Yep. I'm back in Washington, DC. Home.
I got a bit complacent with the blog over the last week of the trip and I apologize for that. The long trips took a toll on my energy and I was trying to see as much as I could before I had to get back to the "rat race".
The final stop of the trip came down in Cullowhee, NC to visit AI once more. There, he cooked me several meals and did my laundry. We also watched many football games and movies such as 3:10 to Yuma and Kung Fu Panda. That's right, Kung Fu Panda.
Thank you to the loyal readers.
Also want to thank all those who offered up interesting ideas on things to do along the way. I tried to do as much as possible in the short amount of time that I allowed myself. Believe it or not 6 weeks isn't very long to see our whole country. The next time I go out I'll do it with a co-pilot and I'm sure there will be other things to see. I put over 11,400 miles on my Dad's brand new Honda Odyssey. So I'd say he deserves some thanks as well.
I don't know what will happen to this blog now. I haven't given it much thought as to whether I will try and post on it in the future, but it's been fun and I hope it's inspired others to go out and see the country.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Creamy And Smooth
Unfortunately no photo is available of the actual desert.
El Lobo At Baja Burrito
eats, but not Texas Pete. Blasphemy to the folks from Winston Salem.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Just Missed It
night.
I hear the steaks here are quite good.
Here
Alcove Cave since we now know that the kiva was used not only for
ceremonies.
Animal sighting update:
On the way down I encountered a non-poisenous and non-constricting
garter snake. Also wanted to mention that I spotted a jack rabbit
while I was up in the hot air balloon.
Los Alamos
Naturally, with all the top secret programs going down the actual lab
is off limits. So the Bradbury Science Museum had to do.
Los Alamos was chosen as the site for Project Y of the Manhattan
Project because its location was remote and beautiful enough to do
outdoor testing year round. It was also enough of a desirable
location to satisfy the tastes of the "primadonna" scientists.
The museum is an exhibition for a lot of the technology and sciences
that have dominated the news of yesterday and today. All kinds of
weapons displays as well. One of the central responsibilities of the
lab is to maintain the U.S. Nuclear arsenal. I watched an interesting
film on how nuclear weapons are now tested as broken up individual
components since the Nuclear Test Ban is in effect.
Pictured here are warning leaflets to the Japanese at the end of WWII
right before the Cold War started.
Hanging Out On Mi Peublo
They say 80-100 of the natives live in the village adobes year round.
The rest live comfortably in the town of Taos.
The pole is used during a ceremonial right of passage that boys go
through. Not many details were revealed about these rituals since
they prefer to keep everything a secret to the outside world. That
includes their language.
The village had a Spanish influenced church that was recently rebuilt
and honors the Virgin Mary and Guadeloupe. There was another older
church that sat next to a graveyard that was left in rubble after it
was bombed years ago. Many, many craft shops in the pueblo.
It's A Celebration
Even better, if you land the balloon in someone's backyard you owe
them a bottle of the bubbly.
The owner knew the deal. He was waiting for us when we landed.
Pictured here are Ed and Dave, who run the whole operation.
Balloon View
We dropped down all the way and rested right on the river and floated
for a few moments. Ed, the operator of this excursion, called it a
"splash and dash".
Sunday in Taos, NM
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Photos From The Road Part VII
fire, doesn't it?
Photos From The Road (and sea) Part VI
Island.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Inside
Update FYI: Birthday cake is no longer my favorite Jelly Belly.
Don't ask.
Santa Fe
Definitely the place to shop if you are looking to outfit your rustic
mountain pueblo with some fine décor.
In the background is the St. Francis Basilica.
New Mexico Vibe
I fancy this quote, but I think it could apply to many areas of the
West.
This was at the O'Keeffe Museum.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Future
pitched, 8 Ks. Not too shabby.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Surprise!
I'm In Surprise, Arizona for one 1 of 2 on the day.
Behind the dish, Orioles uber phenom, Matt Wieters.
The Arizona Fall League
Peoria.
A number of factors play into this being a baseball lover's paradise:
-gorgeous, always sunny, blue skies, slightly windy, 80 degree weather
-two showcase games/day of the best minor league prospects in baseball
-$6 tickets for seating ANYWHERE in the ballpark
-no crowds, meaning no overwhelming obnoxious Yankee or Red Sox fans
-fighter jets roaring overhead during games
-Snyder, Reimold, Matusz, and Wieters
-and no walkout songs, promotions, advertisements, mascots, or the
wave... Just baseball
It doesn't get much better than this.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Question, What Kind Of Bear Is Best?
Photographer, Andrew Ireland got very close to this beast in Grand Teton NP. In the process he pardoned the Ranger's repeated requests to exit the area. Copyright 2008
Animal Sighting Update
Additional sightings:
Coyote - 2
Black bear - 2!
Elk - rutting season - Hundreds spotted at Mammoth Hot Springs in
Yellowstone
Moose - not as many as desired
Rabbit
Elephant Seals - PCH
A Bald Eagle
Sheep - standard farm style
Zebra - on a cattle ranch... and no, I don't have a photo
Llama
Salmon - leaping a cascade in Olympic NP on their way up stream. Most were unsuccessful, but to see this was a big thrill.
All kinds of other squirrels, birds, chipmunks, and other varmints
Pictured above are Pronghorn and copyright of Andrew Ireland 2008
Move, Lady!
rolled over the highway.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
That's A Lot Of Beans
Other highlights included the taste testing bar where you could try
any type of Jelly Belly. This was all free by the way.
We all had to wear goofy chef hats on the tour for some reason. And
we were told not to take them off. One guy looked homeless and was
dressed in a Scottish kilt of some sort. Actually I think it was just
a dark towel.
At the end I purchased a bag of the "belly flops" which are the
deformed beans. They will provide me with nourishment for the rest of the trip.
Jelly Belly
jelly bean.
Quick sidenote: I saw an interstate sign on I-80 that said Ocean City, MD 3037 miles!!!! What a find. Unfortunately, I could not get a photo.
Back to the candy:
Popularized in the early 1980's when it was then discovered as the
preferred candy of President Ronald Reagan. It was said that he ate
the beans to help kick his pipe smoking habit. As a result the candy
manufacturer cought on and created the blueberry jelly bean to complete a Red, White, and Blue pack to sell during election time.
They even made a customized canister to fit in Air Force One for his
majesty. Reagan's favorite was the licorice bean, but that's only
number two in the hearts of the American people. Number one is Very
Cherry and number three is Buttered Popcorn. If you ask me, it's Birthday Cake.
Filling the air on this day were sweet smells of citrus. We were told
that the production line was working on a batch of lemon.
Other than the wide variety of flavors, what makes Jelly Belly's so
much better than its other confectionary rivals is that the flavor is
not only captured in the bean's shell. Flavored juices and purees are
locked into its core giving it that unmistakeable taste and the unique
candy eating experience.
Hundreds Of Elephant Seals
And it smells awful.
Deep Fried Artichoke Goodness
For some background let me take you back 13 years ago to an Ireland family camping trip we did through central California. On our way out to beautiful Sequoia NP we stopped in this fertile crescent of land to indulge ourselves in some of the biggest and best artichokes in the entire world. Having been a fan of the artichoke ever since our family friends, the Jackson's, introduced them to me as a younger
fellow I was excited to take this relationship to the next level.
Throwing caution to the wind I went deep on fried artichoke hearts for the first time and from there on out was hooked for life. Crunchy, buttery, vegetably, everything your [artichoke] heart could desire. I remember we had dozens just between my cousin Chris, AI (known as just Andy back then), and Richy (AKA Dad). We ordered and reordered and then took some more out for the road. Life was good.
No, life was great.
But unfortunatley because noone makes this tasty snack as scrumptious as the Giant Artichoke Restaurant in Castroville I haven't eaten one deep fried since. Subsequently, life hasn't been as great. Until tonight when I revisited heaven on Earth.
In the photo below you will see some artichokes along with the Mexican dish I had as an entrée. I refuse to write about the rest of my meal as I don't want to mislead you into thinking that anything served could be on par with the almighty deep fried artichoke.
I leave you with the words directly taken off the menu describing this establishment and the food it serves.
"One of Central California's famous tourist spots is the Giant Artichoke Restaurant. Located in Castroville, in North Monterey County, this unique restaurant is a favorite stopping point for people from all parts of the world. Thousands of people visit us each year
to enjoy the wonderful food and friendly service. The Giant Artichoke Restaurant prepares the finest specialty artichoke entree selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is the uniqueness of it's menu
selection that reigns the Giant Artichoke Restaurant as the only one
of its kind.
Surrounded by the ideal combination of soil, sun and fog, the 'Golden Thistle', as the artichoke is sometimes called, grown in Castroville
reigns as the finest in quality in both taste and size in the world.
The Castroville Legacy, has reigned the artichoke as king of the village that bills itself as the "Artichoke Capio of World".
Monday, October 13, 2008
May I Take Your Order?
I attended the ceremonial opening to a brand new McDonald's store in
Sacramento, CA last night. McDonald's is a fine American establishment run by fine American people, exemplified by the Tara Caldwell Family.
The store I was in last night is not like the familiar McDonald's of yesteryear. There were several attributes that made this one quite unique! And courtesy of the Caldwell Family I was treated to an in-depth behind the scenes look into its design and construction.
It reminded me of a cross between a Starbucks and a Japanese sushi bar. Oozing of 21st century creature comforts it was equipped with a flat screen tv and access to wifi. Multiple seating arrangements in the dining room such as table tops, bar seating, booths, and even
circular tables will accomodate even the most picky 5 star diner. And separating the dining area were panes that were hand made with real flowers pressed into each sectional. I also liked the lighting above the bar seating: hanging, red tinted, olive shaped ceramic lights which hinted at a personal touch to the patrons eating there. Highlighting the interior décor throughout the store was the use of tiling in strategically positioned areas in addition to the use of neutral colors of different greens, grays, and blacks that will continue timelessly and not put off future generations.
As for the food, I didn't exactly have a #1 with an apple pie.
Catering was provided by a fabulous Italian chef named Carlo who is a close friend of the Caldwell's. Some of the highlights were the handmade tourtellini in a white sauce (I had seconds) and a meatball and sausage dish. And the wine flowed endlessly as far as your heart could desire. To top it all off was a chocolate mousse cake for desert. Yowzers!
More photos to follow.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Down Here, Quietest Place On Earth
I almost feel I can't say hello to passers-by that's how peaceful it is.
Currently giving you, the fans, up to the second action from down here in the Stout Grove. Stay tuned as I set out for ANOTHER area of big trees.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
