Day 43 Cedar Key, Florida

It was beautiful day in Cedar Key and, I like a dope didn't take advantage of it and do something outdoorsy. Instead we just walked around town and ate and drank...again. We did watch some watermen take their work boats out of the water onto their trailers. The boats are unlike anything I've seen before. The steering is from the very tip of the bow and the outboard engine is in a well just behind the helmsman. The stern is completely open to the water and it's rigged for claming, oystering, and trawling. I talked to one of them and he said it's rigged that way because they mostly go backwards when working. I couldn't figure that one out, so I went for drink to contemplate things.

I was dying for more clams so we got an early start and went to Tony's Seafood for an 11 o'clock lunch. The place is rather famous and also very small with only 40 seats. Sylvia had steamed clams and I had the clam chowder which is unbelievably good. We had the early lunch so we could stop by the Big Deck for more steamed clams. We each got two dozen. Yum! After a brief rest we stopped at the Black Dog Bar before going to Steamers for dinner. Worn out with seafood Sylvia had beef and I had chicken neither of which we could come close to finishing.

Tomorrow we head to Mt. Dora to spend a couple of days with our friends from 30A, Toni and John.

Cedar Key workboat

Day 42 Cedar Key, Florida

The five hour drive from Seaside to Cedar Key was without traffic but very boring. We got there shortly after noon and checked in at Harbour Master Suites. We didn't get the water front room we rented the last time we were here, instead they put us in a huge suite that overlooked the town with a semi-water view. We dropped off our bags and went immediately to Steamers for a lunch of clam chowder and fried oysters. Later on, we stopped at Big Deck Bar for steamed clams and fish. I had a couple dozen clams and expect to get more tomorrow.

Cedar Key's an interesting place to visit. We were here 6 years ago and found it fascinating. It's a very small island that's known for clam and oyster aquaculture, and in my opinion, the oysters are pretty good and the clams are simply the best I've had. A small local place, Tony's Seafood Restaurant, is noted for winning the World Championship Clam Chowder competition three consecutive years, and I can tell you, it's really, really good and I believe it's a result of the clams. I will be going there tomorrow. Cedar Key has a population of only 800 and is really small. You can walk the town in an hour if you walk slowly. There's not much here except for a few restaurants and a convenience store. Most of the residences are either retired or watermen. We stopped at 83 West for a drink and talked to a guy who is the sole resident on an island that can only be reached by airboat. He built the only structure on the island and loves it, except for the summer deer flies. An interesting conversation.

Cedar Key

Day 33 through 41 Seaside, Florida

Left Lafayette in the middle of a rain storm. It was only a thin line passing through, but that line was with us the entire six hours it took us to get to Seaside. It was not a pleasant drive. We rented a condo for a week in Sea Grove, but we got there a day early to spend the night with my brother Randy and sister in law Carol. We had a really nice evening hanging out with them except Randy made me drink way too much scotch...and vodka...and wine. A good time was had by all.

On Tuesday we checked in the condo and went to Great Southern for a drink and then met Randy and Carol for dinner at Johnny McTighe's.

On Wednesday we had lunch at Wine World and dinner at Surfing Deer which was really good.

Thursday we met Randy and Carol at lunch for oysters at Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar which had the best oysters I've had in years and they were only $8 a dozen. For dinner we went to the Cafe Thirty-A for happy hour and the $5 martinis. Also earlier in the day I dropped my laptop and broke it. I went to Best Buy and got another one. I tried to blame it on something besides me, but I couldn't figure out how.

Friday was Sylvia's birthday so we went and picked up my new laptop and stopped at Local Catch for a light lunch. I guess I got a better birthday present that she did, at least more expensive. Then later stopped at the Craft Bar for a snack. Steven the bartender made me a couple of innovative bourbon drinks.

Saturday was an easy day. We only went to see Neil at AJ's in Grayton Beach. Had a pleasant lunch there and a good chat with Neil. AJ's is only a year old, but it's huge and is a really interesting restaurant to check out.

Sunday's always a busy day on 30A. We met Randy and Carol at my favorite brunch place Trebeache. Sylvia had the most interesting item, three slices of bread pudding french toast with whipped cream, berries, and a drizzle of honey caramel . I was extremely envious. Randy had grits and grillades. We all had the bottomless Mimosas, probably too many. Afterwards we did what we do every Sunday down here, stop at the Red Bar to see the local band Dread Clampitt and that of course meant more Mimosas. We watched the first set then crossed the street to Chiringo. At least we got off the Mimosas and switched to beer. The final stop was Local Catch to see another group, The Forrest Williams Band. They're terrific and always worth seeing, probably our favorite in the whole area. Needless to say, that was the end of my evening, at least as far as I can recall.

On Monday, our last day on 30A, we stopped at Bud and Alley's Pizza Bar to see Judy and have a delicious clam pizza. In the evening we met Randy and Carol the Craft Bar for $5 hamburgers and more beer. We had a good visit on 30A and are considering coming back next winter for January and February. Tomorrow we head to Cedar Key, Florida. It was really nice spending time with Randy and Carol

Day 32 Lafayette, Louisana

Did the drive from Austin to Lafayette and boy was it boring. After all the great scenery the last month I guess we were due for a bummer. Anyhow, we got there early afternoon and figured out where to have dinner. We could have done the Cajun thing, but we weren't quite up for that, so instead we picked Zea Rotisserie & Bar. We checked with the hotel check in lady and she said it was very, very good. Apparently everybody else in Lafayette thought so too because it was packed and the waiting line was an hour. We got lucky and managed to squeeze in at the bar. It was nuts with bartenders going crazy trying to keep up. We managed all right and got our drinks and just hung out there waiting for things to calm down a bit. It took over an hour, but it finally did. It turned out to be fairly enjoyable because we chatted quite a bit with some locals. I think bartenders were appreciative that we weren't pushy because they comp'd us a few drinks. We eventually ordered food and it was good, especially since it could have been a not so nice experience.

Tomorrow it's Seaside, Florida

Days 28, 29, 30, 31 Austin, Texas

Got to Fred and Mica's on Wednesday after what seemed like a very long drive. Their condo is on the top floor of a 43 story building and has a fantastic view of downtown Austin. We had a great time running around Austin, it's a really active city and we covered a lot of it. I can't even begin to name all the places we went or all the food we consumed, but two that I do remember and will never forget are Clark's Oyster Bar and Perry's Steakhouse and Grill. Two places that I for sure would recommend that everyone go to. Perry's especially for the Friday lunch special Pork Chop. It's a half order of their normal smoked pork chop. Sylvia and I split it and still didn't finish it. Best of all it's fabulous, never had a more tender and moist chop. I saw the dinner one and it's 4 ribs thick and about 7 inches high - whew! I wouldn't begin to explain Clark's except to say they had 20 different kinds of oysters and, I don't know, everything's just so good especially if you're up for raw fish.

An added treat was Terry Lin, a friend we worked with in Harrisburg , came in for the evening. We all got together and talked old times, then Terry, Fred, and I went out for drinks and drinks and drinks...another whew!

We're leaving tomorrow morning (Sunday) for the Gulf Coast of Florida, but we'll break up the trip by spending the night in Lafayette, Louisiana.

View from Fred and Mica's condo

Perry's Pork Chop

Day 27 Lubbock, Texas

Today was the first day that the drive got boring, There's a lot of new highway construction in the area and Google Maps doesn't have the updates. Soooo, several lively discussions occurred, and eventually we got to the hotel somehow. We checked in and went for drinks at CuJo's for a few and had a bite to eat. Sylvia had catfish and I had a Chicken Fried Chicken sandwich, both pretty good. CuJo's is owned by Curtis Jordan who use to play safety for the Redskins back in the 80's. Lubbock isn't such a great place, but you have to go through some not so great places to get to the good ones. Tomorrow we're going to Austin for a few days and spend some time with our friends Fred and Mica, a great place.

This trip obviously was not a sight seeing trip; it was a trip to see the country and experience what it really looks and feels like. I have spent time in all four corners of the United States and many impressive places in between, but driving across the country and seeing the transition of the geological features from state to state and day to day has a totally different feel to it. It's incredible, and I was totally in awe of how different every region of this country is. Plus, the people, the cities and towns are amazingly diverse, and I was never able to get a sense of that from my casual visits. It's been an unbelievable experience. This is truly an extraordinary country. I wish I was able to better describe and clarify why this experience of a free and easy drive across the country is so different than just going somewhere and seeing the sights, but maybe later.

Day 26 Albuquerque, New Mexico

It was an easy drive to Albuquerque, turn right leaving the hotel for 2 blocks, turn right on Route 40 for 473 miles, turn right for 1 block and into the hotel. Even though the drive was totally in high plains desert, it was beautiful. The mountains and desert change constantly with completely different views. There was always something to look at, plus we could still average 80 miles an hour.

We had been to Albuquerque before and were not impressed with Old Town then, so naturally we went back again and walked around. Our view of Old Town hasn't changed, it was just something to do. We had dinner at St. Clair Winery & Bistro within walking distance of the hotel. It's pretty big winery that grows all it's own grapes and they're pretty good. The place is very nice and the food is probably better than most other restaurants in town. That's it for today. Tomorrow we go to Lubbock, Texas  because it's on the way to Austin. I don't think there's much to do there either.

Day 25 Kingman, Arizona

Yesterday we drove an uneventful  365 miles from Santa Rosa to Bakersfield on a lousy cloudy and misty day through the San Joaquin Valley which is miles and miles of agriculture, consisting mostly of citrus groves and almond groves (or orchards, or nuttery's, or whatever you call large groups of almond trees). Anyhow, really heavy duty food producers. We settled down in Bakersfield and found a French Basque restaurant just up the street called Benji's. We got there at 5:30 to make sure we could get in, and it's good we did, because when we left just before seven, they were lined up waiting to get in. It was a strange menu, you only really ordered the meat, fish or entree and "The Fixings" came with it. First came a cabbage soup, beans, and hot sauce that you mixed together yourself. It was great, especially the beans. Second, came a green salad, tomato and onions, and marinated beef tongue. The beef tongue was very tender and tasty. Then, finally came the entree with french fries and some excellent green beans. Sylvia's entree was Sole and mine was sweetbreads. Both were outstanding.

Sole and Sweetbreads

Salads and Beef Tongue

Today we drove to Kingman, Arizona exactly 365 miles, the same as yesterday. Although it was a much better drive today than yesterday. The desert was so different than I ever imagined and I was totally mesmerized. We stopped in Kingman because it's a major stop on old Route 66. We drove around downtown a bit before stopping at Canyon 66 Restaurant and Lounge where we watched a NFL playoff game and ended up having diner there. It was a pretty cool place with mostly edible food.

Canyon 66 Restaurant and Lounge

Day 23 Bodega Bay and Santa Rosa

We were off early for what would be a pretty intense 180 mile drive down the northern coast of California.The 22 mile section over the mountains between Leggett and the coast had the most extreme twists and turns that I ever driven.  It's beautiful with Redwoods and all, but it seems as though nobody really wants to drive it. We saw a total of seven automobiles for the entire 22 miles. Then the 120  miles drive down the coast to Bodega Bay is no picnic either. Turnpike Trance is not a possibility on this part of Route 1. It again was spectacular with lots of variety, the northern part is wooden and the southern is more like pastureland, and all very rugged. We completed our 800 mile Pacific Coast trip from the Columbia River to Bodega Bay in four fabulous days. It's well worth doing with spectacular scenery everywhere.

We marked the end of the drive at The Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay. I had a Seafood Chowder that was tasty and would have been better if it actually had seafood. A bust. Sylvia, still a little woozy, had a salad and chicken. Afterwards we started back east by heading over to Santa Rosa. We expected to have a nice dinner there, but I seemed to have caught whatever Sylvia had and crashed as soon as we checked in. We've traveled over 4000 miles so far. I think we'll go to Bakersfield tomorrow and decide then whether to take Route 40 or 10 back towards Austin or San Antonio. That's another 1800 miles.

Day 22 Garberville, California

Sylvia was still feeling a little funky this morning so I went solo for an early morning breakfast.The diner next to the commercial fishing docks seemed like a good idea, and it turned out to be a perfect choice. Fish, eggs, potatoes, and biscuit, what could be better? I had four choices of fish and I picked snapper, I have no idea what a Pacific snapper is, but it was good.

Around 9 we got started south for a relatively short drive to Garberville. And again the radar showed no rain and yet again it rained all day. The drive was interesting because we took a couple of side roads through three National Redwood Forrests. I've never seen a Redwood and I was totally amazed, they're magnificent. It's good they're not in Maryland because the utility company's would cut them down so they wouldn't interfere with their power lines. Anyhow, we got to Garberville in good order and took 20 minutes to walk around the whole town. Like most of the towns we've seen up here in northern California they're old: like from the very early 1900's, pretty much run down, but still cool. One interesting town we drove through was Eureka. The old part of town is gentrified and really worth a visit. I'd like to spend a day there (This is just a reminder to myself, not that I have trouble remembering).

Snapper and Eggs

For dinner there was only two places worth eating, we picked Calico's Cafe. I don't know how to describe it but, Sylvia had Spaghetti Bolognese and I had Tamales, and we drank a local Pinot Noir. There was a guy on the balcony playing the fiddle, he never finished a song, or took a break. There's no way to characterize the place. It was pretty good though.

Day 21 Crescent City, California

Finally made California, only by 20 miles though. It was a pretty good drive, about half near the ocean and half in the mountains. As soon as we got within 30 miles of California it started drizzling and never stopped. It was kind of strange because if you looked at the radar it didn't show up as rain, just clouds. We stopped a lot to take pictures. In some sections it seems as though there's scenic view pull-off's every mile or two. We stopped for lunch in Mattie's in Brookings, Oregon for a quick bite. Small cafe with nice people, excellent choice.

Once we checked in, Sylvia did laundry and I went across the street to where the commercial fishing fleet docked. There were at least 100 crab boats with thousands of crab pots stored in the parking lot. I talked to one of the fishermen and he did say that the weather is always like this, rain and drizzle. Too bad, what a pretty place.

By evening Sylvia wasn't feeling too well (flu we think), so I went searching for something to eat by myself. Things were really slow, but I did see a tiny Mexican cafe with a Negra Modelo sign in the window. It might as well have had my name on it. Perlita's was a perfect stop, small and no gringo's, except me. I had the special, enchilada and a tamale, Modelo too. I took some really good chicken soup back for Sylvia. She still wasn't hungry. Not sure how far we'll get tomorrow.

This is one of my better pictures

Oregon Coast

If you look close or blow it up you can see a guy bending over near the rock.

One of a hundred like it in Crescent City

Typical Crabber

Thousands of Crab Pots

Day 20 Newport, Oregon

Woke up this morning to wind and rain. I thought it would be a wasted day, but by 10 o'clock it cleared up and the sun semi-shined. We found out it's possible to rain here every 15 minutes for 5 minutes all day. Just something to deal with in coastal Oregon. It sure makes it green though. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is here in Newport and was suppose to be well worth a visit. We got there before noon and enjoyed the extensive collection of fish, otters, seals, birds, etc. We almost had the whole aquarium to ourselves.

Afterwards, we drove down to Seal Rocks and took a couple of pictures before going to lunch at the Clearwater Restaurant over by a huge fleet of Dungeness crab fishermen. Naturally we didn't have any crab, instead I had Halibut and Sylvia a Salmon Burger. It was an enjoyable lunch watching the seals grumbling at each other and the boats heading out with their decks overflowing with crab pots.

We skipped dinner and got ready to leave early tomorrow for more coastal driving down to Crescent City, California.

Oregon Coastline

Our Hotel's Hot Tub

Day 19 Newport, Oregon

The drive from Seaside to Newport was only 120 miles but took almost 6 hours, not because of traffic, but because there's so many spectacular places to stop and take pictures. It's a beautiful drive and we mostly stayed on route 101 except for some side roads to checkout anyplace that looked interesting. The only touristy stop we made was the requisite 15 minute tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We bought too much cheese and a cone of really good ice cream. We continued down the coast to Depoe Bay and stopped for some pretty good clam chowder at Gracie's Sea Hag Restaurant. The final stop before Newport was the Yaquina Head Lighthouse for a quick walk around for a few pictures. We checked in at the Inn at Nye Beach in Newport around 3 and were very happy with a nice room on the beach. For once we hadn't eaten too much at lunch and were semi-hungry for dinner and Nana's Irish Pub seemed about right. Sylvia ordered Fried Oysters, and I had a Steak and Guinness Pie with an appropriate beverage of course.

It's been 19 days and we've been a bunch of places and we found ourselves trying to recall where we stayed, what we did, and what we ate when. Thank goodness for this dumb blog, because we've used it several times already to settle what could have easily turned into another lively discussion.

Yaquina Head

Nye Beach or thereabouts

Day 18 Seaside, Oregon

We left Portland around 9 heading for Astoria, but instead of going the direct route, we went over to the Washington side of the Columbia river and up route 5 and across to Astoria via a rural two lane route 4. I think it was a little more interesting, but a little longer too. Anyhow, it was only 135 miles and didn't add much. And, I really wanted to cross the 4 mile Astoria-Megler Bridge to Astoria and see the "Graveyard of the Pacific" the Columbia River Bar where over 2000 ships have sunk trying to cross the Columbia River. We stopped in Astoria and spent an hour in the Columbia River Maritime Museum which absolutely fascinated me with exhibits of life on the mouth of the Columbia River. It was really well done and shouldn't be passed up.

Of course we had to stop for lunch and a refreshment after such a trying museum experience. By luck, we just happened to stumble onto the Fort George Brewery and Public House. Sylvia coerced me into giving it a go, and I have to admit it was very good. I doubt I could have found a much better lunch spot. We had Seafood Chowder (razor clams, Albacore tuna, shrimp, salmon, and bacon), and a side of Fire roasted brussel sprouts with cranberries, hazelnut cheese, lemon etc. And, it came with beer and wine. I'd like to go back tonight because they had a great menu.

It rained the rest of the day so we just drove a short distance to Seaside and checked in at a Holiday Inn Express. It would have been a nice little town to walk around in, but it was raining way too hard. We weren't very hungry so we went to Finn's Fish House for something to do and ordered food anyhow. Sylvia got Salmon fish and chips. Neither of us ever had breaded and fried salmon, but it was good. I had a burger and it hit the spot. Nothing like a burger in a fish house. Tomorrow it's further down the coast.

Astoria, Oregon & Columbia River

Seaside, Oregon

Day 17 Portland, Oregon

Last day in Portland and I started it off right by going to Voodoo Doughnuts. I had to get there before six o'clock because it gets packed. It's an amazing doughnut shop that's open 24 hours and if you don't get there early, the line for their doughnuts goes out the door and down the street. It's not easy deciding what kind to get, they have 50 to select from. I randomly picked a Maple Bacon Bar, a Portland Cream, and a Ain't That a Peach. I want to tell you, they're really great, not too sweet, just perfect. Check them out ( www.voodoodoughnut.com/doughnuts). No wonder they line up.

After that healthy breakfast we met Larry, Linda and Sarah Zeigenfuss for lunch over across the river in Vancouver, Washington. We met at a neat riverside restaurant called Beaches Restaurant and Bar. It was a very pleasant lunch and good conversation. They provided much needed information for the rest of our trip around Oregon. It was really nice seeing them and catching up on things.

Needless to say, we didn't need anymore food so we pretty much skipped eating for the rest of the day, except for a soft pretzel and a few drinks at Red Sky Tavern. It was a good soft pretzel too. And, that's all we did. Tomorrow it's off and up to Astonia, the most northwester town in Oregon,

Day 16 Portland, Oregon

I got up a little early this morning, had breakfast and went out for a long walk about town. Portland's a terrific city and different than most. There's a million pubs, but they're all pretty much the same. I even stopped in an Irish pub and asked for a Guinness and the bartender said, "You won't be able to find any Guinness in Portland, because I've been trying for two years." Irish Pub? I think not.

Portland's an old and classic looking city, I think most of the buildings were built in the early 1900's. They're classy, ornate and well maintained. It's a really nice walking city with blocks and blocks of shops and store fronts to amuse oneself. Although it's a bit uncomfortable at times, because Portland has a huge homeless population; they're all over the place and sometimes create quite a disturbance. The city does admit they have a major problem but nobody bothers to do anything about it. You just deal with it.

The population seems to be very young, energetic, and like doing stuff together.  In restaurants there's always a couple of large groups of young people enjoying themselves. They also dress a little bit different here than they do back east. For instance, I think an Eastern European cab driver and myself were the only men to wear regular shoes. Everyone else wore either sneakers or hiking boots, and not a sole was hiking and hardly anyone running. Tom Mcan Shoes would go out of business in this town...Oh, I guess they are. I forgot, I'm a geezer.

Back to the rest of the day. I met Sylvia around noon and we walked around town  until mid afternoon (as I was getting tired by now). We went in a couple of stores, walked the waterfront and stopped for a late lunch at LeChon, a nice little restaurant specializing in South American food.  We had an appetizer of grilled octopus, chorizo, fried potatoes, salsa verde, and preserved lemon. I ordered the Peruvian roasted chicken, and Sylvia got the Pastel de Chocio, sweet corn, beef, peppers, and aji amarillo? ( It's kind of like a South American shepherds pie). A bottle of wine too. It was a really good lunch and we both would love to go back for dinner.

We didn't do anything else.

Portland Street Food Trucks

Typical Portland Hotel Lobby (Ours)

Day 15 Portland, Oregon

Hooray, we finally made Portland. It was 15 day 3320 mile trip, but we made it in good order. The drive from Boise to Portland was 433 beautiful miles with a little messy snowy stretch around Deadman Pass. The rest was a piece of cake. One of the coolest drives I've ever driven was the 140 mile section from Boardman to Portland on the Columbia River. The road was next to the river for the entire140 miles and went through gorges and past beautiful winter waterfalls. I've scoured the internet to find any picture that does it justice and I couldn't find a thing. We stopped for lunch at the Riverside in the town of Hood River on the Columbia River and arrived in Portland around 3. It was another fantastic drive. We didn't do much after we got there except stop for a bite and a cocktail at the Senate, which isn't worth saying anything more about. We're staying at the Embassy Suites downtown and it's in a 103 year old gorgeous building and our room is huge, perfect ending to a great drive. We'll be in Portland three days.

Columbia River Drive

View from Riverside Restaurant

Day 14 Boise, Idaho

I got up and decided I would again suffer through the free hotel breakfast. I usually hate them, but it's so easy that I do them anyhow. This time I was totally surprised, they had Miso soup and sticky rice with seaweed and all the fixings. I had two bowls. Sylvia wanted to hangout at the hotel this morning, so after breakfast I went for a walk through the park and stopped at the Boise Art Museum. It's not a bad little art museum, very entertaining. Afterwards, I went back to the hotel and Sylvia and I finally got the Basque lunch we wanted at Bar Gernika, It's a little local bar that seats 30 at most. Sylvia had a Solomo sandwich (marinated pork and pimientos), and I had a Lamb Dip, just like a French Dip only with thinly sliced roast lamb. We both had Croquetas, which are made from butter, chicken, milk, flour, and onion. Fabulous! We walked around a bit afterward because we were too stuffed to sit down anywhere. I couldn't possibly have dinner...could I?

Yep, more food. We read a very good review of a restaurant up the street called Juniper. The menu looked pretty good and it had some items that weren't so heavy. So off we went. If I wasn't so stuffed I would have loved to get the Pork Cheeks and Gnocchi's. Instead I got the Spicy Pork Ramen which had Duck Confit, poached egg, mushrooms, etc. It was good, but it wasn't the Pork Cheeks and Gnocchi. Sylvia had a Roasted Cauliflower, Grilled Kale and Fried Egg Salad with crispy prosciutto and fried capers. She loved it and wants me to make it. It looks too hard.

Juniper Dinner

Boise's a great not so little residential city with about an 8 block by 8 block really nice dining and shopping district. There's at least 30 to 40 restaurants I'd like to try. There's the Boise River that runs through it and a 25 mile bike path that runs next to the river. I understand why so many young people are moving here. It's a wonderful up and coming city.

Tomorrow it's off to Portland, Oregon.

Day 12 and 13 Boise, Idaho

The 400 mile drive from Provo to Boise had yet again a different topography. This time it was mostly prairie land, treeless and semi-flat. We made excellent time since: it was New Year's day, the speed limit was 80, there were very few police, and you could see a long way ahead. We checked in around 3 o'clock and looked for a placee to eat. There wasn't much open except for Double Tap, a little bar two blocks away from the hotel. We had a late lunch and watched  a bowl game with some locals. I had a very good Elk cheeseburger and Sylvia a quesadilla. After an hour or two we walked around a bit to get the feel of the town and didn't do very much else.

I got up early this morning and, as usual went looking for breakfast while Sylvia slept. I'm was tired of the same old hotel breakfast so I walked around town until I found Addie's, a little place owned by a very nice lady who let me in before she was actually ready to open. I drank coffee and read the paper until she had time to make me chicken fried chicken with gravy and poached eggs. That, hit the spot. When we finally got out and about we noticed that Boise had a large Basque population that migrated here in 1890's to 1920's. A few years ago we spent a few days in the Basque region of Spain and we really liked the food and the people. We decided to checkout the Basque Museum just up the street. Turns out they were great sheepherders and were responsible for the massive sheep population in Idaho...who knew? Now all we had to do was find some Basque restaurants. So we went across the street from the museum and went into what we thought was the Basque Market to have lunch. As it turned out it was the Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery, but they had a Basque chorizo and white bean soup so we ate there instead. Tomorrow we will find a good Basque restaurant. We might as well enjoy it here because Solomons falls a bit short when it comes to Basque dining options.

After spending the afternoon walking the town checking out dinner options, we realized we had too many dinner choices. One place I very much wanted to eat was a small German bar called Prost. We went in to check the menu and it was very limited and very German, even the beers were nothing but German. Pretty cool, but we not quite what we wanted. I did have a Bitburger while we "discussed" where we wanted to eat. Unable to decide we just went across the street to Fork. Wow, what a good guess. Turns out it was probably the best choice we could have made. We were early and fortunately got a good seat because it got packed later. The bartender said the turnout was pretty normal for a Tuesday. Sylvia ordered a Artichoke Heart & Ricotta Ravioli which she loved, and I had the Tuesday special, Cast Iron Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Cheddar Waffle with Balsamic infused maple syrup & local Ahaus honey-orange infused butter. It could not have been better. I love fried chicken and I've not had anything better, that's for sure. We're staying another day.

Fried Chicken & Waffles

Big news this morning, somebody climbed the town Christmas tree and stole the topper ornament.

Missing Topper