one world

   When we got a bit, er, sidetracked we did managed to discover a truly outstanding place to eat.  Before we reached the more-happening-than-anywhere-else-around city of Spokane, Washington we haphazardly researched places to eat.  Impatient, hungry and desperate to be in Seattle already, we went with the first    decent-sounding place on the search.  We barely cared what or where we ate, but One World Spokane nourished us in more than one way.  We were heartened and enchanted by what we found in this small community-run kitchen.  The concept is so simple: one world is a non-profit organic community kitchen where chefs and volunteers cook up delicious and mostly vegetarian meals for anyone who is hungry.  It is like being at a big family dinner or event, the menu is a small compared to a restaurant, but there is plenty of food and all options are delicious. 

   The hearty lentil soup with fresh mango slices, lime and cilantro on top was so delicious we had to go back for second helpings.  Chels sampled the fish dish and Zach tried out the corn medley.  All were tasty and served by friendly cheerful people.  The whole place had a very connected feeling about it, children flitted around from table to table and then back to the kitchen to where a parent was working, people greeted one another like they knew each other well, lively conversations went on around the room and everyone worked, ate and enjoyed together.  Those who were working the “kitchen” a buffet-style line of tables, also took turns sitting down and eating or clearing plates.  We happened to hit One World on the right night (Friday) to hear live music .   The band was pleasant and everyone clapped appreciatively .  We polished off the whole pleasant experience with a fruit strudel and homemade ice cream.  Yum!

   Then our bellies full and spirits restored, we felt ready to take on the road again.  As we went to pay we were once again pleasantly surprised by One World.  We found that it is “pay what you can”.  They have a list of suggested prices for reference, but it is not rigid or you can volunteer with them and earn meals.  We all wondered at the wonderfulness, paid what we knew we could easily afford and hoped there are more places like this, preferably in the next place any of us choose to live, wherever that may be.

must haves on the menu:
the whole place!

must learn how to make:
that lentil soup

De Borgia, Montana? Coeur d’Alane, Idaho?

   Yes. We did make a few unexpected stops before we made it to Seattle.  Our trusty Frida, who carried us so far so willingly and so happily, broke down.  And since we now know that everyone has an idea, opinion or suggestion about car troubles, we’ll leave the mechanical details out of it.  We had been attempting to drive through the night in our eagerness to get to Seattle and Frida fried just before midnight and just before we made it out of Montana in De Borgia.  We decided to check into another hotel and face the music in the morning. 

   The next day after a morning in O-Aces, a nice little restaurant/bar/casino, where we were taken care of by Robin the kind and helpful owner, we called a tow truck.  Robin lent us her laptop and wireless internet, accommodated our vegetarian needs and gave us lots of great advice about where to stay and where to drink the evening away (since we weren't going to be driving anywhere) in Coeur d’Alane Idaho, the closest place with a Subaru mechanic.  It was clear that we would need to spend the night in Coeur d’Alane since it was already early afternoon and there was no way we’d get there and get our car fixed by end-of-business that day.  Hoping not to have to get our third hotel room in four days, we got on CouchSurfering.org again and wrote to all of the three people listed as offering couches in Coeur d’Alane who and described our predicament.  We thought It unlikely that anyone would respond on such short notice, but it was worth a try.    

   Soon the truck arrived and Frida was loaded.  We said our grateful goodbyes to Robin and loaded ourselves into the extended cab of the plushest tow truck we’ve ever been in.  For once, all four of us (the three of us and Frida) sat back and enjoyed the ride as we made our way west once more.      

   Once we arrived in Coeur D’Alane to drop our dear Frida off, we realized Zach’s car keys weren’t there.  You see, we had started off with a chipper young teenager as our driver and given him Zach's keys so he could load the car, but when they found out we wanted to go to Idaho, they switched drivers because apparently the kid couldn’t drive over state lines.  Soon we were on the road with his much less talkative, salty grandfather (it’s a real family business).  After we had driven the hour and a half he turned to us slowly and said gruffly “I probably should have asked this before, but you have the keys right?”  He called his grandson, but seemed to be having trouble communicating, he seemed a little hard of hearing, so we just gave him another set of keys in the meantime.   (In the end Zach’s keys were a casualty of the whole fiasco.  We called several times later that week and they always maintained that they were “in  the cup holder” only Frida’s cup holder couldn’t hold a set of keys if it tried and we searched the car and never found them.)

   After we settled Frida in at the shop, they offered to drive us to a hotel, and having not heard from anyone from couchsurfing or knowing what else to do we had them bring us and our packs to the hotel that Robyn suggested.  We had just barely checked in and set down our backpacks when we got a call from Jamie, who offered us her futon and couch for the night.  We couldn’t believe it.  We decided to try and see if we could get out of the room as we had literally just walked in the door and the kind, friendly man who we had chatted with when we checked in was very nice about letting us off the hook for the room.  However since Jamie couldn’t pick us up until after her daughter’s violin concert, we were nomads for a few hours and we decided to go in search of food with all of our packs and riffraff.  

   It was startling how incomplete and lost we felt without Frida.  Even though we’ve stayed in homes and with friends and family, the car really has been our go-to space.  She’s been our storage unit, our closet, our pantry, our living room, our space.  We wandered along until we came across a little Mexican restaurant, Rancho Viejo,  where we ordered an array of food and a pitcher of sangria.  We were so grateful for a place to be and we stayed there happily enjoying sangria, chatting it up with our charming waitress (Iris dabbled a bit in Spanish) who wanted desperately sell Chelsea on the idea of the waiters as primo boyfriend material.

  When we finally met Jamie she was nothing short of amazing.  She instantly welcomed us in to her household that already contained two of her own kids (with another off for her first year of college), an exchange student from Brazil and three cats.  We have no idea how she managed it all, working and studying for her masters all as a single mom.  We nestled in there while we waited, watching the coming and goings of the bustling household and when we got the call from the shop late in the afternoon we thanked Jamie profusely and took a cab to pick up the car.  Frida was the talk of the shop with her turtle shell and all the bikes on back.  So we told them about our trip and they wished us luck.

   Frida functional once more we embarked west without delay.  We stopped in Spokane (spo-can not spo-cane!), Washington for some food at an amazing restaurant.  Afterwards not knowing what to do with ourselves (and trying to time it so we didn’t arrive in Seattle at 4 in the morning) we puttered around a local food co-op.  Then, snacks in hand, we co-opted some internet in the parking lot and all three of us lounging in the back, we caught up on some television and attempted to get some Zs. 

   But sleep did not come easily, we were a mere 5 hours away from Seattle so we decided to continue on into the night.  Now just to lend some perspective, for several days we had been hearing about the “tricky mountain passes” between Spokane and Seattle.   We were to be cautioned not to drive them at night or in any sort of weather ( and we had checked our weather fastidiously) so as we started off into the night we were cautious.  Several hours later we were getting sleepy we stopped at a rest stop in the mountains to sleep some more.  In the early light of dawn we set off again and crossed over the trickiest mountain pass, Snoqualmie, before we even realized we were on it.  Thankfully we made it in to Seattle without further difficulty and surprised Chelsea’s aunt and uncle in their pajamas!   

the bean counter
miles driven: 590
miles traveled by tow truck: 88
lost: two days, zach’s keys, sleep
mail sent: are you kidding?
mullets: 0

Two National Parks

One would assume that three travelers from Boston would be prepared for the snow, if you are thinking of these three travelers, you would be assuming wrong. We were thinking by taking the northern route on the way out we’d be at places early enough to be facing fall weather at most.   Before leaving SLC, we got a personal weather update from Margret who warned us that a storm was going to be hitting the whole northwest, so while we were intending to  drive all the way to Bozeman, MT we decided to call it a night early in Jackson Hole, WY, on the south side of Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks.  In Jackson we stayed in a hotel for the first time on our trip but not without shopping around town for the cheapest one and pulling some shenanigans with only two of us checking in (Chelsea and Zach are a natural couple) and the third sneaking in the back.  We basked in our hotel glory by enjoying some nosh from a grocery store, vegging in front of the TV and long hot showers.  The next morning we awoke to a snow-covered Frida, but by the time we packed up and headed out the light snowfall had melted on the car and the roads, while still beautifully coating the trees to match the snow capped mountains.    

  First we scoped out the quaint little town of Jackson Hole, in the town square we discovered four large elk antler arches.  Apparently the antlers are gathered every year from the National Elk Refuge by  the boy scouts(they fall off naturally in late winter), auctioned at the antler auction in town and woven by local  craftsmen.  Jackson is a bit of a gateway town, heralding in people who wish to visit the national parks (Grand Teton, Yellowstone and the National Elk Refuge) with a sizable visitors center.  While in the center, absorbing some of the information available, we happen to hear one of the rangers warning other travelers about the road closures and snow tires.  We surreptitiously listened in and made our way up to the counter to get the scoop.  A local expert, Jim, (who informed us when we asked where he was from that he’s from Jackson and “ne’er been east of the Mississippi”) talked us through our options.

   Most of Grand Teton was open, although hiking was off the table for us when we learned that many of the trails had anywhere  from 4 inches to 2 feet of snow and we only had our sneakers.  Yellowstone abuts Teton to the north and we had been planning on meandering up through both parks to Bozeman which is north of Yellowstone, but we found that the road in the park that connects to the northbound highway was closed (and apparently the whole park was closing for the season in just 4 days).  To get to Bozeman we’d have to exit the park to the west and then head north.  We decided to go for it, Frida has snow tires and four-wheel drive and Jim reassured us our extra load(the upstairs, and bike rack) would only help our handling in the snow, not hurt it.  Jim showed us which roads were accessible and pointed out where we might sight moose, elk and bears.  Bolstered by Jim’s encouragement and bundled snug in Frida we ventured into the snow-covered national parks.  

   We spent most of the visit to the park inside Frida, but we gladly pulled over and ventured out whenever we saw lovely looking nature. We would bear the cold and the snow to take in the trees, misty mountains and lakes that comprised the parks. It  was was our first time driving Frida in the snow and we were glad to discover she handled well even over the winding mountain roads and falling flurries. The parks were beautiful, well worth the trip.  We practically had the place to ourselves and we were warm and happy in Frida looking out upon lovely snowy scenes.  We even gave ourselves a (quick) self-guided tour of the Cunningham cabin in Teton.

   On our way out of the park we headed over to see Old Faithful. As we got close to the hot springs the road became a mini highway. In the heat of the summer we suppose it is packed full of cars, minivans and SUVs full of families and tourists, but we were ones on the road.  We arrived at massive amusement park esque parking lot but had no trouble getting a close spot as we were the only car there.  Zach and Iris ran out in the cold to see Old Faithful.  We found her steaming quietly in the cold of the falling dusk.  We could only stand being outside for a few minutes, so we had little hope of seeing the gush of water which only occurs every 90 min or so.  We snapped a few photos as it grew colder and darker and then ran back the warm car.

   We left Yellowstone knowing full well there was a lot more that we hadn’t seen but content to have been able to witness it at such a rare, quiet, snowy time.  We drove into the darkness towards Bozeman, and arrived late in the evening.  In Bozeman we were taking in by Todd, the brother of a friend, who was hospitable despite our late arrival time and having been convinced into hosting us by his brother.  We bummed around Bozeman the next day, taking in the shops and a bit of nosh.  We had planned on staying anther night, but we were antsy to get to Seattle with it’s (warmer) costal weather, family and friends.  We left Bozeman early in the evening, ready to drive through the night and eagerly anticipating the relaxing respite of a week at Chelsea’s aunt and uncle’s house. The bean counter 
miles traveled: Jackson,303.  Bozeman, 242.
pieces of snail mail sent: Jackson,2  Bozeman,24 
mullets: 0, 0

Salt Lake City

   Our stop over in Salt Lake City(henceforth SLC)  was brief but beautiful. On our drive from boulder we stopped in Moab and lingered in the breathtaking arches national park until the sun set.   The red earth at sunset was simply beautiful.  As it grew too dark and too cold to appreciate the beauty of the place any longer, we packed back into the car and headed north up through Utah to SLC.   Iris’s friend from high school, Margaret, was kind and accommodating our late arrival and was thrilled to have us be the first to try out the bed part of her new-to-them pull out couch!

   We stayed with Iris's friend, Margaret and her husband in their cozy little box house. Margaret is a meteorologist and loves to bake (and blogs about it) and happily shares her talents and eagerly recommended activities for us not only the SLC area but also for our trip on the whole.  She asserts that she’s just trying to add things from her to-do list to ours.  Part of her enthusiasm for traveling, and national parks specifically comes from her new-found love her National Parks  Passport, a little book where you can stamp each park you’ve been to right into your book.  Now when Chelsea got wind of this little passport, she caught the bug “What? You mean I could have been doing this all along?”  Needless to say, Margaret was a very engaging and inspiring host during our short stay in SLC.  

   For our first and only full day in SLC we headed up to visit, well, the salt lake.   As recommended to us by Margret one of the best places to see the lake is on Antelope Island, a large island in the  middle of the lake with a causeway road that attaches it.  Shortly after arriving on the island and after a brief visit to the visitors center, we unloaded our bikes off the back of Frida and went on a two-wheeled exploration of the island.

   Although the island is named Antelope Island, we were puzzled to discover its main inhabitant is bison.  (and in the visitors center we learned that American bison and buffalo are two names for the same animal, buffalo a slight misnomer genetically speaking but has been in use in the US for considerably longer).  While biking around we   saw many of these amazingly large mammals (in fact the largest land mammal in the US).  The island is desolate, not only because it is a state park and there are few buildings on it, or because the tall grasses are dry and barren, but because it is eerily quiet.   Aside from the silent slow-moving bison, we don’t encounter any other living creature in sight or sound. 

   We headed down to the beach and it was as if we had arrived on another planet. The sand had a very different texture to it than what we were used to, crisp and crunchy as opposed to soft. There were deposits of dried brine shrimp creating a brownish hue where the  water met the vast beach, salt crystals jetting out of the edges of puddles and the occasional remnant of a bird carcass.   Adding  the alien feeling was the fact that we were to only people on the entire  beach. As we were leaving, we saw a buffalo, plodding lone and determined along the edge of the beach, a surreal sight indeed.

As the sun started setting we loaded the bikes back onto the car and headed back into the city. Curiosity brought us to the very center of the city and the foundation of SLC, the Mormon Temple.  We discovered not only the temple, but a large compound called Temple Square that included several visitors centers, museums and significant buildings.  Of course we were not permitted to enter the temple itself, but we were very welcome to walk around.  As we  walked through at dusk we were asked countless times if we wanted to take a tour by the many sisters roaming the grounds. We politely declined, preferring to self navigate as usual.  The buildings were beautiful, but after a little while we were hungry and a little creeped out by the cult like feeling of the place so we headed out to find food.

   Using Google SMS (a way for those of us with less than an entire computer for a phone to get google listings texted to us), a favorite tool of Zach’s, we found one of the only vegetarian/vegan restaurants in SLC: Sage’s Cafe.   While the food was tasty as well as beautifully displayed in this all-organic, all-vegetarian place, the portions were too small to be satiating.   Chelsea and Iris attempted to share an entree in order to compensate for the prohibitive costs, but the portions were pitifully small for just one hungry person, let along two even after we splurged for dessert.  After having biked around all day, and wandered the temple all evening, we were not happy to be hungry.  Luckily, when we arrived back at Margret’s  we found a fresh batch of pumpkin cupcakes she had whipped up for her Halloween party at work.  Of course there were a few rejects that the non-vegans among us were only too glad to take care of!

With our time in SLC concluded so soon, we got up early the next morning and breakfasted and planned at the very enjoyable and more haphazardly discovered Sugar House Coffee.   After making some plans and arrangements, we began our journey towards Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Although no match to the ride we took from Colorado to Utah the ride up north was beautiful in its own right with rolling, golden hills and valleys.

The bean counter
miles traveled: 606
pieces of snail mail sent: 2
mullets: 0

Boulder Bites

Soon after we arrived in Boulder Colorado we were looking for some eats and Zach decided to check the veg*n eaters resource Happy Cow.  Happy cow is a website which lists vegetarian and vegan restaurants around the  world searchable by location.  Happy Cow led us to the amazing VG Burger!  Now most healthy-minded vegetarians and vegans avoid fast food all together. There are rarely any offerings for us, the food is chemically tasting and unappealing and we've all read Fast Food Nation. However V.G. Burger in Boulder gives us hope that we can eat tasty fresh vegan food that is made in a relatively speedy way. All the homemade burgers along with everything else on the simple but enticing menu is is an all organic, all vegan and all delicious.

     Their menu is simple, offering a selection of their own homemade veggie burgers, wraps, fries, onions rings, fresh salads and soup and selection of natural  sodas on tap.  The hemp ice cream makes dessert a must, but the sundae is more  than generous and we do not recommend attempting it on your own!  While the prices are definitely a bit higher than your average fast food joint, you can get combo meals and kid meals and we felt the delicious ends more than justify the means.  The staff was enthusiastic about their food, friendly and genuinely interested in assuring our enjoyment of the food.  And if we weren’t already sold on the place, when we cleaned up we discovered the whole place has a zero waste policy.  Everything from the containers, the paper liners, (what food scraps?) and the corn utensils is either biodegradable or recyclable and the whole joint is run on wind power!  What a stellar example of a sustainable, tasty, vegan business!

must haves on the menu:
any of the burgers
hemp ice cream!

-o-o-o-

Later when we met up with Peter and his wife Kate for dinner they suggested one of their favorite places, Sherpa’s.  Sherpa's was started and is run by Pemba Sherpa who was in fact Sherpa (Himalayan mountain guide).  Right away Iris liked the place because it is in a converted Victorian house.  “I could do this…” she remarked as we stepped inside.  The place was bustling and busy with tables in every nook and cranny of the rooms of the “house”.  The fare was pretty standard for Tibetan/Nepali/Indian food, not necessarily remarkable of the dishes we sampled.  The environment, however, with pictures of the great peaks of Nepal and Tibet and newspaper clippings and photographs of Sherpas was all quite intriguing and enjoyable.  

must haves on the menu:
the sherpa!

-o-o-o-

On strong recommendation of a good friend and former Boulder resident, Alex Forster, we had to make a stop at Illegal Pete’s for a burrito before leaving town.  We went there for breakfast.  Apparently the southwestern food in Boulder is supposed to be good.  While burritos are easily made vegan/vegetarian and have that satisfying combination of rice and beans, we can’t whole heartily recommend Illegal Pete’s to our fellow veggies for breakfast, because rice, beans and guacamole are off the menu and potatoes and a variety of meats are on!  The staff was reasonably accommodating when we asked to rearrange the offerings to get something appetizing to a veggie, but not that pleasant first thing in the morning.  Still the meal was satiating and with bellies full we headed off into the mountains for a day of driving

Must haves on the menu:
the breakfast menu itself was a pretty cool design…