Travel the Boudin Trail
What is boudin? It is Cajun-style sausage and, no kidding, boudin is so popular that it has its own dedicated trail that leads from one boudin maker to another. It is considered the signature dish of Southwest Louisiana and can be enjoyed at any meal or as a snack. Boudin was made of the leftover parts of the hog. Cajun families used everything from the “rooter to the tooter.” Today boudin is usually made with ground pork, liver, rice, parsley, onions, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and other seasonings – steamed or smoked. Each boudin maker uses their secret family recipe. Some even create their own special boudin by using shrimp, crawfish and alligator.

Mike Hollier, the owner of Hollier’s Cajun Kitchen, said they make over 10,000 pounds a month. Hollier includes liver in his boudin because that is the Cajun way but he uses only a little liver so as not to overpower the taste. “It’s a good way to get kids to eat liver,” he quipped. He also makes crawfish boudin when they are in season. At nearby B&O Kitchen Jeff Cortina is teaching the fourth generation, his son, how to make his family boudin recipe. Cortina’s boudin is excellent but ignoring tradition he does not include liver. He makes about 200 lbs a day along with cracklin,’ deep-fried pork fat with a small amount of the skin attached. It is another great Cajun treat. Jeff said, “Timing when boiling the cracklin’ in the oil is critical. There is a two-minute window between success and failure.” The Boudin Trail has 29 stops – that’s a lot of boudin sampling.

Gumbo, alligator and more
The one dish most associated with the Cajun culture is gumbo, the official dish of the Louisiana. Seafood Palace in Lake Charles is reputed to have the best gumbo. But unlike the boudin makers, Seafood Palace is willing to share their winning recipe. Their gumbo can also be made with chicken or beef but it is not their only culinary delight – try their boudin balls, frog legs, and fried gator.

Gumbo ala Seafood Palace
1 1/2 cups of Roux
2 cups of onion
1 cup of green onions
salt, black and red pepper to taste
1 pound of lump crab meat
3 pounds of raw shrimp
2 pints of raw oysters, if desired

Fill a stock pot 3/4 full of water. Bring to a boil and slowly add the roux until dissolved. Add seasoning, onion and green onions. Let boil about an hour, making sure to check the level of water, add more if needed. Add shrimp and crab meat, simmer about 20 minutes. If adding oysters, cook about 10-15 minutes longer. Serve with rice and enjoy. Yummy!

For the Gourmand
Looking for a white-table-cloth dining delight? Head to La Truffe Sauvage for a world-class dinner served with wine from their large international collection. Try one of Chef Mohamed Chettouh specialties – Stuffed Pheasant Breast. He is gracious enough to share his recipe.

Pheasant Breast Stuffed with Leek and Fennel
2 whole pheasant 3 pound each
1 cup julienne leek, blanched
1 cup julienne fennel, blanched
Salt pepper
Butcher string
For the natural jus
1 cup diced leek
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley stems)
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2 cups red wine

Parsnip Purée
1 pound parsnip, peeled and diced
2 ounces unsalted butter
Salt and white pepper.

Remove the breasts, with skin on to keep it from drying out. Save the legs for another use. Debone breasts. To make natural au jus place carcass bones in small pan, add diced vegetables and roast at 375°F until the bones are brown and vegetables caramelized. Transfer to a medium size sauce pan, cover with water, add the red wine, garni and peppercorn, bring to boil then simmer about an hour, skim the stock. Strain. Reduce strained stock to get to approximately half
cup. Season with salt and pepper, keep warm. To make parsnip puree cover with water and boil until tender, strain, pass through a food ricer, add the butter and salt, white pepper. Cover and keep warm. Place pheasant breasts on a flat surface, cover with plastic wrap, skin side down, flattened a little with a mallet. Remove the plastic, season with salt pepper, divide the blanched vegetables leek and fennel between the pheasant breasts, roll each one up and tie with the butcher string. Put a tablespoon olive oil in a hot sauté pan, add the stuffed breast and brown all sides. Cook at 350 in the oven for 20 minutes. Do not overcook. Scoop one spoon of parsnip puree on serving plate with two slices of stuffed pheasant breast and a one tablespoon natural jus.

A Festival of Food
Any time is a good time to savor the flavors of Lake Charles but the dedicated epicurean will want to attend Rouge et Blanc, Lake Charles’ premier food and wine event held each year in October. Enjoy such wonderful signature dishes as Deep Fried Bread Pudding from Sha Sha’s of Creole with a glass of Chocovine Espresso wine from The Wine Group while sitting in the shade of the live oak in front of the historic Town Hall.
For more information check visitlakecharles.org, thewildtruffle.com,
www.rougeetblanc.us, and for the best place to stay consider the L’Auberge Casino, ldlcasino.com, where their buffet offers an incredible array of shell fish along with a groaning board of items to choose from.

The train is just one of the many attractions at Agrirama, the Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village, showing life in rural Georgia just after the Civil War. Here each exhibit has a different guide–a volunteer who has lived the local history.

Inside the 28,000 square-foot Museum of Agriculture a seasoned docent guides visitors through the main gallery. She wears a homespun dress and talks about picking cotton under a hot Georgia sun as a girl. “Y’all know that movie where Norma Rae was pickin’ cotton until her fingers bled?” she drawls, “Well, it’s not true. Y’all can’t sell cotton with blood on the lint.”

She points to an odd-looking farm tool. “Look here—y’all know what that is?” You don’t of course, so she tells you where it’s from and how it works. Over the years she’s picked cotton and plowed fields behind a mule. She knows how to barter chicken eggs for yard goods, and how to string tobacco leaves.

Around the corner your nose picks up the scent of dried tobacco. A short video in old black and white footage showing laborers in the tobacco fields, drying sheds and warehouses plays in the background. A real tobacco sled on the floor holds a stack of dried leaves. You can pick one up by the stem and take a sniff. “That’s a fine grade,”she’ll comment.

Once outside stroll down a dirt path to find yourself transported back a century. Here stands the 1887 Tift house, with its stained glass windows, silk wallpaper and hand-carved pine woodwork. You can take pictures as the guide gives the history of the man who built it, then founded the local town.

Next door to the blue Masonic Lodge, circa 1909, is the doctor’s office. Inside the guide points out an ether mask—an early form of anesthetic. Beside her are racks and cabinets full of steel probes, instruments and clamps—some of which defy description. In the corner stands a metal chair next to a foot-operated treadle that powered a scary looking dentist’s drill. A pair of hand-carved crutches rests against the wall.

The historic village at Agrirama houses over 35 structures inside a park surrounded by 1.3 miles of railroad where you can spend the day exploring life in rural Georgia circa 1870-1910. There are six separate areas to see as well as several educational programs.

Want to learn how corn is ground into meal? Visit the water-powered gristmill. You can purchase a bag of meal at the country store to take home. Strolling through the farmstead you may catch sight of a mule harnessed to a plow; a blacksmith hammering out a horseshoe at his shop, or children dripping freshly made ice cream down their arms in front of the drug store.

Georgia’s Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village in Agrirama is located at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia. Admission is $7 for Adults, $6 for seniors (age 55+), $4 for children (5-16), ages 4 and under is free. Admission is a little higher on Saturday when the steam train runs. The park is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Their RV Park is open 7 days a week and on Holidays. The fee is $20 per night.

For more information, call 229-386-3344 or visit their website at www.agrirama.com.

Written by Mary Anne Lonze

]]> http://usa.intheknowtraveler.com/1239/feed 1 http://usa.intheknowtraveler.com/1224 http://usa.intheknowtraveler.com/1224#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:28:50 +0000 Diane Zorn http://usa.intheknowtraveler.com/?p=1224 The two-year old in a pink mud-splashed coat cannot resist the puddles, and for a moment I am distracted by her antics and turn my camera to capture her fun.  Her mother seems not to notice, she is more focused on the field of tulips that have drawn thousands of visitors to this farm in the Skagit Valley of Washington.  Chartered buses and vehicles choke the parking lot of Tulip Town during the Tulip Festival in mid-April.  Flower buffs, photographers and tourists come to be awed by the rows of brilliant colour in the rural setting.

Washington weather can be unpredictable in springtime, so it is not unusual to see people clad in raincoats and rubber boots in expectation of showers, but today the clouds relent and the sun attempts to dry the muddy paths for the benefit of the tourists.  It is a carnival-like atmosphere.  A large mural inside the visitors’ area depicts the historical significance of the Netherlands in the origins of the famed flower.  Tulips from Holland that were planted in the Skagit in the early 1900’s favored the wet climate and by 1926 the first Tulip bulb farm was established, followed by many others.  So although it is the colorful blooms that bring the tourists, it is actually the bulbs that are the harvest.

Each year a special painting is featured as the poster for the festival.  This year the artist John Ebner is here to sign his works.  In the foreground of his watercolor he has painted pots of flowers under an awning that points over the fields to the blue mountains beyond.  I must have a fridge magnet of the poster so I join the crowds in the booth where other buyers are admiring more landscape paintings by Ebner.

Across the aisle a food stall offers home-cooking and next to that a vendor is doing a booming business in cut flowers and, of course, a gift shop further down is retailing a store-full of everything painted, stitched, or decorated with tulips!  As interesting as the indoor displays are, most of the crowds are coaxed outside by the real star of the celebration, the tulip fields. Leaving the building, I stop to take pictures of the windmill and the carefully-tended gardens as well as the giant bird-shaped kites that are fighting their tethers to fly free.  As vivid as they are, the nylon creations cannot compete with the brilliant flowers in the fields beyond.

Scarlet, rose, coral, lemon and deep purple flowers rival one another for attention.  The result is a photographer’s delight.  People pose among the blooms, and in good-nature offer to snap a stranger’s photograph for them. This is a family outing, a group excursion, or a hobbyist’s day to enjoy.  Trolly rides take people around the fields, but most people prefer the walk, despite the puddles they have to avoid, or in the case of children, splash through with vigor.  Parents do not seem to mind their children’s antics.  The day has that effect of harmony and high spirits.  A trip to the Skagit Valley in tulip time is just the answer for brightening a person’s day.

Diane Zorn is a freelance writer lucky enough to live in the vacation land of Osoyoos, BC, Canada, where she has worked as a reporter/ photographer for the local newspaper.  Early in 2011 she registered with College of the Rockies to fine-tune her skills through a travel writing course.  She plans to spend her retirement traveling to wonderful destinations and writing of her adventures.  Her favorite travel places are Thailand and Argentina, but she has journeyed extensively throughout North America.   

In the afternoon we headed to what is called the Leelanau Peninsula (in the morning we were visiting the Old Mission Peninsula area) and our first stop was L. Mawby, (www.lmawby.com), straight sparkling wines, the owner is worth the visit alone, I could have stayed all day if I had not been quickly shuffled out (after an hour). This place also has food pairings so my suggestion – expect to stay awhile. Up next was Shady Lane Cellars (www.shadylanecellars.com) for whites and Chateau de Leelanau (www.leelanaucellars.com) for some interesting blends. Finally, we ended up back in the downtown area at a place called Left Foot Charley (www.leftfootcharley.com) for well, more white and I also tried a bit of cider (too much wine had gone to my head, but the cider was spectacular). A side note on the left foot place, it’s housed in the old mental institution – the laundry area actually – now you can’t miss it, huh?

You know when the wine tour is over because it’s then time for coffee. Next door to Left Foot Charley is a place called Higher Ground Trading Company Coffee Bar (www.highergroundstrading.com), it was good coffee too and you will be especially happy to note too that this company is all about organic and fair trade.

The spa portion of my trip was exclusively at Grand Traverse Resort (www.grandtraverseresort.com) where I also stayed for the week and ate quite a few meals too. Called, Spa at Grand Traverse – don’t let the simple name fool you. They offer both Sonya Dakar and Aveda products and I enjoyed a pedicure, massage and facial. Since Traverse City is known for its cherries you will want to indulge in at least one of the “cherry” option treatments. I opted for the Cherry Infused Massage and my experience was more than amazing. There is also the Cherries and Cream Body Treatment, Cherry Honey Glow and either a Cherry Infused Manicure or Pedicure. You’ll be in Cherry Heaven (and drop by American Spoon Foods (www.spoon.com) for chocolate covered cherries to take home.

Food was a hit in the Traverse City area, I headed up to a place called Shanty Creek (www.shantycreek.com) for a Culinary Institute class and I even learned how to make ice cream. As well, there is an amazing restaurant at Shanty Creek for dinner. Other food options that you won’t want to miss is the more relaxed (www.GTPie.com) Grand Traverse Pie Co. downtown (27 varieties of fruit pie and that’s enough said), (www.eatatginger.com) and the Red Ginger also downtown for dinner (this is a must for any sushi lover) and again, where I spent a lot of time Grand Traverse Resort’s Aerie Restaurant and Lounge.

Recap, did I mention Traverse City sits on Grand Traverse Bay – it does. Did I mention Traverse City is hip – it is. Did I mention summertime is also a great time to visit – for all the obvious reasons. I won’t go on, it’s time for you to experience it yourself. But did I convince you? Hope so, but gotta go, off to book a flight to visit there this spring.
For more information on Traverse City visit www.mytraversecity.com

Rita Cook is a writer/editor who specializes in writing on a variety of subjects, primarily travel. With over 1000 articles to her credit in the past 10 years and four books, Cook is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Insider Magazine and Managing Editor for Celeb Staff Magazine. She started her career in Chicago working with well-known Sun Times Columnist Irv Kupcinet. She writes a weekly eco-friendly column called “The Green Life” for the Dallas Morning News and has also worked many other national and regional publications. Cook can also be heard on the radio every Sunday morning in Los Angeles on The Insider Magazine Radio Show’s featured segment “I’m Standing Here.”

Chef Janice Thomas has more than 20 years of experience in the food industry and has studied at Cordon Bleu in Paris with well-respected chefs in France, Italy, and China.  The cooking classes at The Savory Spoon reflect her diverse expertise, featuring Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese and, of course, Door County specialties.  She works closely with local county producers to provide a “field to fork” experience.  There are hands-on classes, demonstrations, tastings, and children’s classes. For more information on Savory Spoon Cooking School log on to www.savoryspoon.com.

Coconut Soup With Shrimp

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. finely chopped ginger

1/8 tsp. red crushed pepper

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

½ white wine

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. Asian chili sauce sambal olek

Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, peppers and ginger. Sauté until the garlic sizzles and turns white, then add the remaining soup broth ingredients. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Prepare shrimp. Seed and chop the tomatoes.

Last Minute Additions:

20 large shrimp, shelled and cut in half

½ pound vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/3 fresh basil leaves or cilantro, chopped

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt to taste

8-10 button mushrooms, firm white and sliced thin

1 lime cut into wedges

Combine the cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water. Set aside. Chop basil or cilantro. Bring soup to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup. Add the shrimp, tomatoes, and basil or cilantro. Simmer about 1 minute until shrimp turn pink and are cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning, particularly for chili sauce, and salt. Stir in mushrooms. Turn into soup tureen or individual bowl. Garnish with lime wedges and more chopped herbs.

Jade Asian Dumplings With Chile Ginger Sauce

1 ½ lbs Napa cabbage, coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp. salt

Place the chopped cabbage in a bowl with the 2 Tbsp. of salt and let it weep for 25 minutes. Rinse and spin dry cabbage.

Mix pork and all other ingredients together and add the dry, wilted cabbage. Set aside for flavors to blend for 20 minutes.

1 lb. ground pork or ground turkey

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

4 cloves garlic, pressed

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp. orange zest

4 green onions, chopped finely

1 tsp. salt and a pinch of red pepper

1 tsp. sugar

1 egg

1 Package pot sticker wrappers

Place 1 Tbsp. mixture into the pot sticker wrapper and wet edges with water, fold in half and pinch together. Place dumpling on a floured cookie sheet and continue to make the rest. Place 2 Tbsp. peanut oil in a non- stick pan and heat to medium high. Place 8 dumplings in the pan and brown both sides about 2 minutes. Add 3 Tbsp. of water and cover and cook and steam for another 3 minutes. Remove the lid and brown the bottoms once again.

Ginger Sauce:

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp. chili sauce (more or less) Sambal Olek

¼ tsp. fresh ginger grated.

Mix dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and serve with dumplings.

Sandra and her husband, John, are compulsive travelers and writers who have been exploring the world since the 1980s writing all the way. To see more of their travels go to www.sanscott.com. They are on the road seven months a year – half in the US and the other half exploring the rest of the world. They like to promote Slow Travel – taking time to enjoy the uniqueness of each area.

The tiny town (pop: 1,116) could almost be described as a ghost town—consignment shops that look dusty inside and out, a hardware store boasting a sign that says nothing but “SHUT”– were it not for obvious staples of livelihood—a small elementary school, a grocery store. “How can people live here with so little?” I thought. That preliminary question was irresistible to ask since, only that morning, I was in a bustling downtown hotel listening to a man complain to the concierge that his room did not have free wi-fi access. The same thought would strike me later as I delved even deeper into the ancestral landscape that I had happened upon.

Mountainair marks the beginning of the Salt Mission Trail, a collection of three ancient pueblo Indian ruins in the area. Each sacred site was home to a community of pueblo Indians, including the Anasazis and the Mongollons. Remnants of innovative settlement structures dating back to 1300 A.D. still bask, half-excavated, in the desert sun. The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Center is an extremely helpful visitors center located on Mountainair’s main thoroughfare that provides information about each site and gives visitors the opportunity to customize their visit.

Crumbling rocks in the middle of the desert valleys doesn’t seem all that exhilarating, but after a stroll through the swaying cottonwood trees and the humbling walls of the mission churches, I began to comprehend the significance of these historical sites, especially since I was on a guided tour with a park ranger.

The three missions, Quarai, Abo and Gran Quivira, are each distinct in their location, inhabitants and history and it was fascinating to learn how the ancestral puebloans used the basic elements of their environment to survive– and thrive.  But after establishing agricultural societies and becoming epicenters of trade and commerce, cultural conflicts and natural disaster struck. By the 1670s, Spanish domination, Apache raids and years of drought and famine plagued the pueblos. The early seeds of advanced civilization had been sown but were soon scattered and lost to early deaths or forced migration from their sacred lands.

My trip on the mission trail revealed another unique link to the past in the form of 80-year-old park ranger, Lee Roy Nix. We talked in front of his second-favorite ruin, Abo (his favorite is Gran Quivira) and he told me about how the devastating droughts hundreds of years ago didn’t just drive the Indians out of their homes; gringos had to leave too. Mountainair was once the “Pinto Bean Capital of the World” but crops were completely destroyed and most of the town had to sell their land for next to nothing and move to Albuquerque. Lee Roy’s father was one of the stubborn landowners who wouldn’t sell. That made life hard for the Nix family for many years, but the pride in that difficult decision radiated through Lee Roy’s raspy voice when he told me that he still lives in the same house he was born in.

On our way out of the mission grounds, he showed me a tombstone in the shade of a lone juniper tree that sits a few hundred yards away from Abo’s mission church. It was the grave of a fiercely loyal groundskeeper of the mission, whose last wish was to be buried underneath the tree so he could spend an afterlife next to the ruins he loved so dearly. It was my last reminder of Mountainair’s indelible human element and how we will always be connected to what came before us.

Ramona Flume is an insatiable world traveler who has spent the past two summers exploring her favorite country, Colombia, alone and armed only with her notebook and film cameras. She recently graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism, which has significantly cleared up her schedule to see more of the world. She is currently based in Austin, Texas and writes about her travels at her blog: http://ramonaflume.wordpress.com.

“Grandma, this is sweet!” exclaimed 9-year old Jenna upon entering our 70’ Forever Houseboat. It set the tone as three generations of the Scott family from three states set sail into the new year. Jenna and her 7-year-old brother, JJ, checked out the four bedrooms and entered into a debate over whom was going to sleep in which bedroom at which point I, the matriarch, stepped in.

“Go check the sign on the door. What does it say?”
“Sandra Scott, Captain, and Crew.”
“Right. And who is in charge of a boat?
“The Captain.”
“Correct! And who has to obey all the captain’s orders?”
“The crew.”
“And who is the crew?”
“We are. Does that means Dad, Mom, and Uncle Jim also have obey the captain?”
“Of, course.”
“Grandma, are you going to drive this houseboat?” Asked JJ incredulously.

Good question, I thought. “We will see. The beauty of being the captain is that I get to delegate jobs. Right now the job is to unpack and everyone has to help the captain.”

Many hands make light work. I was glad we decided to take the option of boarding the night before we set sail. Unpacked and dinner over, we all watched the instructional CD and felt ready to set sail in the morning.

On New Year’s Eve morning, after a hearty breakfast that included a family tradition of fried dough covered in cinnamon sugar that my grandmother used to make, Mark, the marina man, gave us an orientation tour and piloted us out to the Colorado River. John, the son, took over the helm, to which JJ queried in amazement, “Daddy, you know how to drive the houseboat?”

Mark had assured us, “If you can drive a car you can drive a houseboat.” However we had been houseboating before and knew it isn’t exactly the same. Our car is not 70 feet in length nor is it 22 feet high therefore it is not affected by the wind. We headed north on the river toward Hoover Dam. The sun gives brilliant color to the rocky landscape sliced between the robin’s egg blue of the desert sky and the blue black of the water.

At Owl Point Cove we found the perfect mooring place. The guys tied off the boat to stakes pounded into the ground. It is a critical operation as we learned from previous experience so they also added an extra tie down from the bow. Once our Forever Houseboat was secure it I told the grandchildren, “After you finish the fire pit, you can go from that point to the end of the beach and climb any of the hills. Be like Christopher Columbus. Explore and report back what you find.” And, off Jenna and JJ went picking up shells and pretty stones along the way.

The tantalizing aroma of our turkey dinner, which had been cooking since we set sail, was finally ready. After our family dinner, the snacks were put out, the satellite TV set to the New Year’s Eve programs, and we started another family tradition – putting puzzles together on New Year’s Eve. Everyone but JJ greeted the New Year Vegas time. He fell asleep shortly before midnight just like his father use to at the same age.

On New Year’s Day three out of the seven of us joined the Polar Bear Club with a quick dip in the frigid waters of Lake Mohave – obviously I had to stay on deck to take pictures. JJ opted for the water slide. If only I had caught the picture of him bobbing up out of the water with his mouth and eyes wide open in shock but making nary a sound. With his sister and dad, he jumped in the hot tub Uncle Jim had ready. JJ’s voice returned, “We are now members of the Polar Bear Club, aren’t we, Dad? Where is the clubhouse?”

The first day of the new year was one of relaxing, watching bowl games and some serious snacking. Winter is a slow time on Lake Mohave but for us it was wonderful. We had the whole place to ourselves and there was something for everyone to do. The children went hiking with their dad and grandfather. They fished off the back of the back of the boat with their dad, who explained, “Jenna, if you can’t put the sardine on the hook, you can’t fish. That’s the rule.” Uncle Jim went for a long run, which paid off because he saw wild burros. Daughter-in-law, Kim, worked on the diabolic puzzle that seemed destined to take days to finish even with intermittent help and constant encouragement from the rest of us. I preferred basking in the sun on the top deck with a book.

Time passed quickly as we settled into a relaxed routine. With the early morning sun giving a golden glow to the world, Jenna and JJ started their day fishing, which was more like drowning sardines. Following a hearty family breakfast there was plenty of time to explore. The last day Jenna, JJ, their dad, grandpa and uncle went on a long hike along the ridge while Kim napped on the couch recovering from the strain of completing the “world’s hardest puzzle.” I got in some serious “me” time in the rooftop hot tub where the stark but beautiful scenery diverted my attention from my novel.

Lake Mohave is part of the Lake Mead Recreational Area and the lake below Hoover Dam. It offers a variety of boating, camping, hiking, fishing, and other recreational activities. During the summer it is a busy place but from late fall to early spring it is the perfect place to get away from the routine and for us to bond together especially since our family is spread from East Coast to West Coast. There was plenty of time for Grandpa to play his “take no prisoner” style of checkers with the grandchildren and for the whole family to play Uno, followed by soaking in the hot tub.

Houseboating is a vacation that remains in the memories long after the trip is over and as added insurance we continued with another family tradition. Each night every one of us made an entry and drew pictures to commemorate the day in our journal, “Scott’s Family Fun Afloat.” For more information on fun houseboats vacations contact foreverresorts.com or call 800-255-5561.

Sandra and her husband, John, are compulsive travelers and writers who have been exploring the world since the 1980s writing all the way. To see more of their travels go to www.sanscott.com. They are on the road seven months a year – half in the US and the other half exploring the rest of the world. They like to promote Slow Travel – taking time to enjoy the uniqueness of each area.

Day One
The Snake is a big and white river whose course through a mile deep canyon marks the boundary between Oregon and Idaho. This harsh but bountiful gorge also marks the change from Pacific to Mountain time, where history, geology, and whitewater all intersect in what rafters call “river time.”

My four days floating down this river began at the boat ramp north of Hells Canyon Dam, the third and final of seven that were planned to satisfy Idaho’s power needs. At nearly twice the volume of the Colorado, the Snake was destined to become just another caged river, save two things: arrogance on the part of Idaho Power and the beauty of this canyon. Only in 1976 was the battle to keep it free won, and the river north to the Washington border was preserved as the Hells Canyon Natural Recreation Area.

Before we launched, Morgan, our guide and oarsman, checked the current river flow at the park’s visitor center. Today the rate was 18,000 cubic feet per second, a typical summer number, but just two weeks earlier it was 25,000. This is part of the uncertainty of the Snake – levels can vary hourly according to the power needs of Boise. In one way this is good; a lower level leaves more obstacles exposed to view and are therefore easier to avoid, but low flow also increases the danger of river hazards called “holes,” vortices in the flowing water that can hold a raft immobile or flip it and trap its occupants.

As we began drifting down the river I couldn’t help but notice the imprint left on the canyon by its past inhabitants, from the earliest human nomads to Manifest Destiny miners. Morgan elected to put us ashore upstream from tomorrow’s Class IV rapids near an abandoned homestead at Battle Creek. Before our launch I’d been given a “drybag” to stow my gear, and while these aren’t 100% waterproof, they can be securely sealed to become very watertight. I also received a tent, and all of this was carried to a camp spot among remains of Indian pit houses scattered throughout the meadow. Now only depressions in the ground, these holes are evidence left by earlier homesteaders in the canyon.

Morgan arrived on this river through a circuitous route. I couldn’t resist calling him Captain Morgan after the legendary privateer — he just had that buccaneer look to him. Growing up with the family’s expectation of entering their law practice in Virginia, as a passenger on his first whitewater trip he heard the river’s call and swapped writing writs for reading water. He drifted west and settled in Oregon where he now guides tours along with Sam, the gear boat oarsman and gourmet outdoor chef. These free-spirited individuals and their devotion to the journey served us well. Perhaps having a little pirate in my soul too, I felt right at home.

Before dinner, a group of us choose to walk through an abandoned apricot orchard to the homestead. In the early years of the 20th century a pair of miners staked a gold claim nearby. The mine never really produced anything of value, and as their provisions ran low paranoia set in and tempers flared. In a possessive rage they shot each other over a bag of rice. Today, all of their legacy that remains are the cabin, an assortment of farm implements, and the abundant orchard.

We, however, had much more than a bag of rice to eat. Sam is a chef constantly in search of the “meal,” and his creative menu is always evolving. The gear boat was stacked high with not only our stuff and the tents, but also a full kitchen, including dining tables and chairs. Above it all, a canopy was erected to create a cozy dining area. The recipe for tonight’s meal has been morphing over time to become the secret it is today; Sam’s creations are his alone. What I can divulge is an outline of the end product – marinated Wild Salmon with Lemon Garlic glaze, wild rice and organic sausage stuffed Bell Peppers, hard crust French baguettes, wine, and for desert, campfire baked chocolate brownies. It was riverside dining at it’s finest.

Read day two of this adventure soon…

For information about this trip plus related Salmon and Grande Ronde excursions:
Winding Waters River Expeditions

Photographs by: Steve Smith and Dennis Cornwell

Steve Smith inherited the wanderlust and has always needed to see what’s around the next corner. Together with his wife and co-pilot Christine Johnson, their college days were spent enjoying many memorable (and cheap) forays into Mexico sleeping under the stars. Today these excursions are typically press trips and hotels, but gathering unique experiences by getting to know places and people rather than observing as tourists is still their approach to travel. After numerous journeys to North/Latin/South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, they believe this is the true way to experience different cultures.

Here is a little girl on the verge of womanhood. Her lustrous shell-colored satin bonnet trails matching ribbons flying in the wind. She is at once casual and elegant. Childlike and mature as any 11 year old would appear to be.

Even if you’ve seen a print of this oil you’ve not yet seen the soft delicate shades the artist brushed into the original. Photos and color plates often show the clouds as menacing and dark – they’re not. Some prints show them tinged with red and orange – they are not that either. Instead the fragile blue and frothy white clouds dance and shimmer in lively strokes that caress the canvas.

A bright breeze blows the diaphanous cream-colored fabric of her gown aside to expose the pointed toe of her little black shoe.

She stands at the edge of the sea in front of a horizon so low she seems perched on a pedestal. One arm is crooked at the elbow behind her back and the other twists around the front of her bodice. The visual pun of her extended little “pinkie” finger is amusing but the gesture is a natural part of her casual pose.

This is a portrait of Sarah Barrett Moulton by Thomas Lawrence (1794). She was a member of the prosperous Barrett family from Jamaica and wasrelated to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Her brother Edward was the poet’s father, and Sarah would have been Elizabeth’s aunt – had she lived.

“Pinkie” is often thought of in tandem with Thomas Gainsborough’s “The Blue Boy”. Yet two different artists painted them some 24 years apart. Even the costumes are are 150 years apart in fashion. In fact the only common element they share is the gallery at the Huntington Estate in San Marino, CA.

For me, “Pinkie” is the crown jewel of the vast collections of The Huntington. To discover it in the cool green gallery of the family mansion after wandering through the 120 acres of woods and gardens of the estate on a warm spring day in June was a delight. Other works include Harriet Hosmer’s larger than life sculpture Zenobia In Chains (1859), and Frederic Church’s painting “Chimborazo” (1864).

The Huntington Library has an amazing collection of books including an original Gutenberg Bible, a Chaucer manuscript and thousands of other literary treasures.

There are over a dozen different gardens to stroll, including the Children’s Garden, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Rose garden and Jungle Garden. All are easily accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.

Dozens of films have been shot in these lush gardens – from Mame (1974) to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). You can even take your own pictures on the grounds and inside the exhibits. (No flash, please)

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens are located in San Marino near Pasadena California. Its library contains over 6.5 million books, many of which are rare. The botanic gardens represent several cultures and themes. Refreshments are available on the grounds. The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA. It is open Monday, Wednesday-Friday, noon-4:30 pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 am-4:30 pm. Summer hours: Monday, Wednesday-Sunday 10:30 am-4:30 pm. Admission is $15 Adults, Seniors $12 on weekdays; slightly higher on weekends. Students $6 any day, and children under 5 free. Visit their website at www.huntington.org.

Mary Anne is a retired nurse who traded in her stethoscope for a digital camera and a keyboard. Anywhere you go, you’ll find that people are the same, yet with a local flavor that keeps things interesting. Language is no barrier – a smile and a handshake are good currency everywhere. Visit her website at www.travelonz.com.

My husband, John, and I had been told to arrive 30 minutes before our scheduled dinnertime at the Old Post Office Restaurant, a beautiful dining establishment overlooking Eagle Harbor in Ephraim. Fish boils start outdoors behind the restaurant. When we arrived the fire was already going strong and the large kettle was boiling. We joined the other people seated around the fire. Earl, the Boil Master, arrived and explained, “A basket containing potatoes and onions has been cooking in the kettle and it is now about time to add the fish.”

Earl showed the generous cuts of whitefish steaks in a wire basket to the crowd and then it is placed in the pot. The fish is fresh caught everyday and is usually whitefish but lake trout can be used. It takes 10-11 minutes for the fish to cook during which Earl, the Boil Master, becomes Earl the wannabe comic.

Earl has a standup routine of fish jokes that he admits “smelt.” He answers his own fish questions. “ What song do fish sing at Christmastime? Salmon Enchanted Evening.” “What does the fish say when it hits the cement wall? Dam.” “How much does a pirate pay to get his ears pierced? A buck-an-ear.” And so it goes to the laughs and some groans from the hungry diners.

At just the right time Earl throws kerosene on the fire which, of course, causes the fire to blaze up and water to boil over. As the water boils over it takes with it a lot of the fish oils with which is one reason even those who shun fish love the fish from a fish boil. The fish is very light, delicate and fresh. Not being a fish-lover I can testify to that. It is delicious.

After the boil we moved to the restaurant where we had a dinner of fish, potatoes, and onions drizzled with generous amounts of melted butter. Accompanying the meal was the restaurant’s special cole slaw, rolls and finally that other Door County tradition – homemade cherry pie.

Door County is that pinkie-like peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan making fishing and other water activities the main attractions. But the land is also perfect for growing cherries. Door County’s other foodie treat is anything made with cherries.

John and I toured the Lautenbach’s Orchard County Winery and Market where they are all about cherries. We sampled cherry preserves, cherry BBQ sauce, cherry honey mustard pretzel dip, and, of course, wine with a hint of cherry. It is a wonderful fourth-generation family place where some of the wines are named for the grandchildren. It is also where we caught the Door County Trolley for a scenic tour of the area.

Door County has something for everyone – beautiful scenery, plenty of outdoor activities, history, and a great place for foodies to enjoy a fish boil and other fresh produce.

For more information check www.oldpostoffice-doorcounty.com, www.orchardcountry.com, and www.doorcounty.com.