Kicking Back in Portland, and Who Drops In? Joe and Betty

At Portland Fairview RV Resort, Portland, Oregon...

We were in the process of regrouping today after suffering the shock of encountering triple-digit temperatures here in Oregon. Fortunately, our disillusionment was diffused somewhat by the much cooler temperature that should continue for a few days, according to AccuWeather.

After a morning that was as unproductive as we could make it, I fixed one of my Thai-inspired salads that is an absolute favorite and may just be the best salad ever created. The recipe? Once I get it on paper and not in my head, I'll post it.

Imagine my surprise when I received a message from fellow bloggers Joe and Betty inviting us to do a meet and greet. We are always delighted to make a face-to-face acquaintance with good folks we already know through their blogs, and Joe and Betty were no exception.

Betty and Joe

They were kind enough to look us up in our RV space and visit for a couple of hours that seemed more like a couple of minutes. What a treat! They even brought us a jar of preserves from an Oregon farm and gave us all kinds of suggestions about things to see while we're here. They even suggested a restaurant for dinner. (I can't imagine why they thought we would be eating out.)

Well, after we said our goodbyes, we did, in fact, take them up on their suggestion. And here it is:

Sayler's Old Country Kitchen has been in business in Portland as long as I have been alive (it opened in 1946) and specializes in steaks, seafood and other classic dishes. We opted for steak and fish and chips, and they were wonderful.

The steak appears overdone in the photo, but it was perfectly medium rare inside.

The steak was served with a ramekin of garlic butter, and the fish was fresh halibut! Who makes fish and chips out of halibut-the king of fish? Nobody! Well, except Sayler's, that is. Yes, it was just as good as you might imagine.

It's easy to see how Sayler's has stood the test of time. It is old school, comfortable and attentive to quality. The service was impeccable, and we enjoyed it enough to put it on our list of favorites.

Tomorrow will bring some sightseeing, undoubtedly including some of Joe and Betty's suggestions.  Thanks again for stopping by, y'all!

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life, and forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

Is This Portland...or Death Valley?

At Portland Fairview RV Park, Fairview, Oregon...

Leaving Kennewick, I chose to follow the Columbia River all the way to Portland on I-84. The first half of the 210-mile leg was pretty unremarkable, scenery-wise. By the time we reached the scenic gorge area, however, my attention was diverted to Phannie's outside air temperature gauge on the instrument panel. It kept creeping upward from the high 80s, then into the 90s and, by the time we reached the halfway point on I-84, it was showing 101 degrees? Could this be right? Have we driven 2,000 miles from where it's hot to where it's hotter?  Yep, I guess we have. Was it only a few days ago in Yellowstone when we were using a heater in Phannie? I want the cool air back!

When we checked in at Portland Fairview RV Park, the clerk on duty was lamenting the heat wave, saying that all she had had were complaints about it today. However, I think I know what's going on: I'm getting payback for smugly writing blog posts and Facebook entries about our cool surroundings there in the mountains.

As has been the case for almost every overnight city, we had difficulty finding a space in an RV park here in Portland. We were glad to find this one, and a drive through this large park verified that almost every site was occupied. This must be good times for those companies serving the RV lifestyle.

Once we found our space and parked, bringing all three a/cs on line helped cool Phannie down quickly, but there would be no sitting outside, as we were fond of doing previously in the evenings.

Since we had had no breakfast and only a light lunch on the road, we were pretty hungry, so we headed toward town to find some grub. We passed by an unassuming restaurant named Authentic Thai, and Sandy looked it up in Yelp. There were more than a hundred reviews and an average of four stars. (Five is best.)

We thought that would meet our rather high standards, so we went in and ordered pot stickers, a chicken and crispy rice salad and a chicken and vegetable stir fry. For dessert, we shared a serving of mango sticky rice.

This was one of those times when Yelp got it right. Every dish had been prepared expertly and turned out to be some of the best Thai food we have eaten.

I snapped a couple of photos of the salad and the entree', but I forgot to photograph the appetizer and dessert. Did I mention that we were hungry?

Fully satisfied with the good meal, we drove around downtown Portland for a while, commenting on the many people present there, even on a Sunday evening. We were also struck by the number of crowded restaurants. It doesn't appear that Portland will need to do anything to revitalize its inner city.

Back at the coach, Sandy did some laundry, and we watched TV for a while. Now we intend to relax for a few days while we do some resting and exploring.

Thank you, Lord for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

Kennewick and the Tri-Cities

At Columbia Sun RV Resort, Kennewick, Washington...

The route westward from Coeur d' Alene quickly left the mountains behind in favor of mostly arid flatland, dotted with scrub brush or, in those areas with irrigation, various grain crops. It reminded me of the badlands of Texas, except the dust devils here in Washington were bigger than those we see back home. I'm trying to think of something positive to write about this drive, but I'm not coming up with anything. It was, in a word, boring.

Kennewick is one of three cities in the vicinity, the others being Pasco and Richland, built as they are along the mighty Columbia River. The towns are not terribly picturesque and, compared to Coeur d' Alene, they are pretty sleepy in terms of night life (or even day life). An exception is Richland, where they are revitalizing downtown to a degree with quaint shopping areas that are more easily accessible. Some night life is beginning to show up, and some sort of festival was going on when we were there.

Perhaps most notable about the area is its proximity to the Hanford Nuclear facility. Plutonium mined from the area actually went into making the atomic bombs that exploded at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Naturally, we had to try a local restaurant for an early dinner, so we took advantage of a suggestion made by Bill Joyce, one of our readers, who bragged about the Greek Islands restaurant. Since it is far more valuable to get a personal recommendation from someone, we were delighted to hear from him. Even better, we had to try it, and his recommendations were spot-on accurate. 

The Greek Islands Restaurant in Richland , WA.  Thanks, Bill, for the recommendation
 

In the photo below, I am having a gyro, and Sandy is having the chicken souvlaki, both with excellent salads. Delicious! (I shamelessly stole bites of her souvlaki.) It goes on the favorites list for sure! Thank you, Bill, for your recommendation!

Tomorrow, we'll arrive in Portland, where we'll stay for a few days before continuing on to Seattle.  Stay tuned!

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

Coeur d' Alene

At Coeur d' Alene RV Resort, Post Falls, Idaho...

The leg from Butte to Coeur d' Alene was just under 300 miles today, and it felt like it. We weren't physically tired so much as just tired of being on the road. We decided to bypass Glacier National Park this trip, as we do not want to give it the short shrift that we did Yellowstone in order to meet our arrival schedule in Seattle. We hope to return next August and add Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and environs to that trip when we don't have a deadline. In any case, we will time it when all the kids have gone back to school. That should lessen the crush of tourists, we hope.

We had intended to stay overnight in Missoula, but there wasn't a space to be had in any RV park there. This underscored one of the biggest surprises of this trip, namely, the difficulty in finding room in the RV parks. Never before in our ten years of RVing have we had so many park operators turn down our reservation because their spaces were all full. Why, in previous years, we rarely bothered with reservations at all, and we don't remember being turned away anywhere. Nowadays, we don't dare leave one place without making sure we have a reservation at the next one. Must be the lower fuel prices.

We enjoyed the drive on I-90 alongside the Clark Fork River for most of the way to Coeur d' Alene. (By the way, am I the only one who never bothered to ask the meaning of Coeur d' Alene until now? Well, according to Google, it is thought to be the name that French fur traders gave to the native Indians. Literally, its French translation is "heart of the awl." An awl, of course, is a handheld punch with a sharp end, and the term signifies the fur traders' respect for the Indians' sharp negotiating skills.) 

As is customary on travel days, we stopped after about an hour or so to have breakfast/lunch in Phannie. This usually turns out to be a sandwich of some kind (a favorite is tuna salad, but today we had ham), sweetly fixed by Sandy. This, of course, is what she should be doing, this being women's work and all. I call them "pink things." (No, I really don't have a death wish; remember, I have to take care of all the yucky things--which we call "blue things" outside the RV. She doesn't even know where to find the blue things, and that's okay with me.)

Coeur d' Alene is a lovely city built right at the shore of Lake Coeur d' Alene. Besides being in a beautiful location, it is also a very clean city, with one of the liveliest downtown nightlife scenes we have ever seen. There are flowers everywhere, and many large and manicured public parks. Who wouldn't want to live here?



Lake Coeur d' Alene
 

For dinner, we ate at the Asian Twist, a storefront restaurant run by a local family. We had a wonderful stir-fried veggie dish with chicken and some Thai fried rice. This place goes immediately onto the favorites list.



Dishes at the Asian Twist

That's about it for today; Kennewick, WA is next.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me If fail to appreciate it enough each day.

Butte, Montana and Changing Plans

At the Butte KOA, Butte, Montana...

We hadn't planned to overnight in Butte. In fact, we hadn't planned to leave Yellowstone a day early; but we did. Several things factored into our decision. First of all, there was Mae. This faithful little car announced via a "check engine" light that something was amiss. This has been one of the most trouble-free vehicles I have ever owned so, while it was overdue for something to break, it still came as a mild shock. Considering that we've dragged that poor car behind Phannie all over the U. S. for four years and driven her 50,000 miles under her own power, I cannot possibly complain. I just wish Chevy still made the HHR.

I asked the only garage in West Yellowstone to take a look, but they were booked up, and I didn't think it a good idea to take Mae back into the park, where there certainly is no service possibility in case of a breakdown. We also reassessed our Yellowstone visit and determined that we would need to come back in the late spring or early fall sometime in order to avoid the near gridlock of tourists during the summer.

Since Butte had the nearest Chevrolet dealer on our route, we slipped out of Valley View RV Park and enjoyed greatly the 175-mile trip through some pretty country in very light traffic. (A wonderful benefit of road trips in the West.)

Soon after we arrived at the Butte KOA, we drove Mae to the Chevy dealer without an appointment. They hustled Mae into the shop right away and, in about an hour--voila'! The check engine light was off and they also took care of a recall on the air bags. The problem identified by the check engine light? It was a camshaft position sensor--whatever that is.

Since it was still early in the afternoon, we decided to do some sightseeing in Butte. Its most obvious claim to fame is its proximity to a huge copper-mining operation formerly known as Anaconda, and now, Montana Resources. The location of the open-pit mine east of town is unmistakable, the mountains there having been eaten away by giant earth movers.

The city proper is splayed up the side of a mountain upon which the original copper mine was dug along with several others in the late 1800s. Much of the downtown architecture is from that era, and much of it has been remarkably preserved. I had the impression I had been transported 100 years back in time, and I almost had a vision of what this rollicking town would have been like with the horses, saloons and brothels that served the hardworking miners when they were not down below.

Downtown Butte viewed from the mountain where the original copper mines were situated.

Looking downhill on Main Street



The 34-room Copper King Mansion was built between 1884 and 1888 by copper magnate W. A. Clark. It is now a bed and breakfast.

Our interest in the mines piqued, we stopped by the Berkeley Pit, a gigantic open pit mine begun in 1955 and abandoned in 1982. During those years, some 4.5 billion tons of earth were removed to produce about 1.5 billion tons of copper ore. In 1982, the miners went on strike and ceased operating the giant pumps that kept ground water from filling the pit, which had grown to a mile wide and nearly a mile deep. The ground water eventually filled the pit, and the surrounding minerals leached into it and made the water incapable of supporting life. It is so toxic that any waterfowl landing on the water seals its  doom, right then and there. It is now an EPA Superfund toxic waste cleanup area.

I was surprised to learn that hundreds of miners lost their lives in the mines over the years. I guess I didn't realize the numbers would have been that high.

Sandy overlooking the site of the toxic pit.



Entrance to the Berkeley Pit

 After touring the toxic pit, we were a bit hungry (that sounds odd, doesn't it?), so we stopped by The Montana Club, where we enjoyed immensely one of their rib eye steaks that was large enough for Sandy and me to share. With garlic butter on top and a side of shrimp scampi, it was a hit! This restaurant will certainly be included on my Favorites list.


Steak at Montana Club.  Yum!

Tomorrow, it's Coeur d' Alene.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life, and please forgive me if I don't

 appreciate it enough each day.

Yellowstone

At Valley View RV Park, Island Park, Idaho...

Fellow bloggers and now friends Merikay and Craig graciously agreed to be our guides today for a short tour of some popular sites in Yellowstone. We appreciate so much their suggestions and navigation expertise.

We were a bit taken aback right away as we were caught in the crush of vehicles waiting in long lines to enter the park from West Yellowstone. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better after we got inside. We were in a line of cars on the two-line park road that crept along at about walking speed for around an hour. Fortunately, we had a lot of lively conversation to take our minds off the delay! When we finally arrived at Old Faithful, the parking lot was mobbed with cars, and the famed geyser was encircled by perhaps a thousand people. Obviously, my favorable impression yesterday about the visitor scene wasn't all that accurate.

We had lunch at the lodge cafeteria and waited for the next eruption, which didn't disappoint.

I snapped too late this still photo of Old Faithful's eruption; it was almost over at this point. I have some good video, though.
 



Merikay and Craig on the right--our splendid guides.



The weather remained perfect until our tour had almost ended, and we were able to see all of the thermal sites that our new leg parts would endure. Here are samples:

 

 

 

 

Arriving back in West Yellowstone, we decided to have an early dinner at the Canyon Street Grill. This is a burger joint with a '50s theme, where the food was pretty good and our friends' company was excellent. We thought the tab was a bit high, but this is West Yellowstone, and they take full advantage of the touristas. Sadly, the Canyon Street Grill doesn't deserve a place on my favorites list.

 

We were pretty tired after our romp in Yellowstone, so we relaxed in the recliners and watched some TV between cat naps.

 

Thanks, again, Merikay and Craig, for a great day!

 

 

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Grand Tetons and Into Yellowstone

At Valley View RV Park, Island Park, Idaho...

The weather was much more cooperative today in allowing the Tetons to be exploited with tens of thousands of photographs being taken by throngs of tourists roaming the viewing area where we stopped.

Naturally, I have included here my favorites of the photos, so I can remember this trip when I get old. (Assuming I can remember who I am then.)

The farther north we went in the park, the better the views:

Entering Yellowstone by the south entrance, I was happy to see that my dire prediction of a crowded park with gridlocked traffic was slightly overblown. Traffic was light, except for around the attractions; there were crowds at each one, and parking appeared to be a problem. We also had to stop a couple of times for some wandering bison, but they were merely fun to watch.

We had the good fortune of meeting up with Craig and Merikay, as they were also staying at our RV park. After hugs, we talked as though we had known each other for years. Well, in a way, we have, because we have read each other's blogs for, well, ever since I can remember. After chatting for a while, we made plans for the next day in Yellowstone. We'll have some photos of Craig and Merikay then.

We had a few things to pick up at the grocery store in downtown West Yellowstone, so we drove over there and, in the process, got a whiff of the pizza being baked nearby at The Wild West Pizzeria. We were hungry, so we went inside and, after a short wait, were seated and had our order taken.

We chose the "make your own" variety and, I must say, it was one of the better pizzas we have had.

This sucker was really loaded with the toppings we selected, especially the meat, for which I had a desperate craving after having somehow lived through that prissy little salad I ate yesterday in Jackson. I still don't know what caused me to have that little spell of dementia. Anyway, the server at the Wild West was prompt, attentive and cheerful, and just so you'll know, I was impressed enough to include this restaurant on my favorites list.

Into the park we go tomorrow for some serious sightseeing.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonder life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

Jackson, Wyoming and the Cloudy Tetons

At Huskey RV Park, Irwin, Idaho...

Since we couldn't get a space in Jackson (even at $90 a night at most parks), we trekked over there from this tiny place about 50 miles away. By the way, this little park is a very pleasant and clean place to stay, with great wifi and a bargain at $30 a night.

We enjoyed the drive along the Snake River, where we had scenes like this outside the window:

We didn't know what we would find in Jackson, but a couple of things really stuck in our minds once we arrived: 1) The egregious commercialization of what we expected to be a quaint community setting, and 2) The crush of tourists.

This stagecoach was giving rides in downtown Jackson.

We knew there would be a lot of tourists visiting the area this summer, especially with the lower fuel prices, but we weren't quite prepared for the crowds we encountered this day. Traffic was terrible, and walking around downtown couldn't be done without dodging people everywhere. Nevertheless, we took in most of the obligatory sights, including the elk antler arches and a view of the Million Dollar Saloon and its famed saddles serving as barstools.

There were many more tourists captured in this photo, but I was able to crop most of them out.

We dined al fresco at Genevieve's downtown, another restaurant that had been visited by Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives:

The weather at lunchtime was drop-dead gorgeous, with temperature in the mid-seventies, almost no wind and no insects--not even one.  I have found that TV personalities having visited restaurants does not necessarily mean they will always turn out to be good. (Our experience at Pat's BBQ in Salt Lake comes to mind.) However, Genevieve's was really worthy of a little honorable mention. Sandy had fried chicken and waffles, and this was very tasty (I stole some).

I had a smoked trout salad that was not nearly as appealing but, for what it was, it was well prepared. I'm not sure why I ordered that frou-frou salad; I suppose it was because I hadn't tried anything like that before; I hope my sanity has returned by the time I get to the next restaurant. I figure the ingredients of this meal cost about five bucks, and our bill, with tip, was $40.

In consideration of tourists like us who have no better sense than to pony up their hard-earned cash in this way, every conceivable inch of storefront space in Jackson has been converted to retail sales. Like our lunch, the prices therein are rapaciously inflated, according to Sandy, who is a world-class expert in these matters.  An example: A kid's game that sells for $6 at Target will cost you $24 in Jackson.

The throngs of tourists made it difficult to find a parking place, even though we showed up on a Monday. Even so, we finally found one, and Sandy was able to get in what turned out to be a little window shopping. I scored a plush chair in one of the shops while she roamed around, and I was prepared to defend my occupation of the comfortable chair with a hail of lead, presuming I was not napping at the time of any attempted eviction.

Once Sandy was satisfied that no bargains could be found, we made our way back to Mae and took off to see the Grand Tetons. The iconic view of these mountains grandly pops into view a few miles north of the city and, to my dismay, they were pretty well obscured by the clouds and rain that are often promulgated in the mountains by their atmospheric uplifting action. The conditions for a photo were awful, so I didn't even get out the camera. However, I've decided to take this route into Yellowstone tomorrow, and I'll try again for some photos.

I don't mean to leave readers with a negative note about a beautiful area that is certainly worthwhile to visit. However, I do believe that it would be a much better idea to be here on the shoulders of the summer season when the kids are in school. That should thin out the crowds and make for a much more enjoyable time. We would certainly have done that if we didn't have to be in Seattle for the Alaskan cruise departure on a date certain. I can't help but be concerned about a similar overcrowding situation at Yellowstone; I hope it won't be too bad. 

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

Travel Day into Idaho

At Huskey's RV Park, Irwin, Idaho...

This will be a short post, as this was an uneventful travel day. We ate breakfast while en route, stopped for lunch at a ho-hum restaurant in Pocatello and then landed to spend the night at this small RV park about 50 miles from Jackson, Wyoming, as there was not a space to be had there.

This little burg boasts a population of 219 on the city limit sign, yet every space is filled in this RV park...must be the summer travel season or something! Since the nearest restaurant is eight miles away, we made a Thai-inspired salad with grilled chicken breast, one of our favorites.

The 250 miles we traveled today represented a normal distance for us. We could--and have--traveled a good deal farther in a day if necessary, but this amount seems just right for us. The big bus is not at all tiring to drive, as it floats silently along (the rear engine noise is inaudible in the cockpit). The big chairs are every bit as comfortable as our recliners at home, and Sandy's even has a power foot rest in addition to all the other power adjustments!  (I can confirm that she has taken some epic naps while we glide along.)With every convenience at hand, watching through an Imax-sized windshield to see new vistas unfold at every turn, I can't help but feel privileged, yet conflicted: While I wish everyone could have this experience, I selfishly hope they don't. I mean, just look at all the crowded RV parks I've mentioned!

Hmmm. On second thought, please disregard the preceding paragraph. I've changed my mind; you probably wouldn't enjoy this at all.

Thank you, Lord for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

A Visit to Park City

At Salt Lake City KOA...

Some of our blog readers recommended a visit to nearby Cottonwood Canyon and to Park City, Utah, a ski town about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake, so we decided to make it a twofer and check out both in one trip.

Before leaving Salt Lake, however, we decided to pop into Pat's Barbeque, a rather nondescript joint in an obscure location south of downtown. It had some killer reviews and even had a past visit from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We ordered a sampling of brisket, ribs and chicken with baked beans and, once again, we were disappointed. Almost everything was wrong: The brisket was excessively fatty, and there were so many ingredients in the dry rub that it denigrated the flavor of the meat rather than enhancing it. The pork ribs were way too big and, thusly, too fatty as well. The ribs had also been cooked over too-high heat, as the meaty top of the ribs had been turned into a crisp. I had to remove this layer before getting to the fat! Needless to say, we didn't eat much of the brisket or ribs. The chicken was cooked thoroughly and not too dry, but there was no discernible smoke flavor. It could just as easily have been roasted in an oven. They tried too hard on the baked beans, too. The beans were almost unidentifiable as such, swimming as they were in a vat of flavorless sauce that gave me the impression they just opened cans of beans, threw in a few scraps of brisket and a little sugar and call them baked. The sauce containing the beans was the color of butterscotch, and I really can't imagine what they put in there to make it look that unappetizing.

Okay, this place obviously won't make it onto my favorites list, but I can't help but wonder how it managed to get good reviews and a stint on the TV show. The answer might be that the portions are quite large, and I know plenty of folks for whom quantity trumps almost everything else. I didn't even include a photo of Pat's, because I hope to erase it from my memory at some point.

The drive through Cottonwood Canyon and up to Empire Summit was certainly worth the winding journey through the rock cliffs and clear streams. Near the summit, the road was uncomfortably narrow for a short distance, but gave way shortly to a good road again. The payoff was a beautiful alpine-like vista that we enjoyed greatly as we exited Mae and walked around, enjoying the fresh 70-degree breeze on top of the mountain:

Again, on the recommendation of friends, we had dinner at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, at a table overlooking a view much like the one above.

I took this photo through the window at our table. We would have eaten al fresco, but it was a bit too cold outside for that. (I find it hard to mention this without thinking about the hot weather we're missing in Texas; it's all I can do to avoid being smug.)

It was a light dinner of designer sandwiches and salad, very well done and tasty--but pricey, as might be expected in the town where Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival is held. This five-star ski resort hotel is amazing in every way, but amazingness is expensive. Plan on paying a thousand bucks a night for a room during ski season.

Manicured Grounds at Stein Eriksen

The old town section of Park City is a quaint place with many shops and restaurants. There are also many newer neighborhoods, mostly made up of condominiums for the skiers who flock here in the winter. It reminded me a good deal of Aspen in terms of its upscale amenities.

Also on the old Main Street is the Egyptian Theater, a refurbished movie house built in 1926, in which many live shows appear. West Side Story happened to be playing so, knowing how much Sandy likes musicals, I scored a couple of tickets.

At showtime, the theater was almost full and, although the troupe sang to a track, it was very well done with wireless microphones and a state-of-the-art sound system.

There was an aspect of the performance that was really quite unintentionally comical, having to do with the nature of the story juxtaposed with the stage presence of the male cast members. As you may remember, the play is very demanding physically, as the young men must simulate aggressive street fights between two rival gangs in New York City. Much of the dialogue of the gang members is supposed to depict the testosterone-laced machismo and bravado that would be expected of young men in the highly charged anger of the combatants. Let's just say that most of the male members of the cast were having a great deal of difficulty in portraying these characteristics, and therein lay the humor. I was not alone in observing this phenomenon, of course, and there were more than a few laughs being muffled in the audience at times when laughter would have been highly inappropriate. I think your imagination will serve you just about as well as any further description on my part, so I'll just say this troupe brought a fresh perspective to West Side Story that was certainly unexpected.

After the play, we returned to Phannie with a fresh batch of memories of a fine day enjoying each other's company and admiring God's creation.

On Sunday, we depart for Grand Teton National Park.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

In Salt Lake City - Culture, Shopping and Food Outing

At Salt Lake City KOA...

For lunch today, we stopped at Crown Burger, an iconic burger joint with several offshoots here in SLC. Upon reading the menu, we were surprised to see a large selection of Greek dishes in addition to the burgers, so right away, there appeared to be an identity crisis. We settled on a Crown burger and a regular burger. The Crown burger was a hamburger with a good helping of pastrami piled on top of the hamburger patty, plus the veggies and a sweetish sauce sort of like thousand island dressing. We decided these burgers were okay, but the pastrami/hamburger combination seemed strange. It was sort of like a hamburger wanting to be a ruben sandwich or something; I didn't get it.  I thought to myself what a shame that it was not a Whatabuger restaurant occupying this very desirable downtown location.

After lunch, we drove up to the University of Utah to visit the museum of natural history. This is a very nice collection of exhibits and artifacts, housed in a magnificent modern building at one of the highest points in the city. I especially enjoyed the view from the fifth floor observation deck. We could see the entire valley east of the Wasatch mountains to the Great Salt Lake in the distance. Breathtaking!  I took a panoramic photo, but it doesn't do it justice at all; I need some work on this:

You may be able to make out the rain shower just beyond downtown Salt Lake City on the right side of the photo.

Among the exhibits I found most interesting was the geology and history of the Great Salt Lake, all that's left of a massive lake that covered the entire valley in prehistoric times. The water contains several times more salt than sea water, yet certain organisms, plants and animals can live in or near its environs. There were many children in the museum, and we thought how much grandson Mason would enjoy this.

After the museum visit, I treated Sandy to a shopping fix. It had been a several-day dry spell for her, so she hit a couple of stores while I took a nap in the car. Typical of her, she bought only things for Mason and Pryce and some cosmetic concoction that only women can identify or figure out how to use. Besides the brand name, which I can't remember, the container's label identified its purpose, which was something like "age defying lip sealer" or "quiet moment knuckle relaxer" or whatever. Who knows what these things do? Whatever it is, it is deemed essential to life, so I kept quiet and drove. I have learned a few things in 39 years.

After that, we stopped at a grocery store to replenish a few food items we keep on board Phannie. Now I know what your're thinking: Why should we buy any groceries at all? We seem to eat at restaurants for all our meals. Well, that's not entirely true. If we eat breakfast, we always fix that in the coach, as well as any other meal when we don't wish to go out or there are no compelling restaurants nearby. And then there are snacks...let's not forget those! But you're right; we do eat out a lot, but I only do it for you, dear readers, so I can report on what I find!

After that, we were determined to try the Red Iguana Mexican Restaurant, which is probably the most popular in the city. Every time we passed by before today, there was a line out the door, as was the case when we arrived. We had to see what was going on! My guess is that it may partially be due to a visit by Guy Fieri of the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives TV show a few years ago and still in reruns.

After about a 30-minute wait, we were seated at a table for two crowded into a corner with too many people for the room size. I ordered steak strips cooked with peppers, tomatoes and onions and served on an almond mole'.  Sandy had a taco and enchilada a la carte.



My dish

We weren't impressed. It started badly when we noticed that the tortilla chips brought to the table were stale. Sandy's dishes were average or below, and my steak strips were bland. I had to eat them quickly, as they kept disappearing--sinking in the lake of almond mole' on the plate. My entrée was okay, but the almond mole' didn't suit the dish at all, in my view. 

As I remember, the Red Iguana menu item that was demonstrated during Guy's show was, indeed, mole', so I'm guessing this sauce has quite a fan base in this town. I was surprised at the large Hispanic population here, so it would follow that there would be demand for authentic Oaxacan Mexican food. My problem is that I grew up with Tex-Mex and I like it better. Much better.

Another downer was the check's price of $37.00, including tip. I was not amused, I don't understand the hype, and I won't be back.

Customers waiting for a table at the Red Iguana

Speaking of eating joints, I have been working on my list of favorite restaurants from our travels that you can access by clicking on "Favorite Restaurants" near the top of the blog. I think I have listed all of them that are, indeed, favorites. For the purpose of this blog, 'favorite' restaurant is defined as a restaurant to which I would return. There are many that don't make the list. Feel free to consult, and to tell me if you disagree or you find it has gone out of business!

Road trip tomorrow!  Ta Ta for now!

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

Phannie Gets a Bath and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Sings to 20,000 Empty Seats

At the Salt Lake City KOA...

Well, yes, the title is a bit misleading. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra rehearse at the LDS Conference Center on Thursday evenings, and we were privileged to attend the rehearsal today (along with about a thousand other folks). The reason they were singing to 20,000 empty seats was because the conference center has 21,000 seats, and only 1,000 of them were occupied by visitors this evening.

Mike waiting to enter the LDS Conference Center

The music was, as expected, magnificent. As members (inactive, while we're traveling) of the 220-voice choir of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Sandy and I are no strangers to great choral and orchestral music, and we certainly loved this experience. Director Mack Wilberg was gracious in his remarks to the audience, and we were delighted to see the man who arranged brilliantly some of the pieces performed by our own choir and orchestra.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra

Earlier in the day, we engaged the services of Cesar, a hard-working gentleman who operates an RV washing business here in Salt Lake. Cesar came to our parking spot about mid-afternoon to give me an estimate, and I knew it wouldn't be good news when I saw him shaking his head as he told me this was one of the dirtiest coaches he had seen lately. In fact, it was about twice the amount I normally pay during our winter stays in the Rio Grande Valley. But I was desperate; poor Phannie had slogged through intermittent rainstorms in three states, and she was a pitiful-looking mess. Mae, having been dragged behind and catching all of Phannie's road spray, was almost unrecognizable. It looked like we were pulling a giant mud-colored suppository behind us. (Editor's note: Now that I re-read the last sentence, it occurs to me this might be the only time the terms "Mormon Tabernacle Choir" and "suppository" have ever appeared in the same article.) But this is blogland, isn't it?

No blog post of mine would be complete without a restaurant review, so let me tell you about Spitz SLC, a downtown eatery we found after we left the rehearsal. One certainly could not discern from its name the kind of food served, but it turned out to be Mediterranean-ish casual. We shared a good-sized wrap full of gyro meat and veggies and a side of French fries covered with gyro strips and veggies along with a wonderfully flavored tatziki sauce. It was, in two words, crazy good--so much so, that I took a bite or two out of mine before I remembered to take a photo:

One more note:

I have been in the habit of sending an email to some of my blog readers who expressed an interest in knowing when I post something. My friend Bob, in a visit the other day in Colorado Springs, asked why I didn't bring my blog into the 21st century and include a widget that would allow readers to enter their email address if they wish to be advised of postings. Well, perhaps I haven't done that because I'm still surprised that anyone would want to read this rag. Another reason might be that I didn't know about such a widget. In fact, both things could be true.

So, you will notice, near the top of the current article on the right side, a box into which you can enter your email address. If you do that, you'll automatically be notified of each new post, and you won't have to guess when they are published or be aggravated by my emails if you don't want them.

And to those follow these ramblings on a regular basis, I appreciate you a lot, but I can't help but wonder why you don't have something better to do!

Hugs to all!

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

It's even raining in Salt Lake City!

At the Salt Lake City KOA...

After leaving Gunnison, we stopped a short distance out of town to have some breakfast/lunch. There was a nice turnout at the edge of the Gunnison river, and we enjoyed our meal greatly as we looked out the window at the picturesque canyon and the clear water of the river.

View of the Gunnison from Phannie; Sandy's ice tea pitcher is never far away!

We know there are some wags out there who will say that looking out the window from a motorhome is a copout--hardly the same as taking a picnic to the water's edge and communing with nature. Well, I suppose that's true, but how are you going to toast the bread for your sandwich? Huh? Bet you never thought of that?

After arriving in Green River, Utah, where I had originally planned to stop for the night, I determined there were only 180 miles on to Salt Lake City. There wasn't much to the town of Green River, and the RV park was a dump, so we decided to omit the stop altogether. We arrived at Salt Lake in plenty of time to get set up before nightfall. Afterward, we went driving around, casing the joint. It wasn't long, however, before a downpour started. I swear, I do believe the bad weather followed us up here. I'm ready for some sunshine!

I think the leg from Gunnison to Salt Lake was the longest single-day leg of any trip we have taken with Phannie: About 420 miles. In fact, it is about twice as far as we usually go in one day.  We made it fine, but we're pretty tired.

Following U. S. 24 and U. S. 50 from Colorado Springs to Grand Junction was a beautiful drive, but it required quite a bit of work to keep Phannie's speed in check while managing the engine RPM and constant shifting. I'm not sure I would do it in a motorhome again without having a purpose to do so.

Tomorrow we explore Salt Lake City!

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.

A Cold and Rainy Ride to Gunnison

At Palisades RV Park, Gunnison, Colorado...

We had a hard time believing it is July. As we headed west on highway 24 from Colorado Springs, the ascent was slower than usual as we made our way in the cold rain and fog. The outside temperature stayed in the low 50s for most of the trip, and got down into the 40s at Monarch Pass. Incredibly, we had to run Phannie's heater most of the way. We began to wonder if it wouldn't have been a better idea to delay another day, as I usually try to avoid driving in the rain if at all possible. Now Phannie and Mae are a dirty mess, and I'm not sure where we will find a truck wash.

Why take highways 24 and 50 westward instead of the Interstate west from Denver?  Curiosity, I guess; I really like to travel routes I haven't seen before. I just can't wait to see what's around the next curve and, hopefully, it won't be a log truck in my lane.

I was also looking forward to driving over the legendary Monarch Pass between Salida and Gunnison. The highway was well maintained with plenty of turnouts and slow lanes, but the steep downhill grade past the summit was a formidable challenge to keep Phannie's speed in check. It required a downshift to third gear and even second in some places.

Gunnison is a pretty little town with wide streets and looks well kept, and the Garmin GPS led us expertly to the Palisades RV Park, a place recommended by friends Paul and Mary, who spend a good bit of time there in the summers.

The park management seems to be of the no-nonsense variety, having made sure we understood that this is a 55-plus park and that bringing kids would not be appropriate. When we arrived, there was a sign right in the middle of the driveway that read, "Drive Slow...or Else!" This jolted me a bit, and I wondered, "Or else what?" I started to look around for someone with a nightstick or maybe a sniper or something! When we pulled up in front of the office, which was closed at the hour of our late arrival, a rather intense man emerged from an Airstream trailer near the gate and walked over. Without a smile or greeting, he said,

"Do you have a reservation?"

I answered in the affirmative, and he pointed to the only parking site left in the park. He said,

"Well, park right there; we'll see you in the morning."

Then he turned around and walked briskly back to the trailer, as I stood there, blinking. My guess is that I interrupted his dinner.

The park had wide spaces and access roads and was in a very quiet area. Thanks, Paul and Mary, for the recommendation.

After getting set up, we drove to town to find some dinner. Our friends had recommended several restaurants, the top one being the Twisted Fork, which we were disappointed to learn is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Since it was Tuesday, we settled for the Old Miner Steakhouse, also recommended. They were very busy, so we had to wait a half hour for a table.

We had a nice meal and found that splitting a steak was more than ample for us. Thanks again, Paul and Mary; and yes, we're bummed about missing the Twisted Fork!

We'll be headed into Utah tomorrow!

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I do not appreciate it enough each day.