We were delivering my big brother to Washington State to visit my other big brother. It was kind of spur of the moment and a whirlwind getting out of town. I wasn't prepared like I usually am!
A road trip takes some planning! FOOD planning! Fast food is NOT an option and I was woefully unprepared this time...
The night before we left, my "other" brother (okay, I have 3 older brothers in case you are confused about all my brother references!) dropped by to say good-bye. He thoughtfully brought us a large basket full of edible goodies! Thank goodness for this...it really did save us! I had planned to make a batch of my yummy power cookies (recipe is in an older post) for the drive but it just didn't happen!
We left early in the morning. I was going to say "bright" and early but it wasn't so bright yet!
We drove for several hours and finally stopped in a small town. You can agree or disagree but I have found that the restrooms in a Starbucks are usually quite clean! Another tip I'm willing to share...Starbucks has a really great water filtering system. If you request a large ice water you can be sure it is filtered through a reverse osmosis system and is crystal clear. The ice being made goes through the same filters. I am a huge fan of drinking water and this is a great way to consume it along the way!
We drove for almost 12 hours. We were on a mission and only stopped 3 times. Two Starbucks stops and an official side of the road rest area!
I was so grateful for our goodie basket. We were able to stretch our legs for a few minutes and slap together some pre-sliced quality cheeses and meats on little pieces of a fresh baguette. That and some tart and tangy Honey Crisp apples really hit the spot and kept us on track!
We were getting seriously famished when we arrived in Washington. We were greeted by family members, dogs, cats, kids and the aroma of carne asada! What a welcome surprise. Tender moist pieces of meat were piled high on fresh corn tortillas and topped with cheeses and spicy salsa. Just what we needed! Delish...Oh, and freshly mottled pomegranate mojitos!
The next morning Hubs and I milled around the "continental breakfast" at our hotel. Ended up grabbing a couple of apples and a banana. Most hotel continental breakfasts don't really hit the mark.
Before saying our good-byes to the relatives we decided to drive around this small Washington town deep in vineyards and orchards. It is quite picturesque and also dotted with the tiny coffee shacks so prolific in Washington State.
You can't visit Washington and NOT take advantage of these local treasures! We drove past several and decided on this one. There were several cars in line and we figured that was a good recommendation!
The economy in this little town is obviously fueled by farming and agriculture. It is apple growing and grape harvesting nirvana.
Fruit stands line the main drag from one end to the other. Sadly, we are late in the season. I would have given my eye teeth for fresh huckleberries!
It's fascinating to see hops growing. It's obviously the perfect climate for this crop. There are miles and miles of these structures with the hops happily climbing higher and higher.
This is serious orchard country. Where do you think all those Washington State apples come from?!
Yup...nothing makes me happier than a sign like this!!!
After our little drive around town we headed back to say our good-byes. It wasn't easy. It's hard to say good-bye to family you don't see nearly enough and never get tired of being with. My sweet little niece suggested I take home a taste of those Washington apples. She let me in on some insider info. She directed me to a huge apple operation where I could buy the "scratch and dent" apples for $6.00 a bushel! "Scratch and dent" just meant they were odd sizes or shapes and didn't fit the profile for the perfect grocery store shelving.
So...we loaded up a box of these beauties! They are amazing! Yeah, odd sizes and shapes and perfectly delicious and crispy...(I see another batch of applesauce in my future...)
And so, we said our teary good-byes, ate another apple and headed for home.
Now for the next part of the journey...The ride home...not quite so successful as the ride up! First, we drove way too many miles in much too short a time. We had already consumed our edible gift basket. We wanted to get on the road and made the mistake of not stopping at a grocery store and getting some decent clean food.
We stopped in a small town known for its wineries a few hours later and decided to stop for sustenance. Sigh...we were at a complete disadvantage for knowing where to go and the choices were limited. I start to get "food anxiety". We did NOT plan this well. We are hungry and need body fuel! We decided to try a Mexican restaurant in a strip mall. We walked in the front door and sadly were greeted by the most unpleasant smell! I don't know what it was, but it wasn't appetizing and we walked back out! Disappointing...
Next we tried another joint a few doors down in the same strip mall. It passed the smell test but we were unfamiliar with this place and crossing our fingers. Was it fresh, local or organic food? No.Was it edible? Yes...but, now it concerns me to not eat the kind of food we like to eat. I honestly didn't know it would become like this when we started our journey four years ago. But, it has! We ordered ordinary non-threatening sandwiches. It tasted okay. Not great...it was fuel for our hungry bodies and at least it wasn't fast food. (okay, I was fine but Hubs was miserable for the next several hours). I'm serious...you just can't go back!!! Oh...another little tidbit...my brother had a bag of Frito's! You know...those salty, greasy corn chips. Well...I used to be a Frito fan back in the day. Didn't have them a lot but did like them. They are banned at my house now and haven't entered our front door in several years. Hubs decided to munch on a handful of them...he suffered from incredible almost deadly heartburn! No, serious...he was so unhappy! Jeez...I hate to say "I told you so"! I swear...you get used to eating clean food and your body just totally rebels if you jump ship! Anyway...Hubs lived to tell the tale. We ate the Continental breakfast at our 2nd hotel...I felt safe with the oatmeal and a glass of orange juice and we headed home.
I can't lie...I have never been so excited to get home and go to the grocery store!!!
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