I think I'd probably choose the one that's cut off, if it is what I suspect it is. I've been missing the extremely long combination road/camping trips of childhood lately.
It reads "drive according to the I Ching"—I guess the idea is to identify PKD fans.
Oh. And here I thought it was something normal, like drive across the country.
I ought to get up to that part of the country some day. Never been.
In my list of vacations I'd really like to take if I had the money, time, and willing companions, rafting the Salmon River ranks highly. Idaho is fun.
Craters of the Moon is fun. As I said about somewhere else, I think, on another thread, it's always fun to be able to say a'a and pahoehoe in context.
Do waves sound different on the exotic beaches? I've only been to the normal kind.
Though to be honest "stay at home and relax" sounds really good right now.
Saying "pahoehoe" in context makes me sad.
You did. It was when ... Will? was pleading for advice on what to do around Sedona.
I'm a little perturbed that I remember this. I'm sure it is squeezing out useful knowledge.
it's always fun to be able to say a'a and pahoehoe in context
You can do that lots of places, though.
The waves sound the same, but the listening experience is different, if you take my meaning.
It was when ... Will? was pleading for advice on what to do around Sedona.
When was this? Where was I?
Craters of the Moon is cool, but it's in Idaho.
13: The first of those is what I was talking about in the earlier thread. I've never been to El Malpais, but I want to go sometime. (And it has a good name.)
I don't KNOW teo! You should have been there, for we all sucked at the giving of advice.
I'm relieved to see that that's NM as in "National Monument" rather than as in my home state; this was about to be another on the disconcertingly long list of natural features that are both gorgeous and close to home but that we never even considered visiting when I was little. Looks amazing, and it's unblemished by regret for a wasted childhood! Hurrah!
I want to go to a beach where *I can drink*. Preferably without my kid.
--I guess the idea is to identify PKD fans.
They could have made the lower-left option "Stay At Home and (Perhaps?) Burglarize Your Own House" to achieve the same effect.
2,4: There's a lesson to be learned here, paren.
I should head up to Lava Beds (in Northern Ca, I'm too lazy to link). I love climbing around in the lava tubes.....I seem to recall many good times doing so from my childhood.
this was about to be another on the disconcertingly long list of natural features that are both gorgeous and close to home but that we never even considered visiting when I was little
You too, huh? I'm excited about finally seeing White Sands on my trip to Houston.
I whined and complained about my parents educational trips when I was growing up, but now I'm very grateful for them. And also glad that I let my inner nerd mostly overwhelm the whiner - even if I never did tell my junior high school friends that I spent the summer on a tour of old mining sites.
21: Ah, I distinctly remember seeing that post and not reading the comments. Serves me right, I guess.
essear, the NM badlands are well worth visiting. Has anyone here spent time in the badlands of South Dakota? I'm intrigued, but so far not intrigued enough to devote actual time to planning a trip and going.
teo, that's really funny; White Sands is quite close to home, so I've been there I don't know how many times while totally ignoring everything in the north. Are you going to be able to time your visit for a full moon?
My parents did eventually get around to taking us to most of the major things in the state (Carlsbad Caverns, Lincoln, El Morro, Pecos, etc.). Not all, though.
I would like to walk the Via Dolorosa without having to think about Middle East politics.
I spent the summer on a tour of old mining sites.
! Sounds like fun.
Has anyone here spent time in the badlands of South Dakota?
I've spent a few days there almost 7 years ago (aka, I'm probably not trustworthy). I thought it was awesome and would like to go back. I would try to time it a little better; the weather was not great (too hot). But, the hiking was fun, you can read about geology before you go, and it's a place rich with fossils and history to complement the really quite amazing landscape. Be forewarned, what looks incredibly vivid will turn out bland and uninspiring in pictures taken with your disposable camera.
Are you going to be able to time your visit for a full moon?
It'll be next week or so, and I think the full moon was last night, so no. It's actually kind of weird that I haven't been there; my friends in high school used to go camping there all the time, but somehow I never ended up going with them. Most of the times I did go camping were in the Jemez. There were also school trips and stuff, but again, somehow I never got to go on them.
32: It was. My step-father even put us to work panning for gold on BLM land in the foothills of CA. (He didn't actually expect us to find anything, mind you.)
If another thread occurs where people are looking for advice on places to visit in the southwest and I don't seem to be around, someone e-mail me, ok? Reading the comments in that thread is painful.
Has anyone here spent time in the badlands of South Dakota?
Yes. Indeed, when I asked my kids where they wanted to go in addition to our yearly visit to my sister's in Montana, my 15 year old immediately said that he wanted to go back to the badlands. Me, I think it is one of those drive through places that is worth a trip but I would not go out of my way. But, it is quite interesting (and we are going, but also because the Black Hills are great and we will be spending most of our time there).
Craters of the Moon is cool, too. We went there last summer on our way to Montana. Again, though, kind of a drive through visit. I would not spend more than a day there.
It reads "drive according to the I Ching"
Not anymore, it doesn't.
Has anyone here spent time in the badlands of South Dakota? I'm intrigued, but so far not intrigued enough to devote actual time to planning a trip and going.
I went at some point when I was a kid, but don't remember it very well. The badlands in North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt National Park) I remember somewhat better, and they were well worth the trip. (Um, where by "worth the trip" I mean worth stopping if you're anywhere in that general geographic region; not necessarily worth going to that region just to see them.) Beautiful place, lots of wildlife (wild horses and the usual prairie animals: pronghorn, bison, prairie dogs...)
25: I'm excited about finally seeing White Sands on my trip to Houston.
Then you should definitely stop at one of my favorite "valleys of fire", the Valley of Fires (Carrizozo Malpais) which interpenetrates the White Sands (the dark area in the satellite pic is the flow, not a lake). A couple of places to walk out into it near the town of Carrizozo.
40: Will do. I'll be going right through that area.
Reading the comments in that thread is painful.
Hey, we tried. I just admittedly know very little about Arizona minus a few key places - the surrounds of Tucson and Kayenta. And your other general touristy stuff.
42: Yeah, I was interested to see your recommendation of Kayenta. Not a place I'd recommend in and of itself, although of course there's tons of cool stuff around it. Anyway, Flagstaff's great. Sedona's okay, but (at least when I was there) super-crowded.
Reading the comments in that thread is painful.
Sorry. Any particular Arizona must-see that we missed?
Good for your folks (Paren and teo both). We did a lot of camping, but mostly in the same places year after year; my folks were kind of appalled to realize just how little exploration we'd done. I'm sort of torn. On the one hand, sundown at the Bosque is part of Christmas, and I love getting back to the paths around our campground in the Gila; on the other, every time we go there, we're not striking out for Chaco.
Weirdly, the one time I've been to JP's Valley of Fires, it was absolutely covered with snow.
44: I didn't read the whole thing, but it looked like you did cover most of the bases. I noticed someone (JP?) mentioned Montezuma Castle. Tuzigoot is nearby, also fascinating, and much less crowded.
Not a place I'd recommend in and of itself,
Nor would I. It was just what happened to us and it turned out to be worth it. But I'm am of the opinion that there's fun stuff to be had no matter where you are so I'm probably not a great candidate to be giving out recommendations to places. I pretty much like everywhere I've ever been. I can even find something to recommend about Bakersfield. Well, the environs, at any rate.
every time we go there, we're not striking out for Chaco
Not an uncommon phenomenon. We got very many visitors who would say that they'd been meaning to come out there for years and only just got around to it.
26:All i got to see as a little kid was freaking Canada. And not the best parts of Canada. Really, I only got to look at Canada from Mackinac and Niagara. And the Niagara trip was a redo to save a dying marriage anyway. 5 people in a 12 foot camper for two weeks. I am so glad I don't remember much of it.
I'll let you know if I think of anywhere in the world I'd like to visit, given the time and money. The dogs would have to come along, of course. My lack of touristic inclinations bewilders me.
OTOH, there are so many places I would like to inhabit, live at permanently. Given the money, of course. Almost anywhere else looks attractive as a home. I was thinking about the lakes of middle Canada at length today, wondering if the dogs would be safe from badgers and bobcats. But the dream was about staying.
My problem with visiting is the leaving, I think. It's like a two-week passionate love affair. 14 days of weltzschmerz.
I'm am of the opinion that there's fun stuff to be had no matter where you are so I'm probably not a great candidate to be giving out recommendations to places.
Yeah, me too. I have a hard time judging what will and won't be of interest to other people. In the course of giving recommendations as part of my job, though, I got pretty good at figuring it out.
45: the one time I've been to JP's Valley of Fires, it was absolutely covered with snow.
Yeah, I do that sometimes to amuse myself.
The people mentioned in 48 always conclude that it was worth the wait, btw.
JP, that was your fault? You kept us from going to Petroglyph that trip too, you punk.
(Though some of the photos from the valley were spectacular, so thanks for that.)
46: Interesting. I don't think I've ever heard about Tuzigoot before. I'll keep it in mind.
54: It's fairly obscure. The museum is fantastic.
45.1: Yes, to me this is the great "vacation" conundrum (and why I need to go back and relive life with a *lot* more free time). New places are great, but it is nice to have one "return to" place that you really know and can see in different seasons and weather and personal moods etc. Even for places I've only been to twice, I am often struck at how different they have felt the second time around. Need both. Want lots of both...
I think I want a few months in Idaho, Montana, and the Dakotas. Ideally I'll be able to spin this as fieldwork...
We did finally get to Chaco a couple of years ago, I should say. And it was worth the wait.
54: Yes, I wish I had time to see it as well when we went to the Castle, but were driving back from to Phoenix from a hiking trip into the Grand Canyon and had a flight to catch (and pretty sore feet, I somehow forgot to bring camp shoes and this was before "modern" hiking boots).
Assuming this is the all-purpose travel thread: anyone know anything about Perugia?
I am going to Sedona on Friday so I need ideas of things to do there.
parenthetical: My comments arent worth your memory?!?!?
60: Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot are quite close to Sedona. I haven't been to Jerome, but I've heard it's nice. Sedona itself is interesting but very, very crowded. I was literally unable to find a parking space and eventually just gave up and drove to Flagstaff. If you can manage to park, though, it's a pretty happening town. There's a bunch of stuff in the canyons around Sedona, too; mostly Forest Service land, and I believe you can get a permit at the ranger station in Sedona.
How much time will you have in Sedona, Will?
59: I know only enough to know that I'm jealous.
I wanted Chaco this fall, but I think it might turn into a nostalgiafest through UP Michigan, parental Midwestern birthing grounds and a Boundary Waters cabin, but I need two fucking weeks to do it justice. That the last requirement is a potential showstopper is a big, fat ongoing FML for me (and the American workforce as a whole).
Teo, when in the spring would it become reasonable to reliably plan a Chaco trip?
61: if it helps, Will, I didn't remember that essear had been the one to make the joke about a'a - I just remembered the joke. And I mostly remembered it was you!!
60: Get invited to a barbecue at John McCain's place. I hear he has a tire swing.
66: And I just realized I read Will's comment wrong. Woo.
Teo, when in the spring would it become reasonable to reliably plan a Chaco trip?
Never. Spring is the least reliable time to visit Chaco. The weather's very unpredictable, but generally quite windy. It can be either uncomfortably cold or uncomfortably hot.
That said, spring is usually pretty nice except for the wind. The regular guided tours start in March, when it's still pretty cold, but visitorship doesn't start to really pick up until late April or early May. May is pretty busy with school groups and such, but also when the weather is likely to be best.
70: That's plenty of time to see Flagstaff too, which I definitely recommend.
yes, we are def going there.
Ive been there before and loved it
Have you been to Wupatki/Sunset Crater? If not, definitely go. Otherwise, plenty to do in Flag itself.
70: Do you like birds, Will? If so, go down to Madera Canyon environs in Tucson. Though, I suppose that might be farther than you want to drive.
Not IN Tucson, near Tucson. Making too many mistakes is probably a sign I should eat dinner or something.
59: I know only enough to know that I'm jealous.
I will likely only be there for one day, working most of the time, and needing to catch a train back to Florence in the evening, so it's not clear if I'll have time to see much of anything anyway. Jealousy may be premature.
I prob wont make it to Tucson. I spent a summer swimming there, and loved it. But prob wont make it
Tucson's kind of far to go from Flagstaff or Sedona.
60. I've never been but am curious about those jeep tours where they take you to some healing vortices. I can't find the link, but I remember that one tour company sued another for taking customers to "their" vortices.
Chapel of the Holy Cross (built by a Wright student) is worth a quick look.
But really, the thing to do is hiking (in the early morning of course).
79: I know...yet another reason that I'm a bad person to give out recommendations, as I like to drive long distances. (And yes, the question is, why do I keep offering them up anyway?)
I've never been but am curious about those jeep tours where they take you to some healing vortices. I can't find the link, but I remember that one tour company sued another for taking customers to "their" vortices.
There's a lot of this sort of thing in Sedona. If you want to check it out, go ahead, but be aware that the people who do it take it very seriously.
75: Just the other side of Flagstaff from Sedona.
Paren, if you go to Lavabeds, you should take me with you; a friend of mine just went there and was extremely enthusiastic about it. I promise not to make any passes or behave in an untoward fashion.
84: I shall keep you informed. I suspect that I will continue to ponder it rather than actually go, as the next chunk of free time I get is going to be spent going home, and I've had my camping trip for the summer already. (I should really give myself more vacations).
Count me in for a Lavabeds trip. I went as a kid and remember it as AMAZING.
Ooh. We could have an Unfogged meet up in the Lava Beds.
88: Not if neb keeps his promise.
That all depends on what you consider untoward.
Won't the lava flows interrupt neb's nosflow? I'm concerned about safety.
Lava flows like an arrow nosflows like a banana.
It's not pronounced "nose flow", guys.
97: Now that's a pretty idiosyncratic pronunciation. I never would have guessed in a million years.
It's not pronounced "nose flow", guys.
It obviously is.
Just don't tell me that my own pseud is pronounced Parsi, Mon.
I attempt to feel for you, noseflow.
What is it then? "Parsimonious" without the last two syllables?
By the way, essear, your attempt to make me less jealous really didn't work.
"parsimony" without the last syllable, like "persimmon".
It obviously is.
Isn't.
101: I attempt to feel for you, noseflow.
But you can't get the damn wireless nerve signal transmitter to work?
102: No - without the last two syllables you'd be left with a long "o" in "mon". The "o" is short.
Think "hegemon". Emphasis on the first syllable, "pars."
I'm taking a guess that neb would like nosflow to be something like "noss-flow(er)", sans the final (er)? I don't know what else it would be. neb's a flaring flower, that is true.
I confess that I have, at times, wished that I'd gone with yelnatS or Yelnats as a pseud. I'm so relieved to get this off my chest.
Sorry, neb, but it doesn't.
If it makes you feel better, you can hear (108) "Stanley" as "yell nuts" from now on.
Don't blame me, look what I got saddled with.
108: I've wished, on occasion, that I'd gone with "smj." Thank God I didn't! Who knows how that would have been pronounced.
We are all relieved that these things are off our chests.
Nossfloe it is. It was hard to believe the flow wasn't part of it.
If people still can't figure out parsimon, okay, but please avoid thinking parsi-mon, as though I'm Jamaican.
You'll always be nose flow to me. </Billy Joel>
I haven't been back to AZ since I was about 10 or so, and the only recommendation I can offer from that trip is that celebrating Christmas in Sun City West while your grandfather has late-stage pancreatic cancer is kinda a downer.
However, I do remember an earlier trip, when I was about 8 or so, where we went to see Meteor Crater. 8 (or so)-year-old me was mightily impressed.
What I want to know is, what happened to mmf!?
Otto, you'd like Lava Beds too. Or at least, I suspect. Keep it in mind if you're planning a camping trip and want something slightly different than all that verdant glory of the Bay Area.
Verdant glory is nice and all, but sometimes one wants the sere and yellow leaf, or rocky barrenness, or (dare I say it) desert landscapes.
113: Yeah, young me was very impressed with Meteor Crater also. I think photographs of it always make it look a lot shallower than it really is, so it's pretty surprising to see the real thing.
By the way, essear, your attempt to make me less jealous really didn't work.
OK, fine. Your jealousy can be balanced by my reciprocal jealousy about how you get to live in California.
mmf!
Oh, yeah. Wasn't like mmfspouse or somesuch commenting for awhile, too? ODD!
115: I hadn't heard of Lava Beds until now, but a trip to nps.gov certainly makes it sounds appealing. Keep me in mind if you want someone along to help keep neb from behaving untowardly.
Now I really actually want to go and know I can't, at least not for a long while. This makes me sad.
For example (one of the best excursions when I was in Yosemite), or.
On the bright side, I get to go to Ohio for a few days next week. Thrilling!
rocky barrenness
It's hard to beat the East Side of the Sierra for that.
Post title + 101 et seq. suggest that someone should have used "sanctimon" as a pseud. Read, perhaps.
110: Don't blame me, look what I got saddled with.
soup, you're a dignitary, as far as I'm concerned, so you needn't worry about the name. I like it.
Oh, and I'm feeling awfully self-satisfied for having intuited the correct pronunciation of "parsimon" all on my own. I am the Mack Daddy and Daddy Mack of English letter-to-sound rules, yes I am.
you're a dignitary
Josh was right! Commenters have ranks!
129: You can be a leftenant if you want. I got a bunch of those hats about.
129: soup biscuit is excellent. I rest my case. Fuck ranks.
Indeed. If I were arguing with someone and they said "I heard it from some guy on the internet calling himself 'soup biscuit'," I would have to seriously rethink my opinion.
113 117
I liked Meteor Crater also but be warned there is an admission charge.
134: How funny that you happened to post that a few days ago!
I am pretty sure I've been, but I can't actually recall.
The NYTimes thinks statistics is sexy? Unexpected.
132: I heard that Roger Ebert recently quoted in a review the remarks of some guy named wrongshore. Standards are going all to hell.
136: The rising stature of statisticians, who can earn $125,000 at top companies in their first year after getting a doctorate, is a byproduct of the recent explosion of digital data.
I really, really wish my mind was geared towards numbers.
136: The New York Times likes its sex fast and sloppy.
I've just remembered that a while back, "sanctimon" was associated with me. I don't appreciate that.
143: Morphemes are remarkably powerful, aren't they?
144: The admission fee is a little steep, though.
And now I'm hoping the phrase doesn't predate the source I'm thinking of, or 144 will be incomprehensible.
Oh good. It seems to have been comprehended.
If my mind were geared towards numbers, I would be looking at the numbers on the clock and thinking "that's a funny time. I should probably be sleeping right now."
I'll admit, I'm uncool and don't get it.
I don't get it either. I was thinking of dino comics.
The irony is, neither do I! Total Chinese Room situation, d00d! (I think.)
Ok, now I don't get the relation between the admittedly t-rexical 144 and the comic in question.
So I thought Otto's "admission fee" referred to a sex-change operation.
Thanks, essear. Now all is clear. Sad thing is that I have of course seen that particular comic before (I presume its been linked to) but didn't remember it. I guess that's what got pushed out to make room for Will's Tucson trip.
This version of "Kiss Off" pretty much sucks.
Dinosaur comics are, it's true, very important things to hold in memory.
Re "statistics is sexy", I swear I saw Nate Silver on some "Top n Hotties" list back in election season, but I am not finding it now.
Also, I'm disappointed that article was not in the Fashion & Style. That's when I'll believe statistics is sexy.
Of course I had to look up the comic and read it again before I knew what the title text was, so I was presuming other people would also be digging up the reference in order for 144 to make any sense at all.
When the NYTimes does a big profile of Cosma Shalizi, we'll know they really get it.
So I thought Otto's "admission fee" referred to a sex-change operation.
When really I was just making a play on the Meteor Crater talk.
I don't think I've ever been to Meteor Crater.
No wonder Shearer thinks it was pricey!
And now I see that "nice place to visit" referred to "universe where everyone is an attractive woman" in the last panel, not to T-rex being a chick. I FAIL AT READING COMPREHENSION. Time to sleep and stop confusing you and me.
What do you get when you kiss a girl? You get enough germs to catch pneumonia. After you do, she'll never phone ya.
So it looks like I'm going to start blogging under my own name with a nonf-ogged cob-logger.
Option A: Continue on as Wrongshore, keep 'em separated, never the twain shall meet.
Option B: The "Armsmasher" plan -- come up with a different pseud that links to my new blog but doesn't actually use my name.
Option B.2: use my name
Option C: Fuck it, just be Wrongshore semi-publicly. Who's really going to go to the trouble of dredging up the exceedingly personal admissions I've left here and there?
(I had some great links in C, but decided to leave them out.)
I was thinking that "John Emerson" was underutilized.
As long as the quotes are included.
Also, all of you pronounce my name incorrectly.
mmf!?
mmf! is living happily a happy life of unfogged-ignoring.
mmf! has no spouse.
mmf! actually makes a noise somewhat like mmf!'s handle when mmf! is outraged.
"She-fu", right? I forget how I figured out what it was. Maybe from Kill Bill?
177: mmf! is living happily a happy life of unfogged-ignoring.
unpossible
179: It's pronounced Raymond Luxury Yach-t.
<insert preëmptive raspberry to would-be banners here>
It is pronounced sifu, no?
I would totally travel to the future if I had two weeks off.
I would totally travel to the future if I had two weeks off.
Your traveling to the future right now. No need for time off.
182.2: I traveled two weeks into the future and my vacation was totally over, FML.
师傅。Shi (as in shit) fu. If it were Si fu, it would mean "Tweety the Servo", or four POWs, among other things.
as a former employee of Craters of the Moon NM, bravo.
I was thinking that "John Emerson" "Matt Weiner" was underutilized.
I don't think I've ever been to Meteor Crater.
I've been to Meteor Crater, but I've never been to me. ♪
I would note that I pronounce "nosflow" as "nozfloe." The 's' is self-evidently hard. I am an expert in these things.
My experience with the Meteor Crater was getting there too late in the day (after 5:00 PM I think, it was November, maybe longer hours in August) and the gate being locked (and a more secure fence than I would have expected). Frustrating.
Those were some satisfying mmf! facts.
mmf! has two legs, but seven and a half feet.
mmf!'s personal identification number is 1.
mmf! has never thrown anything away her entire life.
188 - things being self-evidently hard? We'll accept your expertise.
Nozfloe may well be right, but nose-flow is funnier. And surely neb wants to entertain us.
This is a good enough place as any to say that I went for a short hike this afternoon and saw a herd of baby turkeys. So cute.
Did you tell them about Thanksgiving? Or would it be better to wait until they're a few months older?
I really would like to eat a wild turkey. I'm curious what they taste like as opposed to domesticated. So perhaps I'll come back to that spot come November (it's a hunting preserve, among other things).
I've eaten some wild bird. I can't remember if it was a goose or a turkey. But it was shot by the cook and then frozen some months before being thawed, cooked and served. I remember it being tough and otherwise unmemorable.
196: Turkey hunting story from Errol Morris's estimable Vernon, Florida.
109: I pronounce it this way as well.
baby wild turkeys are incredibly cute, but adult birds are creepily wattled dinosaur descendants which have that gleam in their eye that says 'oooh, if I were only 10 feet taller I would crunch your bones! with crunching!'
wild birds--it really depends on the bird, but untimely freezing never helped anything. woodcock are scrumptious but so tiny you need to eat lots of them and so cute you feel very bad about it. luckily they are also hard to shoot.
I always knew alameida was a woman of insight and understanding.
I have a flock of wild turkeys in my neighborhood, and the adult ones are rather evil beasts. Chasing two year olds, and that sort of thing. But, I must say, when they get in front of the car and you end up herding them on accident, it's absolutely hilarious to watch them run.
I can't imagine that wild turkey would taste really wonderful, but I do want to try it. I've had a bite of wild duck that was very good, but otherwise, that's about it for wild fowl.
Also, JP, my friend's dad used to go turkey hunting. They never came home with anything (which surprised us, given how relatively docile they are around here) - it was later discovered that "turkey hunting" was just an euphemism for sitting around with the good ol' boys drinking.
I bet wild turkey tastes great, properly prepared. That's what I bet, yessir.
Properly prepared, yes, which I think would probably end up altering the base taste of it quite a bit.
If I ever get to throw the Thanksgiving dinner party that I want to, wherein everything is actually native to America and if possible, to CA, wild turkey will have to be the centerpiece. (But I think this has to wait until I'm no longer expected to go home for Thanksgiving.)
I've only recently (since my sister moved to LA) become expected to go home for thanksgiving.
You people with your family ties! Such loons.
Properly prepared, yes, which I think would probably end up altering the base taste of it quite a bit.
But that would be improper. I suspect that like other game birds, they're delicious. In fact, that's what I thought every time I saw them around my mom's place in VT, where they're plentiful, a couple weeks ago. WANT.
Speaking of tastes-like-chicken, I have a pound of alligator meat in the freezer. I was thinking of making jambalaya with it, but if anyone here has cooked alligator and has a better idea, I'm all ears.
I really like family Thanksgivings! I just would like to be in charge of one, once, and that's going to require not living in a tiny apartment far away from everyone.
207.1: Point taken. I suppose I was imagining them to need extra fat, particularly the breast, and the ways I was imagining to make that happen all generally involved changing the flavor a bit (bacon!). But I'm sure that it's not actually necessary.
Pheasant, grouse, partridge, woodpigeon are all good, though you have to be very careful not to dry them out (yes, lots of bacon!)
It's bigger wild birds that are a bit shite. I know a couple of people who've eaten swan, and they both said it was nasty - greasy and tough without tasting of much. I suppose the deal is, you'd have to hang it so long it would be inedible through putrefaction before you overcame the toughness.
re: 210
Yeah, although I've not had massive luck cooking pigeon. I've tended to over-do it a bit.
I have a pound of alligator meat in the freezer. I was thinking of making jambalaya with it, but if anyone here has cooked alligator and has a better idea, I'm all ears.
I've eaten very good crocodile that was stir-fried with ginger, Chinese mushrooms and oyster sauce - I imagine that would work with alligator as well.
I have to go to Ottawa in 4 weeks for BF's brother's wedding. There are some really good deals on hotels right now and expedia offered us a $50 coupon, so we decided to take an extra two days to go here I think I might like to spend a week or two there, especially since it's a long drive. The Quebec tourism board sponsors a flavour route for the region where you can find local food producers (mmm cheese and local meat) and the restaurants which feature their products.
207: Wait a second. How did Jesus McQueen trap a one-pound alligator in his freezer? That must've taken some cunning.
214: Why? Because it was a runt?
Eegads. My link didn't work.
Come on people. Comment. Ooh and Ahh. (My grandmother used to tell me to do that, and I liked to quietly appreciate the scenery. Funnily enough this place we are visiting is where she spent her childhood summers.)
212: When I think "cooking alligator," I think of an alligator with a pressure cooker saying "I'm gonna make me a woodpecker pie!" Ah ha ha ha ha!
cook your own alligator, husband, if you will
216: That looks most excellent, BG. Happy travels!
BG, I'm sure Ottawa has something just as wonderfully scenic as your link.
Bah, there are no whales in Ottawa or old-fashioned mills. Plus, too many politicians.
Ottawa didn't get hit by a meteor 350 millions years ago.
I wonder what terror birds would taste like.
Sorry, I was looking for "swan" or "early '60s exploitation paperbacks."
Speaking of traveling to dull places for weddings, has anybody ever tried to take Amtrak into the deep midwest? If you get a room, is nice? Excepting one childhood D.C. to NYC trip, I have never taken a real train ride in the U.S. (This is probably a pipe dream, as we are talking something close to 24 hours travel time each way. But, even with the room, it's about the same cost as flying.)
227: It's exactly as portrayed in the film Silver Stream.
the deep midwest
My midwest is 800 miles wide.
Seriously. Can you just load-up the DVDs and count on electricity? Will there be German tourists to listen to absurd lies about Iowa? Is three hours enough lee-way for a connection in Chicago? Can I pee out the window if it is after dark?
212: Thanks, ajay. I think I'll go with the jambalaya, seeing as how I have an Andouille link and a Basque chorizo link in the fridge as well. I'm sure this is fascinating for you all, so I'll let you know how it goes. Speaking of food, what's the address for the wiki? Also speaking of food, you should look at this pretty picture of veal stock in the making. Ruhlman's blog has lots of pretty pictures like that.
227: I've taken Amtrak across the country, so that would include into the deep midwest, and I found it comfortable even though I didn't have a room. Much more pleasant than either plane or bus, certainly. The rooms can be hard to come by, so early-as-possible reservations are a good idea.
"Much more pleasant than either plane or bus, certainly"
That's a pretty low bar to clear. The room situation would be kind of important. But, there'd be three of us, so they won't let me book the small bedroom (at least on the website). However, I'm guessing I could say one of us is two-years old without getting busted.
230: Is three hours enough lee-way for a connection in Chicago?
I've gone to and from Chicago but not beyond. Based on that experience, my answer is yes and no. In other words, three hours is fine most of the time, but there is a very,very long tail (so long that 3 hours or 6 hours might not matter) -- but it is probably OK, because there is such a slimmed down schedule that they usually hold up the leaving trains. This of course plays havoc with everything else, but the fact is that there is not a sufficiently dense schedule on most routes outside of the NE Corridor to really have a viable train system. All that said, do it; we found it to be a relatively pleasurable way to travel with young children (but we never went far enough that we thought we needed a room, not sure you really do either).
Can you just load-up the DVDs and count on electricity?
With a room you might be able to count on electricity. Otherwise it can be kind of hard to come by on the train.
If they still have those miserable seats with fixed armrests, I'd say get a room. But if your toddler has room to lie down to sleep, there's probably no need.
227: I have ridden from California to Cleveland and Massachusetts to North Carolina. The Midwest/west trains are much more comfortable than the Northeast corridor. I was by myself and at 13 didn't get to insist on having my own room. The rooms are really cramped, but I think I would have preferred that to sleeping in my chair.
All of my connections were on time but it was almost 15 years ago and I know it's gotten worse. I also had about 4-5 hours in Chicago, which was more than enough time, but I'd plan on at least 3 because the damn things are always running late now, per JP.
Oh, and I suggest loading up on your own food. And bring something warm to snuggle in if you don't get a room; I found it cold.
234 was confirmed on the website. Without an assured outlet, I'm not going. I'm guessing we'll fly, but I'd like an option. I'm starting to be afraid of the whole 'regional airline' thing ever since I heard of how little the pilots get paid.
I took the Amtrak from St. Paul to Boston and back in 1995. I just had a regular coach seat. I thought it was pretty comfortable, but then I was only 20. Got to see a fireworks display in Albany. A friend's mother was just complaining a little about recent Amtrak travel, but that was Northeast corridor trains.
That Amtrak site is messed up though. If you plug in Omaha to St. Paul it insists you have to go through Portland, Ore. and Sacto! Idiots. It's been like that since they've had a website!
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This one's for BG, if she's around.
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238: I confirmed the Omaha to St. Paul thing. Don't tell anyone or somebody will point out that these are the same people who want to run health care.
238.2: Trip planning on the website is truly abominable. For long trips, they might as well just have a recording of some old Down Easter saying, "can't get theah from heah."
Actually, for my trip, the planner worked pretty much perfectly. I'm now thinking of Southwest out and Amtrak back as for some reason Southwest is expensive on the return and coming back from a wedding gives more room for delay.
I took the train from Denver to Portland, OR in 1989. We had to slow way down, because it was hot, and they didn't want the train going off the rails.
We were supposed to take the train back to Chicago, but the travel agent messed up and had us booked to go back to Denver.
They gave us meal tickets, and when we were delayed they gave us extra ones. My grandmother was really perturbed by the fact that you had to make a reservation.
They had rooms on both sides of a hallway. We had a deluxe room which meant that you could see out one side from your room and look out windows in the hall to the side.
There was a regular bed on the bottom which my grandmother took and which might fit two and a bunk on top.
They h
I love overnight Amtrak. I love the dinner seatings with strangers. I love that they transform your compartment into a bedroom while you're dining. I love lying in bed and listening to the train and watching the night go by.
That's awesome, OFE. I suppose that it has to do with the fact that that kind of shopping is the first to go when people tighten their budgets--though the flagship store was in Kensington.
They had bought out a previously existing UK chain. It is technically being managed by the people who run the New England stores, since it is in the North Atlantic region.
Too late. They got BG. Everybody else split-up into pairs and try to find a phone that works.
I know that in Boston they validate your parking if you buy something, but in the UK you had to spendlike £100 to get your parking covered.
We get free parking at our Whole Foods. Plus it is near the good liquor store.
Idon't know what happened there. I meant to write that it took us almost an extra 6-8 hours, because it was really hot and they had to slow down to a crawl to avoid derailing the train.
Most of the suburban ones do provide that, but the one at Charles River Plaza is right in the city.
The deluxe bedrooms don't seem to be an option on the routes I'd be taking. They have a family bedroom, which has 2 big people beds and 2 small people bed. But it is so much pricier than the regular bedroom, I think I'd try for all of us in one.
254: And #6 in that series is Feynmann weighing in on the mirror right/left top/bottom problem. But the DFH (dirty fucking hobo) says that the train problem is "harder" and very entertaining (and yes it was entertaining and something I did not know).
I don't have speakers at work. They say they just lost them. I'll have to watch when I get home.
