made fresh cranberry sauce (with orange segments, orange rind, jalapeños and a little brown sugar), compound butter for the bird (chopped shallots, fresh sage, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper) and chopped up a pile of fresh herbs for Bob’s dressing.  Bob made us a Rembow (so so so good!) while we were doing all this and watching the Texans-Lions game.  At halftime, he *had* to go back to the store (ask my brothers about this) and Sierra and I took a walk.  He came back with Tostitos, salsa, water crackers (we brought pepper jack) and salami.  LOL.  He does make me laugh.  We prepped the turkey with the compound butter under the skin and all over the outside:

(I forgot to take a photo before we put it in the oven so this is after about 20 minutes when we put the foil on).  It is resting on pile of celery, onion and carrots.  Since we had to have some wine for the bottom of the pan, we opened the A to Z Chardonnay we bought to try.  Meh, would not get again.  Nibbled on chips and fresh hot salsa throughout the afternoon while we both our respective dishes and watched football.  The A to Z Chardonnay went into the bottom of the turkey pan and we tried another one, Two Vines, that we both liked so only part of that went into the gravy.

We sat down to our little Thanksgiving feast at about 4:45:

Not a very good photo (it tasted oh so much better than it looks; I blame the  green tablecloth)…  On the plate: turkey and dressing (Bob: bread crumbs, Tuscan sausage, onion, celery, jalapeño, chicken broth, butter, fresh herb).  On the table: cranberry jelly (B: canned…..); cranberry relish (Sharon: fresh cranberries, orange segments plus juice, orange rind, 2 T brown sugar, 3 T minced jalapeño); Brussels sprouts (S: leaves of the Brussels sprouts, chopped Canadian bacon, minced shallots, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper); mashed potatoes (B: potatoes, sour cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper); oven roasted Sweet potato fries (S: sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper); and gravy (B: chicken broth from home plus neck and giblets, roux, mushrooms).

YUM!!!!

Did I mention no dishwasher???  Actually, we had cleaned as we cooked so only the dishes on the table and the last flurry of pans which only took me about 1/2 hour.  Fortuitously, we had forgotten the roasting pan so cooked the turkey in double throwaway aluminum pans 🙂

Bob had some ice cream and we crashed early to read .. about 2 pages in my case.  Awesome, perfect day!!!

This was on all day long:

Wednesday, November 21

Mt. Shasta, CA to Hood River, OR

Hwy 97 to Hwy 26 to Hwy 84

We were both awake at 3a and tried watching the weather channel, SciFi to fall back asleep and then just kept on the music that plays on the rolling tv schedule.  But.  We got up at 3:30 and got ready to move out.  Raining.  There was a thing in the room that said a bakery/coffee shop opened at 4:30a which excited us to no end but when we drove by at 4:45 there was only a light on in the back where the baker was baking… sigh.  Knew that was too good to be true.  Got gas and headed out.

Very dark and very rainy and chilly.  Got Dutch Bros coffee in Klamath Falls (coconut milk 🙂 yay).  Rain by now was combo of slush, ice… and still really really dark.   Snow started falling and sticking as daylight appeared.  I Yelped breakfast and we hit the Big Mountain Cafe in Chemult OR just at 8a as it opened.  Sierra happily peed in the inch or so of new snow in the parking lot and sat on her pillow awaiting breakfast leftovers.   We were the first and only people in the tiny restaurant.   Bob ordered short stack of pancakes with a sausage patty and I had a poached egg, griddled butter biscuit… yes, a griddled butter biscuit.  As. Good. As. It. Sounds. A baking powder, light as air biscuit sliced in half and toasted on the griddle with butter on it.  I have never been so happy not to have ordered “dry.”  Also had some of Bob’s tasty sausage.  It was so freezing that we kept moving around to a table that was in the wake of the heater.

On the road again at 8:30 and it immediately got dicey.  Really snowy all the way up and over Mt. Hood.  Bob put the truck in 4WD high and still was gripping the wheel.

Note the last photo… no more tracks on the road in front of us; just SNOW.

Road got better as we got to about 3000 ft but still big fat snow flakes.  Last 1/2 hour or so was gorgeous farm, orchards, vineyards with off/on rain showers.  Happily arrived at the Vagabond Lodge in Hood River about 12:30 after a pretty hairy 7+ hours of good, safe!, driving by Bob.  Our room (#23) wasn’t ready yet so we headed to the downtown part of Hood River about 2-3 miles away to find some lunch.  Bob got some recs from the real estate office where we street parked the car (meters are 30 cents per half hour….).  We had a fantastic cozy lunch at the bar at Romul’s, an Italian restaurant that recently opened based on the long-time success of a sister restaurant in The Dalles (a nearby town on the Columbia River).  We sat at the small empty — though *full* — bar and ordered cocktails.  Bob had a Chivas and I had a lovely Italian pinot grigio that I completely forget the name.  Oh, it was raining still which is what made everything feel so cozy.  Bob ordered a pasta dish that involved tomatoes and capers and… I have no idea because what I ordered was so superb: special soup of the day that was spicy sausage and lentil (very earthy, a bit of a bite) and a pear salad with field greens, grilled slices of pear, cranberries, candied walnuts, sprinkling of Gorgonzola and an herby champagne vinaigrette.  I ate every spoonful and bite.  Told Bob it was one of those occasions that the idea you have in your head was matched exactly with reality.

We freed the dog (who got a big bite of their homemade bread) and walked up and down the town til we got the call at 3p that our room was ready.  We investigated potential coffee and breakfast places for Thursday but everything was going to be closed or not opening til 9a (Doppio coffee).  We investigated places for dinner and decided on Brian’s Pourhouse until we saw a big sign that said “Wednesday 2-for-1 steak night.” Hello?  What?? So we hiked up a very steep 1/2 block to a converted large house with a beautiful tiled mosaic retaining wall that runs along the sidewalk.  It was in fact get any steak (from filet to ribeye to beef and lobster) with second steak or various other entrées free.  Um, yes, we made a reservation for 7:30.  Sierra got some dog treats at the ubiquitous over-priced, environmentally PC, healthy for dogs, adorable pet store and we headed back to check in.

Bob found this place via a Groupon deal and just booked it on his gut.  OMG.  It is so perfect.  Sort of funky (built in the 1950s and upgraded through the years) with spacious grounds, big trees, right on the bluff overlooking the Columbia River and steep shore/cliffs on the other side.  Our room/suite is an end unit and has full kitchen, a nice big dining table, large stone fireplace, decent-sized flat panel (phew… was worried about the football watching so brought the XM unit from the kitchen in case we had to listen to football), nice separate bedroom and bath.   It is perfect.  Took us about 1/2 hour to unload and play house organizing kitchen and *supplies*.  Relaxed with a fire, catching up on emails, reading and stuff.  At about 4:30 Bob made a cocktail that he read about and then amended, sort of like an Old Fashion but now called the Rembow:  Knob Creek, sugar cube soaked in bitters, grenadine, slices of lime, lemon, orange, with a splash of club soda and ginger ale.  Very pretty and festive and felt like a holiday.  New favorite!

The Rembow.

Bob was surfing around on the tv and found what I have only seen headlines about and has been on the periphery of my consciousness: Boo Boo Honey or something.  omg.  I was reading (NYer October 15!  catching up!  Determined to be caught up by end of the year!!!) and trying to ignore it but seriously it was difficult.  These people are speaking English and they had to use subtitles because you literally could not understand a word they said.  And I am from Oklahoma!! No idea where it takes place or any idea about how these people got on tv.  Well, scratch that; given who and what is on these days.  (Yes, I am a curmudgeon).  At one point Bob said, “I can’t make myself change the channel.” Me, “Please try.”   He did and found Gone With the Wind.  Time suck of a different sort!  We caught it about 1/2 hour in (Scarlett is widow from first wrong marriage to Charles and in Atlanta with Aunt Pittypat) and were sucked in til the end at 8pm.  Naturally reams and reams of advertisements including hideous ones for The Walking Dead (note to AMC: those endless trailers/teasers did not convince two non-watchers to give it a try; not even the one of us (him) who actually dabbles in stuff like that) during which we Googled/Wikipedia’ed and IMDBd all the actors (wiki Hattie McDaniel!  amazing bio — way way more than you think you know about her).   Somewhere around 6:30 we decided we were too tired, not hungry enough to go to 2-for-1 steak night so called and cancelled.  When GWTW was over we bundled up (raining and cold) and walked next door to Charburger Country which I smelled (good) when out with Sierra.  Walked in to … a sort of odd, tired almost empty place with a salad bar (! old school much?), soup bar (!! ditto) and condiment bar (yes?!?).  In normal (or *snobby*) circumstances we might have left.  You order at the counter (Bob: Big Burger (1/2lb with french fries and a Sprite); Me: Charburger (1/4lb burger, no fries)) and sit with the number on your table til they deliver it.  They WERE charbroiled and quite good.  Nice grill-toasted bun.  We made our way to the condiment bar which was quite generous.  I ditched half the bun and loaded up on onions, pepperocini (sp), pickles, lettuce and Dijon mustard.  Stole a few french fries.  Turned out to be the perfect solution to dinner; we have so much food with us but all geared to Thanksgiving and this was easy, close, quick.

Got back to the room (raining) and we could have watched GWTW again.  No.  We poured a glass of zin, made a fire and sat with Sierra.   Bob brought a slice a apple pie back from the restaurant that he didn’t know had plastic wrap on it inside the styrofoam so microwaving it made it melt….:-(  We watched a new Restaurant Impossible and turned in at about 10p.

Tuesday, November 20

Novato to Mt. Shasta

Hwy 37 to 80 to 505 to I-5

We decided to start the drive to Hood River on Tuesday.  There is a ton of rain and cold weather in the forecast on Wednesday and we want to be in Hood River by Wednesday afternoon.  So we both went to work on Tuesday morning.  Since Sierra was so freaked out with all the packed bags and boxes — we are taking half the kitchen it seems! — I took her with me.  Left at 6a to do a Bar workout at 6:30.  POURING rain all the way to Greenbrae and then at 7:30 pouring all the way into SF.

Sierra in the office under my desk

The office was fairly quiet so the plan to leave at noon stuck.  It was pissing with rain still and the traffic getting out of the city was a nightmare.  Got home just after 1p and Bob was already there moving in the big cooler.  We quickly finished packing clothes and the rest of the pans, food, spices, knives, salad spinner, serving dishes, olive oil, potato masher….. you get the drift.  Plus Bob had shopped G&G for all the salad, vegetables, etc etc which went into the cooler with stuff from home like butter, sour cream, parmesan cheese blah blah blah.  Not to mention the wine and cocktail fixings.  Hilarious actually.  The truck wasn’t even really full.   We drove out of the driveway just after 2p.  Yay us.

The first stop was Nation’s in Vacaville around 3p since neither of us had lunch.  Bob had a burger and Arnold Palmer and I had a chicken breast wrapped in lettuce with onion, tomatoes, jalapeños and mustard, so messy but so good.  Bob went back and forth to the pie counter half a dozen times … should I? shouldn’t I?  Finally decided that he could get something once we got to Hood River.   On the road again at 3:30, heading up 505.  Traffic wasn’t bad and just off and on rain bursts until we got to Redding and then all of sudden it was pouring and as it got darker it rained harder and harder.  Very nerve wracking!  We saw three different rainbows, one of them we saw the whole thing.  This was my favorite:

Rainbow just north of Williams.

Made it to Mt. Shasta by 7p.  Phew.  Checked into the Cold Creek Inn which was very clean and had a nice grass patch for Sierra  It was still raining and windy and 42*.  We fed, watered and pooped Sierra and took her with us to find some dinner.  We saw an ad for the Wayside Grill which hadn’t been here when we were here before.  We thought about Lilly’s where we went when we stayed here two (three??) years ago on our way to Sisters (to visit Aunt Midge and Lori) and Boise (LaVerne’s wedding) and we loved.  But we continued on to find the Wayside — at the end of town, on the way to the ski hill.  What a find!  As soon as we walked in we looked at each other: “Garlic!” (in a good way).  The bar was full so we got a nice big booth.   We ordered a Chivas and a dirty martini and learned that The Wayside has been there forever but the current owners bought it in spring 2010 and upped the quality of the food, started live music events… the husband was in the music management business in LA in his previous life so there are loads of photos and guitars and other paraphernalia on the walls.   They have a pizza oven that was tempting but the special for the night was the half steak with sides for $14.95.  They cut their own steaks and the normal, non-half portion is 16-20 oz ribeye…. Of course Bob was getting the special.  When I heard that it came with garlic mushrooms on top, I had to order it too.  So Bob got his medium rare with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables and I got mine medium rare with wild rice and vegetables.  And Bob asked that his mushrooms be put on mine.  Reason #1,983 why I married him.   So so good!  because it was a ribeye (more fat than I like) I totally cherry picked but it was very tasty and juicy — Sierra got lucky as she got the bulk of mine and a few bits of Bob’s.  The vegetables and wild rice were perfect.  The vegetables were al dente and obviously cooked by someone who knows that butter and garlic are essential. Broccoli, red peppers and carrots… I ate all mine and most of Bob’s.  Wild rice was cooked in broth and more garlic.  They know what they are doing.  We each had a glass of Cline Zin with dinner ($8, reasonable) and Bob ordered the chocolate cherry cheesecake for dessert so I tried the 14 Hands Cabernet — their house wine.  They said that they sell more 14 Hands than any other retailer….  It was pretty good.  And the cheesecake (Bob let me have a bite.  haha) was really dense and not too sweet.  The crust was a chocolate wafer cookie that brought back a memory flash from childhood:  Mom used to layer whipped cream in between the chocolate wafer cookies and then put whipped cream all over the *log* and refrigerate it.  She must have done something else to it to serve… Michael? Dennis?  Remember?  Do they even still sell those wafer cookies?  Must look.

Back to Cold Creek and bed!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

789 miles driven

(I-15 N to 86/30 W to 93 S at Twin Falls to 80 W at Wells to Hwy 37 at Vallejo to Atherton/Black Point to HOME)

Pocatello ID to Novato CA

When the rain finally let up last night about 7:30, we walked over to the Sandpiper Inn for dinner.  We ate there 2 or 3 years ago on a trip and we both thought it was really good.  The bar area which is quite large was packed but we got a table within football game viewing distance.  And all the pick-up scenarios that were going on at the bar — always entertaining.  Bob had a scotch and we ordered a bottle of Fiddletown Zinfandel for dinner.  Oddly, all the glasses and bottles of wine ended in .95 (5.95, 7.95, 30.95… ?  Waitress could not answer why).  Ordered salads and sirloins (6 oz for me, 8 oz for Bob) that came with baked potato for him and steamed (yippee!!) vegetables for me.  I also had grilled onions that were heavenly — sautéed in butter.  I cleaned the plate.  We took most of the wine back to the room but both crashed without having any.

Sunday we were up at 3:45 and at the gas station filing up at 4:30.  Bob started driving in the pitch black with fog and about 40 miles of road work (single lane, steep drop off, a tumbleweed and deer on the road!!!) but virtually zero cars and the occasional truck.  At 6:15 we pulled into the parking lot at Idaho Joe’s in Twin Falls, our first target destination.  We fell upon this place on our trip to Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, etc a few years ago.  Bob saw the Bakery part of the sign and I noticed that all the cars and pick-ups (50-50) in the lot had Idaho plates.  It was great then (both taste and $$) and it hasn’t changed. Including the same two waitresses and the homemade pies — a selection of about a dozen.  We had checked online the night before to make sure it opened at 6a.  Bob had a scrambled egg, sausage patty and toast; I had the same only  a poached egg.   Also had their (so-so) coffee in case another of our accidental discoveries, a coffee shop on the outskirts of Twin Falls (towards Wells) that was a lavender shop (I know… odd but it was good espresso) is no longer there.   And it wasn’t.   BUT in Rogerson (pop 251), there was a sign for ‘Koffee Shack’ and there was a little drive-up hut that was Open Open Open.  The woman set it up about 7 months ago.  She said she has some regular regulars now and feels pretty good about her prospects.  She is open Mon-Sat from 5a to 1p and Sundays from 7a to 1p. (this is a plug… if you are on Hwy 93 going between Wells NV and Twin Falls, time it so you can stop…..)  I was so happy to get a really really good latte (soy, alas, but still good) and she put two chocolate covered espresso beans in the little divot on the lid — nice tasty touch.  Bob was still driving and it is a really pretty stretch of road with big farms and ranches.

At Wells, we stopped for gas and potty and I took the wheel.   Bob sat in the passenger seat looking for California Trail markers and got a crick in his neck doing so.  People think we are crazy when we say we like driving through the desert but it’s so beautiful and harsh and serene.  We started our last Stuart Woods book after listening to music on the first part of the drive.   With cruise control set at 80mph (and still getting passed on occasion), the miles truly do fly by.

Our next target was the Cowpoke Cafe in Lovelock for lunch.  This is a regular stop on all the trips we take along 80.  It is true made from scratch (the biscuits were being pulled from the oven when we were ordering… ahhhhhhhhh!) and always full of locals stopping at each others’ tables and gossiping.  No surprises here: Bob got a burger and their curly fries (cut fresh and fried for each order) with a pepsi; I had a buffalo burger and iced tea.  We also got gas in Lovelock and I continued driving to Verdi, just before the CA state line.   Bob drove the rest of the way — which included tons of Burning Man traffic (easy to spot because of the thick layer of dust on Every Inch of the cars/vans/RVs.  I know it has a huge following but I just don’t get it), a 10-mile stretch of single lane traffic just past Donner and a HUGE jam on 37 that added at least 1/2 hour to our trip.

We drove in the driveway at 5:30 to a very happy and well-cared for puppy dog.   2,798 miles,  and except for less than 125 miles, all of it done in four days.

Random things…..

Billboard:  Wells…. Small but entertaining.

A series of three billboards:

Cold beer on tap.

Lovely lady on your lap.

Wild Horse Saloon

In the Leadville post, Betsy was surprised I mentioned the Copper ski trip without mentioning the Leadville Camping trip we took a few years later.   Can’t remember the exact year, 95 or 96… I know Lauren was born and maybe Catie too. Manny stayed home with the kid(s) and Betsy and I took off in his Brand New SUV (like that week brand new) and a tent borrowed from the people across street and went to a lake outside of Leadville for a night of camping.  We set up our tent and took off for a hike around the lake.  About an hour out the skies opened, there was lightening, thunder and hail.  Golf ball size hail.  We have photographic evidence though not in a format I can easily post.  We were laughing / crying (it hurt!) and laughing again.  We trudged back to the campsite to discover our tent was completely collapsed and sopping wet.  We made a fire and cooked dinner (forget what) and drank a bunch of wine and laughed and laughed.  We couldn’t sleep in the tent so unrolled our sleeping bags in the truck with just. not. quite. enough. room. to stretch out.  And in the middle of the night when one of us had to pee, we set off the most incredibly loud car alarm.  Because it was new, we didn’t know how to turn it off.  Of course, this set off the hysterical laughing again.  We packed up all the wet stuff (I think Betsy ended up buying the neighbors a new tent….) in the morning, had breakfast in Leadville and drove back to Denver in Manny’s Brand New SUV, now with some hail damage.

595 miles driven, less than zero walked….

(Hwy 9 N to 40 W to 14 N to 125 N to 230 N (WY) to I-80 E to 412 N to 189 N to 30 N to I-15 N)

Breckenridge CO to Pocatello ID

We were awake and immediately up at 5:49a.  Last night the bar across the street, Liquid Lounge (no, we have not been there; I don’t think they even get going till we are asleep…) went til 2am and then there was 1/2 hour of “TIME TO LEAVE”. I know this because I woke up to pee at 1:45… and don’t think I fell asleep again til 4 or so; Bob was awake a good part of that time as well.  Thinking about Roberta and Michael and life and what it hands us.

We hustled to get everything together and the car packed, checked out etc.  We were in the Coffee Depot getting the last cuppa at 6:50 and were on the road at 7am.  Beautiful morning — 40* and a few clouds.  Bob chose our somewhat circuitous route for the scenery (little green triangles on the map) and also for where we could follow and/or cross the California – Oregon Trail.  Our original plan was to spend two and a half days getting to Breckenridge by following the Trail from Pocatello through WY to Scotts Bluff NB.  When that plan got scrapped, we decided to do Breckenridge to Pocatello so we could at least see part of it.  The whole damn day was gorgeous!  Except for 196 miles on I-80 and about 40 miles on I-15 which are both interstate highways, the whole day was on two lane roads.   We saw a huge herd of buffalo — the biggest we have seen except for at Yellowstone and just immense beautiful vistas.  It is so B I G in Colorado and Wyoming.

Bob started the day driving.  We stopped for some photos just past Silverthorne

and to put the top down.  With the windscreen and the windows up, even at 70 mph my hair doesn’t even blow!  We had on The Seventies on Seven on the radio so were able to sing along to every single song.  It was blissful.  There is no place I would rather be than with my husband on a road trip (ideally with Sierra in the backseat too).

We stopped for gas (really for the loo) and intended to get something to eat in Rawlins WY… why?  because when we were in Rawlins two years ago the wonderful waitress at the Aspen House told us to go the Discount Grocery which had a fabulous bakery run by Mennonites.  We did and had the most delicious croissants and pastries.  So we find it and.. it’s closed.  Like Closed Closed.  So sad.  It happens so often in these smaller towns.  We looked for something else that wasn’t fast food.  But. No.  So we pulled over to put the top up (sky turning black….) and I took over driving.

Before we even got back on the highway it was raining.  We drove 80mph to Rock Springs for lunch.  Bob spent the time looking at the Yelp app (his first time…quickly was addicted) and decided on the Outlaw Inn.  It turned out to be in the Best Western.  We were both starving (especially him — I at least had my cafe au lait).  Bob ordered the french dip with mashed potatoes and I had blackened chicken salad.  He ate about half — said it was too salty which must have been like drinking the ocean for him to think that.  My salad was good (crisp lettuce, mostly iceberg but with romaine too, diced decent tomatoes, a handful of walnuts, just enough bleu cheese) and even though chicken was a bit heavy-handed on the *blackened*, I ate almost all of it.

I was still driving and we hit some short, heavy cloudbursts and stopped at several historical markers — all of them about the California-Oregon Trail, some of them very poignant with all the deaths and just general hardships.   Such brave and foolhardy people!  And not to be redundant but GORGEOUS gorgeous scenery all day.

Bob took over the wheel again about 50 miles south of Pocatello.  We checked in to the Best Western at 5:40p — 5 miles short of a 600 mile day!  Brought in our stuff and surprise! a severe storm warning till 7:15p.  We caught up on news, sports and watched the heavens open.  Big thunder for about 15 minutes and then just rain. Lots of rain. We hung out waiting for the rain to lessen so we can walk a block or two to dinner…… long day tomorrow (about 800 miles) to get home.

0 miles driven, 2-3? miles walked

Our last day in Breckenridge.  We were awake As Usual at 6a. 49ers won.  Giants won.  Dodgers lost.  I was at the coffee place at 6:40 and we spent the next hour and a half computing.  Then we went across the street to the Blue Moose for breakfast: two eggs over  hard, bacon, toast, potatoes and OJ; two poached eggs, sourdough, hot sauce, a piece of Bob’s bacon.

After breakfast we walked up to the Catholic church to say a prayer for Roberta and Michael.  Rest in peace, Michael Cleary, our very good friend.  It’s heartbreaking and impossible to think about.

We spent the rest of the morning walking the length of the town looking for our final trinkets and gifts.  The sales are now marked down 60% and 70% instead of 30%, 40%, 50% (Columbia shoes for $32! ).

This is a very pretty town.  Of course there are certain properties that aren’t as well-kept but for the most part, all have well-tended gardens full of colorful flowers.  Like the yard above which was near the church, on  a street we have never been on before.

Back to the hotel at 11a and I headed down to the pool with my book.  Was back in half an hour because it started raining.  haha. Big. Black. Cloud.  It happens so fast!

We went back to the Empire Burger for lunch: hot dog with chili, cheese and onions with a side of fries and a Pepsi for Bob, buffalo burger, PBR in a can, four of Bob’s fries for me.  We sat outside under an umbrella which came in handy about an hour later when it started raining.  We walked up to the Post Office and it started raining hard so we dodged in and out of shops until we decided to go back to the room and read until our last happy hour as *locals*.

We leave the room about 4:30 (“we’re late” says Bob) and walk into the Briar Rose at 4:45.  Hitler’s nose and the BF (in a light blue superman shirt and NY Yankees baseball cap) were at the end of the bar by the wall and a guy (friend of theirs) was in the middle and we took the two at the other end so Bob could catch the trailer on ESPN.  Henry, the bartender the first night we were there, made us our cocktails and we toasted to a great week.  We planned to go to Kenosha’s so we could watch the Boise game but we were tempted by the small plates at half price (the fries were $2……).  We prevailed and said our goodbyes… I went down to say good-bye to Hitler’s nose and the BF… I felt I should since we sat at the same bar all week…. they were very very nice and were quite impressed that we had been to so many of the local favorites.

So we walked up the street to Kenosha’s and got two seats at the bar in front of the Boise game.  I ordered a hummus and vegetable plate ($5 happy hour) and Bob ordered the potato skins ($5).  We each ate about 1/2 (very good though).  I could not wait to have the buffalo flank steak which I ordered medium rare with sautéed mushrooms and green beans (the meat was fantastic!  we are so going to be eating more buffalo and bison at home).  Bob had his favorite, center cut sirloin with french fries, green beans and a caesar salad.  We ordered a bottle of Hobnob, a French pinot that was quite good.

Toddled home, sad for the end of a great vacation but looking forward to drive tomorrow.

Random things……

Buffalo and Bison are so lean; approximately 3g of fat and 150 calories per 4 oz.  They are both a bit sweeter (is the word? maybe grassier?) than even grass-fed beef.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

120 miles driven, 3+ miles walked

Bob has been dying for a chocolate beignet from the French patisserie a few blocks down Main Street so after we did the usual (and I got my coffee from next door at 6:30), we headed out in gorgeous partly-cloudy and brisk (high-50s) air down the street.  Bob got his beignet and I had a little coconut cookie (just toasty shredded coconut held together with most likely gobs of butter…. yum!).  We also got a fresh baguette because we decided to make dinner in the room tonight given that we won’t be able to see the 49ers on t.v. we may as well stay in.

We also decided to go take a hike around Clinton Reservoir (above) that we were intrigued with two years ago when we drove from Breckenridge to Aspen and passed by.  We left Breckenridge about 9:30 after getting gas and headed Leadville on Hwy 91 from I-70 West. First time in the car since Sunday!  We had the top down, the windscreen up and the music on.  Mostly sunny and 64*.

Driving by Copper Mountain I had memory flash from about 20 years ago when Betsy and Manny lived in Denver BK (before kids) and Betsy and I went skiing at Copper.  It was a crystal clear bright blue day, 0* at the base and about -25* at the top.  It was so freakin’ cold.  We would spend 45 minutes going up and skiing down and at least that long inside trying to warm up.

We got to Clinton Reservoir and started the hike around it (2.12 miles of shoreline according to the sign) about 10:15. We hiked to the end of the reservoir when the rumbling thunder convinced us to turn around.  The skies changed really fast!  The trail was fantastic — really spongey and nice on knees, etc. and at 11,113 feet challenging enough to make it worthwhile! I was afraid of meeting bears after last year’s encounter so was trying to walk loud….. we saw nothing but squirrels thank goodness.  It started raining big fat drops about 15 minutes before we made it back to the car and continued pretty steadily on the way into Leadville – about 20 more miles.  Really beautiful drive.

We rode bikes around Leadville on our first road trip to Colorado in the fall of 2002? 2003? when we stayed at the Hyatt Beaver Creek.  We have been through it since then but never spent much time there.  And now, we have to plan a whole day there in the future!  We had lunch at High Mountain Pies per the recommendation of a nice girl in the sporting goods store.   She said they had really good salads and sandwiches as well as pizza.  Bob ordered a BLTA (avocado) on a fresh, warm french roll that was HUGE and I had a salad with roast chicken (warm! shredded roast chicken) that I inhaled.   Bob ate a little more than half of his sandwich.

While we were waiting, we were reading this little give-away about Leadville and realized there is even more history to it than we knew.  The list of influential, famous people who started in or went through Leadville is incredible.   The surrounding outskirts of the town is pretty rundown and depressing — as so many small towns are.  But the main street is still quite vibrant, naturally depending a great deal on tourists.  We walked around for about an hour, enough to determine that we need to come back.

We drove out of Leadville and took a different route back to Breck, Hwy 24 via Minturn to I-70 east.  This route is even more beautiful!  We spent a good deal of time at the 10th Mountain Division Monument at Camp Hale.   This is dedicated to the WWII mountain men who trained on skis and climbing mountains in this area and went on to great success in the American effort in the war.  There were 14,000 men, 900 of whom died.   This is how the valley looks now:

It really started raining hard off and on as we continued on Hwy 24 ….  we took a little detour to Red Cliff, an old mining town that is perched, literally, on the side of a mountain.

It really started pouring as we went over Vail Pass and all we could see was black sky around us.  Loved it.  Stopped at the farmer’s market stand in Frisco for tomatoes (the same guy who was at the market on Sunday).  God, are we spoiled with the choice and quality of produce we get at home…..

Our next stop was City Market for bison sirloin and asparagus.  It was raining hard and steady and at 4:30 it was dark!  Got to the Hyatt just before 5p and we were happy we were staying in!  We spent an hour or two on our computers and trying to find football games….. watched South Carolina and Vanderbilt while we made dinner with a bottle of Chardonnay and had a glass of Jacuzzi Pinot with dinner.   Went to bed without finding out 49ers score…..