Besides skiing at Badger Pass, ice skating at the Curry Village Ice Rink and shopping at the Curry Village Craft Bazaar, one of the highlights of winter in Yosemite is the Chefs' Holidays food extravaganza at the Ahwahnee Hotel. Thanks to our friends Joe and Christy, we had the singular delight of attending the gala dinner prepared by sustainable seafood chef Rick Moonen. There's nothing like sharing excellent food and wine with friends at a cozily lit table in the Ahwahnee's venerable old dining room on a cold winter's night. We started off the evening with the superlative Green Papaya Salad above, accompanied by champagne (note the little 'c') and incredibly, the food got better and better as the evening progressed!
Christy and JoeI'm fairly certain that all Chefs' Holiday dinners are excellent. After all, chefs from around the country descend on the Ahwahnee every winter to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to an appreciative audience about the joys of food and cooking. Though the dinner is not inexpensive, it's worth every penny and you can augment your experience by attending free cooking demonstrations (read: free food samples!) by the chefs designated for each holiday session. And did I mention that each dinner course is accompanied by carefully selected wines? Chef Rick did us a favor by choosing a crop of lovely California wines to savor with our seafood. After Papaya Salad, everyone at the table lost their minds over the Arctic Char. The cucumber/horseradish flavors sent the perfectly cooked fish over the moon as far as we were concerned. By the time the Alaskan Black Cod arrived and was promptly consumed, Ted exclaimed that this was the best meal he had ever eaten. When Ted says "best meal ever", he is of course referring to a subset of meals cooked outside of our home. But still, high praise indeed. No photo of the cod as I was halfway through when I realized I missed the photo op. Too busy eating. This also may have been my best meal ever as in addition to preferring seafood over just about anything, I like me some venison. And it should always be prepared like this with onions, mushroms and brussels sprouts - perfect!
Applewood Smoked Arctic Char
Venison with Pear ButterChef Rick's current venture is RM Seafood in Las Vegas and his efforts to endorse sustainable seafood purveyors for restaurants resulted in "Chef of the Year" status for 2010 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's influential Seafood Watch program. Accolades aside, the man has a way with preparing seafood that is a boon for the rest of us. We talked with Chef Rick after dinner and he shared how much he enjoyed hiking around Yosemite during his visit. I shared how fortunate I am in visiting Las Vegas next month where I would be enjoying this dinner all over again.
We ended dinner with Sticky Toffee Pudding (right!) and the evening with a table visit from Ahwahnee General Manager Brett Archer and Ahwahnee Executive Chef Percy Whatley. Both exuded enthusiasm for the dinner and the Chefs' Holidays event in general, as they should. Both have had a hand in creating an exceptional dining experience enhanced by it's national park setting. The Ahwahnee team and it's guest chefs are making winters bright in Yosemite National Park.
Michelle and Chef Rick Moonen
Brett and Ted
Did I mention there was a lot of wine?Junket Ratings:
Chefs' Holidays at the Ahwahnee: Junk in the Trunk!
Mexico: land of sunshine, tacos, desert, ocean, caballeros, stray dogs, pesos, tortillas, and my mother-in-law's home in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at historic Alamos, an official Pueblo Magico in the state of Sonora. Ted and I escorted her in our Landcruiser, driving two days from LA to northern Mexico for two glorious weeks in the Mexican high desert. Appropriately enough, we made it for our sixth wedding anniversary since we were married at her home, Casa Bella, on a fall evening in 2005. We assisted with some home projects, spent a day at the beach, cooked some great meals, visited with friends and availed ourselves of super sabrosa street food in the form of tacos, exquisitos, hamburguesas and helados. Soaking up some sun before our return to ever colder Yosemite, we enjoyed Alamos as we always do, lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful home in a charming town with a fabulous setting.
It takes roughly 9 hours to drive to Alamos from Tucson, Arizona, through the state of Sonora on Mexican Federal Highway 15 or you can fly into Ciudad Obregon and drive 1.5 hours south. Alamos is a town of 13,000 Mexican souls which includes an American expatriate community of 300 families or so. Founded in 1681, Alamos was built on the largesse of silver mining in the surrounding area with classic examples of Spanish colonial architecture at the La Parroquia de la Purísima Concepción, the Plaza de Armas and the scores of mansion homes for the wealthy. By World War II, the silver was gone and most of the mansions had fallen into disrepair so Americans began to buy and restore the buildings beginning in the 1950s. The result is a large community of Americans in Alamos who participate in the local community but also maintain a social season throughout the winter months with plenty of cocktail parties. Surrounded by the Sierra de Alamos mountains, the town is a national historic monument where you still see horses on the cobblestone streets and is also being considered for World Heritage Site status.
This is a famous photo of the 'Kissing Alley' in Alamos and I'm not sure who to credit
Wenche's home in Alamos has been in the family for 21 years. An historic building around a courtyard with a pool, 4 bedrooms, a second floor terrace, dining, reading and living rooms, Casa Bella is gorgeous and managed by Paco the caretaker. I'm giving you the 50 cent tour because the house is also for sale - if you're looking for a home in Mexico and have $419,000 to spend, this could all be yours. Check out the realtor site here.
Besides sunshine, beautiful gardens and architecture, we love Alamos for it's Mexican heart. Though many Americans maintain residences here, you won't see many American tourists. Instead, you will spend your days interacting with local citizens conducting everyday business. And what better way to interact than over a meal? Just like the rest of Mexico, Alamos has a thriving street food industry that is centered on two town squares: the more formal Plaza de Armas in front of the church and the Alameda next to the market. Sunday evenings find most of Alamos circumnavigating the Plaza with friends and family in a time-honored tradition known as the paseo - walking the square to socialize which includes dating teens, families with kids and elders. The paseo taking place at the Alameda consists mostly of young adults cruising in their pickup trucks blaring music. Part of the paseo is stopping to eat at the food carts set up around the square. Though many food carts in town operate most of the time, Sunday evening is by far their biggest sales day. The state of Sonora is known for it's beef, so carne asada tacos abound, but we really dig the fish tacos (Alamos is only an hour plus from the Gulf of California) and Exquisitos beef hot dogs with soft steamed buns and piled with toppings: bacon, tomatoes, onions, mayonnaise, mustard, and pickled jalapenos. We can withstand our disgust over hot dogs for these beauties! To round out the south of the border culinary experience, you can drink apple flavored soda or go right to the hard stuff, and in this case we tried Mezcal. Made from agave plants just like tequila, mezcal has a strong smoky flavor from the roasted maguey and a worm in the bottle. Apparently bottles of tequila never contained worms but a bottle of mezcal has always contained a specimen of the larval form of a moth that feeds on maguey. Don't let your husband put the worm in your shot glass like mine did.
Carne asada tacos and grilled chicken
Fish tacos
Exquisito hot dog
Though the restaurant/cocktail scene in Alamos is small, there are some real gems. Some hotels offer good restaurants and bars: super luxe Hacienda de Los Santos' Agave Cafe and American hangout Casa de Los Tesoros features Chato's Bar to name two, but excellent meals we found in three places. Wenche and I became ladies who lunch, sampling the Agave Cafe and Teresita's Panaderia y Bistro (bakery and cafe). Teresita's cozy location is surpassed only by the smell from the busy bakery, the lively menu and excellent dishes. The generous salad with dreamy artichoke souffle was served with fresh baked bread and soft creamy butter, accompanied by even more creamy Tarascan bean soup with a heap of shredded cheese and crunchy croutons. Owner and operator Teri Arnold-Shannon ran the Puerta Roja Inn for many years in Alamos, known for excellent hospitality. The Shannons were also very gracious with an invitation to attend a barbeque at their home in the Challeton neighborhood of Alamos. Teri and her husband Pat spend their winters in Alamos and summers on their boat in Alaska, so we had the most amazing crab appetizer with our cocktails and I should've asked Pat for the recipe. Speaking of seafood, we had an excellent shrimp dinner at El Mirador Restaurante located on the hill above Alamos known as the Mirador (lookout). With the best views in town, the humble restaurant specializes in seafood dishes so we ordered shrimp in chile relleno, in mojo de ajo (garlic) and a el diablo (with spicy tomato sauce). Yum, yum and yum!
Wenche enjoying lunch at Los Santos' Agave Cafe
Ted enjoying margaritas at Chato's Bar
Wenche enjoying lunch at Teresita's
Alamos at night form the Mirador
Restaurant at the Mirador (back building - ice cream stand up front)
Seafood at the MiradorTed is sick of dining with a blogger
No photographic evidence from me, but we also dined at Casa de Los Tesoros' Charisma restaurant run by Executive Chef Joseph Biggert from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ted and I had the gourmet spin on pizza and hamburger (can you resist serrano ham on pizza? I cannot.) that we thoroughly enjoyed and our dining companions, Wenche and her friend Naoma, enjoyed salad and salmon. We mowed through two seafood appetizers: deliciously prepared calamari and crab cakes with tasty dipping sauces and lovely presentation. However, as great as the food was, the decor at Charisma is really a knockout, creating a beautiful social atmosphere for dining that makes you want to linger. And linger you do, since each dish is prepared from scratch once you order, so order up your favorite cocktail and be prepared to wait - but you will love every minute of it.
Stay tuned for part two: Adventures in Alamos where we explore the area's natural and cultural attractions.
Junket Ratings:
Alamos Street Food (Exquisitos!): Junk in the Trunk!
Hacienda de Los Santos' Agave Cafe: Junk-O-Rama
Teresita's Panaderia y Bistro: Junk in the Trunk!
Casa de Los Tesoros' Chato Bar: Junk-O-Rama
El Mirador Restaurante: Junk-O-Rama
Casa de Los Tesoros' Charisma restaurant: Junk in the Trunk!
Sorry, none of that predictable fall color travel blathering this month (see last year's post here). Actually no travel this month at all so it's time to relive my travel glory days in the great state of California. For my 40th birthday I chose to go where all the old people go: Palm Springs. But before you get all down on my choice of venue for the gracefully aging, remember that Palm Springs is also where all the gay and retro hipster people go too, so it's got a lot to offer. Personally, I'm a mid-century modern kind of girl so desert modern architecture is what I yearned for with the added bonus of great outdoor opportunities for the Outdoor Guy (husband Ted). We also embraced low season in July where it's 115 degrees in the shade and got a great deal on a swanky room at the coolest hotel with a saltwater pool. But on the way we stopped at the casino, the outlet mall, and Hadley's for the requisite date shake.
From http://coolshots.blogspot.com/
From http://ironingboardcollective.wordpress.com/From http://www.homeofourfathers.com
From Saveur.comThe Palm Springs visit pre-dates my status as California's best blogger, so I didn't spend any time annoying Ted by insisting on photos before consuming any food purchases. Instead, I have turned to my fellow bloggers to steal their great photos of food in the Palm Springs area (attractions too). Thanks, Bleeps! (That's a shout out to "blogging peeps" not masking the fact that I used derisive language).
Anyone traveling to Palm Springs from LA passes by the unfortunately named San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm and most likely passes though the Morongo Casino a.k.a. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa with it's funky architecture. Ted never misses a chance to explore a casino food & beer deal, so we ended up leaving the car in the 100 degree shaded parking structure (better than 115 degrees!) to explore the Morongo food court. A couple of beers, a spin around the casino floor and a hot dog later, we found ourselves back on the highway and lured into the Cabazon Outlets mall. We found deals at the Adidas store and I admired from afar at the Le Creuset outlet. It's not a large mall, but air-conditioned shopping is a valid daytime activity in the desert, so we did our best. The last requisite stop before entering Palm Springs is the Hadley Fruit Orchard - home of the sinfully delicious Date Shake. SoCal is known for date cultivation (see Death Valley post) and it's natural extension: vanilla ice cream with milk and bits of yummy, somewhat chocolatey, dates to create the world's tastiest milk shake. Frosty goodness in the desert. Cooled off and satiated, we rolled into Palm Springs to check into the Orbit In, one of the coolest hotels ever.
Along with a saline pool and free cocktail hour with sake-based Orbitinis, the Palm Springs retro mod decor made this the perfect desert getaway. Discounted summer rates didn't detract from the service, though they did neglect to turn the A/C on before our arrival, resulting in a hot surprise in the Cha Cha Room where we stayed. Once the air kicked in, we enjoyed the private patio and our room with the pink bathroom just steps from the pool. The plan was simple: early to rise to use the hotels named cruiser bikes to survey the city's architecture or an outdoor adventure, spend the rest of the day in the pool, clean up for evening outings at local restaurants. The plan worked like a charm.
Where Elvis and Priscilla spent their honeymoon from architecture.about.comThe Kaufmann House From designsigh.com
From www.oklahomamodern.us
From www.gowestusa.com
Learning to use the camera timer. Or not.
The best way to see the architecture of Palm Springs is to buy the map of the self-guided tour: A Map of Modern Palm Springs by the non-profit Palm Springs Modern Committee. Don't care about architecture? How about some desert adventure? Just about an hour's drive away is Joshua Tree National Park, rockclimbing mecca and home to the tree on the cover of the U2 album (though not the exact tree - see Death Valley post again). We took in sunrise at the park by leaving PS at 4:30 am to beat the heat and enjoy the desert before retiring to the pool for the afternoon. I have to say that JTree has the coolest national park visitor center in the west.
You can also hie yourself out to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway that ascends 2 and one half miles to an elevation of 8500 feet at the Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness/Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument for a high desert experience that is some 25 degrees cooler - ahhh. The World's Largest Rotating Tramcars follow Chino Canyon before providing a view of the entire Coachella Valley spread out before you like Auntie Entity's Bartertown, only with much more reliable electricity thanks to those windmills! At this elevation, snow is also possible in the desert, though you have to settle for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter - no ski resorts in the park or monument. Hiking trails and picnic areas make for a great day trip, and don't forget the restaurants and gift shops at Mountain Station - look for the small state park gift shop next to the concession shop to spend your dollars wisely. I found this guy's video of the tramway where his low-key narration uses words like "exhilarating" "daredevil" and "lush" to describe his experience:
Coachella Valley from Mount San Jacinto State ParkPalm Springs is another of God's Waiting Room retirement cities, so the residents are generally loaded. Rich people in proximity usually mean good restaurants, and PS has it's share. We dined at two restaurants in town, Wang's in the Desert and Peppers Thai Cuisine, and ate birthday dinner in the neighboring town of Palm Desert at Pacifica seafood restaurant. I remember raving about Peppers Thai, but since we have so little access to Thai food in our lives, we may have just been grateful. I do remember ordering Crab Meat Rangoon and a Basil & Chili dish and it probably was the Seafood Combo. The restaurant was right downtown on the main drag, but not located in one of those faux town square deals. It had good atmosphere. Wang's was a little further from our hotel (also right downtown), but not by much. The food, service and location were all very, very good and we really enjoyed our dinner seated next to the indoor pond. The locals seemed to be having a great time at the bar. We drove to Palm Desert for Pacifica because I had a very specific seafood wish for my birthday dinner. Located in the swank and kinda ugly shopping district, Pacifica was very busy and they took a minute to seat us, even with reservations. However, all my reservations disappeared with the serving of many types of seafood delight. Pacifica obviously changes the menu regularly but I'm certain I consumed scallops and some lovely dessert thing. I believe Ted had the Sugar-Spiced Salmon which he quite liked. During one evening's outing we also took advantage of Free Admission Thursdays at the Palm Springs Art Museum before heading off to dinner.
From wangsinthedesert.com
Palm Desert from cityofpalmdesert.org
The Sugar-Spiced Salmon at Pacifica from yelp.com
From mypalmsprings.comWe rolled out of Palm Springs tanner, a little fit, a little more cultured, well-fed and well-rested, perhaps overall everything you are looking for in a vacation destination. I'm looking to go back anytime, as we didn't visit the ultra-cool and dog-friendly ACE Hotel, haven't seen Modernism Week or checked out Shields Date Gardens to see the film, "Romance and Sex Life of the Date". So much to do in the desert.
The view of Zion National Park from Bonnie's house
Every summer Ted makes a trip to Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer trade show to view the world's coolest outdoor gear and acquire some to sell in the Mountain Shop in Yosemite. Last couple of years I've tagged along, but this year though my presence was required in Utah, my attention was directed to a loftier goal: emptying the storage unit we'd been keeping in Utah since I'd moved away in the spring of 2010. The best part of this plan was that we would be able to visit with our friend Bonnie in Springdale. After some tricky logistics got me, Ted, and our cargo trailer to Utah via Las Vegas, we were able to spend a weekend with Bonnie and various members of the Suerig clan, including her dog Scooby Doo (a mixed breed rescue dog, Ted referred to Scooby's pedigree as "Desert Husky").
We stayed with Bonnie in her home just yards from the entrance to Zion National Park amidst her hollyhock garden and flocks of hummingbirds. We ate pizza from the Flying Monkey (the excellent Pizza Lasagna involving fennel sausage - yum!), went tubing on the Virgin River and cooked up some Mexican food for Bonnie and her daughter Tiffany (seafood tostadas, grilled parmesan corn and watermelon salad). Bonnie's granddaughter Ginger (Tiffany's daughter) had just turned nine years old, so I also attended Ginger's birthday party involving a giant water slide and many sugar-laden treats. We took a spin through Rockville, trying to see our ex-landlords (and friends) Dan and Aleen, but we only caught a glimpse of our old pal Cactus the Burro who seemed to have a new friend in his reconfigured pasture.
Photo from www.foodzings.com
After all the weekend fun, we made our way to Hurricane and our storage unit (Parker Storage - a highly recommended great deal for my Utah friends) and not too many snafus later had loaded up our cargo trailer (mysteriously less full than when we unloaded initially in a bending-the-laws-of-physics kind of way). Those snafus? Ted didn't bring the padlock key, Michelle didn't bring the padlock key, bought bolt cutters to cut the lock, lock is the type that can't be cut by bolt cutters, needed a locksmith, called Beth in California to look up Hurricane locksmiths on the web, left messages for various locksmiths, found a locksmith that showed up in 20 minutes and cut the lock off with something high tech for $60 (NOT a snafu!), returned the bolt cutters unused. Whew! After uploading our stuff, we decided to drive to Vegas that evening to cut some time off the long trailer-towing trip ahead of us. The only way our Springdale sojourn could have been better is if our friend Hans had been there. Bonnie's husband, and our dear friend, had passed away earlier this year and we miss him. We thanked Bonnie for her wonderful hospitality and headed into Nevada to stay at our old stand-by: the Las Vegas Super 8 at Ellis Island Casino. We drank the tasty $1.75 micro-brewed beer and lost some money at blackjack. The hotel is being remodeled and the casino is still the best casual hangout in town. They were having a Hatch Chile Roast on August 20th that I was sorry to miss.
From the Ellis Island Casino facebook pageBright and early the next morning we headed for Yosemite. Driving across Nevada is one of my very favorite things to do. Why? Because I am the Road Trip Queen and the Nevada highways are always empty, and because the scenery in Nevada is ever entertaining. The road signs in Nevada never fail to get you thinking.
We stopped for lunch in the town of Beatty, a gateway town for Death Valley National Park where brothels abide that's geographically and perhaps uncomfortably close to where they used to test atomic bombs in the Nevada desert. I wanted to check out the Happy Burro Chili & Beer since I had bypassed it so many times traveling through Beatty, and anything with beer is good for Ted. The Happy Burro is the kind of place you hope to find on a road trip boasting an outdoor deck where the friendly locals hang out, an unfriendly dog and the most disgustingly delicious road food ever: chili dogs, chili burgers and PBR served in a Mason jar. Road trip bliss.
We passed through Fish Lake Valley and the tiny hamlet of Dyer, NV before entering California. The Esmeralda Market in Dyer holds a special place in my heart as it saved me from running out of gas in the true middle of nowhere on a previous road trip. Curiously, we noticed an abundance of tomato juice drinks in the cooler at the market (at least 6 different kinds) and I surmised that they must like their Bloody Marys in Dyer. The market is another road trip classic: well-stocked with drinks and food, two gas pumps out front and a snack bar. You're lucky to find this place as you pass through the Nevada desert.
Junket Ratings:
The Flying Monkey Wood Fire Kitchen: Junk in the Trunk!
Las Vegas Super 8: Junk-O-Rama
Ellis Island Casino and Brewery: Junk in the Trunk!
So here we are, chillin' in Yosemite Valley now that summer is here and the temps are finally hovering around the hot mark. The incredible everlasting snowpack in the Sierra from last winter is still creating highwater everywhere - rivers, creeks, waterfalls, campgrounds, bridges - and the show is spectacular. We had planned a June birthday visit for my mom, coming from Michigan, and we couldn't have picked a better summer vacation for her. We spent some days in the Valley, tooling around on bikes, viewing the waterfalls and cooking up a Mexican birthday fiesta. But mom and I also traveled to the East Side - the eastern high desert counterpart to the Sierra Nevada's western slopes that is home to Tule elk, petroglyphs, hot springs and a lake twice as salty as the sea. After viewing the waterfalls up close in the Valley, we also traveled to Glacier Point for one of the best views on the planet.
Kathy at the cranking Merced River
Highwater Merced with North Dome
Lower Yosemite Falls booming with snowmelt
Kathy likes a good Mexican meal, so we thought to fix her up for her birthday with a Taquisa (taco party) and invite over a few friends. Ted excels at guacamole, tomatillo salsa and pico de gallo, I make a swell fish taco, and we also offered carnitas tacos, coctel de camarones (shrimp cocktail), grilled knob onions, jicama salad and pineapple upside-down cake for dessert (all the good stuff we learned from traveling in Mexico and Chef Rick Bayless). Pacifico beers and tequila cocktails provided refreshment.
Beth, Barb, Kathy, Christy and Joe
We braved a weekend drive to Glacier Point the next day, despite the nearly out-of-control traffic congestion in the park this year (today at the El Cap turnaround, NPS was telling visitors to exit the park due to a two hour wait to get near anywhere near Yosemite Village - El Capitan is 5 miles from Yosemite Village). We took a short hike out to Sentinel Dome. We tried to hike the Taft Point trail, but it was covered with snow (!). The way to Sentinel Dome was clear, though some snow remained on the dome itself. Once you reach the terminus of the Glacier Point road, you are standing at 7000 feet above sea level, where winter snow can linger. The day was brilliantly sunny and warm, but there was still plenty of snow melting slowly in the sun. The views from Glacier Point of Yosemite Valley are top contenders for most picturesque view on Planet Earth. The photo of the Valley at night was taken by my friend Kristal Leonard who is making quite a name for herself as a local photographer. It's one of my fave Yosemite photos ever. And no, it's not all campfires - there are several thousand people living in Yosemite Valley and we may be in the middle of nowhere but we do have electricity (not to mention all the stores, restaurants and hotels).
Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls from Sentinel Dome
Half Dome from Glacier Point
Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall from Glacier Point
Nevada Fall
Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point
After several days in the park, we trucked on over to the East Side of the Sierra - one of my favorite places on earth. It's still the mountains of California, but it's the rain shadow side so it's all glorious high desert. We only have access to the East Side for about 4 months out of the year over the Tioga Pass, otherwise it's snowed in at 10,000 feet elevation. We cruise through Yosemite's Tuolumne Meadows before exiting the park into Inyo National Forest and the tiny town of Lee Vining near Mono Lake. At Lee Vining you catch the 395 and go north or south to experience Eastern Sierra delight. This trip we went south to the Alabama Hills so Mom could see old western movie locations outside of Lone Pine, CA. A trip through the high country also requires a stop at Olmstead Point where you can view Half Dome from the other side - directly opposite from where we were viewing Half Dome the day before at Glacier Point.
Olmstead Point
Tenaya LakeTuolumne Meadows
Tioga Lake Inyon National Forest - still frozen!Lee Vining CanyonMono Lake photo from www.pashnit.com
It's desert hot on the East Side, so excursions have to be planned around the midday sun. The Eastern Sierra is geologically active and littered with hot springs in the valleys and foothills of the mountains. We were booked into a deluxe tent cabin at Keough Hot Springs, a developed hot springs site south of Bishop. We arrived in the afternoon after a stop at Mono Lake, a drive around the June Lake loop, and sandwiches to go at Erick Schat's Bakery in Bishop. We checked out Mom's timeshare at June Lake, the Heidelberg Inn, with it's ski chalet charm and the most impressive stone fireplace I've ever seen. In Bishop at the bakery the sandwiches are delightful, using their own "sheepherder" bread (and many other kinds) with great fixings. My favorite bread at the bakery is the Ham and Cheeze Bread which actually contains a light slather of tomato sauce baked inside so it's like eating pizza. Yum. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening soaking in the hot springs pools.
June Lake photo from Wikipedia
Photo from http://littlekenny.com
Photo from TripAdvisor UK
Keough's Hot Springs is a (very) rustic resort where you can pitch a tent, park an RV, stay in a tent cabin or rent a trailer to stay and spend as much time as you want in the hot springs pools during operating hours. if you're thinking "Ugh! Hot springs in the summer?", forget it. The large springs pool is kept cooler with occasional sprays of cold water so the water is soothing and very relaxing without overheating. The staff all appeared to be under the age of 19, but they were friendly and the pools and facilities were very clean. Our tent cabin was ungodly hot during the afternoon, but cooled down nicely at night due to the circulating fan in the corner and the 4000 feet elevation. Our beds were comfy with flannel sheets and quilts and the refrigerator kept our sandwiches cool until we were ready to eat them. A tent cabin is $75 overnight which includes hot springs entrance for the occupants and access to showers and bathrooms. A day swim at the springs will cost you $8.00. My mom enjoyed her sojourn at the springs very much and I was happy to share one of the Eastern Sierra's many natural attractions. We slept comfortably and rose early to beat the heat and tour the Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine to the south.
The Alabama Hills were the filming location for many, many movie westerns from the 30s and 40s, but with it's proximity to Los Angeles, still provides the backdrop for current movies like "Gladiator" and "Ironman". Mom is a western buff and we toured the area with the movie location map in hand to see places where John Wayne and the Lone Ranger rode. We also hiked out to the Mobius Arch with Mount Whitney (the tallest mountain in the lower 48) looming in the background. First we had breakfast at the Alabama Hills Bakery and Cafe where the special was a decadent BLT breakfast sandwich on croissant.
Before we left Lone Pine we stopped by the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center to make sure we hadn't missed anything. Some of those agencies include Inyo National Forest, NPS, BLM and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. This is a first rate facility with interesting exhibits and the excellent Discovery Bookstore operated by the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association that deserves your support (proceeeds go to public lands). I am fascinated with the story of water in California, and the center has a piece of the Los Angeles aqueduct on display. The juiciest part of that story is the hijacking of Owens Lake by Los Angeles to water their ever growing hordes in the early twentieth century. The Los Angeles aqueduct carried water from Owens Lake until it ran dry, creating a conundrum for local agriculture (for the scoop read Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert: The American West and It's Disappearing Water" or see the movie "Chinatown"). However, on this day, the best part of the story is my mom's reaction upon seeing the salvaged section of aqueduct:
"Oh, is that the Stargate?"
I almost peed myself laughing, because it really does look like the Stargate! Here is the Atlantis Stargate for comparison (sci fi geek alert!!):
And then she points to the case nearby displaying various ominous looking mechanisms from military bases in the region and says, "And there's the part they're always missing or trying to repair."
Now if only we could have found this in the Stargate exhibit, my day would've been complete:
Colonel John SheppardBut alas, the good colonel was nowhere to be found, so we moved on. Heading north on the 395 to the town of Big Pine (are you seeing a pattern here?) we stopped at Manzanar, a National Historic Site that interprets the history of the land - from Owens Valley apple farming community to a World War II Relocation Center for Japanese Americans in 1942. Three original buildings remain and the vistor center is located in the former community hall for war camp interns.
Not exactly heartwarming, the story of illegally detained American citizens, but a vital part of our history that I'm not sure most Americans are even aware of. After viewing the museum, we left the somber mood behind and with several hours of travel ahead of us, stopped for BBQ lunch in Big Pine at Dick's Smokewagon. Yep.
A truly exceptional BBQ meal, the pork sandwich and highly original coleslaw from Dick's was a great treat. The sauce is made fresh daily and the meat swamps the bun (why even bother with a bun?) requiring a fork to consume in order not to wear it. There isn't any seating at Dick's, but we found a local park with picnic tables and plenty of shade just around the corner. After lunch we retraced our route going north to return to Yosemite, from the desert heat to the high country snow and back down to a warm and sunny Yosemite Valley. Ted and I are off again next week to the Eastern Sierra in search of petroglyphs and ghost towns with some stops for hot spring soaks and another BBQ lunch. Eastern California is home to the highest (Mt. Whitney) and the lowest (Death Valley) points in the continental U.S. and many more contrasting features - cultural, climatic and countryside - that we are always ready to explore.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 12:01PM 
Green Papaya Salad with Grilled Shrimp
Christy and JoeI'm fairly certain that all Chefs' Holiday dinners are excellent. After all, chefs from around the country descend on the Ahwahnee every winter to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to an appreciative audience about the joys of food and cooking. Though the dinner is not inexpensive, it's worth every penny and you can augment your experience by attending free cooking demonstrations (read: free food samples!) by the chefs designated for each holiday session. And did I mention that each dinner course is accompanied by carefully selected wines? Chef Rick did us a favor by choosing a crop of lovely California wines to savor with our seafood. After Papaya Salad, everyone at the table lost their minds over the Arctic Char. The cucumber/horseradish flavors sent the perfectly cooked fish over the moon as far as we were concerned. By the time the Alaskan Black Cod arrived and was promptly consumed, Ted exclaimed that this was the best meal he had ever eaten. When Ted says "best meal ever", he is of course referring to a subset of meals cooked outside of our home. But still, high praise indeed. No photo of the cod as I was halfway through when I realized I missed the photo op. Too busy eating. This also may have been my best meal ever as in addition to preferring seafood over just about anything, I like me some venison. And it should always be prepared like this with onions, mushroms and brussels sprouts - perfect!
Applewood Smoked Arctic Char
Venison with Pear ButterChef Rick's current venture is RM Seafood in Las Vegas and his efforts to endorse sustainable seafood purveyors for restaurants resulted in "Chef of the Year" status for 2010 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's influential Seafood Watch program. Accolades aside, the man has a way with preparing seafood that is a boon for the rest of us. We talked with Chef Rick after dinner and he shared how much he enjoyed hiking around Yosemite during his visit. I shared how fortunate I am in visiting Las Vegas next month where I would be enjoying this dinner all over again.
Michelle and Chef Rick Moonen
Brett and Ted
Did I mention there was a lot of wine?Junket Ratings:
