101 Uses for Surplus Garden Tomatoes

(well, not actually 101, but many!)

*enchiladas
*salsa
*tomato bisque
*pasta sauce
*lasagna
*tomato and squash curry
*tomato, basil and fresh mozz salad
gazpacho
ratatouille
baked stuffed tomatoes with cheese, herbs and bread crumbs
dry 'em (with the sun or dehydrator)


* made this in the past week. Will have to get around to the rest of the list soon before the local produce market runs low on the fruits of summer! Cheating? I don't have a garden yet, but the tiny market, Romeo's, has tons of HUGE (1/2 lb each) beefy delicious local toms for cheap right now. Yum. My favorite so far has been the enchiladas or the bisque.

The stats

4850 miles
17 states
16 days
12 shiny and colorful rocks
6 national parks
uncountable numbers of bugs
2 grumpy travelers
1 filthy disorganized car

PD: RoadTrip: Chicago to Connecticut

If South Dakota was flat, then Minnesota was an ironing board. At least the bugs weren't as bad. At some points, we had to stop and scrape open a field of vision in the windshield.

When we made it into Wisconsin, I realized that we were really close to my mom's side of the family, and it would be nice to say hi to them. Drove into Milwaukee and knocked on my cousin's door (he owns and runs a bar there, and lives upstairs). Jim was there, and felt slightly guilty for waking him up at 5pm, but that went away with the look of astonishment and excitement on his face after a pause of him trying to figure out who the heck was knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon.

We drove down into Chicago and met my friends Phil and Kate for dinner (fresh food! good food! ethnic food! with spices beyond salt and pepper!!). Their apartment is fabulous, as could be expected. They always have great home vibes. Funny, they're moving back to the Bay Area soon. In their reorganizing and consolidating efforts, they handed off to us a Poang (IKEA chair) and poof and a microwave for our new home.

We spent our day in Chicago biking along the lake (are they sure, it looks as big as an ocean). Went to the aquarium there and walked around downtown. Ate super deep-dish Chicago-style pizza for dinner (ahh, reminds me of Zacharay's).

Out from Chicago, we drove through Indiana and Michigan and into Ontario, Canada. We camped near Niagara Falls.

The Canadian side of the Falls was not what I expected. Or, at least, not what I expected from Canada. Contrary to logic, the AMERICAN side was the natural park, undeveloped, and serene. The Canadian side was touristy, full of cheesy crap, and way over-Disneyified. We got to see the falls (pretty huge and powerful) but failed to find even one informational plaque or sign telling us about the falls or its history, oh well.

Drove back into the US and across upstate New York into the Adirondacks. Pretty driving, but I think you have to know someone or know where you're going to actually get to a hiking spot or find an overview.

Drove through Vermont onto New Hampshire and to Lake Winepesaukee, where family friends Row and Hank live. I love visiting them and their house on the lake. We kayaked, learned loon calls, went for a mushroom walk, bought maple syrup and delicious cheddar.

South through MA and into CT. Arrived in New Haven in the afternoon. But our house was not ready yet. The relator put us up in a fancy schmancy bed and breakfast just up the road. Feather bed, hot water, fluffy towels. Free breakfast. Now we're in our new home.

PD: RoadTrip: Colorado to South Dakota

We left Utah via the scenic way, en route to my emotional and genetic homeland: Colorado, land of high mountains, gorgeous wildflowers and really really delicious bagels. Driving along the winding Colorado River valley was lovely. The rainbow colors of the rock and flowers and fields as we drove through the Rockies and into the plains on the eastern edge remind me why the state is so aptly named.

We made it to Denver and went straight to good friends, Ann-Marie and Ash's house. Played with their baby and ate fabulous Indian food (although a 4 month visit from out-of-country parents-in-law might get a little old after a while, the authentic Indian food is worth it!).

Next day I dropped off Chris near Estes Park where there just happened to be a hummingbird conference going on. I went back to Denver, where I ate my fill of "Moe's everything bagels with sundried tomato cream cheese." MMmmmmm.

In Denver, saw family friends and explored the bustling metropolis that Boulder will soon be. A very relaxed atmosphere, outdoor-oriented, artsy small college city that is getting a bit too big for its britches.

A few days later I headed to Estes to collect Chris and continue our Eastern drive. After a bit of a delay, I finally found Chris hustling down the highway about 8 miles from our pre-determined meeting place. Out for a jog? Got carried away chasing a bird?

Day hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park proved that you really need more than 4 hours in that park to get farther away from the road and into the higher part of the park. Saw a badger! But no bugeling elk.

On our way east/north out of the park, we found a local meadery. CO has quite a number of these. Tasted and bought some mead made from local honey.

Then to The Farm in North Eastern CO. Where dad grew up. We stuck Chris on a horse to have a quick giggle. Spent time with family I hadn't seen in a long time. It was nice. Next day happened to be the Marks Family Reunion. The huge pot-luck had all the classic mid-western highlights that you've come to love and hate: macaroni salad, fried chicken, marshmallow-topped brownies, and hamburger helper goo. My grandfather was one of 10 farming kids, so this was a reunion of all those related families (200 people?). Chris and I snuck out as quietly as possible when the host said, "OK, let's all introduce ourselves one at a time." (he meant EVERYone).

North through Nebraska (with a short stop at Cabella's hunting/fishing extravaganza!) to the Black hills in South Dakota. We began to notice the large number of bikers, then realized it was the week of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Cool! I felt a little silly in a Subaru.

Camped at and visited Wind Cave national Park. I hadn't heard of this park, and was surprised to learn that it was the 6th in the nation (after King's Cyn and Sequoia, around 1900). Huge extensive cave system (100s of miles of connected caverns), with interesting calcite formations. Lots of buffalo in the park too. Ate a buffalo bratworst. Chris had a buff burger.

On the way out of the Black Hills, we drove quickly through Badlands National Park (quickly because it was WAY too hot to leave the A/C for more than a few minutes, and compared to Canyonlands, this just wasn't as spectacular as I'd expected. yes, spoiled.)

The long boring stretch of I90 in South Dakota was broken up by a stop at Wall Drug and counting the inconprehensible number of bugs squashed onto the front of the car. This was the buggiest stretch of the country for sure.

Next: Chicago to CT

Post Dated: Road Trip: CA to Utah

We left Oakland in the early morning, amidst Bay fog and foggy eyes and fogged brains. Kinda quiet. Silence seemed to be the soothing factor when leaving the place I love with the man I love for a place I didn't yet love after a very fun evening of love (dance) and most of my friends that I love . . .
Made great time to Reno (3 hours) in the early hours. Then we started listening to InkSpell, which I'd started reading years ago, but never actually finished.

Our first night brought us to Provo, UT and Sara W., newt-seeker extraordinaire! Provo is kinda scarily perfect. Yes, it's the Mormon capital of the world. All the houses have perfect white fenced outlining perfectly manicured green lawns, with perfect beautiful children chasing perfect golden retrievers, down un-cracked sidewalks. All the cars parked on the super wide roads are washed, all the houses have perfect paint. And all the perfect Mormon girls with their cute outfits and matching little handbags are concealing handguns oiled to perfection. Apparently, they do all carry these for protection. Against whom, I have no idea.

We did a beautiful hike in Provo Canyon with waterfalls and hummingbirds. Saw a number of perfect Mormon families (they are prolific!).

Then we headed South a few hours to 9 mile Canyon, where we camped for the night. The petroglyphs there were very cool.

Next day to Arches National Park. Very hot. 100F. A/C is good! We did a couple of short hikes, running from tree to bush for shade, when there was any. I was surprised at all the people wearing flip flops/flats and carrying no water in the middle of the day on these 5 mile/no shade trails. hmmm, and these people reproduce?

Arches is beautiful, with the red stone and amazing, well, arches. But next door, is Canyonlands National Park, which is just gorgeous. Spent the afternoon and evening in Canyonlands. Did a sunset hike along a ridgetop. Incredible views of millions of years of geologic formation and change. Amazing!

Chris antagonized a man who was wearing a t-shirt:
"Evidence of Noah's Flood:
1. Canyons, Valleys
2. Lakes
3. Rivers
4. Mountians"
etc. etc. blah blah

It was pretty funny. The guy was completely serious and turned to his wife, and looking out over the canyonlands says, "it's it amazing that God created this just a few thousand years ago!?"

We left them to take a dip in the Colorado River, them camped on BLM land outside the park.

The next day we did a couple of beautiful hikes to canyons and arches and viewpoints.

Next: Colorado