food – Page 6 – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

September 4 Gogebic to Sault Ste Marie

The rest of the photos for this day are linked here:

Rain seems to be following us on this trip through the northern part of the country, and according to the weather forecasts, it will follow us into Canada. Today we left Gogebic Lake in the rain and drove across Michigan to Sault Ste Marie, on the Michigan-Canadian border.

Our northern route included a side trip to the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore in the northern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In the small town of Munising, Michigan, we had pasties, touted as the best on the UP. I think that may be true. Muldoon’s Pasties specialty are the traditional beef, potato, rutabaga, and carrot kind, served with a rich beef gravy. Mo liked the apple dessert pasty the best. The definition of a “pasty” is a pie that is made without a pan, basically a kind of hand pie. Yummm.

We left the MoHo in Munising and drove the 11 mile route to the shore through gorgeous hardwood forests. The weather was wild and windy, but Pictured Rocks was still the highlight of the day. We hiked out to the overlooks and along the cliff trails of the one area of the park that is reasonably accessible. I can see how on a pleasant day this would be fabulous coastal kayaking area, but it also wouldn’t have been as dramatic a visit as it was for us in the wild wind.

After our sidetrip, we ambled on through the UP to Sault Ste Marie. The town actually consists of two cities, one on the US side and on in Ontario. The locks here are operated and owned by a cooperative effort between Canada and the US, and were built in the mid 1850’s and one of them is the longest lock in the world. After our tour of the Panama Canal last January, it was interesting to see locks that were built long before the Canal locks. The level of Lake Huron is 21 feet below Lake Superior and the volume of commerce has been immensely important to the economies of this part of the world.

The visitor center here is extremely well done and informative, and there are viewing platforms for watching the ships go through the locks. The rapids of the St Mary’s River have been preserved in a small section adjacent to the locks and are a very popular fishing site. Because of the rain and high winds however, there were very few ships attempting to navigate from Lake Huron to Lake Superior. The next big ship, a 1000 foot long freighter, was scheduled to enter the locks after 9pm. We decided instead to go find an Irish Coffee in a pub, check out the souvenir shops in town across from the visitor center, and go back home to our warm and dry home waiting at the campground.

We opted to stay at the Auld Osborne campground operated by the city of Sault Ste Marie. As we approached our destination, the volume of big fifth wheels and motorhomes was surprising. Once settled in, however, the site was OK, with a view of the river and a somewhat open site. The pedestal for the power was in a pool of water, and the water was in a completely different direction. Not long after we got settled, we saw a parade of people heading for the riverbank, and figured that meant a ship was on its way. Sure enough, a big freighter rolled by, moving amazingly fast. Most of these freighters are hauling taconite, a form of iron ore that has been processed for easy transport. The visitor center had information on the many types of freighters and their history, and in the shops we saw the freighter identification guide book, a worthwhile purchase if your plans include more than a single night.

September 2 Duluth

the rest of the photos for this day of travels are here.

Our campsite at Jay Cooke was perfectly comfortable, and after a very wild night of hard rain and thunder, it was good to know we didn’t have to rush off anywhere in a hurry. Planning two nights in one place is great, because then there is at least a day to explore some of the local area. Once we reach Niagara Falls, Labor Day will be in the past and we do hope to spend a bit more time relaxing and seeing the local sights.

We asked the waitress last night what shouldn’t be missed in Duluth, and she insisted that the Skyline Drive and Enger tower was something that everyone seemed to think was the thing to do. After a relaxing morning, a good breakfast, and a good MoHo cleanout, we took off again in the Tracker to see a bit of the town. The visitor center near Spirit Mountain has a great display of panoramic photographs labeled with all the sights of the Duluth Harbor and is a great way to get oriented to the layout of the city. They also provided two maps and a full page of descriptive directions for negotiating the Skyline Parkway. The drive was dramatic even on a cloudy day. The gardens at Enger park were filled with hostas and other familiar perennials that we grow at home, but they were so much bigger than what I can grow at Rocky Point. Amazingly, the tower was open and there was no fee to climb the several flights of stairs to the top for the view of the Duluth Harbor. In fact, no one was around except the pigeons, and Abby even managed to climb all those stairs to the top.

After winding around the bluffs overlooking Duluth, we drove down to Canal Park to explore that area as well. By then it was raining, so we got out the umbrellas and raincoats and made an attempt to see some of the area. The Lakeshore walk follows the shoreline for a couple of miles but with the rain we decided to have lunch instead. I was tickled to find my favorite Walleye on the menu and enjoyed the succulent, delicate white fish found only in these cold northern waters. The last time I had walleye was in St Paul several years ago when Mo and I traveled there during winter. I wasn’t disappointed. Both times I have had walleye, it has been the most delicate, tender, moist, fresh, sweet fish I ever ate. Bar none.

We checked out a few shops and then drove down to the Rose Garden. This part of Duluth is wonderful, with so many walkways, trails, bike paths, and gardens. I would have loved to spend some time here when it wasn’t raining, but even in the rain it was a special place. Only one ship passed through the Aerial Lift Bridge while we were there, but I was glad to see it in operation.

We skipped the traffic and ambled home to Jay Cooke in the rain and settled in for a peaceful evening.

Off to the Oregon Coast Day 1

Click here for more photos:

We left for the coast this morning at 9:15. What an amazing morning it was at Rocky Point, with the sun shining brilliantly and the temperatures warming up at last. A bit ironic to be heading for the cool coast when we have been waiting through such a long cold spring for some summer weather. Still, it was exciting to get the MoHo back on the road again. Diamond Lake Junction is just little over an hour north on 97 but there is a great little restaurant there that has probably the best breakfast in the world. From the outside you wouldn’t have a clue, with a big sign that says EAT. It looks like any dumpy little roadside greasy spoon. I do think that breakfast there is the best I ever found, and this morning we made it before the 11am breakfast cutoff time. Mo and I shared something called the “Bigfoot”; chicken fried steak, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits. Even with two people eating, we couldn’t finish the entire thing and took some with us in a box for a later snack. Something about that meal takes me back to a simpler time, like macaroni and cheese or fancy fruit jello salads. I love the new style of eating, with fresh food, lots of veggie choices, and ethnic seasonings and styles. Still, there is something of the south in me that melts for chicken fried steak, childhood food, southern food. Reading Laurie’s blog (Semi-True Tales of our Life on the Road) this year about their travels and eating adventures in the south made me want to go there just for the food!

We traveled to the coast via HWY 97, over Willamette Pass on HWY 58, I-5 to Corvallis to HWY 99 north into Dallas, turning west on HWY 22 to HWY 101 to Lincoln City. There are just a few routes across the mountains, and then a few from I-5 leading west to the ocean, so choosing is just a matter of preference. We were settled into camp by 5, after eight hours driving that included our nice breakfast break. Our destination this time is a State Park right in the middle of Lincoln City adjacent to Devils Lake: Devils Lake State Park. Since it was high summer at the coast, we were smart enough to make reservations and we had a full hookup site, even with cable. The campground there is nice, but the sites aren’t very private, and there were LOTS of kids around, riding bikes, making lots of noise. The highway is close as well, and traffic is loud, but tempered a bit by the sound of the ocean, just beyond the highway west of us.

After settling in, we explored the campground, found the delightful boardwalk through the wetlands that led to the highway, crossed the road and found the beach. A two mile walk along beautiful clean sands was perfect for us and for Abby, where she could be off leash after we left the state park boundary. So many of Oregon’s beaches are gorgeous, but short, punctuated by cliffs and rocks and it is sometimes hard to walk any distance without being stopped by them. This beach is long and clear, and you can walk for miles in either direction.

Home to our campsite for the evening campfire. The skies are clear and the winds are mild and temperate. Wonderful end to our first day.

Another Lovely Sea Day before our Panama Canal Transit January 7

Sea days are one of the great pleasures of this longer cruise. I love them. Time for deck walking, watching the sea, sunning on the upper decks, true relaxation.

On this day, the Constellation held the signature cruise midnight buffet at brunch! What a stellar idea! Who wants to eat all that food at midnight anyway. As we entered the dining room the array of food before us was mind boggling. There were the obligatory ice sculptures, many of them, and rows and rows of gorgeous food, fruits, carved watermelons, anything you could imagine to eat was available.

…

The sushi was fresh and beautiful, and I saw people with huge plates of fresh prawns, fresh salmon,Bavarian waffles freshly made, and an omelet bar. I don’t think we even made it to the dessert table for this buffet with all the other amazing food to eat, but the chocolate waterfall looked impressive.

After eating our fill, we spent the afternoon sunning and swimming, and Mo managed to get a sunburn by falling asleep on her stomach in one of those great deck chairs.

…

With all that great food for brunch, we decided to skip the formal dinner in the dining room and went instead to the Seaside for pizza and salad. That evening Diane Cousins from Wales finally made it and while she was OK, it certainly wasn’t deserving of all the prior buildup. After the theater show we visited the talent show in the Edge of the Earth disco bar, but it was a bit boring. There are not enough people with talent on this ship, or maybe it is an older crowd and no one wanted to stay up until the 10:45 starting time. Everything is scheduled so late at night that it’s hard to stay interested while waiting around for things to happen. After a little bit of entertainment, and a few laughs, we ambled off to bed to get a good night’s sleep.

Off to Miami for our cruise January 3 and 4

Since I currently live in California, Mo and I planned our flights from San Francisco, flying to Miami to embark, returning to San Diego for our final port, then flying back to San Francisco. The South San Francisco Travelodge has a park, stay, and fly package that is a great deal for these kinds of trips. With a stay on either end of the trip included, and parking for the entire time we are away, the cost is much less than even the economy lots at the airport. The shuttle is free both ways as well. Our room was warm, roomy and comfortable. Especially with the cold, wet fog of San Francisco, we were happy to be cozied up in a decent place. Arriving in South San Francisco early in the day gave us some time to do some shopping, enjoying lunch and wine at the Maceroni Grill. Later in the evening we drove down to the wharf and had a great dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. I had to try the key lime pie, in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Florida Keys in March.

Our flight was scheduled for 11 pm so we went to the airport to wait. The red-eye flight was uneventful on American Airlines, and we had great seats again, on the 2 seats per row side of the airplane. I slept well and the flight went quickly. Morning in Miami was cool and sunny, and getting to the pier was uneventful, but the boarding of the Celebrity Constellation was really slow. With all the extra security due to the Christmas Day bomber, it took much longer to clear the incoming ship for immigration. The lines were long and the wait was more than a couple of hours. Very tiresome. We hoped this wasn’t setting the bar for the rest of our first Celebrity cruise!

Finally on board, we settled into our cabin. It was very roomy and comfortable, with a large bathroom and shower, the biggest yet in our experience. We decided to explore the ship and with only 11 decks, it seemed very small. For a moment, we wondered how it might be to have to spend 14 days on this smaller ship. This was my first cruise longer than 7 days, although Mo managed a 21 day cruise to China several years ago.

Our first evening in the dining room wasn’t especially memorable. Although we requested a private table for two, we were seated with two other people, an obnoxious woman and her husband who never stopped talking and carrying on a very negative conversation throughout the entire meal. However, after dinner we enjoyed the entertainment at the very lovely Celebrity Theater We explored the ship some more after the show and began to adjust to the size. It certainly didn’t take long to find our way around.

On Monday morning we arranged for a room service breakfast, served right on time, but decided we didn’t need to try that again. The food was very boring, with tasteless bacon and sausage and dry toast. Ugh. Since it was a sea day and we were exhausted from our previous travels, we snuggled back under the covers and slept in until 10 AM. The skies were cloudy and gray and I just watched the sea slide by my window for a long time. Amazingly, I wasn’t the least bit seasick and found myself really enjoying the gentle movement of the ship. When we got up we checked out the shops and computer lab. Sadly, my ACER Netbook refused to boot up, so all my plans for photo management and blog writing during the cruise were nipped in the bud.

Later we enjoyed a truly delightful lunch at the Seaside Buffet, eating by the main pool area. After checking out the spa on the 11th deck, we settled in to play cards in the game room, had a snack at the Kove Patisserie, played some bingo in the afternoon, went to the Casino, had a drink in the Rendezvous Bar, and again explored the top decks of the ship. Sounds like a typical cruise trip, doesn’t it!

The evening was formal, and again dinner was impressive. We insisted on our requested table for two, and after some confusion we settled in to a table in a narrow part of the dining room near the galley. Although not a perfect location, we never again had our dinner spoiled by irritating table mates. I especially enjoyed the many courses offered at dinner, with an amazing beef capriccio appetizer, cold fruit soup, spinach salad, sea bass, and cherries jubilee. Off to the theater for another Broadway type production with great music to end our first full sea day.