Livingston, MT

small historic western town, with a historic hotel. as we entered the lobby i thought to myself i really hope the rooms don't have stuffed animal heads mounted on the wall as they are in the lobby because i'll have nightmares.

we spent less then 15 hours here so i don't have much to say but here's a couple pictures...

Walla Walla: Extra Day

tom joined me for a run, we grabbed breakfast (abeja wasn't serving it) and then went to the saddest little farmers market we ever encountered. there sat 5 booths in a little park, one of which sold crafts and there wasn't anyone but us there. we purchased some berries and apples and wondered what motivated them to come back and sell every week.

after a relaxing morning/afternoon at the bunkhouse we decided to do a couple more tastings. pepper bridge was our first stop, its one of the largest/oldest wineries in walla walla. their wines were ok but extremely over priced so aren't really worth writing about. after pepper bridge we crossed the border to milton freewater, or for a tasting at Zerba. neither of us had ever tasted any of their wines so we were pleasantly surprised that they were excellent. i had, had my doubts when we pulled up to the log cabin in the middle of nowhere with the salesman boasting about metals the wines had won. but these wines were very nice, we liked all 10 of the wines that we tried, including the whites. needless to say we did not leave empty handed.

Change in plans...

I had alluded to a change in route in a previous post...

Day 1: San Francisco - Portland, OR
Day 2: Portland, OR - Walla Walla, WA
Day 3: Walla Walla, WA
Day 4: Walla Walla, WA (added an extra day)
Day 5: Walla Walla, WA - Livingston, MT (to saw an episode of no reservations on Livingston while running on a treadmill in Portland)
Day 6: Livingston, MT - Devils Tower, WY
Day 7: Devils Tower - Sioux Falls, SD (just to break up a 15 hour drive)
Day 8: Sioux Falls, SD - Chicago, IL
Day 9: Chicago, IL
Day 10: Chicago - Detroit
Day 11: Detroit - Hardwick, MA
Day 12: Hardwick - Chelmsford
and finally...
Day 12-14: Chelmsford - Burlington, VT

Walla Walla: Winery Visits

my morning started off with a run along 5 mile road. as i run there is almost no one around it was just me running down a quiet road lined with rolling hills of wheat that shined like gold in the morning sun. the air was warm and dry and i could tell that it hadn't rained there for a long time because i could taste the soil/dirt in the air with every breathe i took in.

after the run was a pancake breakfast in the barn of the vineyard followed by a wine tasting (a couple hours later) of the abeja line up. Our hostess was very knowledge and the wines were decent though we walked away empty handed.

next was rulo, who makes an amazing syrah. They are a small production winery and keep their bottle prices low by self distributing which means unless you are in the walla walla area you most likely won't get a taste of their wonderful syrah. Unless of course you happen to come over to dinner on a night we decide to pop one open. Our visit lasted about an hour and was a pleasure, we walked out with a few bottles we purchased plus an 07 syrah that vicki (co-owner) gave us as a preview of whats to come! thanks vicki

Later on in the evening we hit up saffron for some dinner. if you ever find yourself in walla walla this is the place to eat. i'd have to say that it's the best place in town, not that the others are bad by any means its just amazing!

Walla Walla, WA

after we moved our belongings into the bunkhouse, which was beyond perfect we headed into town for dinner at whitehouse crawford. the restaurant is housed in a beautiful 100 year old building, as you walk in the door there is an antique boiler so tom was naturally thrilled and spent several minutes inspecting it. we sat at the chefs table because we enjoy watching the chefs cook the food. tom feeling adventrous ordered the cured foie gras with brioche toast, hazelnuts, and roasted peach and feeling a bit adventrous myself I gave it a try. i must say it may have been the most digusting thing i ever put in my mouth (the cured foie gras). the consistency and taste was so gross i don't dear to even describe it now.

Day 2, 3, & 4: Walla Walla, WA

walla walla, wa is only a 4 hour drive from portland. we'd visited once before almost a year ago to date. walla walla is a quaint little town that is home to wheat fields and vineyards. we first came to walla walla in search of charles smith of k vintners but that's a story for another time.

this trip to walla walla was all about relaxing we rented the bunkhouse (basically a 450 sq ft cottage) at abeja winery the whole property was absolutely beautiful. upon check in we were served a glass of their 04 cab, we got a tour of the property and were told "feel free to sample the grapes" which made both tom and i smile. we need to take off again so i'm write more on walla walla later. it's an amazing little place and look forward to writing more...

Dear Portland...

Dear Portland,

i heart you, which is why it is so sad that i won't be staying. it's not you, its me. i would have loved to continue to explore your city streets, there seems to be something exciting at every corner. i love that you are forward thinking, that your people are quarkie and oh so very friendly, the food, what can i say it's amazing. i love the open kitchens, the renegade chefs, the use of all things local, and the fact that working in a restaurant is seen as a profession (nobody asks the waitstaff what their real job is or if they are students).

it was a very hard decision to make but what it came down to is that it is time to plants some roots and be closer to the friends and family we love some much.

so this is good-bye but i promise to visit real soon.

good-bye le pigeon, beast, pok pok, ken's artisan pizza, cacao, forest park, little red bicycle cafe, powells and owen roe

Day 1: SF to PDX

a 9 hour drive and totally exhausted we check in to our hotel, shower, and venture out for a dinner at le pigeon. realizing it's only 3/4 of a mile away we opt to walk because the thought of sitting in the car for another minute wasn't too appealing to either of us. sitting at the bar which lines the open kitchen we read the menu, order, and then watch the 3 chefs prepare our food. i'm a sucker for gnocchi theirs is accompanied by frogs legs which tom and i discuss for a moment and decide why not give it a try. in case you are wondering it tastes like fresh water fish, i wasn't that into it but the gnocchi was quite enjoyable. our main courses come and go and i'm too tired to even think about dessert (i know turning down dessert is something i never do). we walk back to the hotel on streets that are oddly familiar for somewhere we've never lived, its warm outside but there's a cool breeze that reminds us of fall. as we walk the buzz from the city is all around us and we once again fall in love with portland and start to wonder why it is no longer our final destination.

the next morning we sleep in for a change so we have to bypass our run in the park and hop on the treadmills instead:( tom watches an episode of no reservations which somehow manages to change our cross country route. after the run we are off to breakfast and a quick, well sort of quick trip to powells books and then we are on the road again.

The Cross Country Trip

Day 1: San Francisco - Portland, OR
Day 2: Portland, OR - Walla Walla, WA
Day 3: Walla Walla, WA
Day 4: Walla Walla, WA - Craters of the Moon
Day 5: Craters of the Moon - YelllowStone
Day 6: Yellowstone - Devils Tower, WY
Day 7: Devils Tower - Chicago, IL
Day 8 & 9: Chicago - Detroit (tom's sister lives there)
Day 10: Detroit - Hardwick, MA
Day 11: Hardwick - Chelmsford
and finally...
Day 12-14: Chelmsford - Burlington, VT

ode to san francisco

after almost 3 years in the city we've decided to travel back to new england. though it was a fun adventure there's no hiding the fact that i had a love/hate relationship with the city. so it felt strange to feel sad as we drove away.

good-bye san francisco, good bye califoria...

top 10 things i'll miss (in no particular order)

• the ferry building farmers market


• runs through golden gate park (all year round)


• dara and britt - our foodie friends, we'll be hard pressed to find anyone who enjoys talking food as much as you and who reacts to a duck farmer the same why most people would act if they met a famous actor.


• blue bottle coffee - i may never drink another hot chocolate again, nothing seems to stand up to theirs


• della fattoria - best bread i've ever had


• no car, it was so great not driving


• paso robles, bike riding, camping & vineyard - what more could you ask for?


• eos, its was fun being "regulars"


• fresh local fruits/veggies all year round


• omnivore books