Roadtrip: Yellow Stone National Park

After a night camping in Idaho’s Targhee National Forest (at an awesome campsite with almost no other campers around and the cleanest compost toilets we have ever seen), we made our way toward Yellowstone National Park.

We made a stop at a wildlife viewing place where the wildflowers were unbelievably beautiful. The kids got to stretch their legs running around in this almost surreal landscape.

Soon we approached the west entrance to the Park.

Yellowstone National Park is the first National Park in the world. This enormous park sits in the northwest corner of Wyoming, extending over to Montana and Idaho as well.

Within the first few minutes of entering the Park, we started seeing wildlife: Bisons, Elks, and a random cayote crossing the street nonchalantly.

We made our way toward the Old Faithful Geyser that faithfully explodes every hour or so. It was an amazing sight…albeit we had to share it with thousands of other tourists who have come from all over the world! There are several other geysers peppered all about the park. There are also many lakes and valleys, rivers and canyons.

It is clear why this national park is so well-loved, and well-protected. Maybe we will get lucky and spot a bear or two before leaving tomorrow.

Addendum: We did get lucky and saw a Grizzly bear in the early evening. Poor guy was surrounded by hords of people taking pictures of him... We also saw a few moose on the way out and now are safe and sound in Hulett, WY.

Roadtrip: Bend to Boise

M&Ms in each assorted color!

They were closed...too bad.

Did not eat this...but intriguing, no?

A visit to Bend was a rather strange experience. After driving for hours from northern California, in the middle of (what felt like) nowhere, appeared this cosmopolitan, young, vibrant community of Bend, Oregon.

We enjoyed our short visit here, enough to see the quaint downton (with some cool shops and restaurants), swim in the hotel pool, and organize our stuff. We woke up early to see USA score a goal in the World cup, and left early for today's drive.

The drive East of Bend was impressively stark. They call the area "the Badlands of Oregon", with miles after miles of this kind of landscape. The road was so flat and straight in some areas that I just set the car on cruise, with one finger on the steering wheel.

We crossed over to Mountain Time zone just before reaching the state of Idaho.

We had read earlier that Boise, Idaho has a vibrant Basque community. I was only reminded of this when I called our friend Case to ask for dinner recommendations (he is a walking good-restaurant guidebook). Even though I interrupted his World Cup and Wimbledon viewing, he gave us some very good suggestions, one being a Basque restaurant in the old part of downtown Boise.

The whole downtown was buzzing with activities. You would not think it is a Wednesday night! The first restaurant we went to was too packed, but luckily, we found the Basque Block and managed to find a great meal at a another Basque restaurant, across the street from the Basque Center! Imagine that. In Idaho, of all places.

We ate salted cod, bean stew and garlicky prawns. We felt, for a few minutes, like we were transported to Europe. Oh, the beauty of a roadtrip!

Tomorrow, we are inching closer to Yellowstone National Park.

Roadtrip: Crater Lake, Oregon

After a few hours (of gorgeous landscape) drive from Stewart Mineral Springs, we reached Crater Lake National Park, an impressive deep blue lake in the middle of an old volcano.

See all that snow? Would you believe me if I told you that I was getting eaten alive by huge numbers of large mosquitoes? How can that be?

Regardless of the annoying, biting insects, we enjoyed the views and learned a bit more about the history of this beautiful National Park.

Now we are safe and sound in Bend, Oregon. No teepee tonight, but I don't think we are going to get chocolate, or a turn-down service either!

Heading east tomorrow...so long, beautiful West Coast!

Roadtrip: Stewart Mineral Springs

Our last stop in CA. We passed the majestic Shasta Mountain completely covered with snow.

It was fun to sleep in a teepee, soak in the Mineral bath, listen to the Native American drum circle celebrating the Summer Solstice.

Now we are back on the road, heading to Crater lake, Oregon, with Bend being our destination for the day.

Roadtrip: Sonoma

Our first stop has been filled with family time, which is much needed. We also got to re-pack the beyond-capacity car, and I reminded myself that I can crochet my way across the country (with many hats and bags at the end of the journey). Amidst it all, we caught up with aunt, uncle, cousin, and one very happy dog.

Tomorrow, we head to Weed, California to sleep in a teepee, under the stars!

The Beginning

I have a feeling that although we will be on the road, in different states and accommodation settings, I will see still scenes like these in the mornings: reading, sports watching... As long as the WorldCup keeps going...but I guess once that is over, Tour de France will seemlessly replace the screen and rooting potentials.

See you on the road! First stop: Sonoma, California.

The (almost) Cross-Country Journey

Oh, the great massive country that is called the U.S of A. Here we come!

Here is the rough route plan for our cross country journey, to be embarked upon in about a week.

I am not known for a car trip-loving kind of person. I have done it twice, and honestly, did not love either. To add two children to that experience? Hmmm... But I am willing to give it a try. It's America after all. This is what a lot of Americans do all the time. And if they have not done it, they wish they could.

So there, what do we have to lose (except some sanity, for a few weeks?). Perhaps years down the road, the children will thank us for this amazing (?) opportunity!

Here is a list of essentials that will be traveling with us:

Camping gear: sleeping bags, a tent, camp stoves, you get the idea.

Audio CDs: long long stories. I broke down and downloaded Harry Potter, the first one. That's how desparate I am. Also in the mix: Winnie-the-Pooh, Mary Poppins, Tree House series, and countless Barefoot Books stories (how do people live without these, I don't know).

Clipboards and writing tools

Portable DVD player with many movies

Ipod with songs and stories and podcasts for kids AND adults.

Games: card, ball, chess...

Are we forgetting anything? Of course we will have food, snacks, gum, dramamine, and books... But if you can think of anything I am forgetting, please share! And don't forget to send a lot of good luck our way... We might need it!

Cactus in bloom

You should have seen the excitement when we discovered that the long-awaited flower on the little cactus plant finally bloomed today!

We got the little plant from the Flea market a few weeks ago, and Momo has been giving it a lot of love, and patience.

It just shows that beauty can come from all things...even if it's spiky and small.

Outings and writing

We have had a lot of outings of late, with a whole lot of sunshine and heat. We are staying in, too, just enough to write some newsletters (by the budding editor), pack our stuff, and get ready for our epic road-trip. We will share with you our route-plan soon... perhaps you can come with us in spirit!

Allen Say

I read this book to the kids today. We have read other books by Allen Say before, but this one is new to us, and so far, it may be my favorite.

It's a story about a man and his wife, and the days that don't exist anymore. It's poignant, and real, and beautiful at the same time.

I know this post should belong to Our Favorite Children's Books blog (which I need to start posting on again), but I thought I would share it here, too!

Quiet Afternoon

A quiet afternoon around here. It is hot enough to be another afternoon by the pool, and I have a feeling that we will migrate there soon enough. But for now, I am enjoying this quietness...

Easy Banana Cake

In warm weather, bananas go ripe so quickly. What better way to use them but whip up a Banana Cake?!

I found this recipe while in New Zealand...and can't remember where it came from. I did add some yogurt to it ( you should know me by now!), so it's been changed a bit. I think with the yogurt, the cake is a bit more moist, but you sure don't have to add it in.

Sometimes I add a cup of blueberries, or chocolate chips to the batter as well. Other times, to please the only person in the family who likes nuts in things, I sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top. But it's pretty rare...

Banana Cake

Dry ingredients

1.5 cups self-rising flour (or cake flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

3 ripe bananas, well mashed

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup yogurt

Preheat oven 300 degrees Farenheit.

In a large bowl, mix all wet ingredients well. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients, then add to the wet ingredient bowl. Incorporate everything until it is a smooth batter.

Grease a loaf pan or a round cake pan. Pour batter into pan, and bake for one hour.

Water in the desert, Memorial Day Part III

It was a hot weekend in Bakersfield, which apparently is no news to the residents there. By 8am, the kids were in their bathing suits jumping into the refreshing pool.

Just outside of Bakersfield, the Kern river gushes wildly through the canyon. It is a beautiful scene, albeit very dangerous. Though popular with fishermen and rafting, the river takes many lives annually as evident by the sign that warns "Stay Alive!", on our way to the canyon.

We played it safe and chose a very peaceful spot for the kids to practice their fishing. We saw some people panning for gold, some fishermen got lucky with trout for dinner. We, and the doggies, just relaxed in the cool shade against the sound of the rushing river.

The Noriega Hotel, Memorial Day Part II

Dining room before we were seated.

A Basque gentleman

The bar at the Noriega Hotel

Talk about doing something completely new.

Bakersfield, for some reason, has a big Basque population. With that, there are some note-worthy Basque restaurants in town, some of which are located inside of a hotel or hostel type places.

The Noriega Hotel is one such place. Our friends made a reservation for our group to join hundreds of other diners for a Basque-meal, community style.

It was my first time, and I did not know what to expect. I took a peek at the 'restaurant' where tables and chairs were neatly set; where plates and silverware were waiting for some action.

Each group was called into the dining room at 7pm. As soon as you sit down, plates of food start to arrive. First there were salads, a simple peasant soup, bread and cheese, potato salad and beans... Then came the oxtail stew, and pasta, and fried chicken with french fries. Then there was a sweet ending of ice cream. I probably forgot a few things in between there (ah yes, the pickled tongue!), but you get the idea. There was food a plenty. And all the red wine you can drink!

The best thing about our dining experience that evening, however, was the fact that we got to sit next to some real Basque gentlemen. I could tell just by the way they held themselves...and the way they interacted with each other (which was very minimal). They reminded me of the Corsicans (one of our favorite places on earth): rugged, hard-working men, with few words.

Towards the end of the meal, we learned that the one gentleman (in the beret hat pictured above) who sat next to us, had immigrated to the US since the 1950s after he had served in the war. He works in Bakersfield now, and actually lives in the Noriega hotel (after a long marriage with his wife who kicked him out, for no apparent reason). That meal we had just shared with him, was his regular dinner. We joined him in his daily dinning room. Some days there is no one else, he says, and other days, hundreds (like the day we went).

It was a meal to remember.