Utah – mmm-yoso

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Forrest Gump Point, Meteor Crater & Barringer Space Museum, Standing on the Corner….., and Lunch at the Turquoise Room (Winslow, AZ)

May 30, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Mexican Restaurants, Road Trip, Travel, Utah, yoso-silly

We had really enjoyed our tour of Mystery and Monument Valley. After returning to the hotel we went back to the gift shop and then went for a walk around the hotel a bit.

There were some really great views from the patio of the closed (because of Covid) restaurant.

Man, it was pretty……

I noticed a sign and well, wouldn't you know it…..

Not wanting to drive, we just had packaged food for dinner.

And of course we awoke very early for the "show"…….

Man, this never gets old…..

We had some nuts and bars for breakfast before heading out. Our next stop was Sedona; but instead of heading South, I headed Northeast on the 163. Why? Well, this was going to be my "fun day". There were a couple of novel, perhaps obscure, and just plain fun stops. A couple of miles south of Mexican Hat is this little stop.

Beautiful scenery isn't it? But I had a reason for stopping here. This is Forrest Gump Point. Recognize it from the movie? This is where Forrest Gump, after 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours decided it was time to stop running.

Heck, I just "needed" to stop here……

Cue up Running on Empty by Jackson Browne!

It's a pretty popular stop.

After a couple of photos we turned around and headed back to Kayenta for one more stop….this time at the Burger King. No, it wasn't to eat, though I did get a Diet Coke. This Burger King was established in 1986 by Richard Mike, whose father was a Navajo Code Talker in World War II. This BK features a Navajo Code Talker Exhibit.

An important part of our history that wasn't even revealed until 1968!

If you're ever in the area please stop by.

Burger King
Highway 160
Kayenta, AZ 86033

From here I headed down the 160 to the 89. Driving thru Flagstaff I went East on I-40. Not the way to Sedona you say? Well, you'd be right. There were a couple of places I had on my "list" and thought this short detour would be fun.

The first I'd read about and thought that perhaps it might be a tourist trap of sorts.

I think folks often mistake this for a state or national type. Depending on your interests, you may or may not enjoy it here. And it's $25 a pop for admission.

There's some nice displays, a movie, and also a 40 minute rim tour if you're so inclined.

For us…well, it was about the giant crater……

A big hole in the ground. More about the crater here.

Meteor Crater & Barringer Space Museum
Interstate 40 Exit 233
Winslow, AZ 86047

Now the next stop got me quite excited. Depending on your age….well, I'm in the demographic that remembers a certain song. And of course that line:

"Well, I'm a-standing on a corner
In Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord
In a flat-bed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me"

Speaking of Jackson Browne and all that.

So our next stop?

Yep, we drove into Winslow, Arizona, parked and strolled to Standin' on the Corner Park. And it was indeed a fine sight to see….heck there was even a mural of a girl in a Flat Bed Ford!

And a Flat Bed Ford parked at the corner as well.

Yes, it's corny, cheesy, cliché, but if you're of a certain age, you'll remember that. And I'm of that age and even the Missus enjoyed this stop.

We saw folks taking photos and selfies. I even went and took a photo of this woman and her pooch….on the corner….in Winslow, Arizona. A fine sight indeed.

Unlike most of the other folks; who just got back into their vehicle after taking their photo, we strolled around town a bit; after all, this is part of historic Route 66.

There was a place I'd read about in Winslow; a hotel that was once a prize jewel and destination during the golden age of train travel, when Fred Harvey and the architect Mary Colter, whom I've mentioned before built a hotel named La Posada which has been restored to it's former grandeur.

We walked on over, strolled around a bit and decided to have lunch in the hotel's restaurant, the Turquoise Room.

It's a beautiful space.

We were quickly seated, the folks working were warm, friendly, and still very professional.

We placed our order and soon some complimentary cornbread arrived.

I ordered the Arizona Grown Vegas Salad Bowl….yes, you read that right. All that National Park Food and "stuffs" had me craving veggies…….yes, it doesn't happen often….

Lovely quinoa (when do you recall me typing that out before?), corn, crisp kale, refreshing jicama…..this really hit the spot.

The Missus really got a winner with the Lamb Posole.

Man, this was so good! Just gamy enough, wonderful lamb flavors; the hominy was cooked perfectly, a hint of spice, a wonderful comforting dish!

One of our favorite meals of the trip. If we're ever back in the area, we'll definitely return here.

Who knew…Winslow….

Turquoise Room (in the La Posada Hotel)
303 E 2nd St.
Winslow, AZ 86047

It was just enough food for lunch.

As we headed out of town, the Missus started up Spotify……and you knew which song She started with, right?

All together now:

"Well, I'm a-running down the road
Tryin' to loosen my load……"

Take it easy everyone!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Mystery Valley, Monument Valley, and Lunch at Goulding’s Stagecoach Dining Room

May 29, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Mexican Restaurants, Native American, Road Trip, Travel, Utah

On our full day in Monument Valley we had gotten a private tour. Since Monument Valley is on Navajo land, the only "real" way to visit is to hire a Navajo Guide. I had also wanted to see Mystery Valley as well. So, I booked a private all day tour with 3 Sister Navajo Guided Tours. Based on our short hike the day before and the amazing sunrise; I just knew it would be money well spent. And it was. Our guide Amory was raised in Mystery Valley, he clarified a lot of things for us, one thing we learned quickly is that the Navajo call themselves Dine', which means "the People". Amory also passed on things he learned from his grandmother and was a great guide.

There was just so much information, so much to learn, that if I ever return, I'm going to take notes. As it is; I'll mostly share photos with you all.

There were two reasons I really wanted to visit Mystery Valley, which is still inhabited….we passed farms raising livestock along the way. I really wanted to see the various arches and the Anasazi ruins.

We were taken in a four wheel ; a must for a tour like this.

That's the Square House Arch above, which was the first stop. Which then led to one of the places I really wanted to see; the vehicle maneuvers along some fairly slick rocks, we stop and Amory walks us into a small valley and points up.

This is known as the Square House Ruins.

A closer look.

During the tour Amory told us what he learned from elders and his grandmother. Seeing these ruins high up, we are often told that the Anasazi used ladders to get to these dwellings.

Amory was quick to point out the walls of the canyon.

He told us that that over time floods had eroded the soil away and pointed out former soil levels. So ladders weren't necessary at that time.

He also asked us to take a look around to see if we noticed anything…….and then pointed out the petroglyphs…..

And then pottery shards…..

Which we had totally missed! We'd be paying more careful attention for the rest of the trip!

It seemed that every turn yielded another arch – this is called the Honeymoon Arch – see how it meets in the middle?

This is the Stout Arch.

This is the Baby House Ruins.

The House of Many Hands.

See the hand prints?

It was just plain amazing.

Soon, it was time for a lunch break. Amory took us back to the hotel.

And we got in the car and drove into Utah and over to Goulding's Lodge, which was once upon a time really the only place to stay near Monument Valley. Since the restaurant in the View Hotel was closed due to Covid, the only other real option for us was Goulding's Stagecoach Dining Room.

It pretty much a diner…..and service was a such

The Missus got the Turkey Soup with Fry Bread.

Fairly bland and dry turkey meat.

I got the Navajo Taco.

This fry bread was kinda "doughy" and not as crisp as the version at Amigo Cafe. Sour cream and generic salsa, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and chili con carne…….

Very generic, simple food for the masses.

Goulding's Stagecoach Dining Room
1000 Gouldings Trading Post Rd.
Oljato-Monument Valley, UT 84536

Walking out of the restaurant we ran into this friendly fella'.

I went to the car and got him a treat; which he quickly gobbled up. We had finished lunch fairly quickly, so we went to check out the gift shop. Guess who was waiting by our car when we got out of the shop? It was great "valet service"!

Goulding's has quite a history and Harry Goulding is credited with bringing Hollywood to Monument Valley.

The original Trading Post is now a museum.

And of course the star of many of those movies needs no introduction….

And when She Wore a Yellow Ribbon was filmed in Monument Valley, structures on the grounds of Goulding's were used in the movie.

We headed back to the View and met back up with Amory and then headed into Monument Valley.

First stop was John Ford Point.

Which was one of Director John Ford's favorite filming points.

It's got quite a view!

Because we had a guide, we were able to get off the main road and thru various gates; getting some wonderful views.

That's the "3 Sisters" above.

And there are arches here as well. That's the Mocassin Arch above.

While looking at my photos, I noticed that they really don't do scalar justice to the arches. So, take a look at the photo of the Big Hogan Arch above and then for a reference point take a look at the photo to the right.

And all of the arches and rock formations have names!

It can be quite overwhelming!

The last two stops where mainly for taking photos!

And it was so easy to compose some pretty nice photos……

Which made this an unforgettable day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Perks at Zion, the Canyon Overlook, the Scenic Drive, a Walk Thru Springdale, the Riverside Walk, and Zion Canyon Brewpub

April 14, 2022 mmm-yoso Beer, Caffeine Fix, Road Trip, Travel, Utah

For our last day in Zion…well, the Missus really had quite a day planned out. But first, while She was waking up; I strolled on over to the Coffee Shop located in Zion Canyon Village, Perks at Zion.

Which was the one place that seemed a bit busy.

I got the Missus a double espresso, myself and Americano, and brought it back to the room.

Perks At Zion
147 Zion Park Blvd.
Springdale, UT 84767

And the Missus was ready to go once I got back to the room.

Since, like I mentioned earlier, we were visiting right after Thanksgiving and things were pretty quiet. The shuttle had stopped running so if you got started early enough you'd easily find parking. We headed over to East Zion, thru the Zion Tunnel and parked in the small parking area right past the tunnel.

A trail started right across the street from the parking; the Canyon Overlook Trail.

This was my favorite trail of the trip. It's not very long, just a mile out and back, but I loved the amazing, diverse scenery, and the wonderful views.

There are areas with switchbacks and cliffsides, though there are railings in place at some of them, where you can see the canyon below.

At the end of the trail you are treated with an amazing view (to the right of the Missus), the West Temple, Sundial, Altar of Sacrifice, and the Beehive.

In spite of my fear of heights; I found this beautiful.

The Zion shuttle doesn't run to this area; so you'll need a car to get here.

After heading back to the car, we decided to take a drive thru East Zion along the Zion – Mount Carmel Highway. We stopped several times to take photos and just breath in the wonderful, clean air.

We stopped at the Checkboard Mesa viewpoint to take in the wonderful Sandstone Summit of Checkboard Mesa.

We then went out the East entrance and turned around. We decided to take the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to check out places we didn't see on the previous day.

We stopped at "Big Bend" to have a look at the formations.

To the left below is the Organ, to the right, Angels Landing….I actually prefer this view to the one I had the previous day.

We drove until the end of the road, turned around and headed back to Zion Canyon Village.

However, there was a bit of a traffic back-up near the Park Lodge. First, some deer were crossing the road; then a bit further down, this fellow…..

The Missus asked me "what the heck is that turkey doing walking down the middle of the road?"

My answer? "He's celebrating that he made it through Thanksgiving!"

We got back to our room and decided to take a walk to the town of Springdale just next door.

It's a quaint village with a population of about 350…….

We saw kids getting out of school, which made me wonder how it would be growing up here.

We stopped at Sol Foods Supermarket and picked up a couple of items.

Which we had for lunch with some beef jerky back at the room.

Sol Foods Supermarket
995 Zion – Mount Carmel Hwy.
Springdale, UT 84767

After refueling, the Missus was ready to go…….so, we decided to head on back up Zion Canyon Road and this time we parked at the end and did the Zion Narrows Riverside Walk, most of which is a paved, easy, almost two mile hike.

This was an easy, almost relaxing walk along…well, the riverside of course.

At end, if you're like the Missus, you could continue and hike in the Virgin River in what they call the Narrows. But of course I was here and we didn't have the equipment necessary….

So the Missus just decided to give Her feet a soak in the Virgin River.

Before heading back to the car……

We'd had a nice relaxing day.

We really didn't feel like having more fried food or burgers and the places in Springdale we were interesting in were closed for a break following Thanksgiving. So we decided to heat up some of the packaged food we brought.

But first, we walked over to Zion Canyon Brewpub, just like we had done the previous two nights; except we'd be just having some beer before dinner. We stuck to the brwery side of things and the Missus got us one of the small tables alongside the river.

And we each had a beer before heading back to the room…..

It's hard to beat the view here…..

After the beer we strolled back to the room and proceeded to heat up our packaged meals for dinner.

We'd enjoyed our time in Zion. But tomorrow we'd be heading out to our next stop. Monument Valley!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Angels Landing (Zion), Grafton Ghost Town (Rockville), Pa’rus Trail (Zion), and Dinner (Again) at the Zion Canyon Brewpub (Springdale)

April 1, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Chicken Wings, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Travel, Utah

*** This is a pretty long post with not much food; so I wouldn't mind at all if you'd just like to return on another day!

I knew that our first full day in Zion was going to to be a full one. The Missus really wanted to do Angels Landing. I wasn't too thrilled about doing the trail, but I knew the Missus had it on Her "list". So, to avoid the crowds and such; I planned for our visit to be during the first week after the shuttle stopped running and more importantly, the week after Thanksgiving. We drove into Zion early and easily found parking. The place was pretty quiet and we crossed over the Virgin River to get started.

The initial walk up wasn't too bad and the view was very nice.

And then we entered a pretty area known as Refrigerator Canyon.

And soon enough it starts getting a bit more strenuous.

And then there are the 21 fairly steep switchbacks; known as "Walter's Wiggles"…..sheesh….

Which culminated in an area called Scouts Lookout.

I thought it would be a good place for me to stop and let the Missus do Her thing.

This isn't "Angels Landing" you might say. Why do you want to stop here?

Well…….

But I just couldn't let the Missus go on alone.

And the last portion of the hike is called the Spine…..for a simple reason……

That last portion is is done on what feels like the edge of a cliff…..which it basically is; made of sandstone no less. There are chains bolted into the side of the cliff to use as hand holds as you make your way up. And, btw, that "little person" you see in the background in the photo to the right is me. Oh, and did I mention that I don't like heights?

The Missus tried to motivate your truly by shaming me a bit. Telling me that an ex-coworker, the one who met us for dinner in Kyoto did Angels Landing.

And if she could do it, well I should be able to; so forth and so on. In the end, I just went ahead and did it. The sandstone is a bit slippery, but I made it.

Of course the Missus was in "Her element" and this was just a breeze for Her.

It was actually more difficult (and scary) descending.

And here's the kicker; after finishing up the hike, the Missus sent a text to the young lady telling her that even I managed to climb up to Angels Landing. Her response? "Really, I stopped before the chains!"

What?!?!?! Needless to say, I felt just a tad betrayed here.

And even "Mr Hiking" himself; Calvin stopped at Scout's Lookout.

Hmmm……like they say; "there's one born every minute….."

Though I did feel a bit proud when I saw a guy waiting at Scout's lookout for his significant other, a young lady who I passed on my way down from the top.

I'd say the hike down was a bit harder on the knees and joints; but we did pretty good time, less than 2 1/2 hours.

It was a stroke of luck that we'd arrived the week after Thanksgiving as things weren't very crowded; though we passed quite a few folks heading up on our way down.

Angels Landing is quite popular, I just read that you will now have to get a permit to hike Angels Landing from April 1st.

Because it was still early when we completed our hike; we decided to head into Springdale to fuel up and then head off to a place I'd read about called Grafton Ghost Town.

I read that Grafton was the most photographed Ghost Town in the US and was also in quite a few movies, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was featured in the famous Bicycle Scene; along with a small-kid favorite song of mine; Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head. I just can't help believing (sorry BJ Thomas "dad joke" insertion) humming that tune as I type this.

Five of the original thirty structures have been restored by the Grafton Heritage Partnership.

The Grafton Heritage Partnership site has a history of the town; established in 1859, the last resident left Grafton in 1945.

The place was so very quiet; we were the only visitors, so we strolled around the buildings. The large Alonzo H Russell home was open so we took a look inside and also walked down into the cellar.

Which provided a peek into a different time.

On the way back, we made sure to stop at the Grafton Cemetery, which gave us a deeper look into the struggles of the folks who settled here.

The surroundings are stunningly beautiful; but the stories are of hardship and tragedy.

This is a wonderful post on Grafton.

After visiting Grafton we headed back to our room, had a super light lunch and relaxed for a while.

Of course, after a while the Missus was itching to do something. So, we decided to take a nice stroll along the easy, paved, Pa'rus Trail, which follows the Virgin River.

There were many instructional-informational signs along the way.

It's one of the few trails that allow leashed pooches and we ran into a couple of happy ones; along with folks biking and families.

All while listening to the comforting sound of the Virgin River….

The mighty Virgin River…..

And like on all our hikes in Zion; there was wildlife to be seen.

We walked until the Canyon Junction Bridge before turning around and heading back to our room.

By now it was getting close to dinner time. Now, in spite of getting the right location and timing the crowds and access for our road trip; there was one thing I'd missed. It seems that many of the restaurants; especially the ones we wanted to eat at in Springdale close for a break following the Thanksgiving weekend. So, we decided to head back across the parking lot to the Zion Canyon Brewpub.

We sat on the back patio again. This time there were several feral cats roaming around. One of them decided to entertain him/herself with one of the customers bags.

There would be no burgers for us this time. We decided to go full on "fry mode" and ordered the Chicken Wings ($12), Chimichurri Fries ($6), and Beer Battered Onion Rings ($6). Actually, this was pretty cheap dinner.

I gotta say; those onion rings weren't bad. Crisp, not greasy, fairly light, and nicely seasoned.

And of course, a cold one.

Zion Canyon Brew Pub
95 Zion Park Blvd.
Springdale, UT 84767

As we walked back to our room we noticed that the Christmas Tree was up in the parking lot.

It was time to relax and then head off to sleep…..

Roadtrip (During Covid) – The Watchman Trail (Zion) and Dinner at the Zion Canyon Brewpub (Springdale)

March 31, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Burgers, Gastropub, Road Trip, Travel, Utah

After our dinner at Partage we had a nice night of sleep. And then we headed off for Zion early the next morning after fueling up the car.

As for where we stayed….well, I'd learned some lessons during our road trips and made some adjustments. First, we stayed near Springdale, at the Cable Mountain Lodge, in Zion Canyon Village. There was a grocery, a brew pub, and the town of Springdale was a short walk away.

Zion Canyon Village is also right at the west entrance to Zion as well. We arrived too early to check in; but there were some trails nearby, so we got our parking pass, and then I headed off to the Entrance Station right across the Virgin River. However, the station wasn't manned, so I walked over to the Visitor Center where there were two Rangers sitting at a desk and asked them about getting my entrance passes and paying my fee. I was told that I'd need to drive to the Toll Booth, pay for my 7 day pass, then return and start hiking……the other Ranger, who was really nice asked me how long we were staying and I said 3 nights…..he said since the pass was for 7 days and no one is manning the booths, that I could just go ahead and do the Watchman or the Pa'rus Trail and we'd just pay when we enter the park in the morning. I jokingly said; "if I do that; you won't send the FBI or CIA after me on the trail will you?" I heard someone cracking up nearby. A young lady was poaching wifi on her laptop and heard me. She laughingly said; "that's exactly the same thought I had……" Anyway, the two Rangers just cracked up and gave me their names; you know, "just in case a black helicopter tried to abduct me." These guys were hilarious.

So, there are three trails nearby; the easy, paved Pa'rus Trail, the Archaeology Trail, and the Watchman Trail which is a bit over 3 miles in and back with a 600+ foot elevation gain….well, you know which one the Missus picked, right?

The Watchman Trail. We found the trailhead after passing the Watchman Campgrounds right past the Visitor Center and Stores and headed off.

We saw way more wildlife in Zion than Yosemite.

It was a beautiful trail.

And the views….

There's a little loop trail at the top so you get a nice view of the valley below.

I actually really enjoyed this hike; it wasn't too hard, the views were amazing.

By the time we finished up our hike; it took us a bit under 2 hours, we were able to check in.

Now, there's another thing I learned after our stay near Yosemite….we'd need at least a small fridge and a microwave. Well, our room at Cable Mountain Lodge was huge. It also had a real kitchen; stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher (!), and full sized refrigerator.

As well as quite a view from the patio!

For dinner we walked across the parking lot to the Zion Canyon Brewpub.

And while there was ample seating inside; this is right at the doorstep of Zion, so we requested a table on the back patio.

I got a nice Amber Ale to start.

And the Missus….well, She got a burger (of course).

The burger was ok, it was anointed with Swiss Cheese, jalapeno bacon jam, and garlic aioli. But what the Missus really enjoyed was that onion ring and the Chimichurri Fries; which were crisp and had a decent amount of garlic and olive oil flavor.

I decided on the Elk Burger, which wasn't bad.

I enjoyed the mushrooms which had been sautéed in the amber ale; nice earthy-sweetness. I had seen that they put something called "Utah Fry Sauce" on the burger. I cracked up when I tasted it……it's basically the "poor man's thousand island dressing" I grew up eating; "mayo and ketchup"! The burger was mild in flavor, kind of gritty, and a bit over done.

Overall, this is what we kind of expected…….though as a whole it might had more "personality" (and was cheaper) then what we had at Rush Creek.

Zion Canyon Brew Pub
95 Zion Park Blvd.
Springdale, UT 84767

After dinner, I crashed early. The Missus already had some plans for tomorrow and it would be a full day.

Thanks for stopping by!

A winter road trip-Denver to San Diego

January 12, 2021 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Road Trip, Utah, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is a food blog. Todays post is about food but not about any local places and is written by Cathy. Kirk is really busy.

Long story short: 2020 was a sad year for all of us and for my family personally. Death certificates were involved and a small consolation was the availability of a vehicle with low mileage (opposed to mine with 230K miles). My brother started driving and called from Iowa last Tuesday. I flew into Denver on Wednesday and we began driving West together. Here are some highlights of the trip, with food.

The Denver Airport is huge and there are three terminals/train stops before you get to luggage pick up. I was fascinated.

We were on our way in the chilly weather, with a view of the Rockies.
Needing to fuel up and get a snack or two, we stopped into one of the many Convenience Store Truck stops that line our highways and byways, Kum & Go. Yes. It was mentioned in the middle of this post.

There is more, much, much more offered.
No, I did not purchase any branded merchandise, not even the washable face mask. We took the Exit in Golden, Colorado to Historic Central City, Colorado, a former Mining Town which has the primary road named Casino Parkway. We stopped here, the Monarch Casino Resort Spa. There's a 24 hour Cafe.

Shrimp linguine, a bowl of (really good) clam chowder and a side salad with my undecided dressing choices. Great food, pretty town. Still decorated for Christmas.
That night we got to Silt-Rifle, Colorado and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which had a beautiful view from the room. and a bagged breakfast instead of buffet, because…Covid. (and yes, it was cold- ).
Eventually, we got to Utah, which has Rest Areas with explanations of your view.

Freeway exits notify you of businesses at that exit. We saw "Mom's Cafe" and had to. It's about two miles form the exit.

The Special- Hot roast beef w/ mashed potatoes and vegetables. Soup of the day: Chicken noodle. We each ordered the same thing.
Home made noodles. Dumplings, really. A wonderful, perfect broth. Quite a bit of chicken. A great cup of soup.

A huge portion of roast beef. Real mashed potatoes, lovely beefy gravy and more fresh carrots.
Our nice waitress, Kathryn, brought this warm delight out. She called it a 'scone' and said it was what Mom's was known for. It was a sort of Indian Fry Bread. Still warm, it tasted slightly sweet and was fluffy and nice. With the honey butter on top, it was a fancy donut! So glad we stopped here.

Price? each special was $8.99, beverages $2.29

Mom's Cafe 10 East Main Street Salina, Utah 84654 (435) 529-3921 Website

We continued driving through Utah, a bit of Arizona and then Nevada, which had pretty rest areas.
I dropped my brother at the rental car area at the Las Vegas Airport and checked into the hotel, which had this view from the 9th floor in the morning.
My dinner was an appetizer plate. Breakfast the next morning was the corned beef hash. Driving home to California, I stopped in Baker, but only for photos. Then I continued on to San Diego. A winter trip, with food, and a new (to me) car.

Stay safe!

Utah: Temple Square and Lunch at Red Iguana (Salt Lake City)

April 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Travel, Utah

We slept in on our last morning….well, if you call sleeping until 730 sleeping in. Our food experiences in Utah seemed a bit disappointing, but we decided to give one last popular restaurant a shot. Since they didn't open until 10am, we decided to walk on over to Temple Square, the headquarters for the LDS.

It was nice and fairly crisp and we were enjoying the day as we passed the convention center.

We passed the Creek Shopping Center, with shops like Tiffany, Nordstrom, and the Apple Store….and closed on Sundays! I'm guessing it has something to do with being right across the street from Temple Square. We were greeted as we entered and asked if we'd be visiting "Music and the Spoken Word", which is the Sunday morning televised broadcast. We were interested, but told the nice folks that we would have to leave fairly quickly. We were told it was no problem since the rehearsal was going on. We were free to leave anytime before the 930 start.

Which is how we got to watch part of the choir's morning rehearsal in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Quite impressive.

Speaking of impressive, the entire complex is dwarfed by the towering Salt Lake Temple.

The grounds features beautifully manicured gardens, a huge conference center, administrative buildings, several historic houses; the "Lion House" which used to be Brigham Young's residence. It had to be large because Brigham Young had 57 biological children, and the connected "Beehive House".

Temple Square is Utah's most visited tourist attraction, with as many visitors a Utah's 5 National Parks combined!

We saw a lot of folks taking photos….they all seemed overjoyed, almost giddy, at being here.

From the Beehive House, we headed North and got on North Temple Street and headed west. SLC's streets are set-up in a very simple (once you get sued to street with the same name with North/South/East/West) grid system. Our destination was on North Temple and was just under a mile and half walk. Things did seem a bit more "gritty" as we crossed over the I-15. A mere half block later we were at our destination; Red Iguana.

We arrived a few minutes before opening. The exterior looks a bit worn and shabby, but I had read that this is one of the most popular restaurants in the city….Mexican….in Salt Lake City? The place opened and we were told to sit anywhere our hearts desired. Our server; I'm hoping my memory isn't mailing me was named Stephanie. She was super outstanding, so very friendly, accommodating, and gracious.

Within a flash chips (not very good) and some salsa (nice and picante) found its way to our table.

We had come here to try the mole….but was having a difficult time deciding. So Stephanie said not to worry, they put together a sampler for us to try.

What really shocked me was how much I enjoyed the version of Mole Amarillo, not quite the traditional version; this one had raisins and habaneros…sweet with heat. We whittled down the sauces to versions we liked….but was stuck on four. Again, making us half and halfs were not a problem. You gotta love the service.

We choose chicken; which was simple simmered bird. The first combo was half Mole Verde and Mole Poblano ($15.99).

The verde was nice and nutty, but was over-shadowed by the rich, sweet, and spicy mole poblano, which tasted closest to versions I've had before.

The second was Mole Negro and Mole Amarillo ($15.99).

The mole negro was fine, though not nearly as good as say……El Tejate. The unconventional mole Amarillo, sweet and spicy stood up well. It was by far our favorite.

The rice and beans (and the tortillas) were pretty routine and not very good.

And while the food fell short of amazing, it was good, easily our best meal during this trip. And the service was wonderful. Our server is a fairly recent transplant and we chatted about SLC's uniqueness, things that caught her off guard when she moved here. The affinity for sandwiches and burgers; how you can look down Main Street on some days and not see a single car….. She made our meal a pleasure.

Red Iguana
736 W North Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

We walked back to the Residence Inn and managed a short catnap before leaving for the airport.

Perhaps the food really didn't stand out on this trip. But the views, well they were priceless.

Thanks for reading!

Utah: The Copper Onion (Salt Lake City)

April 17, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Travel, Utah

After a light lunch (and interesting beer) we checked in at the Residence Inn, SLC. This room was even bigger than the Provo location and things looked new. We then had a nice short nap. The staff here was quite friendly and nice. The location is right on 300 South aka West Broadway.

The Greek Orthodox Church is right across the street as is Pioneer Park.

The location was quite convenient. Our dinner destination was just a half mile walk down the street. A couple of things we noticed right away…..there are tons of chain restaurants in SLC. And in spite of all the cars parked; the streets looked empty.

I had made dinner reservations at The Copper Onion. The menu looked perfect for us. Man, in spite of how the streets looked; this placed was packed to the gills. The dining room seemed on the hot and stuffy side, so since the weather was mild we asked if we could get a table on the patio. They only too happy to oblige.

Our server was a really gracious, friendly, and knowledgeable young man named Michael. He made the meal a seamless process except for the time they took our plates and silverware away then brought us our next course…leaving us stranded. But other than that, we enjoyed the service.

We started with the Wagyu Beef Tartar ($11).

Man, look at all that crostini. This didn't quite do it for us. The beef was too chewy, it was under seasoned…I really missed that velvety egg yolk which adds richness without interfering with the refreshing aspect of the beef, which the salsa rosa did. The arugula, fresh, crisp, not overly bitter, dressed simply was the best part of the dish.

The Escarole Salad ($10) looked quite sloppy.

The greens were really nice and crisp, but I wasn't a fan of the balsamic they used which was extremely sour, lacking the rounded balance, and touch of sweetness that we love in a balsamic vinegar.

The best item of the night was the Wagyu Roasted Bone Marrow ($18).

Man, that marrow was awesome….simply prepared, rich, smoky, with a touch of salt which was provided on the side. The Missus made sure to have every single little morsel.

Luckily, we made sure to keep the salt provided for the bone marrow. We needed it for the Griddled Duck ($23).

Funny thing; several items seemed in need of salt…which led the missus to say, "hey, this is SALT Lake City, right?" The duck, with a light sprinkle of salt tasted fine. It was cooked a nice medium rare. It was cut a bit too thick. also, the plating seemed a bit dated and ponderous. That red stuff you see on the butternut squash puree is actually duck blood……I don't think the duck rested long enough after prep. Loved the upland cress, peppery and refreshing. The Portobello was totally under-seasoned and the gills hadn't been cleaned, so it left a huge black blotch in the orange-blood tinged, plate.

The Missus did love Her order of Beets ($4), though.

The service here was excellent. The food however, seemed a bit uneven to us; in terms of flavor, presentation, and finesse. Still, I'm glad we tried the place.

The Copper Onion
111 E Broadway
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

After dinner, the Missus decided we needed to burn off that bone marrow so we walked all the way to Trolley Square, then back to the Residence Inn.

We passed the modern looking public library and the City and County Building along the way back.

Man, so this was Saturday night, huh? We finally passed a couple of groups of people as we walked up South Main Street. As we got close to the hotel, we stopped by Squatters Craft Beer, which was packed in spite of the empty streets (strange, I know) and picked up a couple of bottles to try as a nightcap.

The Squatters Bumper Crop Honey Ale was fine, nice head, hints of citrus and honey (of course). The Wasatch Evolution Amber Ale is pretty blah…..

Still, the weather was nice…we kept the windows open all night and the Missus sure slept well!

Tomorrow, we'd have one last chance for a good meal in SLC before heading to the airport. Would we find it?

Stay Tuned!

Utah: Island in the Sky (Canyonlands National Park) and Wasatch Brew Pub

April 15, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel, Utah

I woke at 530am on our second morning in Utah. The previous day, had been quite amazing….well, the views, not the food. We decided to head off to a district of the massive (337,598 acres) Canyonlands National Park, known as Island in the Sky, a mesa that towers a thousand feet over the rugged and picturesque terrain below. I got the Missus up at around 6am….we showered, packed up and headed out into the dark morning…..pretty much like the day before. This time though, our target was much closer, a bit over 30 miles or so away. The classic location for viewing the sunrise in the Island in the Sky district is the Mesa Arch which frames the East rising sun. We had run into maybe two cars on our drive to the Mesa Arch, but were surprised when the parking lot was almost full! Taking the short half mile walk to the arch, we could see an entire line of paparazzi folks with camera gear already set-up!

It was crazy. I heard one guy telling another he'd camped out overnight and got to his "spot" to set-up at 5am! Serious folks!

I just headed off to the side to photograph the dramatic sunrise.

The Missus hung back and took a photo of the sunrise through the Mesa Arch.

And while it was a bit of a hazy morning, the views were still quite dramatic.

We walked back to the car and headed off to the Grand View Point Overlook and took the 3 mile hike around the rim of the mesa.

I really enjoyed this hike. The views were just stunning. I probably enjoyed this more than the Delicate Arch, which was the Missus' favorite.

You can see for miles in the distance; view the amazing terrain, and just try to take it all in.

The hike is easy, you can read more about it here and here.

And no, there aren't any fences or barriers……which just adds to the drama. (Click on the photos to enlarge)

We made one last short stop at the Shafer Canyon Overlook, before hitting the road and making the 200 mile trip back to Salt Lake City.

I made a short stop in Green River to refuel, then drove all the way through.

Our destination? The rather hip neighborhood in SLC called Sugar House. During our stop at Whole Foods a couple of nights back. I got into a nice conversation with the very friendly young lady at the deli counter. When I mentioned we were from San Diego…she bent over and whispered; "do you like to drink beer???" I whispered back, "we sure do….but why are we whispering?"

Anyway, she recommended a stop at the Annex by Epic Brewing. So that's where we went. The place has this "club license" which means they can serve alcohol without having to serve food. The server was really nice and explained things to us…took our IDs and scanned them and did the whole thing.

I would have really enjoyed this place except for one thing….the bartender was a jerk. Apparently he didn't like us, and decided to serve and chat to his "friends" rather than pour us our beer, which took 25 minutes to get to us. Other than the three people at the bar, the place was totally empty. I think the last straw was when a group of eight came in after us and got their drinks before us. Even our server profusely apologized telling us, "I'm sorry, but I don't have control over pouring your beer". Too bad, my Belgian Style Golden Ale was quite nice.

I felt really bad for our server when I told her, "I think we'll be headed out." And asked for the check….so I left her a nice tip…after all, it wasn't her fault the wanna be hipster behind the bar was a jerk. Nuff said.

**** The Annex by Epic Brewing has closed

The Annex by Epic Brewing
1048 E 2100 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84106

In retrospect, maybe it was fate that drove us from the Annex to Wasatch Brew Pub next door.

This place was a bit more busy and our server was wonderful. I also loved the names of the beer; Chasing Tail Golden Ale, anyone? This almost made me forget I was in SLC.

And then the Missus saw the beer I "just had to order"…. the Polygamy Porter on Nitro….yep, you heard that right. I just can't help but crack up. I loved the glass….in fact, the Missus and I should have bought a couple for our friends. And then there's the beer's tagline; "Why have just one…." You gotta love it…

This was pretty light, mild coffee, nice and creamy from the nitro. Not the best Porter I've had….but surely one of the best names!

The Missus ordered the Jalapeno Cream Ale, which was quite good. Unlike a lot of chile beers, this one had a nice kick that came through. Great fragrance of jalapenos as well. It went well with the food we had.

The Shishito Peppers could have been roasted a bit more.

But the Missus really enjoyed it…..the portion size was quite large. It needed a bit more salt, but the peppers were really fresh. Some of the larger, older ones had a bit of sneaky heat as well.

The Missus really wanted more veggies and we had dinner reservation for what I thought was going to be a rather rich meal, so I didn't veto the "Super Food Beet Salad". The beets were really tasty, having that balanced sweetness I really enjoy. The vinaigrette was nice, slightly citrusy, never getting in the way of the ingredient's flavors.

I honestly have to say; I'm still not a fan of fruits in my salad…especially mandarin oranges…though the Missus enjoys them.

In the end, I'm glad we ended up here. The service was pleasant, the food, while nothing special was ok, and we got a couple of good laughs as well. The beer will not make you forget about San Diego, but you'll never forget that sign…..

Wasatch Brew Pub
2110 Highland Dr
Salt Lake City, UT 84106

Utah: Arches National Park and Moab Brewery

April 14, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel, Utah

Thanks to Cathy, you probably didn't even notice I was gone for a few days, did ya?

A few weeks back, I could tell that the Missus, who had been working really hard was just itchin' for a trip. I had just finished watching an episode of Inside Man…a rarity for me since I've been too busy to watch television over the last couple of months. The episode was about America's National Parks. When the little tidbit about the average age of the typical visitor to a National Park was mentioned, I was shocked. Can you guess what it was? 57? I recall living vicariously thru the stories that kids I knew whose parents would take them to Yellowstone, or some other national park over the summer would tell. We were too poor to travel, but I'd always told myself "someday….." The Missus had been wanting to visit Arches National Park for a while; so I guess "someday" had arrived.

So I quickly planned our escape. An evening flight to Salt Lake City. I decided to stay in Provo since it would cut off an hour of our drive time. We'd be getting to Provo by about 830 pm or so. I did a bit of research to see what was open after 9pm……yikes….not much in Provo or Orem. So what I decided to do was to take an extra hour out, head to Whole Foods in Salt Lake, grab a salad, some nuts(which would keep us the whole weekend), some charcuterie, and head to Provo. So our first real interaction with folks in Utah was at Whole Foods and let me tell you….I just couldn't believe how really nice the two young ladies who helped us were. I'll have more on the young lady at the deli counter later. Strangely, Whole Foods was almost totally empty, at 730 pm…so were the streets of downtown Salt Lake City. We loved the Residence Inn in Provo, full fridge, sofa, living room…even though we'd only be staying the night it made us feel at home.

We headed out before 6 am the next morning. It was hard to see much since the sun didn't come up until almost 7 am.

The drive was interesting….we saw unmelted ice by the side of the roads….snow had fallen as recently as the week before we arrived and if I recall correctly, more snow is set to fall there Wednesday into Thursday this week!

We stopped for fuel, some vitamin D, and a good stretching of our legs in Price.

We arrived at the gates of Arches National Park at around 845am, and managed to drive past the gates by 9am. The Missus wanted to check out the Visitor's Center so we made a stop there. Here's the deal. We had made no plans (except for one must see) and decided just to let the road be our guide. I knew it was going to be amazing just by the view out the window of the Visitor's Center.

I had printed a map earlier, off the National Park Service Website. Maps tell you distance, you can determine location….but they don't indicate what the area looks like. Which was pretty darn beautiful.

We stopped at the trailhead called "Park Avenue" because it resembles the towers that line the famous boulevard in Manhattan.

We then drove just a short distance when I couldn't help but stop and just look in wonder.

In this panoramic shot (click on to enlarge), you can see "the Organ" (second from the right) and the "Three Gossips" (three little nubs to the left of the Organ).

If you ever visit, Balanced Rock should be a must stop. there's an easy short trail…we saw a woman using a walker on the trail. It's pretty amazing…..the Missus kept saying "who knows…..this might just fall and crumble any day now" during the entire time here.

There's this strange sense of scale when looking at these large sandstone formations…it really doesn't look that large from a distance….but up close….. So including people in our photos actually helps to illustrate scale.

From Balanced Rock, it gets a bit more crowded. After all, the Windows area is a must stop.

This is another very easy trail. You can visit the North and South "Window" and also the Turret Arch across the way, via a very easy trail.

It's a very popular area.

As is the "Double Arch" (right across the parking lot), two arches that meet at a single spot….formed by water in a "pothole" according to the signage.

My favorite view were the formations named "Parade of the Elephants"….which really looked like elephants!

Our next stop was the one the Missus was really looking forward to. It meant stopping near an area called Wolfe Ranch. Near here is a side trail where you can view petroglyphs……one of my favorite sites on this trip.

Beyond this point lay what the Missus wanted to see. It was easy trail to this point. Beyond this was a fairly steep trail of what they call "slickrock". Still, I saw many a mom and dad making their way up the side of the mountain with a baby strapped to their back. Granted, they were decades younger than me….but still……

The big payoff here was a close-up view of a iconic symbol of the state of Utah. the Delicate Arch.

It is striking….and as the Missus said, "you know…..this might just fall and crumble any day now!"

The descent was actually harder on my joints than the ascent. But we finally made it back to the car and onward to Moab. I wasn't really inspired by any location in Moab, so I let the Missus choose. She decided on Moab Brewery.

Utah has some of the most restrictive alcohol laws in the US. And Moab Brewery is located almost at the end of the one major thoroughfare, Main Street.

We decided to eat in the bar area. The woman who served us was so nice. We asked about the local liquor restrictions and apologized for not quite knowing it. Her reply, "oh, no problem……I tell everyone who is not a local anyway, so they know." Anyway, anything draft is less than 4 percent ABV, you can get bottled beer, which is considered "liquor", as in hard liquor. There are "tasters", but no "flights".

Anyway, I went with a Hefeweizen, which was decent, non-descript, fairly generic, though quite refreshing.

The Missus had two tasters and went with the Pilsner. Which She said was refreshing, though even lighter than what we had in Prague. Still, it was nice after hiking in the sun…..

We weren't too hungry and decided on two things……

Starting with the Jalapeno Beer Fries ($6.59).

We both actually enjoyed this. The Jalapeno Powder gave this a bit of a "kick", the fries had been dusted with flour and were crisp. The "beer sauce" was like nacho cheese with salsa….but was strangely addictive…in a "college dorm room" kind of way.

We also ordered the Gazpacho Salad with Grilled Chicken ($9.99).