Big Sky

Montana is a large state. Today we drove about 250 miles to Bozeman, Mt up and down mountain passes. It is truly a beautiful state. The clouds rose above us forming small bundles interspersed by bright blue sky. This was set against a mountainous backdrop littered with flowing streams and evergreens. At one point, all you could see was towering evergreens on each side of you as you drove. A sight I can never forget. We made a pit stop in Missoula for lunch and found a local fast Mexican joint. I got a veggie burrito on a whole wheat wrap and Chris got two pork tacos on corn tortillas. It was a satisfying lunch. We made it to Bozeman by 5:30 pm and sat to have dinner at a local brew pub. I enjoyed a green salad (local organic greens) with goat cheese, beets, and cherry tomatoes with chicken in balsamic vinaigrette. Chris tried the Angus beef burger with cheese. We both had some of the local microbrews. Afterward we decided not to go on to Yellowstone just yet and camp in Bozeman for the night. We found a campground surprisingly in the city. The only downfall was the proximity of the camp sites to I-9o. Oh well, we were tired and didn’t know what we’d find in Yellowstone. We plan to start bright and early tomorrow morning to drive through the park. Oh and we stopped at the Community Food Co-op, which was lots of fun (at least I though so!). We’ve decided that stopping for food is just not plausible for the duration of the trip. Well we’ve known this, but hey it’s our vacation! So we picked up a few items to make it through the next couple of days until we make it to Chris’ mom’s place in Salt Lake City, Ut.

I own the road!

I’m off to New York today. My boyfriend, Chris’ car and my car are loaded down with the contents of our lives. We start out with a hearty breakfast (well, lunch actually by the time we got started) after a morning of wrapping up at Chris’ place at the Grand Central Bakery. I had the basil egg salad, while Chris had the pork sandwich with apricot chutney. I saved half my sandwich for a road snack. I was not very prepared food-wise for this trip, but to be honest, there wasn’t enough room for that! I’ve already lovingly packed my kombucha and fish oils in the front seat with me and am carrying around my probiotics in my purse to keep their vitality. Fortunately, I have a GPS which helps me find local co-ops and health food stores.

As I headed East on I-90, it all felt kind of surreal. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I arrived in Seattle, all wide eyed and scared of what it was going to be like? Now I feel like a seasoned pro driving on mountain passes. The drive in through Washington was fairly uneventful, except for the heat. The highest temperature my car hit was 103 and fortunately, my car was doing ok with the boiling temperatures. In Idaho we stopped in Cour de alane for a quick rest and then decided to move forward into Montana. We didn’t make it that far before we decided that it was time to stop for the night. We ended up in Saltese, Mt (a very small town only the motel/convenience store and a bar and grill) at Mangold’s Motel. We were greeted by a slightly stoned man who appeared to be the owner. We checked in and were told that we could take two complimentary tapes to watch in our rooms. That’s right VHS. Apparently, there was no cable in the rooms due to a trucker taking down the lines as of late. We proceeded to pick two classic 80’s movies, Fletch with Chevy Chase and Twins with Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Unfortunately we only got through Fletch. We did however make it to the Montana Bar and Grill, which has been around since 1910. I ordered up the bison burger and Chris got the elk burger. That is one thing I really like about towns like this. You get to sample local flavor. Whereas, it would be unusual to see bison or elk on a menu in Texas, it is common place to see in small northern towns like Saltese. Needless to say, it was quite tasty. Though it was by no means the “perfect meal”, I was quite happy to be eating game animals, as they are most likely going to be more “natural”. By that I mean that they will be free of hormones, eating their natural diet and allowed to roam free. By allowing these natural behaviors, the meat is a lot leaner and has a better fatty acid profile, therefore making it a better meat. Though it is possible for these to be grain fed animals, the likelihood is less. As the demand for these animals increases, so will the chance that these animals will be raised in situations similar to cows, chickens and pigs.

Farewell to Seattle

This week has been an emotional one, not to mention very busy and physically tiring. I’ve had to say goodbye to friends that I have formed close bonds with and I’ve had to pack up all my things into my car and move out of my small studio. Though I’m excited to begin this next phase of my life, I am saddened that this one is over. Though these past two years have been the hardest that I have worked, they have also been very rewarding. Emotionally, I’ve made some friends for life and met a great partner. I’ve achieved a great deal academically and am proud of my accomplishments. Still, even though my next step will get me where I want to go, I just can’t seem to get excited about living in NY again. As a farewell to the place I have called home for the past 2 years, I made a lovely last meal with what I had left in my refrigerator. It was an impromptu meal with a bit of this and that, so amounts will not be exact. The main meal consisted of strips of buffalo steak, pinto beans, carrots, onions, garlic, baby spinach, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. You can use your imagination to how these ingredients all came together. For dessert I made a Sabrina inspired berry crisp with local raspberries, blackberries I picked not far from Chris’ place and local peaches. I definitely winged this dessert with what I could find in my packed car. To thicken the filling, I ended up using Kudzu, which is a starchy root used to make a jello like thickness in pies and jelly like concoctions. Medicinally, it has been used to soothe upset stomachs. I ended up using a bit too much (about 2 tablespoons in a 9 X 13 pan), but the flavor of the crisp was not effected. The topping was oats, butter, brown sugar and maple syrup, but I think that date sugar (which I didn’t have), would work great here! It turned out to be a lovely meal and a fitting farewell to Seattle.