Last night on the road, so this one will be a short post. Good day on the road, except for some nasty thunderstorms and heavy rain from about St. Louis to just outside of Indianapolis. 
PIZZA
 Toss in a few lane closures for repairs, and I was about 45 minutes late on my estimated arrival in Columbus OH, where I was stopping to see my niece Mara and her family. But, before that,
Lunch!

 This is a well known chain here in the mid west, which has grown rapidly since being founded in the 80's, now with over 500 locations. 
PIZZA
They're known for 'Buttterburgers', fried chicken, and frozen custard (which is really popular in the KS and MO areas.
Here's the burger (well, okay, this is off the internet, 'cause I didn't shoot photos today);

My burger actually looked like that picture, as if someone gave a damn when they put it together and packed it in the wrapper! 
PIZZA
And it was so good! What makes this a 'Butterburger' is the heavily buttered and toasted roll that it's served on. And it's a good roll, the butter actually brings out some flavor in the bread, which goes well with the burger. 
PIZZA
The burger itself is sort of like a 'Smashburger', a patty that's smushed under the spatula on a very hot grill. This creates a little 'crust' on the burger and brings a lot of flavor with it. Toppings were a nice slice of a deep red actual tomato, not the orange wax you usually find, lettuce, pickles, and a thick slice of red onion. 
PIZZA
I had them hold the mayo, because by now all of you know my feelings on that horrible stuff. All in all, this is a damn good burger.

Now those are fries! Again photo from the internet, but that's what mine looked like, nice thick crinkle cut fries, well cooked until they were brown. Hot, and properly salted, they were among the best take out fries I've had. 
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Of course, I've always had a preference for those crinkle cuts, but these were so good that no ketchup was used. Between the burger and the fries, this meal certainly will bring me back to Culver's on another trip.
After lunch, back on the road, headed to Dublin Ohio to see Mara, Greg, Leah, Lillian, Simon, and Max the pooch dog. 
PIZZA
Had a lovely visit, it was so good to catch up with them, the kids are getting big, Max is a howl, and all is good in Dublin! I'll have to ride out this way more often, getting to see family is always such fun!

On the last leg now, should be back home late on Thursday, plenty to do for our family reunion at Ginny's house on Saturday, which is going to be such fun! And I think I'll send out to Frantoni's on Friday for a nice saucy sicilian pie, I've had this craving the last few days for...

PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!
 

Back on the road, sailing east in the 'Cuda, having a blast, time for a couple of updates.

First, I stopped on Sunday night in Cedar City, Utah. Sort of a blip on the map kind of place, not a lot there, but for some reason, in that tiny place, there were five, count 'em five Subway sandwich shops! 

This area of Utah is strikingly beautiful, with it's deep tan and dark red rocks. You're near the Zion/Bryce Canyon area, and the mountains and the sky look like very vivid oil paintings. Plus, it looks like the backdrop for about 100 old western movies!

Monday took me through Utah and into Colorado, through the Rocky Mountains, past the legendary ski areas of Vail, Breckenridge, and Steamboat Springs. These mountains are different from those you see in California and Utah, they're taller, steeper, and have a deep green covering from the ground up to the tree line. Winding roads, tunnels through the mountains, and fluffy white clouds were the scenery for the afternoon as I rolled into Denver. 

I went north and east of Denver to Brighton, and visited Karen's Brother and Sister in Law, Artie and Lorraine, and their daughter Lauren. Had a nice visit, Artie is, like me, a car guy (he drives a Mustang Bullit), so I got him in the Cuda and ran him around a while. I got the nickel tour of their new house, had a great home cooked meal, which was a great change from all the restaurant food, and swapped some tall tales. Back to the hotel for some rest before a good long days' drive on Tuesday.

Tuesday brought a long ride through eastern Colorado, all of Kansas, and into Missouri. The transition from mountains to the flat wheat and corn fields was nice, as you can make more miles on that flat, straight path.

Lunch on Tuesday:

 Freddy's, a mid western chain bills itself as "Steakburgers" (sound familiar Steak &Shake?), and is famous for their frozen custard. As this was a quick stop only, it was a light meal 'to go', with no frozen custard.

Yeah, there ya go, a nice 'light' chili dog! Smothered in the typical meat sauce chile, melted cheddar, and chopped onions. Amazingly, between all those toppings, a squirt of mustard, and the dog itself, the darn thing was pretty flavorless! Additionally, like most places, they seem to think anything with cheese on it needs to be microwaved, which does melt the cheese, but also ruins the bun, and turns the entire thing into a gloppy, squishy mess. If I went to a Freddy's again, I'd skip the dog and try a burger.

 Another similarity to Steak & Shake are the extremely skinny fries. Like the ones at S&S, they're served properly hot, salted, and are pretty tasty. Didn't even put any ketchup on 'em, and they were just fine that way.

Back on the road, and into Missouri, past Kansas City, and on to Blue Springs. Nice little dot on the map with a few hotel choices, and plenty of food options. As noted before on this blog, you generally get good ideas from the locals. The clerk at the hotel noted that they have a 'terrific' Mexican place a few minutes away, Las Playas. So off I went.

You can pretty much tell what you're going to get on the inside from that subtle sign, eh?

Not a bad way to start a meal, Dos Equis Amber on draft (with a lime), made on site chips, and good, garlicky salsa. The chips were extremely crispy and light, good flavor, and complemented the salsa nicely.

Everything looked pretty good, but since it's been mostly 'burgers and chicken so far on the trip, I decided on the Camarones el Diablo. Excellent choice! The shrimp were properly cooked, and the red sauce and onions were spicy but not mouth burning, and had a nice tomato flavor. The rice was typical Mexican restaurant rice, but the refried beans were not - they were great! Unlike most refrieds, these had a nice little smoky flavor, cumin, I suspect, and the texture was not all mush, there were actual pieces of bean in the beans! Overall, a great meal to end a good long day on the road.

Tomorrow, on to Columbus, where I hope to see my Niece Mara and her family. 

As they used to say, stay tuned for more!


 

Saturday, Los Angeles. The day I've been traveling for has arrived! But first, let's get the L.A. rants out of the way:
1. Nobody out here knows how the hell to drive. NObody signals ANYthing, they just go where they want according to their whims. And, if you think NY'ers are bad about talking on the cell and texting, you haven't seen anything. 
2. What kind of a dopey city is it when you can't get your car washed after 6 pm on a Friday? I'm serious, I went to 8 car washes, and each one of them closed at 6 pm. How are you supposed to get your car washed if you work? I finally got it washed earlier today.
3. $4 for a coke in the hotel coffee shop. $4. Really?

Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, on to the day's activities!

The day began with a caravan of cars out to Tarzana for the unveiling of the Superman plaque. I thought there were about 100 of us there, but I could be off by a few, I'd guess it was between 80 and 100. It was sunny and hot in Tarzana, but nobody seemed to mind, as this was the culmination of a three year quest to have this plaque made and installed. For those who've forgotten, this location was used in the episode "The Man Who Could Read Minds", and it was on this spot that George Reeves, Noel Neill, Jack Larson, John Hamilton, and Robert Shayne were filmed. Here's the plaque before the unveiling:

Nice touch with the logo/cape covering the plaque! Guests at the site included Jack Larson, Stephanie Shayne (Robert's daughter) Laura Siegel (Jerry's daughter), Beverly Washburn (the little girl in Superman and the Mole Men), John Rockwell (he played Superboy in a 1960 tv pilot). Here is the plaque, uncovered.

After the plaque ceremony was over, we headed back to the Beverly Garland Hotel for our luncheon. Jim Nolt, who arranged the celebration weekend, put together a great program for us, and we had some great guests and speakers. Among those who spoke were Bruce Dettman, who is a close friend with Phyllis Coates; Larry Ward, Noel Neill's manager; Stephanie Shayne, Laura Siegel, Ruta Lee (she appeared in one episode), Beverly Washburn, Gene LeBell, and of course, Jack Larson. There was a display of Superman/George collectibles that fans had brought, and all of us received a beautiful commemorative coin. 

At the luncheon, I got to meet, and speak with Gene, Beverly, and Jack. Talk about exciting! All were so gracious and friendly, and I think, a little in awe that their work on this show, so long ago, meant so much to so many people. Very cool. Here's Gene LeBell and I hamming it up:

After the luncheon, many of us met at the hotel bar, and spent the next several hours sharing stories and thoughts about TAOS and the weekend. We were joined by Greg Moffett, who, as a young child, co-starred in the episode "The Stolen Elephant". Hearing from people who worked with, and knew George, was special for all of us who are fans of his and who believe his work deserves to be remembered and celebrated. Each person who spoke of George used several key words; Generous; Loyal; Honest; Funny; Dedicated; Hard working; Caring; Charitable.

Sunday morning, about 30 of us car pooled over to Pasadena, and went on a tour of the Pasadena Playhouse. Known as the State Theater of California, this is where George trained as an actor before breaking into the movies. Here is George's nameplate, in the 'Hall of Members' of the Playhouse:

Founded in the early 1920's, the Playhouse trained many of America's finest actors, and was a college level educational facility until the late 1970's. As more universities added dramatic arts programs, the Playhouse began having financial issues, and was closed for close to 20 years. Happily, things have gotten better, and while the Playhouse no longer has an acting school as part of it's operation, it still functions as a performing arts center, presenting plays, recitals, movies, and other cultural events throughout the year. While at the Playhouse, I got to meet and speak with Laura Siegel and Stephanie Shayne, both of them were so happy to meet all of us.

After the tour, there was a final group photo taken, and the goodbyes started as our happy little band went in different directions. Some went back to the hotel to pack and check out, others planned to car pool up to Benedict Canyon Drive to see George's home, and some went off to lunch.
As for me, I got in the car, found the 215 East and started the long trip home. The weekend was all I had hoped it would be, a celebration of an iconic character, a long ago television show, and some very talented individuals, all of whom had a great influence on so many young children for well over 60 years.
Events, and opportunities like this come along only so often, and once they're done, there's no 'reruns'; you miss it, you regret it. I am lucky enough to be able to attend events like this because some very special people in my life understand my quirkiness. My sister Ginny happily took in little Molly this week so we didn't have to worry about her while I was away and Karen was staying with her Mom; thanks Sis, you are the best! And Karen, who encourages me and supports me in those things that are important to me, she always says "GO". She is an amazing person, and I am blessed to have her in my life.
Now......what's next?

Getting closer, both to Los Angeles, and to the plaque dedication! Bit of a short day today, I'm making such good time. I had expected to stop for the night in or near Salt Lake City, but I passed through there around 12 noon local time; much too early to stop. So, on I went, and finally stopped for the night in Elko, NV. Tomorrow, I'm off to Reno, to meet my buddy Steve and enjoy a few adult beverages. Here's the round up from today.

Into Utah, and the mountains have a subtle color change, they are still predominantly tan and brown, but there's more green areas mixed in, and many of the rocks have a greenish tint, perhaps moss or lychen on them. Didn't stop in Salt Lake, as the traffic was a little balky, and it was too early to eat. So on I went, past the actual Great Salt Lake, which has receded even further than it had the last time I was here several years ago. Not that you'd want to, but if you decided to go for a swim in it, you'd have one hell of a long walk from the parking lot to the water!
Had my mind made up to stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats - site of the land speed record attempts. I'd been there in '97, in my little rental Mazda. Took it out on to the salt, cranked it up and hit maybe 75 or so. Today, I thought, gee, the Blue Cuda should be able to go a LOT faster than that! So imagine my disappointment when I got there and found this:

 Yep, the whole thing is under water! Spoke to a local Sheriff's Deputy who was walking around chatting with the tourists, and he said that this was the first year since they started the time trials that they couldn't finish, they got rained out! Turns out they had a torrential downpour, 3-4 inches of water came down, and completely flooded out the salt flats. In the next photo, you can see the entry ramp onto the flats, and how high the water is.

So there was no attempt at a speed record today. The Deputy said they normally get a second round of good dry weather around October, and he expected that some of the teams might come back then.
The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful, good well maintained roads, light traffic, but around 1:30, the weather started to turn, there were some pretty nasty thunder clouds rolling in, and I spotted some lightning off in the distance. As the rain started, I decided it was time for lunch, and well, lo and behold, I found a Jack In The Box! Posted the 'monster taco' photo earlier, here's the onion rings;

 
 Checked in to my hotel, caught up on some emails, called Steve, and relaxed with a little television, then it was time for dinner. Steve suggested the "Star" restaurant, but unfortunately, a tour bus had just pulled up, and there was quite a wait for dinner. I did, however, visit the bar, and had a "Pecan Punch", a very tasty cocktail which packs quite a punch - they have a 'two punch limit'. Not sure how strict they are, but I sure didn't want a second!
Two monster tacos and onion rings were a big lunch, so dinner was something simple. I spotted a "Chicago Dogs" restaurant in a local shopping center, complete with 'Vienna Beef' signs, and decided to give it a try.
Small place, three or four small tables and two counters inside, and a few tables out on the sidewalk. Menu is pretty much what you'd expect, hot dogs, Chicago beef sandwiches, polish sausage, etc. Ordered the plain Chicago dog meal, which included a drink and 'hand cut' fries; more about them in a minute. The dog was your standard skinless Vienna Beef dog, steamed, served on a steamed poppy seeded roll, and 'dragged through the garden', meaning it had yellow mustard, tomato, pickle green relish, onions, sport peppers, and celery salt. Here's the complete meal:

The dog was fine, as Chicago dogs go. If you're familiar with them, Vienna Beef dogs are all beef, and have more spice to them than a typical 'bologna dog' that you typically find once you leave NY. However, as I've noted before, side by side with a "Nathan's Famous", they come in a poor second. You can't beat the 'snap' that the natural casing on a Nathan's dog has, and the heavy garlic seasoning in the Nathan's makes a big difference. Still, in a landscape littered with hot dogs that taste more like Oscar Meyer bologna than a hot dog, this was pretty good. Here's a shot after a bite:

Now, those fries. It's always nice when a place takes the time to do fresh, 'hand cut' fries. The effort to actually make fries instead of buying the frozen ones is appreciated. However, all the good intentions go out the window if the fries aren't properly cooked. To really do them right, the fries need to be twice cooked. First, they should be blanched at a temperature of 150-160 for several minutes. They should then be set aside to cool slightly, before being cooked a second time, at a slightly higher temperature of 160-170 until they're brown and crispy. When fresh potatoes are cooked just once, they get tough, not crispy, and that's what happened to these. Additionally, fries need salt;  you can't just take them out of the fryer and put them on the plate, you've gotta salt them.



Next stop, Reno!

Another day, more silly stuff to post - that's why road trips are such fun! Since I've made such good time the past few days, today I slowed down a little and made a few stops along I-80. Those of you who've known me for any length of time know that I'm a sucker for National Parks, Historic Sites, and "roadside attractions", i.e. tourist traps; how could you not know that with all my references (and visits) to South Of The Border?
So today started with a stop at an historic spot, in Gothenberg NE, one of the few surviving Pony Express stations.

This one was originally a little to the west of where it is now, it was saved, re-located, and restored by the local Chamber of Commerce. It's really quite small, not like the ones portrayed in films, which were shown to have bunk rooms, kitchens, etc. Inside it's really just one room, and there would have been a bed or two inside, along with a stove or fireplace, and the tools and supplies needed to maintain the teams of horses and their equipment. The inside of this one is now a visitor center/gift shop.

That's half of the place in the photo above. The Pony Express had a surprisingly brief existence, lasting about 18 months from it's inception in 1860. Stations were placed every 10 miles along the route from St. Joseph MO to Sacramento CA. Riders were chosen based on weight, with a strict 125 lb. limit, so as to not wear out the horses. A typical work day for a rider would be to do 10 links of 10 miles each, for a total of 100 miles. Horses were changed every 10 miles, and at the end of the 100 mile shift, the rider would sleep in the station, then pick up the mail going back to where he'd started, and do the 100 miles back. This scheme allowed riders to become familiar with 'their' terrain and the various challenges along the way. Initial cost for a letter from St. Joe to Sacramento was $5. The Pony Express was short lived due to the perfection of the telegraph, which offered a lower cost, faster method of communicating over long distances.

Next stop, North Platte NE for two sites. First, the Buffalo Bill Cody Trading Post.

Now, since we were discussing tourist traps.....yeah, this is a glorified gift shop. There is an actual Bill Cody Park a few miles north of this spot, but it was a bit too far off the Interstate. 

I'm pretty sure they didn't have Hampton Inns during Bill Cody's Day! So, on to the next spot, the Union Pacific Railroad "Golden Spike Tower", located at the Bailey train yard, which is the largest rail yard in the world.

North Platte NE has a long history of railroading, and Union Pacific constructed this building as a visitor center and as a museum and observatory for the train yard. Inside are operating model train displays, historical artifacts from the UP's past, informational displays, and, of course, a gift shop.  

Into the elevator, and up you go, to the 7th floor outside observation deck, or/and to the 8th floor enclosed space. From either, you can see the 8 mile long rail yard, which processes an average of 155 trains per day, each one with about 138 cars on it. The yard employs 2,500 people, and is a 24/7 operation that's highly automated and computerized.

After this stop, it was back on the road, through the rest of Nebraska, and into Wyoming. Here, the scenery changes, from the lush green cornfields, to the more tan and brown colors of the mountains, which are peppered with cattle, oil pumping equipment, and windmills at the top of the mountains. These were taken at a rest stop, at around 3 pm local time.

And, finally, dinner. Stopped in Rawlins, WY, again, ahead of where I thought I'd be; must be due to the 75 and 80 mph speed limits I had today!
Tonight's food portion will be brief, as I opted for chain food - although it's a chain that is not in the NY area (that's usually the only chains I'll stop at while on the road), Taco Johns. I've had a craving for tacos for the last couple of days, but refuse to stop at Taco Bell. While Taco Johns isn't what you could call 'better', it is different.
So, here goes!

That's a 'number 2' meal, two crunchy tacos, a medium tater tots, and a medium drink. The 'medium' drink was enough to float a small boat; the medium tots was plenty for two; the tacos were as expected, skimpy on the meat, and in desperate need of sauce. Fortunately, Taco Johns has a really good 'very hot' green sauce, which mixes well with the 'hot' red sauce. This combination saved the tacos!

Check back tomorrow for the latest on the trek west!

 

Happy Monday blog fans! Had another good day in the car (is there ever a bad day in the car?), and made more miles than I planned. Should get in to Reno earlier than I thought on Thursday, giving me more time to annoy my CPOI buddy Steve Lintz!

Got out early, hoping to beat the thunderstorms predicted for Elkhart IN; managed to do that, but ran into a good old mid-western downpour about 45 minutes later. Nothing like doing 35 mph on I-80 with the wipers flapping back and forth fast enough to keep beat with a high energy disco tune! Fortunately it didn't last long, and by the time I hit Illinois, things were nice and clear, and the rest of the day was gloriously sunny and warm.

Most of the day was spent rolling through Iowa, which some of you know to me is: corn; more corn; windmills; more corn; more corn; windmills; more corn; more corn; well, you get the idea. Lovely state, nice flat 3 lane Interstate, with a speed limit of 75. Which I suppose, explains why I'm making such great time!

I'd figured on stopping at Des Moines tonight, but I made such good time that I passed by there shortly after noon, which is way too early to stop for the night. Next choice was Omaha, NE, but again, that came and went too early, so on I went.

Nebraska is just breathtakingly pretty. Sort of like Iowa, but with some nice rolling hills, different crops and flora, on a sunny August day, it really brings home what an amazing country we live in. Thought I might stop at Lincoln, but again, I went right past, and made it to York NE where I checked in.

York, as explained to me by the hotel desk clerk, is known for two things. One, it's got a very highly regarded Christian college, York College, that has turned out some pretty impressive graduates. Two, York is exactly half way between Lincoln and Grand Island. Now, what that has to do with anything is sort of lost on me, but I guess there's a reason.

Dinner tonight presented a few choices other than the usual suspects (chain places). There was a cute Mexican place, Salsa's, which was housed in what was at one time a Pizza Hut (can't hide those roofs!), an "Asian Buffet" (they seem to be everywhere), a couple of sports bars, and a couple of diner type places.

Figuring I needed some direction, I asked the desk clerk, who recommended "our amazing restaurant", which was Chances R. Turns out it was a perfect choice, and is just another example of why it pays to ask a local, and avoid the chains!

With a sign and an entrance like that, good things must be inside!

Inside, a nice comfy, old style restaurant. Very welcoming, very 'homey'. Had a few minute wait for a table, gave me a chance to hear some satisfied diners leaving. Staff, from the hosts to the waitress were very friendly and accommodating. My guess is that this has been, and still is, a family business, run by folks who know what people want, and who operate it with pride - which in many places seems to have been lost.

The menu had a little bit of everything on it, from home made soups to country style dishes such as chicken fried steak with cream gravy, to pasta and seafood. Seafood in Nebraska; nah, doesn't sound good to a kid from Long Island.

Asked the waitress for some advice, and after discussing a couple of dishes, settled on pan fried chicken. Ordered the white meat two piece meal, which came with choice of soup or salad, and choice of potato. I had salad with home made thousand island dressing (all the dressings are made here), and ordered 'real' mashed potatoes with the chicken. Since most of you have seen salad before, I didn't photograph it. The chicken, however....

Now that's how fried chicken should look! And yes, those are real potatoes, cooked perfectly! And now the 'chicken porno'....

Juicy, perfectly done, tender, and lightly seasoned, this is real pan chicken done right. Coating was the right thickness, had good flavor, but was a touch less crispy than it could have been, and it did sort of slip off the chicken when bitten. Could have been that the chicken was completely covered by the oil in the pan, which kept some of the moisture inside the skin, causing it to loosen up when it was plated. Such a minor complaint though, not worth fretting about. Passed on dessert, the meal, along with a nice Amber Bock, was more than enough fuel for the night.

Should you find yourself in York NE, either to visit the College, or because you've got a reason to be halfway between Lincoln and Grand Island, Chances R is very highly recommended.

Tomorrow - off to some place in Wyoming!