August 20, 2011

Going back to Cali, Cali

Our last hurrah before football will be spent in So Cal. We'll be visiting friends in Oceanside. Then, we'll stay a night in Del Mar. Where we will go to the track to bet ponies and check out the Gourmet Food Truck Festival. We'll sample a treasure trove of delicious and eclectic foods served up by Southern California’s top food trucks.

Sunday we'll check into the Bristol in downtown San Diego. We'll catch a Padre's game and spend the rest of the day in La Jolla. We'll be sure to fill up on all of our favorite eats. Nom. Monday we're free to do whatever we please. Then, Tuesday we head up to Anaheim to see the White Sox for their last series of the season against the Angels. Wednesday we'll drive into LA for tasty eats and then catch another White Sox game before heading home.

My ankle might be immobile, but I am mobile. Thank goodness, I was really nervous before getting x-rays on Monday. Hopefully, I have enough miles left in my boot. I cannot believe I sprained this ankle again, it's only been a year since the last time. And it's my fourth injury since I broke it in Mexico in 2005. I really need to trade it in for a better model.

August 19, 2011

Brian Head

This is the last bunch from our weekend in Utah. These trails were minutes from the condo where we stayed.





on High Mtn



360 degree views from High Mtn











August 18, 2011

Cedar Breaks

I captured these photos at a Cedar Breaks overlook. I was so cold and shivering, we didn't stay more than two minutes. Next time, when I'm not so gimpy, we'll definitely visit the park.









August 17, 2011

Duck Creek

Duck Creek Village is about 25 miles from Brian Head. It rests at the edge of a Cedar Mountain meadow at an elevation of 8,400 feet. They have an excellent trail system for riding. We rode a 130 miles and hardly dented all that is available to ride.



I was stung by a bee in a meadow just like this one.



Lava beds







There are so many fallen trees in the Duck Creek area.



Responsible for the hole in our roof.



First of many mud holes



There were dozens of streams from snow melt, yep, even in August.



Broke 10,000 ft



You can see for miles at the elevation









Birdie singing at 10,000 ft





One of the many deer we spotted



Yankee Meadows Reservoir



Rolled my ankle and sprained it on this path.



Bee stung and bum ankle, and I am still having fun.



Moooo!





Panguitch Lake, this was our destination, but we were met with storms...



They left us soaking wet and cold. From here, we got lost and went 20 miles out of our way in a complete down pour, with lightening and thunder. Definitely had better times, but we soon found our way back and returned to the truck before sunset.

August 16, 2011

Escaping the Heat in UT

Summer is winding down, boo. The hottest day this year was 111 (July 2nd). Even though it never really felt too hot and I'm not ready for summer to end, we snuck away to the cool air and high elevations of Brian Head and Duck Creek, Utah to ride trails.

When we left Vegas after work on Friday it was 105, three hours later when we got to my co-workers condo (10,500 feet elevation), in Brian Head, it was 52. Um, BRRRR! Talk about a shock to the system!

Saturday, we got an early start and we drove out to Duck Creek. Unloaded the RZR, and drove into "town" had breakfast at Aunt Sue's Chalet. The told us we could buy OHV trail map at the gas station, but Frank felt confident that he knew the way from all his hours of research and google earth mapping.

So, after we ate, we were off to the trails. We missed the turn off and ended up getting a tour of the homes/camps. Before finding our way. We took the 1 initially, we went over lava beds, through bristlecone forest and across meadows. In the second meadow, I got stung by a bee. We were riding along, I felt a pinch and looked down at my belly and half a bee was sitting there. It took me a second to realize what happened, and then the stinging started. It got worse and worse. I made Frank pullover so I could check it out. I'm allergic (not deathly), and hadn't been stung since I was 10. I wasn't sure exactly what would happen. No stinger was inside, it quickly swelled and left a nasty welt. It's still sore to the touch and discolored, but I never felt funny so that was good.

We pressed on and took a loop on 16 but it didn't lead us to anything in particular. We continued on 1 to the reservior, it was really pretty, we stopped. Frank was ahead of me because I was taking photos, he crossed a creek and I was looking for a way to cross instead of watching were I was walking. Sure enough, I tripped, rolled my ankle, I nearly fell, but caught myself. My heart was racing over my camera. Then the pain started. I sat and checked out my ankle it didn't swell instantly so I was happy. I was able to put weight on it. I figured I stretched out the ligaments. It hurt, but not terribly we carried on.

It was a great ride until we reached the lake. Then, it started to rain, it drizzled at first and then the sky opened lightening, thunder and complete downfall. We were lost, and soaked. It was so damn cold. Just when I thought I couldn't get any wetter, water that had collected on the roof poured in on me, and it continued to do so. It was miserable. The fortunate thing was I was so cold, I didn't feel my sting or ankle. We ended up going 20 miles out of our way while lost. Frank thought 1 was a loop and it was not. At least, he realized it before we got even further out. We headed back to the lake and drove on the highway until we crossed back to our original path. It ended up working out, but we were both on edge during that storm. We were so relieved to be back on route. The rain stopped and we were drying up. I was watching GPS like a hawk so we wouldn't get off route. I was distracted and completely missed a branch that ended up flying back and slapping me across the face right at the bridge of my nose. I was stunned, I sat and waited for the blood to flow. Fortunately it never came. I was only left with minor swelling under my left eye to my nose. What else? Geez, I didn't plan on the abuse.

Finally we got back to Duck Creek. Frank stopped at the gas station, he comes out with a map. I bust into laughter, "That's helpful." "We'll be prepared next time," he says. We get to the truck. My backside was still soaked, I was wet and cold. Frank had the heat kicking in the car. We stopped at one overlook for Cedar Breaks, we were quickly reminded that it was only 50 outside. I froze while I snapped a couple photos, realizing that our visit to Cedar Breaks would not happen with my bum ankle. We drove back to the condo. I took a hot shower to warm up and remove the chunks of mud that were all over. I iced and elevated my foot.

A while later, we grabbed dinner at Pizano's Pizza. They were out of dough, so we ended up getting a meatball and chicken parm sandwich, along with a couple Jamaican Lagers. Both were far better than I expected. After our beers, we went back to the condo. We were both beat, we quickly crashed. I woke in the middle of the night, my ankle was killing me. I must have turned it awkwardly. Eventually, I got comfortable enough to fall back asleep. By morning, it felt pretty good. It only hurt to walk, swelling was no worse and still minor. I felt good enough to ride.

We rode the trails right near the condo in Brian Head. It was brisk, much cooler than Saturday... less sun and higher elevation. After an hour, Frank had enough of the wind and cold. Plus we'd logged 130 miles by now, we got plenty of riding in. We went back to the condo, had lunch, packed and cleaned, and we were on the road for home by noon. Temps climbed as soon as we headed down the mountain, within and hour it was up to 90. We stopped for lotto tickets in AZ, it was 109 there. Hard to believe less than 2 hours before it was 54. We had lots of fun, but I'll take the triple digits. I'm used to the desert riding, there was a definite learning curve to the cool air, forests, etc. We'll be better prepared next time.

August 12, 2011

[kuh-bob] n. To char

Our friend, Josh bought us to Royal Persis to try Persian cuisine. We are always open to new things, and were excited to give it a try. Especially since he generally sticks to restaurants in the LA area, but found that Royal Persis delivers authentic eats right here at home. His family makes stews and such, but it's the Kebabs that are a treat. He says they're are impossible to duplicate in your own kitchen, and restaurants recruit chefs that specialize in these fine grilled meats.

We shared a couple dips to start. Maust' Moosier ($4.99) is yogurt with shallots. It was creamy, cool and savory. Kashk-E-Bademjan ($5.99) is loaded with bold flavors from eggplant with whey, onion and mint. Both are spread on lavash which is a flatbread similar to pita. I had Chelo Kebab Soltani ($21.99), which is a combo of filet and ground beef. Frank had stew with beef, kidney beans and a bunch of seasonings called Ghormeh Sabzi ($12.99). Josh's favorite dish is the Chelo Kebab Barg ($18.99) which is the filet kebab. He said the secret to the side of rice was to add lots of butter. I still enjoyed it without. We finished our dinner in the traditional way by enjoying a cup of hot tea. Sugar cubes are on the table and Josh said you place one on your tongue and you let it dissolve with each sip. I usually drink coffee and tea black, but I tried a sugar cube. I prefer it black, but it is fun to have the cube melt away.

I've had kebabs before at various Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants and none have been as tender or tasty. I loved the marinade for the Barg. I definitely recommend it.

Service was friendly and unhurried.

Royal Persis on Urbanspoon

August 11, 2011

Facebook brings back memories

The last two days have been a blast from the past. I'm sure you've seen those "You know you're from, if" pages. Well, one was just created for my hometown of Oak Forest, IL.



Is your hometown in the Urban Dictionary? I've come to learn mine is and it's been there since 2008. Apparently, our claim to fame is having the moniker Coke Forest. In my day, it was also referred to as Toke Forest.

Here were some comments that I found particularly true.

"Your biggest decision of the weekend is what forest the party was in."

"Tree Pigs!"

"You used to go sledding at Belly Button Hill."

"Buck movies at Bremen Mall and the Woody Woodpecker/Chilly Willy Cartoon Booth."

"You made a penny hockey game in shop class."

"If your teacher came to school drunk and hid underneath his desk."

"You were always curious what was behind the swinging doors at Video Village."

"Half the varsity football team was on steroids, and the other half on coke."

"I would love the smiley face back on the water tower, thats when I know we were "home" from vacation."

"Mrs. Damhorst patrolling the halls w/a walkie talkie....."

"When you told people you were from Oak Forest they said you mean Coke Forest?"

And my contribution...

You'd scrape together whatever change you could to buy candy cigarettes from the Cupboard. Then, 10 years later, you did the same to buy real ones from White Hen.



Growing up a lot of time was spent in the woods. I suppose that's what you get when growing up in Oak Forest. Family gatherings were in the forest preserve, winters I'd "ice skate" when the creeks would freeze over, summers were hide n seek, my teen years had lots of parties and walks in the woods. You'd hear "Tree Pigs!" called out when police were there to chase us out. I attended elementary school, middle school and high school all in Oak Forest. Mrs. Damhorst patrolled us students in HS. She didn't know who I was until I started dating Frank in junior high. Then, I, too, was getting Saturday detention left and right. That woman made lots of kids' lives hell. Frank actually had more Saturday detentions than Saturdays in the school year. It was so ridiculous. I hated high school. Best thing to come from it was meeting Frank.

Anyway, let's stroll down memory lane...

This was the park district. I took tumbling, crafts and cooking classes here.



John Amico's Beauty School parking lot where I learned to ride a bike. The gas station to the left is where my mom worked for several years. I'd help fill the coolers and count cigarettes.



I went to Ridge 1st-5th grade.



Then, I moved across the street to Kerkstra Middle School for 6th-8th. My memories here are mostly of how badly I hated gym class. Freezing during track and field, learning to country line and square dance, and freezing again during cross country skiing.



And finally, Oak Forest High School. Home to the Bengals.



Mickey's was a staple of my childhood. I spent much of my babysitting money there. Sundaes, dipped cones, fries and the best grilled cheese. They were also famous for a "big baby". A popular cheeseburger with grilled onions found on Chicago's south side. I just learned it wasn't always Mickey's, it was A&W before that. Foremost Liquors was a must stop for my dad. He'd stop there every Friday to pick up a case of beer. My best friend's mom was a cashier there.



White Castle is just as prized as In-N-Out on the west coast. We grew up with sliders, and once we were of drinking age, it was the place to stop to sober up because it was always open. Frank's first job was working at this White Castle. It's our first stop every trip back home, too.



Beggar's pizza didn't come around until the last year in high school. They had great thin crust pizza and they were known to "lay it on thick."



Oak Forest Bowl, the only place that offered something to do. Ken & Dicks pizza was attached. The pizza was terrible, but many friends worked there. My first year of college, you'd find us here every Monday night. I'd be doing homework noshing on fried mini tacos and Frank would bowl with friends.



Photos by Charles Coleman

August 10, 2011

Back for More

Sunday, my mom joined us for another day in Logandale. Frank and I had such fun there we wanted to go back and find the easy way in and explore more of the 200 miles of trails that are there.

We drove up through Logandale, Liston Rd is the first one after the Post Office that takes you to Mill Rd which runs along the railroad from there it's just up the hills to the point of entry for the trail system. There are covered picnic tables and an outhouse there, plus a huge staging area. We pulled the RZR off the trailer and we were off for another day of fun.







We were determined to find Petroglyphs, and thought we spotted something in one canyon. Frank and I hiked up the sandstone to see if we could get a better look. There were no etchings. But we did enjoy the beatiful sights. However, that climb wiped me out. 105 degree dry air and full sun had me begging for water.











Moss does grow in the desert.



We found no Petroglyphs there, but we did find them a short time later. They are actually "roped" off and protected. You can only walk into the area they are located.







I'd guess these were shelters, if not homes, back in the day.



Our next stop provided us with 360 degree views, it was stunning.



To the east is Overton, all that green was underwater back in 2004. Lake Mead has receeded so much since then, the people of Overton lost their lake. I can recall being at the boat launch just a few days before my wedding. Then, a couple years ago it looked like this.





Lake Mead has risen 25 feet this year so maybe there is hope for water enthusiasts in the Overton area.

To the north, trails head up to Logandale.



Valley of Fire begins in the west and heads southward.











From there we went down into an old quarry.



Then we wound around to the wash.



And found a nice cool canyon that had been out of the sun for sometime.



I swear there were bats in this cave.







From the wash we climbed to higher elevation. These ATV trails were wild, and so much fun with hairpin turns. Who needs a rollercoaster for thrills? Not me. I should've taken more photos but I was too busy holding on.



We found ourselves back in the wash before long. We came across a burnt out car.



We continued onward until we hit the dunes.





And then it back to where we began we packed it in. We are convinced to return to camp so I can get photos at sunset and sunrise. The rocks change color throughout the day so I think it'd be a really great opportunity to shoot during golden hour. Maybe this spring? It's much too hot now, and there will be little time for play while football is here.