Old-School Road Trippin'

 My darling daughter decided she wanted to have her car at school

with her this year.  Fair enough, not an unreasonable request.

Only we live in Connecticut and her school is 1900 miles west of here,

in Denver, Colorado.
My immediate thought was, "Ugh.  Really?" But, really,
how could I possibly pass up a chance to drive (nearly) across the country
the Griswald family way, with my daughter a willing companion,
and see certain states I'd otherwise likely never see?

This is a lengthy post, so buckle up while we whiz through three days,
nine states, and all the sights you could ever hope to see from 

the inside of a Jeep Liberty cruising Interstates 84 and 80.

First stop:  Starbucks, Ridgefield, Connecticut.

In all due fairness, Ridgefield, CT sits on the border 

of New York, so the first border crossing

 took us only ten minutes.

Duchess County, NY

Prison, or all-girls school?

The mighty Hudson River...

...from the Newburgh Bridge.

 Hot-air balloon rising.

Making progress!

 Wake up!  You're missing the views.

I-80: otherwise known as trucking madness.

One lovely farm after another.

Note the color green; it goes missing as we move along.

 If you're a corn farmer in 2012, you want to be living in PA.

In my quest to avoid doing the fast food route on this journey,

this is the alternative.

 At about this point in the trek, it became apparent that

either the highway was a Bermuda Triangle, or else

the car was possessed.  At odd intervals there was this: dashboard 

warning lights ALL ON, speedometer and RPM needles

PLUNGE LEFT, windshield wipers ON,

IN UNISON.  Rest.  Repeat.

 With another 1600 miles yet to cover, the executive decision was

made to find a mechanic.  Brookville, PA it is.

 Two hours and 86 dollars later, lunch, and a nap in the waiting

 lounge,  we were back on our way.

The culprit: a loosened HVAC box behind the dash.  Whew!

High praise for the Brookville, PA Jeep dealership.

 Lunch option 1: sketchy bar with no windows.

Lunch option 2: Subway.  So much for the no fast food idea

(but we chose healthy items for our sandwiches).

If this woman is Amish, why the truck?  Mennonite, perhaps?

With myriad trucks and endless roadwork squishing us down to one lane,

 there was ample time to admire the abundant white puffy clouds.

Why, hello Ohio. 

 Corn's starting to lose its luster.

Somewhere in these endless farm fields we left Ohio and

entered Indiana. 

(But as we somehow missed the welcome sign when we arrived, 

I had to catch it out the back window when we exited 

the Crossroads of America state.)

Mile 748

South Bend, Indiana. We sat here for 15 minutes trying to exit the

tollway.  Not an employee to be found, and not a lane functioning. 

Long day got longer - tried to find a place to eat at 9:30PM.

Pulled in to three different restaurants that, upon our arrival, turned out
their lights and locked their doors.  We must have looked scary.

Ended up at a kooky diner called Eleni's.  It was an experience.

Not a lot to pick from, but it was a bed.

7AM start, lovely time of day to be on the road.

Glad to know all it takes is a quick phone call to find out.

 Illinois....land of water towers.

Corn's getting browner...

On the Mississippi River, lookin' over at Iowa.

 Tractor art.

Don't think I've ever seen two ladies filling a semi with a gas can before.

We got a little giddy at the sight of the Pine Cone restaurant.

(Although the display of raw meats was a little weird)

Some interesting accents in Brooklyn, Iowa.

Midwest drought in full view.

 A little creepy....what's an adult superstore, and
what's it doing in the middle of nowhere?

Can't imagine what Iowa wine would taste like.

These are not hay bales. They are bales of drought, salvaging corn stalks.

Crossing the Missouri River.

Nebraska.

This was a stunning structure.

Daily doubles in 104 degrees fahrenheit.

 The Ramada Inn, Kearney, Nebraska.

Newly "remodeled," and a little odd. 

Grandpa's Steak House, an unexpected gem!

Mile 1,159.

This is a funny statement, given the next 18 photos.

 There's no escaping the aroma of the feed lots.

Kept pace with this biking couple for a good 200 miles,
they gave us a salute as we exited in Denver.

Was able to catch up on some of my French magazines in between
tumble weed sightings.

 Well thanks for the info.

Rounding the corner to Denver.

Mile 1,865.

 Welcome to Denver!

Once you settle in with the idea that you'll be sitting
in a car for the long haul, 1900 miles becomes an enjoyable experience.
What a vast and varied country we are, we owe it to ourselves
to get out and explore the neighborhood from time to time.

Bountiful offerings from an island oasis.

It's no secret I have a fondness for farmer's markets.  I think we all do.

How can you help but come away beaming after spending an hour or two

in a festive, bustling atmosphere, filled with what community is all about?

And to come home with a basketful

of fresh home-grown, organic goodness....pure inspiration for

the ultimate farm-to-table meal!

There's a little gem of a farmer's market that is a bit off the grid,

tucked away in my home-away-from-home in the San Juan Islands (Washington).

This particular market is nestled on San Juan Island,

in the town of Friday Harbor, at the old Brickworks site.

In April, it's a bit spare,

but by no means will you come away empty-handed.

 The market even boasts it's own band (duo?).

 And in summer?

It's an all-out carnival for the senses.

Watch out Kellogg's, you've got nothin' on these pop tarts.

Other treats?  Well, aside from

island-grown flowers, grass-fed meats, cheeses, and

artisan crafts, you'll often find a barber's chair set up 

in the grass if you're needing a trim, 

or a willing masseuse with a chair

ready to work out the week's knots in your shoulders.

This islander had confessed he'd never made lemonade before. 

But he bought the equipment 

(we watched him remove price tags) 

and thought,"how hard can it be?"

We were his first customers.  

He made us Arnold Palmers (lemonade mixed with iced tea),

and they were delicious.

The Market Band is in full-swing in August.

Must give credit for this photo to my friend Tom Murray, 

I liked his tomato picture better than mine.

 The day's delectable rewards.

The outdoor market is open 10am through 1pm every Saturday from mid-April through the third week in October.  The winter market is open twice in November, twice in December, and once a month January through March.  See the market calendar for dates.

www.sjifarmersmarket.com

www.fhbrickworks.com

Hej! Where'd everybody go?!

What do you do when you decide on the fly to spend a long weekend in Stockholm,

only to discover when you get there all the Swedes have left town?

(sound the crickets)

Note to self: sometimes it pays to plan ahead, just a little bit.

So it was Midsommarafton,

one of the biggest Swedish holidays of the year,

to be spent in the countryside, with flower garlands around your head,

prancing around maypoles, eating fishy things (herring) with potatoes, 

and singing songs while drinking Schnapps. 

We ate some fishy salmon, with potatoes....

...and Swedish meatballs with potatoes

(accompanied by lingonberries and pickled cucumbers)

And instead of Schnapps, stumbled upon the wine

that was served at Swedish Crown Princess Victoria's

royal wedding in 2010.

And a delicious lager and some pear cider.

With most shops and restaurants closed for the holiday, we joined

the other non-Swedes on a boat tour.

Went through locks,

from lake, to Baltic, to lake.

And eventually found where all the people were.

(The very touristy, but charming

Old Town)

With just about everything closed, we decided to

head over to the Sodermalm section of Stockholm and

seek out some Girl With a Dragon Tattoo haunts.

It is supposed to be a very trendy, hip part of town.  

(but all the trendy bohemians left town).

The coffee bar where Stieg Larsson wrote his trilogy,

shut tight for the holiday.

The fictional Mikael Blomkvist's apartment.

Where to stay?  There's a quirky hotel in a great location called

Story.

Story has a kitchen.

And a lively bar.

And off-beat artwork on the walls.

Lycklig resa!

(happy travels)