hipchecks blog

TriTip with Chimichurri Sauce and Corn/Okra Saute

2011-10-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

I admit it has been quite a while since I have done a food related Item but I woke this morning the urge to whip up something unique, something I've never done before, and something I could Grill.

I scoured the ads and found that Sprouts had TriTip Roasts on special and being I already had some cilantro from some guacamole I had made the day previous decided to whip up a chimichurri sauce as well just for the heck of it. Perusing the net I found an interesting dry rub using cardomin, cumin, paprika, garlic, and olive oil that made a wonderful rub which when adding the olive oil actually ended up being a paste.

It grilled wonderfully with me searing each side for 5 minutes, putting on a smoke box with pecan chips, and finishing it at about 325 for 30 minutes. As I was grilling...

The wife took it upon herself to do the side dish of sauteed corn and okra....why she decided to pull the okra card I am not sure but over dinner it did bring up the interesting topic that only people in mixed marriages probably discuss that was the category of "did you know the slimier the food the healthier it is." So with that in mind eating Okra, Nato, and Seaweed are all amazing nutritional food items. So I ask you loyal reader-go out and but some nato and let me know what you think.

Anyhow, the savory earthiness of the herbs in conjunction with the juicy beef texture served as a very complimentary juxtaposition of the cool pungency served by the chimichurri sauce. It literally could not have been any better, Truth be told-I could have added more salt in the chimichurri sauce but other then that was a hit to be sure. Tomorrow we are going to use the slicer to cut the remaining tritip and make french dip sandwiches and I suppose I will use the remaining chimichurri to make Chimichurri Bisque, or Cream of Chimichurri soup. or fried wontons cooked in a chimichurri glaze. Suppose I probably dont need to go on but you get the idea.

For the record as well-thanks for all the kind words Ive gotten from readers of my blog. Was pleased as punch to see how many people I've touched in my 3 or 4 years of doing it. If you are new to the blog feel free to subscribe to our email service and get each new blog entry sent directly to your email. Aint technology grand.

Anyhow....here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

The final creation....

Grilled Tri Tip...juicy and pink.

Concert Review-The B52s and the Lake Mission Viejo Experience

2011-09-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Somewhere east of the 5 freeway lays the man made body of water known as Lake Mission Viejo. Nestled between a bevy of upper class condos and homes it offers most amenities that most lakes offer in swimming, fishing, boating etc etc. Only difference being that Lake Mission Viejo is a private lake that one must be a member or, or know someone who is a member, to enjoy the facilities. Being a private lake offers certain benefits you will never find at other lakes....mainly in that you can bring anything you want to the lake provided its not in a glass bottle. The other benefit being the summer concert series that in the past has seen acts like the Doors, Randy Newman, Dionne Warwick, Glenn Campbell and others playing for the members and there guests in what can be best described as a “cozy” environment with crowds probably not more then 5000 or so max. Tonight's act was the B-52s whose anthemic Rock Lobster gets played on JACK FM about every 15 minutes or so. Walking in front of the stage it looked a catalog for Trader Joes with older affluent couples drinking wine and full spreads of cheese, meat, lasagna, sushi and tons of other good looking food. Myself, dressed in an Old Navy Tshirt and a Hawaiian shirt over it withstood the urge to walk onto someones blanket and point at one of the food items and say “are you going to finish that?”

Concert days are spent with people showing at 6am where wristbands are issued and those whose numbers are called get first crack at laying their blankets on the lawn and from then on for the rest of the day having their claimed stake-can spend the rest of the day bbqing and doing familial things people do at the beach or the lake etc etc etc...the only difference being as it gets closer to concert time, particularly for larger acts, and in the case of the B52s for whatever reason saw the lake at maximum occupancy. And being we had no intention of getting early for good seats we were resigned to the fact that we would be sitting far beyond visual contact not only of the stage but the large monitor that showed the on stage goings on for those of us with angle seats.

The stars were aligned and it ended up that our party of 6 happened to all be good friends and good people, some of whom I hadn't seen in years. Well stocked cooler in tow we staked a claim on the sand of the lake smack dab in front of Life Guard Station #2 where a small berm of sand in front of the tower meant the possibility of better viewing though most of us could care less. We stood around and listened to the opening act....a trio of rockabilly musicians with a buxom blonde female stand up bass player sharing vocals. We goofed on them a little bit thinking how when it comes to being a rockabilly band you simply take 50s Rock and Roll staples and add your words and when all else fails throw is some numbers aka “2-4-6-8-10 lets get to the top and rock again” ad nauseum set to the tune of Blue Suede Shoes or 20 Flight Rock. After listening to the guitar player struggle with a solo that was basically the same solo to Folsom Prison Blues we all laughed with the notion that you have no business being on stage as a guitar player when the Folsom Prison Blues solo presents a challenge. Truth be told we were so far there was a delay in drums and bass which gave the entire set a certain amount of dissonance that was hard to get your head around in an aural sense so it may have just been us. Later my brother recognized the blonde bass player as the same woman who works the boat rental counter at the lake which made it understandable in a way.

We sat and enjoyed the nice weather over a couple of cold ones while we debated the merits of joining the MV Lake Club and talked a bit more about the B52s and in particular what song they would open with as well as whether or not we could cajole lead singer Fred Schneider to play one of his solo songs...a little ditty called “Monster” that written as an homage to his penis with a late 80s video that had Schneider and an animated Penis dancing in unison not all too different then one of Paula Abduls videos from back in the day, then again I show my age and why I have dedicated precious RAM in my brain to remember Paula Abdul videos escapes me.

We also spoke of DEVO and how there were some teenagers wearing DEVO shirts; Eddie told us of his recent DEVO concert experience and how while it was a great show he was fearing the lead singer would go into cardiac arrest and countering the story with a side segment of how he sat next to the owner of the Harbour House Cafe. The real comedic value came when Ed compared his look to that of sporting a wardrobe and hairstyle from the "Phil Spector Collection" and how the owner later reneged on his offer to comp his next meal at the Harbour House.

A few from our group went with my brother who had seen enough shows here to know that the band actually takes the stage via boat from the lake and a small bit of sidewalk they could stand and talk to the acts before taking the stage. They left for a bit as from the distance I heard a small smattering of applause and could indeed see the female band members making their way to the stage. They opened with some song I was unfamiliar with and once again being so far away from the stage meant the drums and some other aspects of the show on a 1 second tape delay. We listened and shot the crap as they launched into Private Idaho...a song we now link to our older brother Sean who now resides in that aforementioned state. Back in the early 80s listening to this song Im pretty sure he never thought he'd actually be living there.

By then the rest of the group came back with our friend Bill boasting about shaking Fred Schneider's hand and asking him to play “monster” followed by a few other barbs about his hand having to due with Purell and the overall bad idea of hand shaking due to hygiene concerns and some of Fred Scheiders rumored eh, hem.....lets just call them "not so well hidden proclivities." After the good natured ribbing we all decided to simply go walk to the stage and employ the walk through area to get a better view even if it meant walking back and forth a few times.

As we approached the main walk area there was a member of the club who choose poorly in the blanket wristband stake your claim game. Seems this fellow thought that placing his blanket directly behind the sidewalk walkway was the best area he could find for him and his family to see the show. Now keep in mind for those going from the entrance/snack bar to the overflow area with a majority of the concert goers were the sidewalk is the only way to get there-there is no other option. I could also see at the time at 6AM when the lake is completely devoid of people it probably seemed an ideal spot and this fellow also probably didnt think of the hundreds of people standing and walking in front of him completely blocking the stage view. Seems this fellow as well thought that he could insist people not walk on the sidewalk and mind you given the overall maximum crowd tonight and given his overall George Costanza-ish look we actually found a substantial amount of humor value out of it....especially seeing his wife behind clearly unhappy with ensuing events. Soon he gave up the folly picking his blanket up clearly dejected but not before giving the stink eye to anyone in his general vicinity as one last act of defiance.

There was a metal gate that was serving as a barrier between premium seats and us dopes standing around the perimeter. As the occupancy started becoming shoulder to shoulder we started a “tear down the wall” chant and oddly enough in a couple of minutes guards came and removed a few of the gates to let the people up close in the front/premium easier access to restrooms or whatever. As those people starting leaving the premium section, and a bevy of mainly heavy set older women with too much make up and bad boob jobs started pouring, we started chanting “Put the Wall Back, Put the Wall Back.”

We made the trek out for a better view of the stage and upon reaching center stage we went and stopped and watched the show as others did the same. A few security were asking people to keep moving a few yards down from us when I got the idea to simply start dancing anytime they came near. Think about it-is a guard more likely to stop a 40 something guy dancing or the 40 something guy simply standing? We spread the word to the rest of the group and we all snickered as anytime a guard came by the lot of us starting waving our arms in the arm or doing the standard white guy dance. After 10 minutes the guards simply gave up and other joined behind us. You may be able to see my spastic gyrations here if you look close enough...

Sure enough my suspicion was correct that in front of the stage the sound quality was very good and seeing the female members of the band harmonize was impressive-far more so then I would have imagined by listening to their records for the last 30 years. Looking around us it was literally a hodge podge of intoxicated 40 something woman all dancing about while their male companions had the worried “Should I dance? Should I do the head nod up and down? Should I simply Stand and show no emotion?” Not that I did a Neilsen study on it but it looked to me like most were choosing the latter which made the fact that our Motley Crew had no inhibitions whatsoever and were dancing, singing, pumping our fists, and doing bad Fred Schneiders impressions somewhat the life of the party as far as OC concert crowds go. The band belted out some of their best known songs and quite frankly I loved every minute of it considering I haven't owned any of their work since the mid 90s Cosmic Thing album. Even songs I hate like Love Shack had taken on some new life. They then busted into Planet Claire which was fantastic as not only have I always enjoyed that song but was dancing with 2 40something women who were enjoyed the concert as much as I was while there dates exchanged nervous glances while the crazy guy in the plaid hat and Hawaiian shirt did all of the quirky dance moves that the B52s were noted for back in the day. The song ended and me and the gang and our new found lady friends all high fived each other. Soon it was over...but not before the band feigned the end of the show and we went into the motions of clapping and chanting for more. Then after coming back to the stage and busting out Rock Lobster and maybe one other that was that; but not before a pretty good firework show ended the night in high flying fashion. The quality of the firework show is strangely magnificent given you have somewhat lowered expectations for the lake but they are very good. I speculate a member of the club probably owns a pyrotechnic/fireworks company.

It was the best of times...it was the worst of times. Our quick time warp to the early 80s(and mid90s for that matter) was over and going back to the wives and kids meant saying goodbye to our old friends and getting back to that pesky thing known as responsibility.

The Horrors of the Taco Bell Taste Test

2011-08-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

I got paid $25 bucks to eat 2 burritos today. You read that correctly-As part of Taco Bell "experimenting" with some new menu items I was selected to visit the Irvine Headquarters and take part in the program. The Taco Bell headquarters was big nice corporate building with plenty of big tvs that played nothing but Taco Bell Commercials over and over and over again. I was wondering if every 7 or 8 minutes they were going to show a 3 minute snippet of scenes from "How I met Your Mother" or "American Idol."

After herding our group into a very futuristic looking elevator we entered a room that was pretty much what you would expect in a test room with a row of 10 or side cubicles with a cup of water, a saltine, and a door connected to the wall in which the people from behind would slide out the franchises latest concoctions and a computer monitor and keyboard where we could enter our thoughts on the various products. My Keyboard looked like it needed some cleaning and I secretly longed for a bottle of Purell or a Lysol Wipe. My computer at home looked cleaner and I've got 8 and 4 Year old Sons who regularly sneeze and cough on it as they play Club Penguin.

The questions were mainly about the 2 styles of beef but I noticed some other subtle differences as well.

Burrito A- Your typical Taco Bell Style Burrito with ground beef, rice, and Cheese Whip. Yes thats what I refer to Taco Bell's cheese as. I am sure they refer to it as nacho creamy cheese sauce or some other bastardization of what in reality is probably the lowest grade cheese product one could possibly ingest. Being in Southern California why anyone in their right mind would prefer this over real grated cheese served everywhere else including Del Taco, the Bells main competitor, is rightfully well beyond my overall scope of reasoning. The Beef was good with a nice balance of spice and consistency but along with the aforementioned horror that that is the cheese sauce was also some Taco Bell rice which to me, had an overly fiberous grit like quality not too much different then vacuum packed precooked rice that requires no cooking at all. All in all pretty much what you'd expect from a bunch of Corporate Suits sitting in a conference room overlooking the 5 freeway and the Irvine Spectrum with a goal of "How can we create the most cost effective burrito using the rock bottom cheapeast ingredients yet make it minimally passable to the average high school student in California or average fast foot eater in the MidWest."

Burrito B came around and while they said they were looking for strictly quality of Beef questions, the second burrito had very little rice, much more corporate cheese product, and a meat that was much smaller in grain size with a higher water/liquid content. After a bite or two I decided this was very easily a burrito in which the filling could be simply eaten with a plastic spoon and at the end of the day the tortilla serving more as a delivery vessel then anything else. Who knows-the styrofoam cup on Cup of Noodles may have more flavor and very possibly could be a much healthier alternative. Burrito B also had a lot more Corporate Cheese Whip which once mingled with the smaller, watterier ground beef ended up being what one could best summate as "industrial beef and cheese product."

I used to be a Taco Bell fan back in the day but once again they are clearly catering to a crowd with zero regard for flavor, authenticity, health factors, and pretty much anything that may remotely hit a small percentage higher then that of rock bottom. Im really surprised at this point why Taco Bell doesnt simply Co-op with AM/PM or 7/11 as the Nacho Cheese in any of those places really cant fall much lower then the Corporate Cheese Whip being served at Taco Bell. I could honestly make a better taco using ingredients from HomeTown Buffett-a franchise that makes no bones about catering to Seniors and boasting about their use of "For Industrial Use Only" Style of ingrediants.

I almost envision a full blown gasoline tanker filled with nothing but corporate cheese whip with a dirty hose on the end of the tank, while a beer bellied guy in orange stained blue overalls gets out, flips the cover of a huge holding tank, and uses his dirty boot to hit the on/off switch while a stream of Corporate Cheese Whip fills the coffers of Taco Bell's cheese holding tanks around the Nation. Have you ever seen the guy who cleans out porta pottys? Same Principle, Same Result...only one guy takes **** out and the other puts **** in. On the bright side $25 bucks is $25 bucks. I figure after $10 bucks on ipecac and an enema Ill still have $15 to go to Albertos with.

TJs Wine Home Run and another Beef Palace plug....

2011-08-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Was in Huntington Beach the other day to visit my parents and stopped by Trader Joes. I picked up a bottle of BearBoat Syrah for 3.99 based on a workers recommendation. Did some homework and found this is wine is going for $20 bucks on some wine sites. Opened and aerated it and it without question is a homerun of a wine bargain at $3.99 a bottle. At $20 you would think it was a good bottle for the price point; at $10 you would think it a best value....at $3.99 get it, get it now, get it in vast quantities.

Black Pepper Sausage.....el yum yum

Also stopped by Beef Palace to pick up a chicken to bbq....best chicken in town and the butcher comped me one of their black pepper sausage. Check out the pic....I will be buying more sausages in the future. $5.99 a pound is well worth it for this quality of meat but thats not surprising since the Beef Palace rocks. Click the pic to see the details...

Lopez Lake Epilogue-The Scenic Route isn't always so......

2011-08-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

continued From....

Lopez Lake Day 3

We woke up in the AM and once again it seemed colder then the night before....it was easy to take knowing we wouldnt have to do it again and besides-living in CA cold means anything below 55degrees. We packed up the family truckster, filled up the gas tank, stopped by Mcdonalds and away we went South on the 101 looking forward to stopping by the Santa Barbara pier for a chance to stretch the legs and grab a bite before making our way home.

Making the exit Tomoko mentioned she wanted to see the Santa Barbara Mission and on the way we also saw the Museum of Natural History in the area as well. Passing the Mission we both loved the dual spires but also thought it may not be as fun for the kids as the museum. Alex mentioned since we already went to the mission in San Juan Capistrano that he wanted to see the museum.

We parked, paid, and 3 hours later left with me looking at my watch thinking "we still need to go to the pier, eat, and then drive back....which means basically Id be getting home at 8pm instead of our 4-5 pm time. Oh well....nothing wrong with prolonging the vacation I suppose.

We stopped at the mission where I snapped some pics and left to find the pier. I always like Santa Barbara pier if not for the end section of the pier were the pier designers felt maybe it wasn't so important to have things like rails to separate people on the pier from falling into the ocean. And now that I had kids made it clear and in no uncertain terms that no one was to run on the pier or even walk in front of us for that matter.

Driving through town It was a bit different then I last remembered with more homeless and panhandlers then I remembered. As a matter of fact I had to tip my cap to the creativity of some of them as they had a variety of crudely assembled carnival style games on the sand below the pier. There were target games with a bullseye with a piece of cardboard reading "Hit the Bullseye!" as well as a tripod made of sticks and an empty can with the same throw the coin type promotion. Alex couldnt take not playing one of the games so decided this was the opportunity to throw a japanese coin he had with him. I've always said its never too late to give a homeless person a lesson in international currency. I considered trying to hit the bullseye and then demanding some type of stuffed animal or the contents of the cup that marked the bullseye.

Walking by the seafood restaurants and in particular the Fish n Chip stand almost turned my stomach given the previous days foray in the realm of ultra rich chowder and slightly reheated fish and chips later in the day. And once again no family walk would be complete without an inviting candy or ice cream shop to beckon them in. At the end of the pier we watched some of the fisherman and overhead some of them bemoaning the lack of fish on this day.

Leaving the pier we were lucky to stumble across a pizza place that was built from an old light house. From the outside you would have thought it a bit more upscale but looking at the menu found we still had 15 minutes left to order the salad, pizza, drink lunch special. The kids were very happy...pizza and all you can drink soda. I was happy-I could get a nice salad(I always tend to yearn for roughage when camping) and a place to sit. Wont give a full on review but loved the interior of the place but could have done without the moss green littered filled drainage ditch that the patio offered some not so stunning views of.

Back on the 101South I decided it may be fun to take the scenic coastal route through Ventura expecting it be to similar to the drive from Seal Beach, through HB, through Newport and Laguna....truth be told the drive lacked scenery and large swaths of coast as well for that matter. Driving through Ventura I was shocked to see how shabby it was and not to mention the plethora of thrift and 2nd hand shops as well as homeless everywhere...I mean everywhere. It looked like at one time it was probably a cool little city but it clearly had seen better days-it was like Frisco only with better parking. My older brother lived in this city once upon a time and driving through imagined what life might have been like had I grew up here instead of Huntington.

We stayed on the coastal drive and finally started to see some coast but not before stopping by another mcdonalds for an iced coffee as the post lunch carb intake was dragging down my energy levels. Fueled by the coffee we continued our coastal jaunt and once again saw very little coast and I really began to question exactly what definition of "scenic" city planners had read when coming up with this little drive on Baltic and Mediterranean Avenue. Finally I had enough and lamented my decision and coming across a large street I recognized from the map made a left and was treated to another wonderful, scenic trip through downtown Oxnard. Seeing the signs for Oxnard, Tomoko said "dont they have a famous college here?" I spent the next 10 or so minutes going some of the slight regional between Oxford and Oxnard. Later we both laughed when we actually did stumble across Oxnard College. I wondered if they had a rowing team.

We drove and drove and drove East hoping to find the onramp. After a while I began to wonder if something had gone horribly wrong and rolled the dice by asking the goth girl in the car next to us if I was on the right track....she put down the chicken wing she was eating and confirmed we were indeed on the right track but not before first spitting a bit of cartilage from the hot wing into her hand and washing it down with a Diet Soda. Nice Gal though....

Finally after our scenic trip through Hades....I mean Oxnard we found the highway again and I was never so proud to find it. Reminded me of the time as teenagers we drove to LA on a 1/4 tank of gas and on the return trip with the gas gauge on E and the light on-saw the sigh that read "Now Leaving Compton" as the engine continued to purr and take us back home.

And then as we entered LA were lucky enough to hit what remained of rush hour traffic-was a journey well planned and played immaculately. I began to feel the car seat actually conforming to the curve of my ass and though it wasnt hot-the lack of air circulation meant some parts of the anatomy about as steamy as a Florida
swamp. I couldnt wait to get home and have a bowl of cold cereal and a lukewarm shower-90 or so minutes later....I did just that.

The Wash Basin from Mission Santa Barbara...I figured in Black and White and a funky angle it might look cool...
the jury is still out.

Fountain.....yeah, just a fountain.

The Museum was having a special program about butterflys....this was the best of them.

Lopez Lake Day 3-Pismo Beach and all the clams that you can eat

2011-08-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

Continued from http://hipchecksblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/day-2-lopez-lake.html

I awoke cold, stiff, slight back ache, a stuffy nose, and couldnt wait to feel the warmth of the sun bask upon my glorious face. Seems like each night we spent the colder it got and once again our tent while spacious is better suited towards desert and higher temperature camping as opposed to some of the lower temps we've experienced as of late.

I got up and didnt bother with the japanese coffee contraption and headed straight for the instant coffee...even taking the time to heat some warm milk up as well as I heard the wife waking up and thought she would appreciate the gesture. With the task of making a Warming, Soothing, Caffeinated Beverage out of the way I started making breakfast using the leftover fajitas, the rest of the pre cooked hashbrowns, and then adding as many eggs as could fit in the skillet. Mighty tasty but once again camp food always tastes better then food cooked at home for whatever reason.

Bellies full, off we went to the grand journey to Pismo Beach taking the same route we took to hit the groceries the previous day. Hitting Pismo, Tomoko mentioned how much the area reminded her of Seal Beach and how it had a similar vibe. I would agree a bit but sadly Pismo reminded me more of Huntington before development and Starbucks entered the picture. We strolled down Pomeroy Ave and took in all the shops they offered and meandered past the Splash Cafe where we had planned to lunch. I took in the cafe and couldnt wait to sample the world famous clam chowder once again but having eaten not an hour earlier none of us were quite ready. I was hoping to take the Kids to arcade in one of the buildings but sadly it was closed on this weekday. I saw through the window and apart from a few ticket dispensing type games looked like they had all the same games they had when I last visited in 1999 or whenever it was.

We made it to the pier and the kids moaned a bit wanting to play in the sand and water but pointing out that the pier wasnt nearly as long as Huntington's Beach they went with...Im pretty sure them seeing a snack bar on the end had something to do with it. I looked north towards Morro Bay and envisioned what living life in this area must be like and remember the strange conversation with a fellow camper the day previous who mentioned he lived in Grover Beach tried to put aside the notion that not all people in this area had the unique manner of speech and odd look in his eye. He asked where we from and when I mentioned OC and growing up in Huntington Beach he said "I was carjacked one time in Huntington Beach and almost killed." I thought of replying with "well I hope it wasnt anybody I know" but decided not best to joke with an odd stranger in a semi-desolate part of a San Luis Obispo County campground.

For some reason this stand reminded me of a Fish n Chip stand you'd see in London...I guess however since Ive never been to London.

Anyhow we walked the pier and I snapped some picture of the snack bar, a pelican sitting on the pier railing while a fisherman sat with pole in the water not 3 feet over, and a heavy set older latina women who I snapped for no particular reason.

Pelican and Fisherman co-exist in this harmonious world of wonder.
Can we have Peace on Earth?

We enjoyed the view and slowly made our way back to the shore to take the kids to the sand under the guise of digging for Pismo Clams. Reaching the sand Tomoko and I commented on how the grain of the sand was akin to baby powder...arguably the softest beach sand Ive ever felt. I wanted to lay out a huge blanket and catnap under the sun but what we want to do and what we can do are two very different things with an 8 and 4 year old.

My attempt at a Panorama Shot.

We watched the kids play at the shore and start digging feverishly to try and find a clam while tomoko and I enjoyed the sound of the ocean, the soft gentle breeze, and the brief respite from the harsh rustica offered via campsite. Finally we decided to head to the Splash Cafe.....and it did not disappoint.

In spite of the 10-15 minute wait outside we found a table and ordered 2 chowders, 1 Fish and Chips, a couple of sodas and 1 Fat Tire that Tomoko and I shared. The first bite of the chowder nothing short of pure unadulterated culinary bliss with a creamy smack in the face that countered nicely with the savory herb used in the chowder and the cool brine and texture offered by the shrimp and crab mixture. Alex talked about how good it was between bites and Tomoko said it was clearly the best chowder she had ever had. The Fish and Chips were good as well with the exception of the Tartar Sauce which was nothing special....Almost tasted like your typical store bought brand of tarter sauce or put to even a more basic critique- miracle whip mixed with relish. Since my Pantry Chef days of working at Delaneys I expect more a tarter sauce...I want bits of onion along with the occasional caper or two. All in all a small complaint as I am sure 90% of the people are ordering the chowder. Upon retrospect I would have liked to try their cocktail sauce as well. We left with belly full and ready to make the drive back to town to hang on main street.

Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl topped with Shrimp and Crab.....drool.

This sign for Highway 1 looked better in Black and White then color.

Back on Grand Ave in Arroyo Grande we walked around the town a bit walking over one of the many historic bridges that cross the creek that flows over a deep ravine. We stopped at one bridge that a bronze historical marker on that denoted the bridge was built in 1918...but then washed away in the great storm of 23 and again in 64. The new bridge was a state of the art replica and built on conjunction with sponsorship of the local Der Weinerschitzel unit#123. Good Times.

Checking our watches we realized we were late for the in camp water slide. Doing a cost benefit/time analysis we decided it would be cheaper to simply take the kids to the local boomers for miniature golf. I found one up the road in santa maria via the cell phone app and after a short drive the 4 of us were golfing on what may be the worst kept boomers in California with the course littered with leaves and branches and a shortage of staff meant us waiting about 10 minutes before we saw anyone at the counter. Nonetheless we played and had a great time and gave Dustin a big boy sticker for coming 2nd overall. I found a wall poster that had an annoucement for boomers text club which I joined on the spot and received a message in seconds for a free popcorn. After another 10 minute wait we got our popcorn. Truth be told I really was just going to leave but Alex hearing about the popcorn would not let that be a possibility. I concerned on a couple of occasions simply walking behind the counter and getting my G D popcorn but wasnt sure about the example that would set for the kids. Finally we got it and as we has our cooler in the van already we all shared a big gatorade on the trip back to camp.

Back at camp we wrapped our leftover Fish N Chips in Foil and threw them on the fire but it was certainly a case of the "In N Out Effect" in which the fries had a life span of about 5 minutes and any amount of time after meant consumption not recommended. Good thing it was our last night.

We got the kids to bed and once again Tomoko and I enjoyed watching the stars sans moon in one of california's least light polluted areas. As a matter of fact in the hour we sat looking at the sky we counted about 5 or 6 shooting stars between the two of us and I once again reminded myself that one day I need to learn how to properly work my telescope I was given as a gift. Ive tried it on a couple of occasions however never using a telescope only managed to see pitch black.

We each had a glass of wine and took it all in as it would be our last night of our journey with the ride back still to go.

Day 2 Lopez Lake

2011-07-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

Continued from Solvang/Lopez Day 1

The next morning we got up and ate our pastries we had bought in Solvang and Tomoko had brought out some new japanese coffee contraption. It looked like a tea bag but you would tear off the top and attach it to the side of your cup pouring hot water into the top to make a nice cup of coffee. Of course being I had my big blue over indulgent american style coffee cup by the time I filled it and drank it didnt pack much of a punch....i threw in a couple of tablespoons of instant coffee to streghten it up a bit.

Those japanese think of everything...the hello kitty version should be out next month,

Down to the marina we went picking up some more firewood(Eucalyptus @$5 a bundle no less!) and inquired about renting a boat. Sadly they no longer rented the patio boats I remember and the women working the counter mentioned that the wind would make boating something better to do in the morning. I applauded her for her honesty and said No a couple hundred times as the Kids picked up anything in the market within reach asking “can we buy this, can we buy this, can we buy this.” I told alex the only thing I was going to buy him was the pouch of red man chewing tobacco they sold behind the counter....I don't think the woman behind the counter found it that amusing.

Back to the front desk we went as we had neglected to bring a trail map. At this point Alex spotted the first Wild Turkeys of our trip....about 10 of them to be exact. We snapped some pics and headed out to take what the trail map said was the most strenuous hike the park offered....much to the kids chagrin.

Yes....I have wondered what they taste like and if its legal.

Being the trail started a good ½ mile from the campsite and we didnt know exactly how strenous the word strenuous was we took the liberty in parking in the closest camp site to the trailhead and being since there was only 1 family camping in the entire section of sites we figured it would be small potatoes and parked in a site by a large white water cooler.

Soon it became very apparent that strenuous meant strenuous not as an example of length but of height as the longer we hiked the trail the more sheer the angle of the hill became. I always use a hiking stick but its generally for show and protection in the event of god only knows what...but in this case, and trust me when I say it, but this was the first time the hiking stick actually came very much in handy the way up and down. As we climbed each hill there would be a slight turn and another hill that certainly did not sit well with Alex who may it well known in no uncertain terms. I finally told him that this was the highest hikable peak in the park and think of the accomplishment once we achieved reaching it...he mumbled something about roasting marshmallows and we journeyed on. Soon we finally reached the last peak and alas we were standing at the highest point of the park. The hike revealed the challenge from the top as the van looked like a mere blip by the water tower. There was a nice cool breeze and the views of the lakes on one side and the rustic farm on the other were fantastic. Somehow the conversation turned into how we yell “echo” in the US but in Japan they yell “Ya Ho.” I let the kids give an initial Ya Ho before stepping to the plate and letting out a bellow that earned high fives from the kids as my Ya Ho reverberated through the lake and valley. We all laughed and took in some water for the descent but not before Dusty answered natures call. I snapped a few pics that I will reserve for close family members only.

The View from the Top of the Mountain Facing East

The view of the lake from the top...look closely to the left of the water tower and you can see a tiny white
speck that is our minivan....and another tiny white speck of an irate camper wondering whose car that is
and why are they parked in his campsite.

Making the trip down the hill was much to steep to simple walk down...especially since I was wearing some old jogging shoes as opposed to actual hiking shoes or boots. After landing on my fanny and pulling Dusty up once or twice as well we finally make it down walking side step...on Tomoko suggestion. Worked like a champ!

As we got down closer to the trail head we noticed a family was actually in the campsite we parked at and were setting up camp. Kind of felt bad and started wondering if we were blocking them or god only knows what other inconvenience we may have caused and subjected them to. As we got back to the van I immediately apologized to the family who I knew must be regular campers as they were nice as can be. I offered the guy a cold japanese beer from the cooler as I know when I'm setting up camp they really tend to hit the spot. On the way back to camp Alex mentioned he must have really liked the beer as he made lip smacking sound after the first drink. Made me feel good...

That Tiny bit of trail at the very top was the highest hikable point in the park.
I was going to photoshop an arrow saying we were here but was way too much work.

We went back to camp and we were all hungry. Sadly while the kids and tomoko were content eating their japanese style of cup of noodles I had a can of sardines in and opened up a can of Bush's Grilling Beans. Later I spiced the beans up by adding some Snyders of Hanover Hot Wing Flavored Pretzel pieces to the beans which was quite delicious as it added a nice tough of spicey vinegar crunch to the smokey and somewhat soft texture of the beans. As this point I should add that the Hot Buffalo Wing Flavorer Snyder Pretzel Pieces is a fantastic snack and may be very close to my all time favorite snack that is Salt and Vinegar Boulder Kettle Chips. And no Im not getting paid to say that...but I wish I were.

We lazed around the site a little bit and then headed to the beach area of the lake. Wasnt sure what to make of the lake as on this trip it probably got no hotter then 80 degrees while we there and I was pretty sure the water temp was going to be semi cold. But as a dad Ive noticed that kids dont seem to have the cold water hangup that us adults do as we found a nice shady spot under a tree both kids went running and jumped into the shallow part of the lake. I went in after them and to my surprise wasnt too bad....still cold but not too bad. Not a jacuzzi but by that same token the brisk chill an ocean swim offers in spring. We looked at the buoy that separates the swim area from the other parts of the lake and I then decided to swim out to just like I did 12 or so years ago when I last swam there. Felt good and I only got a bit winded ¾ of the way back on the return trip when I rolled on my back and finished the remaining distance doing the back stroke.

As I got back to the shore and to the Kids I noticed a young latino couple getting into the water and the guy making the same faces I made getting in. Overhearing them I gathered that once I swam to the buoy that either the female said something to the guy or maybe he said it in some attempt at male bravado. Was funny though...I could tell the chill of the water, especially around a very temperature sensitive area of the male anatomy and the subsequent buoy swim vs the prospect of sitting at the shore on a soft blanket, in the shade, with a pretty young lady and a favorite beverage probably was higher on the wish list then making a 100 yard swim out to a marker buoy on a kids beach in semi frigid water. Good times.

Later we decided to go into town to get some fixuns for the fajitas and whatever else tickled our fancy. Making the trip to the other side of grand avenue was like going back in time. There was a movie theatre with 2....count 'em, 2 screens. One was showing the latest Tom Hanks and the other showing Winnie the Pooh. Yeah-Winnie the Pooh. The same DVD anyone with a kid 8 years or younger has in their collection was being played on the local theatre. In OC we have the multiplex-in Arroyo Grande they have a bi-plex with one screen dedicated to 50 year old Disney flicks. The grocery story was just like I remembered the midwest variety stores only difference being the produce had the areas the stuff was grown in. We picked up our goodies and went to a little bakery next door with the idea once again of getting some breakfast goodies. That idea lasted about ½ of the way back to the camp site as the kids got hold of the cookie bag and our breakfast snacks turned into our driving snacks just like that. We then got into fierce debate over the origins of the SnickerDoodle started largely by Alex asking if he could still eat a snickerdoodle despite him not liking Snickers due to the peanut factor.

We got back and started the fire and as luck would have it-the very first of the Eucalyptus log must have been filled with pitch/tar/oil or something because once it lit it started belching out thick black plumes of smoke. Had I seen that type of plume off the freeway I would have assumed that a big rig oil tanker had turned over or a roving band of Vancouver Canucks fans decided to take their act on the road. I seriously had never seen anything like it as you could see the oil bubbling out of the wood and thick as can be. Note to self-in the future stick with Mesquite and Pecan as smoking woods of choice. On the bright side it did clear my sinuses.

Fajitas were very good and I got a bit creative adding some of our pre-cooked frozen hash browns to them. I had bought some 13 inch tortillas at the groceria in lake forest so there plenty of those to go around. Once again for some reason camping food always tastes better then the food you cook at home. Honestly-a Rib Eye Steak perfectly BBQed would not taste as good as the Campground Fajita Burritos we dine on that night.

Later we got the kids to bed and held hands as we watched the stars in the sky...only this time we were lucky enough to see a couple of shooting stars. A fitting way to end our big family day.

Solvang/Lopez Lake/Santa Barbara Day

2011-07-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

So once again I found myself with some time and finally was able to fulfill a family goal of taking my own family to Lopez Lake in San Luis Obispo County. I have numerous fond memories of Lopez Lake with various family members over the years including girlfriends of years past and beloved family members who have since passed on. I even mentioned it on my radio show recently when one of my old friends called the show to reminsice. My wife is probably tired of hearing the stories so it was with great pleasure to finally be able to take her and my sons to the lake.

We had planned to leave at 9am but being since I had to load the van, still make a couple of grocery stops and other assorted to do we finally hit the road at 10:30. Traffic.com said both the 405 and 5 were wide open so we flipped a coin and took the 5. Was a bad choice as we hit traffic almost immediately with the only bright side being it was at least moving along at about 30 MPH as opposed to stop and go. Up through the 5 we saw some of the seedier sides of LA as I pointed out a dilapidated house that was covered with graffiti and had burglar bars that was a mere 10 yards from the freeway and I joked with Tomoko how cute and quaint it was and we should think of exploring the options of living in this wonderfully diverse LA community.

We made it through thousand oaks and stopped at In N Out for lunch.

Later we decided it would be fun to stop by Solvang to see the city, buy some pastries and let the kids stretch their legs. Was a nice little town and sadly the legendary ablescivers shop closed for the afternoon so I rolled my dice with an almond scone taking it to go figuring it would be wonderful in the AM. Walking through the town and saying NO to my son Alex, who at 8 years old had to ask “Can we get Ice Cream?” everytime we passed an ice cream shop and wouldnt you know it Solvang had roughly 1000. Im pretty sure there were Ice Cream shops inside of the Ice Cream shops and probably another inside the restroom. I managed to overhear a local talking about some of the wine shops who was kind enough to point me in the right direction for the Locals pick of choice for Wine shops with their being about 1/2 as many wine shops as Ice Cream shops. Soon enough I was in the tasting room for Lucas and Lewellen winery. I went to the wine bar and asked for a good red with soft tannins, a hint of oak, with bright cherry overtones that would pair with hot dogs and then bought a bottle of the Lucas and Lewellen merlot that was wonderful and a step above the Shiraz. I would never on the spur buy a 20 buck bottle but I was on vacation so what the hell.

Tomoko w/the friendly euro guy working the info station in Solvang.

Megan was nice enough to pose with a rasberry danish. She was not a euro...but
a nice gal and a heckuva good cook.

Huell Hauser once did a segment on this shoe...figured we had to take a pic.

Back on the road we had a light detour when tomoko remember that we had forgotten to bring extra propane for the stove and sadly this was a special asian style propane stone as opposed to the good old fashioned american bulk propane commonly used on Coleman and about 95% of every other camp stoves. 1 trip to Walmart, 1 to Home Depot, and finally Big 5 we finally solved the problem and were back on the road an hour later.

We finally hit Grand Avenue and stopped at the first minimart to get ice and firewood. Ice was fine at a couple of bucks for a 7lb bag but firewood for 8bucks a bundle made the jaw drop. Proceeding through town all of the memories flooded back to me. The mexican food place we watched the Stanley Cup at, the country bar we took a couple of hours respite from camping for cold beers and enjoying the flowing creek then ran by the back patio outside, and the grocery store we used to pick up anything we had forgotten to bring or ran out of. Sadly the grocery store was closed with a huge For Lease sign on the front. Sign o' the times I guess.

We made it to the ranger station to check in and I was a bit surprised to see bear warning signs posted. Upon inquiry the ranger said that indeed some bears were sported rummaging through the trash bins on the parks perimeter not a couple of days previous but on thr bright side no bears had yet to enter a campsite. This followed a myriad of questions from Alex who was surprised to hear that bears can, will, and have attacked and killed people. I guess from watching the recent Yogi Bear movie he had a few misconceptions about bears.

We got back into the van to hit the campsite when we spotted our first couple of deer. Funny thing was I hadnt even started the van and left the check in parking....gotta love Lopez Lake.

We hadn't been in the park 5 minutes before the first deer sighting.

Got to the campsite and was bit miffed to see trash strung out along the ravine neighboring our site. I tried to roll with it but after getting our site set up it just did not sit well with me at all. Donning gloves and a plastic grocery bag down I went to clean up the beer cans, plastic water bottles, newspapers and napkins that littered the area. Problem solved.

We took a quick walk to the lake just in time to see the last bit of sun dissapear over the horizon but not before Alex found a fossil of a shell. Quite please he was promising this would be the newest edition to his treasure box and asking me to write about it in my blog. Done and done.

Back at the campsite to prepare dinner, we realized our fire pit didnt have the typical pit grate that you use to cook and heat food as the normal pit has 10 or or so rungs that cover about 1/4 of the pit and our had 2 badly bent rung remaining. We then realized that while we did bring fajita meat and tortillas we didnt bring cheese, tomatoes, or anything else to put in the burrito. We then made a mgmt decision and went with roasted hot dogs. I had mine with packaged mayo and Del Scorcho. Classy and upscale.

After a few obligatory marshmallows and getting the kids to bed it was our time. Was a beautiful moonless night and much like cuyamaca the later it got the more stars introduced themselves to us and once again seeing the milky way meant another camping plus that of no light pollution. I had a canned sapporo or two, brushed my teeth, and went to bed.

PT 2 continues here....

Our campsite complete with family truckster.

Cuyamaca Day 3- We Say Goodbye

2011-07-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

The morning sun began warming up the left side of my face to roughly 350 degrees I would say. Was a weird feeling since other parts of my body were ice cold once again as the chilly night air of Cuyamaca introduced itself to our tent. I felt a bit like a microwaved burrito where the outside is still frozen and the inside hotter the hades.

I got up and was surprised to see I was the first...I guess my hike with the Kids had done its job in that they all went to bed early and were still sleeping. I restarted the campfire and got started on our bacon and egg breakfast that has become a camp staple for us.

The last day of camping is always kind of weird as one one hand the hot shower, soft bed, amenities of life sounds alluring yet at the same time you realize you are also going back to reality. The Kids finally woke up, we feed them and a bit of last minute bird watching, packed the vehicles and headed into Julien one more time. We would be going home the original route I wanted to take to the campsite before Tomoko and GoogleMaps reared their ugly head.

Back in town we were going to stop buy the Mining Museum and Tour until we saw it was 10 bucks a pop per adult and 5 bucks a pop for kids. Kids were bummed but given the look of the area it kind of had that tourist trap/deliverance type look to it with a badly constructed sign with the pricing and the words "No Lookers" at the bottom. Classy.

In stead we went to the Julien Pioneer museum and saw all sorts of cool old artifacts and tools and what not. Housed in an old stone stone and mortar building it had a creep factor of +20. With mannequins dressed in period pieces and the heads soulless eyes pearing out. Found out from the women working their the building was 100 plus years old and was the towns first black smith shop. Very cool!

We made one more stop at the grocer and started the long trip home which consisted of....

Alex getting Car Sick.

Highway 78 being a jig saw of roads and avenues. The Straight shot on the map a far cry from the reality of the location meaning finding the 5 north was like a scene from the amazing race.

A fruit stand selling 15 avocados for 3 dollars. Me getting home and kicking myself for not buying 6 bucks worth.

Stopping by a Target to get the kids a much promised Icee only to discover the food court closed and the kids having to settle for 7-11 while me being very hungry decided it was better to go hungry and wait to get home instead of having to eat something from 7-11.

Cuyamaca Day 2

2011-06-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Continued from
Cuyamaca Day 1

Day 2 saw me waking with a fraction of my normal sleep given that it got down to 40 degrees and while some tents are built to help retain and circulate body heat our tent, sadly, was not one of those models. Its great for desert camping given the open mesh styling but for cold weather camping which one would not normally associate with Cuyamaca late June, was not the perfect fit. Even though I had stuffed my favorite 20+ year old mexican blanket into my sleeping bag no matter how hard I tried there was one area of skin that was ice cold and made the entire night a bit on the uncomfortable side. I kicked myself remember the wife offering up my thermal underwear and sweatshirt and me refusing given at that point in time it was probably still 60 degrees or thereabouts. I learned Cuyamaca Lakes rule #1- a 50 degree drop in temperature is not uncommon.

I woke up and poured some fresh water into our favorite aluminum pan and busted out the portable propane stove and clicked the starter switch 4 or 5 times before I realized it was not switching into the "on" position. I was able to get it lit and stay lit provided I stood by the side of table providing enough downward force on the lever via thumb to keep it lit but decided that process might take 5 minutes....sure its only 5 minutes but thats not the Cahill camping way. I threw some of the high heat flash burning wood Thuc brought with him and started a fire in the pit. 15 minutes later the fire was good and hot placing the cast iron skillet on top of the fire pits grill and the aluminum pot filled with water on top of the cast iron skillet-it was only 10 or 15 minutes before bubble started forming in the pan and another 5 or so before I had my first cup of morn's coffee.

Thuc and his family awoke-actually they awoke far before I did and to my bemusement I am fairly certain I heard some DSS sounds in the background. Between that and Artic Station Zebra and feeling the heat of the sun on the side of the tent I was ready to get up ASAP anyhow.

As we all dressed for the day I asked Thuc if he had brought the pastries and muffins that was part of the things he had agreed to bring. He shot a sheepish green and said "looks like we're going into town."

Next thing I know we are in the Julien Cafe ordering breakfast. Truth be told it was fantastic. Normally I dont expect much in little towns as I figure they're not trying too hard to impress but everything on the menu was incredibly good with me and the wife sharing between the Cinnamon Roll French Toast and the Julien Skillet Scramble. I did feel a bit bad though as Alex decided at this point in time he no longer was going to order on the Kids menu and thus ordered the $8 blueberry short stack of pancakes and ate about 1/10 of it before he said he was full and didnt touch anything else afterwards. Cool place as well with the old style toilets in the bathroom and just an overall very cool vibe. We asked the waitress about the best places to buy groceries and she gave us a couple of suggestions.

Alex's 8 dollar Blueberry Panckakes

We headed back to camp and longed to take a good old fashioned long camping hike through the west end of the Cleveland National Forest. By the time we got back it was roughly 11:30 so I gave in impromptu speech about why hiking at the hottest point of the day is always the best time to start a long journey. I brought my water backpack which could carry 2L of waters and stuffed a few more bottles in for good measure and told the kids to bring as much water as they could carry.

We started the journey and walking the paved driveway to the trailhead I heard the first "Im tired." Good thing was it wasnt one of my kids. Finally making the trail we were off. Roughly 15 minutes into the hike Tomoko and I realized A)we probably should have researched which trail we wanted to go on, B)choose the trail I wanted to go on which went to the top of one of the peaks where you supposedly could see San Diego on the West, the Desert on the East, and a handful of Starbucks scattered about for good measure; and C)printing out the trail map may have been a good idea since we rarely saw the park ranger and when we did she mentioned they were out of trail maps. Later we realized Thuc was on the 5G network and selling shares of stock on the way courtesy of ETrade and could have used the net to pull up the trails anyhow but I digress.

We were about 30 minutes into the hike before all of the kids were taking turns complaining about heat and thirst and being tired....this was a far cry from when just me and the fam did the 3 Queens trail in Bryce Canyon Utah. I implored the kids to move forward offering the idea that when completed we would spend the rest of the day at the stream for some cool water fun in the sun. It worked for a bit but not as long as Id hoped. I reflected back to my days of attending Grateful Dead concerts and marveled at how at one time walking around meant "buds, doses, shrooms" but now with age had morphed into "im thirsty, im tired, im hot."

We kept trekking however and each summit offered a beautiful vista and view of the landscape. Thrown about at random you would see the large burnt oak tree with its twisted burnt limbs reaching vainly to the sky. Some of the twisted, burnt, angle of the branches reached out like an old woman with arthritis. It made for fine juxtaposition however as the surging greenery permeating the area was eclipsing and engulfing was what at one time nothing more the miles of scorched Terra earthed. I could imagine how walking this same path 5 years ago after fire ravaged the land how it must have looked very similar to nuclear holocaust.

The kids didnt seem to see the same things I was seeing however and while each turn and bend of the path opened a new experience of organic awe that I embraced and actually became enraptured in, to the kids it may as well have been the Bataan Death March. Tomoko quietly asked how much longer and I gingerly sidestepped the question with a series of grunts and mumbles looking down lurching forward with a posture akin to Homo heidelbergensis.

One of the many peaceful views the trail offered.....between kids complaining and whining that is.

I was able to buy a bit more time with the "one more hill" routine before finally realizing the one more hill was a trail overgrown with Poison Oak or at least some type of noninviting plant as well as the growing preasance of bees and other types of stinging insects. At that point I knew there was no way we could continue. Back to camp we went as the kids busted out the Gogurts and Capri Suns and celebrated.

So we made it back to camp and got everyone into their swim trunks...except me who decided it was hot enough were I could swim in my shorts and underwear and still be dry and comfy enough in time for the nights dinner. We walked to the path on the right this time as we sought the perfect pool/stream for the kids to splash around in. This time as well featured no snakes so that was nice.

Once settled I took a little quest further down the river to see what other natural formations harkened, beckoned, and otherwise invited me into its cool allure of moisture. There were some nice pools roughly 3 or 4 feet deep Id imagine but also with some currents that looked way too much for the kids and way too harsh for the Kubla Khan I was searching for.

A few yards further down I found it-Cleveland National Forests answer to Chings Pond in Maui. A 5 or 6 foot waterfall culminating in a 15 by 15 foot pool of cool enjoyment. There were some young ladies in the area testing the pool and together we agreed that the pool could be 5 feet deep or maybe 15. It was the great unknown. I looked up and remembered that Tomoko and Thuc were with the kids and given I wasnt sure if this was the chosen pool I decided to go back and make the decision to jump later.

The magical pool in which I attained religious enlightenment

Later came and I decided that if I didnt swim the pool I would never forgive myself. I took off my shoes and made my way down the rocky surface to the lip of the pool and soon discovered the exposed rock that has baking in the sun for a couple of hours also retains and absorbs said suns heat. The searing smell of heel made the decision to jump in a bit easier....I took a small jump and was in! The cool water would arguably have been too cold in someone else's backyard pool but in this environment it was nothing less then perfect. I poked my feet down to test the depth and discovered that it was about 5 -6 feet deep in some areas. I swam from side to side and even underwater, fully submerged for a bit before swimming under the falls and letting the force of the falls give me a pseudo neck and shoulder massage. It reminded my of the waterfalls at the Tropicana in Vegas. I enjoyed the roaring of the falls in my ears blocking out all peripheral sound and the pulse of the water on my shoulders put me into my happy place 1 turn short of sheer bliss. After 30 minutes or 5 minutes-I will never know I decided it was time to walk back up to the kids. Walking out of the pool and onto the rocks I saw Tomoko had made her way down to the pool with the camera to take a few shots. As we walked back up the trail a group of teens passed us as one threw his towel to the side and did a cannonball of the edge of the rocks into the same pool I just left. We decided they must have been more familiar with the area then we were.

We made it back to camp and I opened a can of cold Sapporo and collapsed in my camp chair to relax for a bit while the same bluebird who at this time was my Lex Luther decided to land on the stump 5 feet away from me. I was hot, tired, and stank. My shorts were still damp, my shoulders sore, and I would have paid top dollar for a bar of Irish Spring.

Quoth the Steller's Jay, "Nevermore."

The Final Day of our Journey can be found here....
Epilogue- We Say Goodbye

More Fun with Family Camping-Cuyamaca State Park Day 1

2011-06-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tuesday came and it was Juniors last day of school. Being one for tradition I guess that meant we had to go camping again. Last year it was Zion and Bryce which can be found here-

Zion Bryce Vacation Recap

This year we had a few options but after reading some reviews on Yelp and other sources decided on the semi local friendly confines of Cuyamaca SP in San Diego County outside of Julien California.

Reading about the sites there are 2 actual campgrounds and neither one of them are actually by Lake Cuyamaca. The lake itself is about a 15-20 minute drive I'd estimate. There is a stream though that runs to the side of the Green Valley sites that was not available at the Paso Picacho camp sites. I generally find that barring someplace that is absolutely amazing in view and scope such as Joshua Tree for instance, that its much better to have water-any type of water available then no water. And our experience years ago at Lake Casitas notwithstanding, we opted for the Green Valley site.

Arriving roughly 2 hours later we were greeted by no one. The front office one normally checks in at was closed and there were no trail maps or any other type of printed material that gives any type of information about the park itself. Apart from our friends who came with us in the 2^nd vehicle and had no money to pay the 2^nd vehicle fee driven for our close longtime family friend Thuc Le-it was relatively smooth sailing.

We found our site and pulled uphill to set up camp and unload the kids. The site had a nice view but the slight slope and curvature of the terrain meant strategical placements of tents and even then once setup the tent was not going to be level and Ive slept with a sloped angle in the past so we rolled with it. Hammering the stakes in the ground and unloading the van it dawned on me that it was probably 85-90 degrees and one of the ultimate laws of camping is with heat, sweat, and work comes hoard of bugs. This camping truism rang true. It always rings true.

The second truism of camping is you always forget something....and in this case it was the citronella candles that help to keep the bugs away. So I am helping set up our tent as well as our friends tent and their kids tents with a bit of sweat and a lot of small annoying bugs. All part of the fun I reckon.

Researching the site a bit more there were Mountain Lion and Rattlesnake Warnings galore. Being we had 5 kids in our party ranging from ages 4 to 10 we sat them on the table and gave them a talk that this wasn't Boomers Miniature Golf Course and that camping here brings some risks. As we spoke a Stellers Jay landed on rockey outcrop next to us with its bright blue feathers on the body and its black feathered head. The kids looked over and smiled. I tried to take a picture but this bird found it amusing to pose just long enough for me to aim the camera but fly away right as I snapped a picture. I am pretty sure it was taunting me. Within a few minutes we also greeted by lizards and squirrels which I was happy with...gave the kids something to do while we finished setting up camp.

This Bird was unmerciless in its taunting of me

Soon nature called and I led the kids up the hill to the restrooms through a trail that led directly to one of the adjoining campsites. Climbing the same rocky outcrop we saw the lizards and squirrels, we started talking about the possibility of the area was being covered with snakes, so we walked slowly and deliberately. As we got to the top and saw the neighbors site the kids got a lesson in the importance of throwing the trash in bags and disposing it in proper trash bins as the adjoining camp site was littered with trash courtesy of an army of crows that had hit the trash jackpot. The neighbors were nowhere to be found and I could only imagine what they must have thought getting back to their sites after a long hike to see trash scattered about and a thank you card from the crows on the table.

We made it back to camp and took the kids on their first official hike of the camping trip as we left to explore the mountain stream that ran adjacent.

I was leading the way down the path to the stream when there on the rock ahead was some type of snake. I am by no means a snake expert but stopped the kids and let the take a look. Tomoko looked and recognized them as Garter snakes as we have seen them in our own yard in Lake Forest. I later learned that there is another similar snake known as a Racer that is common as well. We recorded the snakes on the DVR with the one on the rock in plain view; I used my hockey stick that I had made into a walking stick to scoot the snake along into the brush. With all of the snake warnings in the area and having been at the site for less then 2 hours at this point I was assuming the area literally must have been crawling with snakes but truth be told we didn't see any the rest of the trip and quite frankly I wasn't at all unhappy with that outcome.

We kept walking down the trail and soon we heard voices along with the sounds of rushing water nearing.

A few steps later we were at a beautiful stream and a 6ft waterfall of clear, cool, water rushing down the hillside. We found a shallow area and waded in....as with all mountain flowing streams the water was icy cold but felt good in the dry heat. The kids were enjoying themselves as well splashing about.

Meandering a bit down the stream there were some nice gentle streams and some rocky falls that made for a wonderful afternoon. The flowing water that crossed the rocks made a moss growth that created a very slippery surface for walking or grip of any type. Things got interesting as well when one of the girls with us slipped and began making her way down the stream towards some waterfalls. Since we were only there for a bit and unfamiliar with the area we didnt know If the drop was 1 foot or 20 and being she was a friend of Thuc's daughter and not related to any of us anyhow- seeing her make her way down the falls and the element of the unknown meant me running out to the stream and jumping into the water to grab her...that's when the slippery moss coated rocks introduced themselves and meant that I was holding her while at the same time slipping down the same set of falls at which point Thuc jumped out and the slippery moss introduced itself to him. A woman sitting on the rock and said nothing while watching the whole even unfold. Later when we got the girl back in the shallows we saw that there were several large rocks that acted as a safety net from the drop and some others kids down the falls a bit playing and splashing in the water not 10 or 15 yards away ....and the local lady on the rock probably found it quite amusing watching the tourists scamper around the rocks in dramatic rescue 911 mode as we sheepishly realized our folly.

Exploring the stream before the big rescue

Once the excitement subsided I went off on a solo quest to explore some more of the rocks and stream and waterfalls. Climbing over boulders, logs, and trying to stick to the trail I heard what sounded like Niagara falls in a secluded portion of the stream, after climbing a large boulder for a better look I realized I had interrupted a couples romantic interlude. I hadn't even seen them below in the shadows and I am sure they saw and heard me first whistling and going about my happy camping way complete ignorant of the situation. Once I was down and realized the interruption-it was basically too late as I was already almost all the way down to the base of the falls. Good times. Later found out they were from Oceanside and it was their first trip to Cuyamaca as well. I was sad I didn't have my camera so I could have taken their picture and posted it here. "Pardon me, would you mind if I take your picture for my blog where I can go into great detail of my interrupting of your romantic interlude?"

One of the wonderful falls

Back to the site we went with the rest of the night featuring....

The box wine the wife brought had absorbed the ice water like a sponge which meant the cooler was filled with a large blob of wine bag and bits of cardboard floating about.

Cooking fajitas over the campfire with my cast iron skillet that I was fortunate enough to bring. The Cast Iron skillet will now be a permanent staple for our camping supplies simply for use as a stove top.

We placed the iron skillet over the fire and pan inside the skillet. If you wonder why-cookware on an open fire results in a black coating of soot that will forever permeate the bottom of the pan as well as sticking to your fingers and clothing. Nothing a wife loves more the using the cookware over the campfire.

Finding a huge chunk of firewood we through in the fire pit to which Thuc's son Daryn started affectionately referring to as “Big Mama.”

Realizing that Smores was the worst camp food- who came up with the idea that a sticky flaming marshmallow between two crumbling graham crackers and dark staining chocolate bars was the best choice to give kids before bed?

Pt 2 Can be found here....

Cuyamaca Day 2

BBQ Follow Up

2011-06-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Plump, Delicious Breasts...yeah that will draw some fun with keywords.

Check out the texture!

The Kobe Rib Eye......a taste explosion.

The fat was like butter....so we threw it back on the grill as I like my butter soft.

Got together last night for the much awaited grilling of the Kobe Steak. With a light dusting of seasoning and a quick braising on the grill with almond and pecan smoke to infuse the meat we went full bore as I also picked up a nice cut of Lamb and a bottle of Marques de Caceres Reserva Rioja.

The steak was fantastic but it was odd as the 1/2 meat 1/2 fat marbling of the steak had a taste/texture that was unique. I likened it to driving a Celica your whole life and then allowed to drive a Lamborghini. Even when you have a top notch steak, the fat tastes like butter but its not completely marbled to the extent the Kobe was.

One other dish I made I wanted to report was grilled french fries....yes you heard that right Grilled French Fries. I took a couple of thick Russet Potatoe's and cut them into thick Steak Style Fries as to not fall through the grill, put them in a ziploc with olive oil, parsley, Penzey's Season Salt, and some minced garlic. To say they were a hit was an understatement. I had made them thinking it would be a good snack for the Kids to munch on but much to my surprise all of the adults loved them as well. Served with a squeeze of lime and a side of Japanese Mayo was a wonderful appetizer and use of the grills Hot Time.

All in all a wonderful evening with wonferful food and wonderfull people. Wonderful.

OCs Best Butcher Shop Strikes again!

2011-06-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

So I was in the Huntington Beach area today and thought Id swing by to get a chicken. Costs about 10 bucks but there is no finer, plumper and juicier chicken then the Beef Palace. All of their stuff is amazing so no surprise the chicken is tops as well. Anyhow......

So I happen to ask one of the clerks about the Kobe Beef. The Manager overhears and comes over and tells us that the best Kobe actually comes from Australia and New Zealand as they use a better type of cattle then those used in Japan. I asked if he had ever heard of Hayama Beef since its the wifes home town and in Japan its as well known as the Kobe. He says no so I tell him the story and what not. So the guy wraps the chicken and says anything else as to which I reply "trust me if I had the money Id buy the store."

So Im getting ready to leave and the manager points to one of the aged Kobe steaks and says "take this one...it looks to be about the best." And I say "yeah Im sure it is but Im here just for the chicken" to which the manager says "this ones on the house."

So he proceeds to take the $26 buck a pound kobe rib eye steak and wrap it for me on the house. Normally this steak would cost over $38 bucks for 1 steak. Couldnt believe it.

Thought I would share yet another amazing Beef Palace experience....your results may vary as I dont think they make a habit out of comping Kobe Rib Eye Steaks.

Click the pics for detail on the marbling. Ill try and take some more pics tomorrow and post an update. Should probably pic up a semi good bottle of wine as well...would seem a shame to be drinking TJs Boxed Shiraz with it.....

Joshua Tree Epilogue

2011-05-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

The Family Truckster...complete with emergency wheel.

I awoke with half of my face at 150 degrees as the sun beat on my side of the tent and slowly heated the right side of my face to about the identical temperature I eat my Pop Tarts at. I threw on my jacket and went outside to taste the desert morning air for the last time; at least for this trip anyhow.

I made some instant coffee and sat in my blue camping chair to take it in for as long as possible before the kids awoke and put me into "forced starting of the day" mode. The good news was that today I got to make my traditional camping breakfast. I took a package of Farmer John sausage that I had purchased at Stater Bros for 59cents a couple of months previous, fired up the propane stove and away I went.

Back in the day I would have tried to pull something elaborate but Ive gotten older and wiser over the last week or so and now use 1 pack of sausage, 1 pack of precooked hashbrowns(bought mine at Fresh and Easy for a buck or so) and a dozen eggs. Typically we would have made chicken fajitas the night before and used of all the leftovers in the skillet but that wasnt an option this morning. Anyhow, cook the sausage, draining grease if desired....trust me there is nothing quite like the smell of sausage or bacon grease poured directly into the ashes of the previous nights fire. Sometimes if you are lucky there will still be some embers so you can get the spittle pop and hiss sound of grease hitting ember. It really is the little things! Once the bacon/sausage is cooked add the hash browns. They come in a box of 10 or 12 and can be found in most groceries frozen section. I used to use real potatoes but they take way too long to cook...especially when using canned propane. Once the hash browns are cooked go ahead and start cracking the eggs into the skillet. Once again we typically do Fajitas the night before so you can use any extra tortitillas to make breakfast burritos if so desired.

We finished our breakfast and I took a walk with Alex to use the campsite outhouse. Joshua Tree has no water at all so any trip to the outhouse should be made with a bottle of Purell or any other water/sanitizer. In the mornings the outhouse isnt so bad but as the weather heats so does the you know what at the bottom of the outhouse pit. There was a large rock placed near the door to keep ventilation once the outhouse starts to heat. Trust me- the last thing I would wish on anyone would be the guy unfortunate enough to get a stomach virus and have to make repeated trips to a 100plus degree Joshua Tree Outhouse in the summer. Note to the wise- if Pork Sushi was a dinner idea for your next trip; better hold off until early spring or late fall.

We cleaned up and began taking the site down which is always a bit melancholy as it means you are returning back to civilization and the worries and responsibilities that come with it. In my case it meant getting back in time to watch the NHL playoffs and the great coaching debate between LA Kings fans. Kind of weird Im cooking campfire breakfast in the middle of the mojave and later in the evening would be broadcasting my NHL talk show. Only in California? Probably.

We packed up the van...much lighter then when we came. A lot of the time camping means bringing things that are strictly on one way trips. Basically items you stuff in the van figuring they will be put to some good use and the thrown away before the return trip. This trip it was mainly flammable items we threw in the fire pit for warmth but previous trips pre-family it meant sofas, tvs, futons, refrigerators....

We looked around the site and found the biggest pile of rock in the vicinity and made one last family hike to the top. It was a wonderful hike as nearing the top were pockets and crevices in the rock that had fresh blooms of yellow desert flowers and every once in a while some type of purple variety. Alex took the lead which I was OK with the exception of the possibility of snake bite. Only visitor we encountered though was a couple of the cutest chipmunks I have ever seen. We all got a chuckle out of the way they run up and down the hills with their little chipmunk fannies bobbing up and down.

Anyhow, once packed we set out to make a final visit to the Ranger Station for fresh water and a final check out of the site. Alex came in with me and had his Junior Ranger activity sheet with him to show the Ranger on Duty whose sole job is to feign interest when 8 year old kids bring in their Junior Ranger activity sheets.

We drove to the other side of the park.....which for some parks means 5 minutes but the expanse of Joshua Tree meant considerably more then that. We passed Cap Rock which I covered a couple of years ago and what was rumored to the final resting spot of Legendary Psychedelic Cowboy Gram Parsons. I tried to talk th wife into visiting the memorial again but no dice.....seems mothers dont take kindly to the idea of exposing their children to desert memorials honoring acid taking psychedelic cowboys. Some more info on that can be found here..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram_Parsons

First point of order was making it to the top of Keys View. It offer stunning views of the surrounding area as its the highest elevation in the park. The drive up is semi-reminiscent of the drive to Mt Haleakala in Hawaii just not as long or as cold. I make a point to visit this site every trip to joshua tree for whatever reason dating back to the nineties when we made the trip in the back of a pickup truck with a cooler full of beer and a couple of bags of doritos that we used to lure the coyotes closer so some members in our party could take pictures. As we neared the top there were several motorcycles parked around the area and instead of the Mongrels motorcycle gang and I later discovered a group of portuguese/brazilian tourists had driven the area. Wondeful idea if I do say myself. As we took in the view the cool wind whipped up and I realized that one day this would make the best spot in the park to witness sunset or sunrise.

Off to Skull Rock we went and as we parked and followed the signs it was a bit of a letdown that Skull Rock was only about 50 feet from the parking area and as we made it closer to the rock the less skullish it appeared. We snapped a couple of pictures and decided to follow the Skull Rock trail making our way back off the area into the deep recesses of the park. As we walked through washes and over rocks we came to a huge cliff structure that looked to be about 5 stories I would imagine. We meandered back and forth to find the best spot to climb it and as we made our way up got a chuckle as the large insurmountable cliff was actually the easiest trail and climb of any we had done I kid you not it was almost wheelchair accessible with a large flat gentle upward slope that was 100 yards by 100 yards in area. Even though you were standing on a rocky cliff a couple of hundred feet high standing on the middle of this rocky platform was about as challenging as the Escalator at Macys. As we made our way to the precipice I viewed down and lost my stomach a bit as did Tomoko. I held Alexs hand and let him peer over the side to which he let out a resounding "Whoa." This had to be the cliff that the Looney Tunes creators visited when coming up with some of the more creative ways that Wile E Coyote met his fate. It wasnt quite a Keys View type plunge but certainly rockier and more sheer of drop. Literally as if god created an epically flat expanse of rock and decided to lift one end up a bit for fun.

As we made our way back to the car we lost our bearings a little bit so walked in the general vicinity of the parking area using our ears as our guide picking up the sounds of car engines. As we were 1/2 way back we came across a woman and her 2 children to which I said "were saved!" which was met by slight if not curious smile on her face. She asked about the trails to which we point out the ease of the huge cliff we just walked. Not sure if she was up for that however.

We made our way back to the Van and continued our way through that parks opposite end seeing a couple of bonafide road runners that had ran across the street in front of us. Driving through the middle of the park one really appreciates the expanse of land and the area of coverage that Joshua Tree encompasses. Sharing a Coconut Drink we finally crossed the finish line as it were making one last stop at a Visitor Center and mini museum which also had a trail to the 19 palms oasis. Whats one more trail? Other then being the one area in the middle of the desert that had water coming from earth is was basically a mud puddle surrounded by Palms a littany of june bugs that dive bombed the heads of passers by.

A semi fitting end to our journey it was. We made one last stop at a Big O tire center to get a new rear tire which also gave time to buy the kids a couple of ice creams at the Rite Aid next door. I made small talk with the Big O employees who were talking about a huge rattlesnake that one of the employees had found in his back yard. The manager then asked if he kept the snake as the manager who lived in the area knew how to A)remove the meat from the snake for consumption, B)cutting off the rattle as a souvenier/key chain, and C) how to cut off the head and stuff a tooth pick in the snakes mouth thus forever preserving the snakes head in the open mouthed/striking position. I thought about asking which red wine and mediterranean style cheese is best served with rattle snake but opted not to test the humor of the yucca valley ex marine auto mechanic.

Our last stop was the Hadleys Produce stand and the Giant Dinosaurs in Palm Springs. We bought some snacks and drinks and made our way back home.

Alex adjusts his show while Dustin monitors the terrain

You've been here....admit it.

More Joshua Tree Day 2

2011-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

To the toppermost of the poppermost!

panorama shot

High view of Barker Damn

Soon after breakfast we made our first hike of the day....the small trek out to Barker Damn; the only place in Joshua Tree with water seemingly. We parked and set out on the journey and followed the well manicured path. Some paths went up rocks, some around rock piles, some up, some down, some all around. We missed a turnoff somewhere along the way but fortunately realized our mistake before we were too far off the beaten path.
A couple of minutes later.....like 90 minutes to be exact we finally found our way to the damn. The path to the water meandering around rocks and up a bit seemed silly when we could clearly see the water. We made our way to the waters edge and visually the water was...not exactly pristine but once could guess that since god only knows how many animals and people have fouled the water over the years. Alex's keen eye picked up a couple of frogs getting nasty....we told him they were giving piggyback rides.

As we walked around the entire damn area Tomoko made a brilliant point about the fun of Joshua Tree. Whereas other places to camp and hike have somewhat limited areas to hike, climb, and take in the view and almost every trail is clearly marked.....Joshua Tree is campings equivalent to "free styling." If you see a rocky outcrop out on the horizon....no reason you cant simply walk out to it. It is clearly one of the most liberating camping excursions you can take as the vastness and openness of the area really allows you to do whatever the heck you want, when you want, and how you want to do it. Better yet...what look like impenetrable massive stone piles can be easily climbed by kids as well. Sure there is the odd risk of spider or snake bite...but its all good fun.

We made it back to camp and rested a bit. While sitting at the campsite table I decided to make some use of the time and began working on cutting down the IKEA wooden bed slats and had taken with us figuring they would be of some type of use. And true to form.....I ripped off some of the slats to use for campfire and left 5 or 6 on the string to use as a place mat in front of the tent. Worked great as it provided some lift off the dusty desert floor and made an ideal place to see shoes and stand outside the tent without fear of tracking dirt.

The remainder of the slats I cut in half and stacked on our firewood that I had purchased previously at O'neill Park back in OC. Why you ask? Because you can get a huge canvas bag of thick dense wood for 5 bucks and most places around camp areas tent to gouge you a bit on the wood overcharging while underwhelming in the field of quantity. The Ikea Slats were also convenient in that as they were stringed together and rolled up made packing the van a bit easier. I used a pocket saw to cut and notch in the side and then proceeded to use my boot to break it half. After that I took one small slat and smacked it with the claw end of the hammer to bust it into smaller wood pieces that I figured would make some good kindling for later in the evening.

We then drove to the very end of our campsite to do our last hike of the day at Indian Cove Trail. Parking in the unpaved lot we noticed a lot of hippy/deadhead type people in the area. It was at that point I made use of the dried shitaki mushrooms Tomoko brought for her Soba Noodles and was able to pawn them off on a red headed guy in a VW bus with Coexist and greenpeace stickers adorning the back end. Theres a sucker born every minute and twenty bucks is twenty bucks. I asked whether he was coming from Coachella, being the big festival was held that same weekend. He acknowledged that in fact there was big yoga/new age festival(bahkti, bakti? sp) being held in Yucca Valley. After hearing that I felt bad.....bad that I didnt try and get $40 for the shrooms.

We made our way out to the trail head and being the trail was less then a mile the fact it was nearly sundown didnt diminish our interest in conquring the trail known to locals as "flat easy nancy" and "the yuppie trail."
True to form....the redeeming value of the trail was the fact it had a semi nice view of the city(well city of yucca valley/joshua tree standards.) As we made the 1/2 way point Alex and I saw the largest out crop in the area. We had to climb it...wasnt even a question. I gave tomoko the camera so she could capture the moment....and as soon as we made the top I let out a primal howl of exhuberance the echoed and reverberated throughout the valley. We posed as Tomoko snapped a picture.....later to find that she zoomed in on the picture that pretty much wiped out the entire idea of the picture that was me and Alex on a huge rock. Good times.

We made it back to camp and started dinner....chili dogs! And after that I have nothing clever to say. we did stay up and I drank a beer followed by a glass of Bota Box Malbec. Just like the night before it was incredibly dark once the sun went down but two hours later was as bright as it can get on a moonlit night. We got the kids to bed and sat by the campfire chatting. We were both tired and figured it must have been late but looking at the time on my cell phone found it was only 9pm. Two things that come to mind here; A)it always seems later then it really is when you are camping and B) Joshua Tree get wondeful cell phone coverage. Had I brought my laptop and had an air card I probably could have gotten my email and been able to watch the NHL playoffs online....just like the pioneers did on their first trip out west.

To the tent we went for the last night of our trip in a semi cold slumber.

The Conclusion of our desert odyssey can be found here....
http://hipchecksblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/joshua-tree-epilogue.html

Joshua Tree- day 2

2011-04-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

It was a cold night. Well not Idaho cold but CA cold anyhow. I was warm enough provided I stayed in the fetal position long enough for my body heat to warm the blanket but any movement negated any progress I made on the warmth scale and meant having to start over again. I was woken up early by Alex who said he had to use the restroom. I threw on some clothes, unzipped the tent, and out into the brisk desert morn I went. You could see the first hazy ray of sun climbing and enlightening the rocky horizon landscape for but not yet to the point where there was any type of bonafide sunrise.

I looked around the other campsites and being no one else yet was up was hoping Alex would take advantage of the many discreet locations and choose one of the many flora and fauna for him to pee on but Alex is more Felix Unger than Survivorman so I had to trek up the road to the campsite outhouse....which was relatively clean by desert outhouse standards with no running water or any type. The entire site was still cast in shadows and the brisk morning had me wondering whether to go back in the tent or simpley get started on the day. Looking eastward I saw the shadows receding and the rocks on the adjacent side of the camp change their hue from shades of gray to burning gold. I could almost feel the welcoming morning sun on my face and longed to experience it.

I sprayed some Purell on Alex's hand and put his shoes on so we can make a small climb up one of the rocky outcrops and witness the sunrise. We made out way a bit up the rock into the path of the sunrays and saw the first sliver of sun epoch the skyline. I was beginning to bask in the moment where natures brings the new day and the vastness of the Mojave with its lack of High Rises, Strip Malls, Starbucks, and Freeways stirred some type of premortal spirit deep inside of me. The moment of quiet, with a slight breeze on my face was interrupted however when Alex started questions about Club Penguin and the LA Kings AHL minor league franchise.

The Adventure Continues here....
http://hipchecksblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-joshua-tree-day-2.html

More to Follow....

The Kids and I at Barker Damn.

A Couple of Frogs...it was so cute as 1 frog was giving another frog a "piggyback ride."

The Fam

This huge boulder was rolling down the hill....good thing the Kids and I got there just in the nick of time.

Kings of the Hill

Vacation Fun- The Family Goes to Joshua Tree

2011-04-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Being as I got such great feedback from my last family vacation and being as once again I found myself with some time off I decided to blog about the little trip I took a few days ago to Joshua Tree.

DAY 1

Our trip started on Sunday Afternoon and we packed up the family truckster and headed eastward. Leaving on Sunday meant no traffic and presumably a smooth trip to the desert. My oldest son Alex decided that the 3 hour drive out would be as good as time as any to ask me somethings that were on his mind......so I spent almost the entire trip answering questions about the Beatles, Hockey, the Desert, the Automobile, and the Time Space/Black Hole Quantum Physics Theory. Being that I had the time and wasnt going anywhere and deciding it would be better to answer the question as opposed to barking at him to be quiet I simply answered all of this questions. And if you were wondering.....
The Song Yesterday was written by Bon Jovi. The Automobile was invented by John Candy. The Desert was once home to many indigenous Oompa Loompa, and I was once a member of NASA who lived in Area51 and invented a ray gun that shot Chocolate Zingers.

Once we entered Yucca Valley we saw the sign for the California Tourism Office which always means a relatively clean bathroom, Air Conditioning, and water so we pulled into the driveway.
After taking the kids to the restroom Tomoko noticed a hissing sound out of the back of the car.
Women know nothing about Cars.....I told her it probably had something to do the with the AC.

We then continued down the road and found the Yucca Valley Food4Less we always stop at when we make this trip. We bought some coffee cake, some assorted fruits and veggies and what not. As we made it back to the car I still heard the hissing sound and noticed the back rear tire starting to look like a failed souffle.

Now Yucca Valley isnt exactly the big city and being in was last Sunday Afternoon and having a van packed with camping equipment and a back tire with a puncture wound and a couple of additional nails in it for good measure-I simply called AAA and let the chips fall.

One Hour and 2 Subway Sandwiches bought at the Yucca Valley Chevron later we were back on the road and praying to be at the campsite by sundown.....I was left going 55MPH on cruise control now my left rear tire was that of the temporary small donut variety. Good Times.

Story Continues here....
http://hipchecksblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/joshua-tree-day-2.html

No trip to the area is complete without the Windmills and always reminds me of the scenes from "Rainman" and "Less Than Zero."

Mission Accomplished- Roasted Marshmallows!

Cheap Digital Cameras arent exactly optimal for catching night pictures.

Tons of Ghost Orbs at our campsite....or just the tons of dust kicked up by the kids; I'll go with the latter.

Once again showing the limitation of the digital camera....our first night campfire shows mighty unimpressive.

Lunch w/OC Register Foodie Jeff Overley

2011-03-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

I had a chance this weekend to try out some new dining spots in the Little Arabia area of Anaheim with OC Register food columnist Jeff Overley. We took in 3 different places all within a stones throw of each other all located on Brookhurst Blvd.

Our first stop was Al Wadee - A hole in the wall in every sense of the word. Its located in a strip mall by a bowling alley, a pool hall, and a bevy of massage parlors. I was early and took the liberty of ordering a few items ahead of time. I was greeted at the counter by a woman who reminded me a lot of Terry Jones in Life of Brian as Brians Mother. Nice lady though....and a helluva good cook. Having read some of the Yelp reviews there were a few things I wanted to try.

Kaftah Pizza-the meat at first glance appeared to be some type of Gyro meat but upon sampling the dish was a bit of a let down that it really tasted like a simple lightly seasoned ground beef patty. For all I know it may have been the perfect example of the region, but was expecting more flavor in the meat. Once again-not horrible by any stretch of the imagination but was expecting either Gyro type flavor or even the TriTip Sharwma at Zankou.

As for the Lahmbajin Pizza-flavor explosion! The toppings ranged from a briny,salty olive like to savory and herby. Easily the best dish we sampled. Though they said it was beef, the appearance hearkened to crumbled bacon and red pepper flakes. The contrast of the meat and what appeared to be olive remoulade, with the cracker thin crust would have paired amazing with some Red Wine.

Lahmbajin

We also shared a salad that was a wonderful companion with some lightly pickled cucumbers and a fantastic dressing. Jeff suggested he tasted Sumac in it and said he would attempt to get more info on it. I tried a Beef Shwarwa wrap as well that was tasty but different then what I expected. Having my typical idea of what mediteranean/arabic food taste being anything from Zankou that is pretty much the standard by which I judge for better or worse.

Beef Shwarma Wrap

All in all....a nice place to stop in for a quick bite and I would love to go back and try the Falafal.

Our next place we stopped at was Zait and Zaatar- Great atmosphere with a smell the encompassed everything you would imagine an arabic place would smell like. The Chicken Wrap in particular was wonderful, with the wrap being much closer to crepe then pita and the chicken sliced thin and moist with a perfect light dusting of seasoning that blended perfect with the pickles and sauce. The pies were light and flaky and a steal for the price. Tailer made for multiple locations, if Baja Fresh or Panda Express can succeed....there is absolutely no reason Zait and Zaatar could not succeed in OC. The Wrap was 4.99, the Pizzas were inexpensive as well, and the
pies a bargain at 99 cents a pop. After the fact I pondered if there were indeed a difference between the arabic style pies here verses the south american empanada. I took a few pictures and got the stink eye from the owner.....but he turned out to be an amiable bloke at the end of the day. For atmosphere, food, price and all of the other qualities that make up good restaurants-Zait and Zaatar had the magical recipe. Once again-expanding into the OC would be a windfall as the menu and atmosphere would be welcomed by diners of all races and religions. I can only imagine how people drive by and will never experience this place....I know if not for Jeffs suggestion its a place I would have never known about.

Spicy Spinach Pie

More from their Selection of Pies

Finally our last stop was at the Tripoli Bakery. Housed in what had to have been a donut shop at one time, if you didnt have diabetes before you stepped foot inside you probably did when you left. Without knowing the specific names of the dishes we tried- The Milk/Custard topped with what reminded me of Frosted MiniWheats and drizzled with simple syrup was very good. The Combo of Milk, Topping, Pistachio, and Sugar didn't taste as exotic as one would think and reminded me of an extension of Custard Pie. The Baklava was not nearly as sweet as its Greek Counterpart that I was accustomed to and thus was able to detect far more variety of nutty, cinnamon flavor. It was a much more basic style as well with only one layer of filling between the phylo dough as opposed to some of the multi layered offerings Ive tasted in the past. The Cheese Caulk dish was the one that worked least, texturally its unlike any sweet desert dish Ive ever had. Had you taken the cheese and topped it with tomato sauce and fried garlic; it would have made for a wonderful italian appetizer as opposed to using the cheese for a Lebanese desert if that makes sense.

Fill Your Gut...and Seal Your Windows

All in all it was a very fun day, not too much different the legendary OC Day of Pizza we did a couple of years ago. What was nice was, as much as I love Zankou its not very close to the freeway so visiting is time consuming. All of these places were right off the 5 and Brookhurst so stopping off the freeway and taking some goodies to go is now a very realistic option when I'm in the area.

A day in the Park and Garlic Naan

2011-02-15T17:48:00.001-08:00

Found myself with some time this week and as the gods deemed the wife and I would not be able to do anything on St Hallmarks Day we chose to celebrate the occasion the day after. Being we both love the outdoors we decided to visit a local park right here in our own OC backyard at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park conveniently located just off of Laguna Canyon Road aka the 133.

Backpack, bottled water, and cell phone in tow we set out to conquer some of the many trails offered at the park finally settling on a loop featuring the Little Sycamore Canyon Trail to the Serrano Ridge Trail to the Camarillo Canyon Trail to the Stagecoach South Trail which totaled roughly 4.5 miles or 7.2 Kilometers for you metric lovers.

There were a handful of cars in the lot as we paid our 3 bucks and went to the nature center and park headquarters to sign in. The nature center had pictures of bobcats, deer, and racoons that were caught on some of the sensor cameras that are strategically located around the park and while I would have been amazed to see something like that on the trail I was filled with doubt.

We set off on a brisk pace as the somewhat cloudy sky occasionally parted to let in a few rays of sunshine shine upon our faces. I was glad I left my jacket in the car as the temperature was perfect neither too hot or too cold. As we walked North away from the nature center the only thing that was a perfect tease walking into the so called Wilderness was the din of traffic and the few skyscrapers the dotted the horizon of Irvine's Business District.

The path itself had its shares of climbs and descents and some parts had clearly been damaged by the recent storms with exposed rock and the occasional open trench that presented itself in the middle of the trail on some of the steepest parts of the hike. I couldn't help but think a bit of Bear Grylls in my head talking about the dangers of twisting an ankle or falling down a precipice. Some holes in the rock face to the opposite side of us had some holes and cave like openings to which I could visualize Bear making shelter and starting a fire and giving the “fire boost morale” speech that he gives every episode. Once again that might have been much more applicable if not for the visibility of the Tustin Hangers and the Big Orange Balloon at the always soon to be developed Great Park.

As we continued the trail, we both commented on the large amount of animal scat on the trail. It was unmistakable to see the clear outline of dung that had dissipated into wafts of gray fur which I attributed to the hair of a rabbit or squirrel or whatever meal the bobcat or coyote had found that evening. We theorized why the animals preferred leaving their mark smack dab in the middle of the trail as opposed to some of the flat grassy almost alpine like meadows that dotted the trail at random intervals.

Making our way up and down and all around the series of switchbacks we were a bit surprised to see we were already 90 minutes into our trek. I was perspiring a bit and certainly glad it wasn't any warmer as making this hike in the heat would certainly have made for a more challenging hike only taken on by experienced hikers....of which I'm not.

We did manage to see some beautiful wildflowers that grew amongst the cacti and other assorted flora that vibrant color stood out amungst the otherwise alpine colors and hues that made up the majority of the hike visually.

We hit the Camarillo Trail and I was revealed as it was flat and I assumed the home stretch back to the lot. But my hopes were dashed as the final signpost to nature center had us making one more climb and descent and 30 or so more minutes of hiking before making it back to the car. Nothing is ever easy.
Seeing we had some time left we decided to get a bite to eat and after reading several reviews of the Indian Buffett Anapoorna in Irvine went to try it out. There was a line out front which made me think initially it might be a long wait, too long actually as we only had about 45 minutes before picking up our youngest son from Preschool. But alas we only waited about 10 minutes before being seated.

I can say it was easily the best indian food Ive ever had and judging by the amount of Indians eating lunch there as well this wasn't a whitened up caucasionized indian experience but the real McCoy. I was impressed with the number of offerings...the hot line probably had 12 different items including goat curry, panak paneer, and a few other offerings I eat at Indian Food places but either cant remember the name or spell it. The deserts was awesome as well...Mango Pudding, Carrot Pudding, and Gulab Jaman were all available with the wife and I both debating on which was best. The Wife commented that the Gulab Jaman was the best she ever had as it wasn't nearly as sweet as other versions of the dish we've had at other Indian Places. Best part was Monday and Tuesday's are discount lunch days with the buffet costing only 6.99 a person. Quite a bargain....and quite a day!

Prime Rib Christmas

2010-12-26T20:18:00.000-08:00

Some Christmas pics as well as some pics of a wonderful meal I did tonight.
I made a prime rib roast for Christmas Eve and tonight used the leftovers to get a little creative and bust out the old chef skills.

Another Short Story....The Last Hot View

2010-12-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

Wrote this the other day for no particular reason although I have been reading some of Hemingways Short Stories which maybe inspired me. In particular this one...

http://records.viu.ca/~lanes/english/hemngway/vershort.htm

Anyhow, for your reading pleasure or torment depending on how you look at it I present....

The Last Hot View

The skyline was amazing. It was at once jawdropping yet at the same time belittling. Hundreds of miles of vistas and buttes ringing life affirming at the same time demeaning, marginalizing, sucker punching the soul. The orange yellow hue of horizon harkening, begetting memories to the fall of leaves in northeastern autumn with their gradual changing of sepia that varied from leaf to leaf.

It was a grandiose type of view that empowers and enlivens the strong and disparages and mocks the weak. A view that makes a strong willed bull of man out to conquer the world and tell a smaller willed docile with the thoughts of “whats the point,why bother, whats the use.”

Looking out into the vastness of universe he felt the dry wind on his face. It was a hot, moisture sucking wind that took any detectable amount of emollient from the skin and instantly pulled it from the body, instantly dissipating it into the atmosphere. The sides of mouth showing the beginning stages of white chafe, crack, and peel adorned to the determined gaze of one who had seen at all yet at the same time nothing.

Looking down he kicked some top dirt with his boot, taking a mental note of how each sweep of boot over the dry top earth revealed a dark mineral rich sub soil as the upper layer of scorched terra was swept aside and formed small piles in the range of his gait.

He thought about using his new found method of earth scrape to leave a final parting message before his descent with several options coming to mind with thoughts ranging from personal and heartfelt, to astute and clever, to acerbic and biting, to ridiculous and cryptic shooting a wry smirk with thoughts of “Trix are for Kids, I told you I was sick, Lady GaGa Nation, We deem these rights to be self evident” as possible last final conveyed message.

Crouching down he ran the sand through his fingers and basked and bathed in the simple nuances of temperature and texture sand falling to earth through fingers and how a few remaining granules stuck to his palm. Using a sweeping motion of his fingertips to remove the last bits of sand from palm in a smooth, stream lined motion.

Shaking his head in crouch, and looking up to see deep into the line of the horizon he realized it didn't matter now. The sure touch down pass he dropped in high school glory days, the wife and daughter he left in Amarillo, Robert and Luis over at Rileys Pub, the punch he threw at an overreaching, overzealous boss on the one of hundreds of job sites he worked on formerly-none of it mattered now.

The thigh muscle in his right leg went into a quick instinctive psuedo spasm as varied memories flashed at lightning speed each memory like a bb fired from a bazooka with each micro projectile putting a small chink into his guard and made his toes curl inside the suede work boot he was wearing.

He spat and took a few steps towards the side of the precipice, spitting one more time over the side and trying to count the seconds before he lost visual. He made note of how the large green gumballs affixed to the side of the canyon gradually became smaller as they made their way to the bottom of the canyon floor and how the yellowed zig zagging streak of trail looked haphazard in its creation. It lacked the orderly consistency of roads and highways which made him think that nature is indeed random. Summoning his inner Greek Philosopher he wondered why gods creations were generally a symphonic anarchy which created beauty while mans desire to create and build equated to a consistent, orderly path of towering gray monoliths.

He thought about things he would never feel again. The Warm bask of his mothers hug as child, the first sip of coffee on cold winters morn, the thick secure constriction offered by a new pair of socks, the crash of waves, the smell of wet hay, the texture of carpet, the spicy burn of jalapenos, the sound of a saxophone, the smooth metal frame of his red Schwinn.

He looked back and saw his champagne colored car off in the distance with the headlights still beaming like 2 piercing eyes albeit not as bright as they did an hour earlier, noting he probably should have given his cd collection and the coins in his ashtray to the homeless guy off of Bryant avenue he passed on the drive up.

Taking one more step to the last, final patch of earth before gravity reared its ugly head, he took a deep breath and one more step terra firma free where the free fall decent and rushing of air up across his body gave him a sensation not too unlike a large drop on a roller coaster or plunge down a waterfall while rafting. The rushing air filled his shirt and jacket with a slight parachute effect though not nearly enough to make a lick of difference at the end of the day.

The Sides of the canyon wall started to blur with hues of greens and browns and his breathing became moments of short gasps of air along with bouts of just holding his breath entirely. There was no right, there was no wrong, there just.....was.

Thanksgiving Pics

2010-11-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Some pics for ya...

Me and My Prize Winning Bird

Here you can see some of the apricot stuffing and the herb bouquet.

Slicing and section of the bird....

I never realized how hairy my arms was until I saw this picture. I must have been italian in a former life. I have heard the phrase the hairy hidden hand of the White Man...now it makes total sense.

All of the kids enjoying their food!

Pan Pizza

2010-11-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

Yum....

Sunday night is Roast Beef night

2010-11-07T19:12:00.000-08:00

My beautiful wife requested I make some type of roast beef for dinner tonight and being the local supermarket was featuring 1/2 price cuts, I elected to prepare a Rump Roast. Nothing too elaborate-simply used some spices as a dry rub and found a recipe online that I gave a whirl. I went off the board though and when finished removed the roast and used the drippings to prepare a pseudo Au Jus with the drippings, Merlot, and some other odds and ends(lime juice, soy sauce, worcestershire.)

OC Japan Fest 2010

2010-09-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

Had a chance to spend some time in Irvine on Saturday for the annual OC Japan Fest. It was pretty much all things japanese with food, art, music, anime, and dance. If not for the fact that it was 100 degrees it was a pretty nice way to spend the afternoon. As evidenced by the pics-this wasnt your mothers church festival by a long shot.

These two were very happy to pose for us. Funny thing was I am sure each of these ladies were at least 50 years old. Not sure what genre of anime they were aiming for but I can tell you this-first thing I do when I turn 50 is go out and start dressing like my favorite character from Sailor Moon. Then again maybe I'll go with a Simpsons motif and start emulating Groundskeeper Willie.

More fun with Kimonos. Not only were these two nice enough to pose but gave me a complimentary container of Tofu. Not that the Japanese style hospitality I have come to know and love is a bad thing but instead of Tofu couldn't have it been Sapporo and Kobe Beef?

Bumped into another fellow LA Kings fan....had to take a pic. Stay with me though it gets better-I promise.

The festival had a lot of people dressed in their favorite anime garb and most were more the happy to pose for pictures. I'm thinking of incorporating the white parasol into my daily wardrobe. I told these folk that if they wanted me to send them this pic to their email I would so they could tell there friends "You wont believe what this guy was wearing in public."

Nothing like taking some pics with 2 smoking hot models, my youngest son, and a harley. For the record this is the part of this blog entry where it officially has gotten better.

One of the previously mentioned works of art by Kurosawa. I knew his movies are legendary but didn't know the old man can draw. He is pretty good but clearly has a bow and arrow fetish. Hes not as good as my father in law when it comes to drawing but then again my father in law prefers landscapes and portraits of my kids.

A festival just wouldn't be a festival without a performance by the Japanese Maids dance troupe. My sister in law asked if my wife would dress like this for me...I told her Id be lucky just to get her to wear the stockings. Come to think of it...Id be lucky to see her hold a pair of the stockings.

All in all a fun way to spend a bit of time and probably would have spent much more time there if not for the 100 degree weather. Trust me-it was hot and the fact it was held on a parking lot instead of a nice grassy meadow for instance meant the asphalt was at least 110 degrees. On that same note-Im already making plans for next years event thinking I will dress like Spock just the heck of it.