Ramble Unlimited

Yellowstone canyon. If you haven’t been to Yellowstone,...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:27:04 -0400

Yellowstone canyon. If you haven’t been to Yellowstone, you should go.

The Badlands’ Wall in South Dakota.

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:50:15 -0400

The Badlands’ Wall in South Dakota.

NYC. Now it’s time to turn around and head back home. Four...

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:36:59 -0400

NYC. Now it’s time to turn around and head back home. Four weeks really flew by and the road trip is nearly over. Next stop: Buffalo and some delicious wings. Also some waterfall.

Magnolia Plantation outside of Charleston, SC. Neat plantation...

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:11:56 -0400

Magnolia Plantation outside of Charleston, SC. Neat plantation though the original home was destroyed so now there’s a newer post Civil War home. Also has some slave shacks from the 1850’s, one of the few plantations in the area to still have them. The gardens were magnificent and had thousands of different plants. The photo is from our walk in the garden.

Bahai Honda state park in the Florida Keys. That’s the...

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:48:32 -0400

Bahai Honda state park in the Florida Keys. That’s the view from the campsite. Kind of pricey around $43 but you cant beat the view and the beach access. Time to get some key lime pie now.

How to have a miserable time in Florida: Step 1: Drop phone,...

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:46:30 -0400

How to have a miserable time in Florida:
Step 1: Drop phone, crack screen.
Step 2: Come when the forecast is thunderstorms for the next week.
Step 3: Try to go swimming during storms.
Step 4: Live in denial that Florida is big and it takes a while to drive to the cities you want to go to.

How to (attempt to) recover from bad experiences:
Step 1: Phone still works
Step 2: At least it’s in the 80’s in the thunderstorms.
Step 3: Park rangers let you into parks for free especially when they see the weather (one told us that we should say we just wanted to see the campgrounds… Got us in for free).
Step 4: On those miles of road realize that they have bears in Florida then find out they are Florida black bears and have been taken off the threaten species list in 2011. Yay conservation!

Picture is of a storm over the white sand dunes of St. George island state park.

Lunch at Black’s BBQ in Lockhart, TX. A bit touristy but...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:26:39 -0400

Lunch at Black’s BBQ in Lockhart, TX. A bit touristy but one of the oldest BBQ joints in TX and it once catered a White House function for LBJ. The sausage (I got the jalepeno and cheese one) was excellent and that giant beef rib on top was also good. Even if you don’t go to Lockhart for Black’s, there’s plenty of other choices in Texas’ official BBQ capital.

Sunset over Brantley state park in SE New Mexico. Tomorrow,...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:02:27 -0400

Sunset over Brantley state park in SE New Mexico. Tomorrow, Carlsbad Caverns then Texas and more importantly Texas BBQ.

Monument valley in Utah but right next to the Arizona border....

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:18:02 -0400

Monument valley in Utah but right next to the Arizona border. Sure the mesas and buttes were spectacular, and I imagine they would be even better at sunset, but it was a lot smaller then what I had in mind. The drive north of the valley was worthwhile and definitely had that southwest desert vibe.

On the road in Mojave. The weather was great—not too hot...

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:03:50 -0400

On the road in Mojave. The weather was great—not too hot and sunny. Totally worth the detour on the way to Vegas.

All taken along a short walk to Honolua Bay which is along the...

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:01:00 -0400

All taken along a short walk to Honolua Bay which is along the northwest coast of Maui. It’s a great place to snorkel as well as a great place to get shots of the forest.

Summit at Haleakala August 2012.

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:35:26 -0400

Summit at Haleakala August 2012.

Coast on Maui taken August 2012.

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:27:22 -0400

Coast on Maui taken August 2012.

Lahaina, Maui, Day One

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:21:34 -0400

At the heart of Maui’s tourism is the town of Lahaina, which proclaims itself as Hawaii’s first capitol under Kamehameha I but those days are past and now Lahaina is the western hub of tourism . With its historical buildings, shops, restaurants with hawaiian flare, and jetty for aquatic excursions, chances are that if you go to Maui your path will cross with Lahaina.

Lahaina is located on the smaller western lobe of Maui right along the coast snuggled between resorts, hotels, apartments, and other tourist developments. The old town consist of a couple streets that run parallel to the ocean and parking can be found not too far away but expect to pay around $3-5 for this luxury but free street parking could be found along prison street although it can get crowded and there is a three hour parking limit.

We started our trek through Lahaina on Front Street, the main drag in town. Here several higher end boutique shops can be found but for the most part average priced souvenir stores, clothes stores, and connivence stores line the street. But our stomachs directed us to our first destination and that was Cheeseburger in Paradise, located right where Lahainaluna Road intersects with Front Street.

As you may imagine with a name like Cheeseburger in Paradise, the place was decorated from floors to rafters with cliche, laid back, island decor. This isn’t to say that it was bad or tacky but really seems the best way to describe licensee plates from probably all the states (I didn’t count but the states I lived in were there), placards with cheeseburger puns printed on them, and tons of hawaiian inspired decor like fan blades that are pineapples.

But that’s just the decor and what really matters is the food. Since the place had cheeseburger in the name, I ordered their standard cheese burger but done ‘island style’ that is to say with a slice of fresh pineapple and teriyaki sauce. They also had your standard burgers with toppings like avocado (called the Californian), mushrooms, and so on . Also, dinners had a choice between regular fries, sweet potato fries, and onion rings. Drinks included a full bar along with some typical brews (Coors, Bud, etc…) along with a amber ale from Maui Brewing Company, a local microbrewery. Food was served promptly and with a small slice of pineapple.

My first impression was how formulaic the food was and that seemed to fit with the interior. Quality wise, it was above average to good. The fresh pineapple made my burger one of the best burgers I had on Maui but it was clear the place wanted to lure tourists in and turn them out quickly. Still, if you want a quick bite to eat or a burger in Lahaina, Cheeseburger in Paradise might be for you.

After a hearty meal we headed south towards the historic section of Lahaina. Our first stop was the Baldwin home, the oldest house still standing on Maui and once home to the missionary Dwight Baldwin and his family. Originally is was constructed by another missionary, Ephraim Spaulding, but he moved out a couple years after building it. The house has enough porcelain, furniture, old medical tools (the catheters made me squirm), and other artifacts of the era to fill it out without becoming too crowded. Don’t expect anything near a full museum though; the house is fairly small with only four rooms and can be done within ten minutes if you don’t have too many questions or don’t listen to the docent. The price wasn’t too bad—only $7 for an adult—and also included the Wo Hing Museum, which we explored later.

After the Baldwin home, we continued our trek through historic Lahaina with a map of historic Lahaina we picked up from the Baldwin home. Next was the largest banyan tree in the US which covered a whole square in front of the courthouse and although it wasn’t on my list of things to see in Maui, it was nonetheless interesting just considering the size of a tree that covers two-thirds of an acre. The courthouse was finely restored with some souvenir stores on the bottom floor and a small free museum on the second floor. It’s hard to miss but adjacent to the courthouse stands some reconstructed ruins of a fort built in the 19th century to protect the town after some sailors lobbed some cannonballs into the town after the protestant missionaries complained about bringing native woman aboard the ships.

We made our way to Ono Gelato Company afterwards. The store even had a coffee stand and a deck out back to eat your cool gelato while watching the waves crash along the shore. Ono had your standard chocolate and vanilla but also had some Hawaiian flavors like macadamia nut, pineapple, and other Afterwards, we headed off to the Wo Hing Museum which the admission was included in the price of our ticket to the Baldwin Home.

The Wo Hing Museum preserves the house used by the Wo Hing Society in the 19th century which was a society of local Chinese who congregated in the building for weddings, funerals, and other occasions. Once you head past the gift shop, the museum has a collect of 19th century Chinese art work including a magnificent printed screen and jade lions. There’s also a collection of Chinese coins that go back 1300 years. Upstairs is a Taoist temple with several shrines and pictures of the founders of the society. We nearly missed the wooden cookhouse outside with a theater that played Thomas Edison’s film of Hawaii filmed around the turn of the last century. Just like the Baldwin home, don’t expect to spend too much time in the museum.

Tired of Lahaina, we ventured away from the tourist hub up further along the coast. Lahaina may not be for the jaded traveler but entertainment and good food could be had and chances are that if you head to west Maui you will come across Lahaina and maybe even stay nearby so why not spend an afternoon exploring Hawaii’s former capitol?

Dinner at Thai Noodle Boat.

Wed, 30 May 2012 00:23:25 -0400

Dinner at Thai Noodle Boat.

A Night at Noodle Boat Thai

Wed, 30 May 2012 00:21:00 -0400

It was a cliche riddled dark and stormy night when I first went to one of, if not the best, Thai food restaurant in the Seattle area. That’s right, Seattle area, not even Seattle or Bellevue or Tacoma but instead Issaquah, outside of Bellevue and about twenty-five miles east of the Emerald City for those not familiar with the area.

Noodle Boat Thai isn’t easy to spot for the first-timer. The restaurant is neatly tucked behind a nail salon and trees on the far end of a strip mall along Gillman Boulevard.

Rich, clean, succulent aromas greet you as you enter the warm dining area which is liberally covered with Thai art that ranges from Hindu statues to Buddhist prints and carvings that would be at home in a jungle covered ruin in southeast Asia. It was Friday night when I went, meaning the restaurant was crowded and the small dinning area made it feel like I was rubbing elbows with my neighbor. That worked out in the end though since I was able to overhear their admiration for the curry and that helped to make up my mind for the dinner order.

Like other restaurants around the world cursed with being too busy, the service is slow during peak hours and a seemingly endless procession of take out orders seemed to sap the energy of the kitchen. On my first evening, I ordered the Queen of Banana and panang curry. The first dish seemed exotic and new with banana blossoms mixed in with mint, cilantro, onion, lime leaves, roasted coconut and topped off with both chicken and shrimp. The second dish is a favorite of mine and was going to be my control dish to judge the kitchen by, plus the other dinners recommended the curry.

There was also a small selection of beer and wine that hits on the standards of most middle-of-the-road bars as well as a few microbrews and of course the obligatory Asian brews like Tsingtao. There is also a modest selection of wine for those interested.

When our food finally arrived, it made the wait and suffering through other people’s conversations worth it. First the panang: it was just what I expected and filled my curry cravings. With the second place winner out of the way, we can move onto the true champ for that night’s dinner and that was the Queen of Banana.

Presentation was not its strong suite, it looked like a Thai ceviche with cooked chicken, but for what it’s worth—the colors were splendidly vivid. Whatever doubts I had about what I ordered though vanished when I took my first bite and was flooded with intense flavors of mint which faded away to cilantro and chilies. Both myself and my dining companion were very happy and finished the Queen of Banana while leaving the curry for leftovers.

Issaquah has more going on for it then most people give it credit and Thai Noodle Boat is testament to that. If you are driving through Issaquah or nearby and want some good Thai, go to Noodle Boat. The only major problem was that after leaving I was a little disappointed to find myself in stormy Washington and not in southeast Asia.

From eating at Remy’s Stewed Intentions.

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:38:30 -0500

Remy and Daughter

From eating at Remy’s Stewed Intentions.

Remy’s Stewed Intentions

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:27:00 -0500

The Body exhibit was at OMSI and it was high time I learned what I was made of in more then one way. The exhibit was very educational and I learned lots of valuable things, truly, but with that being said, I will be haunted by the nightmare fodder displayed there. Well not really haunted but kind of creeped out I guess. Regardless, after losing my appetite then gaining back on the walk back downtown, we found ourselves near the pods (open spaces where food carts are parked) at 10th and Alder but sadly most were closed on account of the late hour.

A few were open still but nothing spoke to me. Yeah, I had tacos recently, no thanks. No, I’m not really in the mood for Korean BBQ or at least I don’t want to wait in that line. Vietnamese is alright, but eh. We spied a few food carts across the street and dashed over. Remy’s Stewed Intentions was open and we were called over to try a sample after being spotted eyeing the menu by the cook and namesake of the cart, Remy. Like the name suggests, the food cart specializes in a few stewed dishes and cornbread but it’s all done right and that is to say delectable.

Not passing up a free sample, I tried pork adobo with some basmati rice thrown in with it and was quickly impressed with the flavor of the spicy dish. With my decision made I ordered the pork. Remy’s daughter appeared to help serve the food and added that the cornbread was worth trying as well and shortly she produced some to sample and she was right. It wasn’t your standard, run-of-the-South cornbread but had a hint of spices that gave a normally plain dish a new taste. Even without the spices though the cornbread was still moist. Oh, yeah, throw in an order of those too.

Our food was bagged and money was exchanged and after a ‘thank you’ and a ‘goodbye’ we hurried our food away to a friend’s nearby apartment where we both dug in ferociously. My adobo pork was very tender and flavorful and the basmati rice served under it was also delectable. In addition, a few pickled bell pepper slices were served on the side and was refreshing on the palette. A very nice meal to further prove that food trucks can serve high quality food at a very reasonable price. In the case of this meal, it was $7 for the pork and $2 for an order of cornbread. Good stuff.

PS: Here’s a link to their site but as of this posting it doesn’t have much besides the address.

The old grade school in Concrete, Washington. These pictures...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:04:00 -0500

The old grade school in Concrete, Washington. These pictures were taken in 2006 and the building is no longer there—burned down in a fire in 2008 because of some punk kids. But I guess that’s good since I don’t know if I would want that building in the town I lived in. Still its strange.

Oh, and those are turrets. The owner wanted to restore the old schoolhouse with a castle motif. Here’s the wikipedia article on the town.

Fun times.

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:55:37 -0500

Fun times.