May 2015 - Modern GeographersModern Geographers

Food for Everyone – UT – TX

26/05/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Uncategorized

Part of the fun has definitely been finding delicious places to eat. Here are a few places we’ve tasted.

Gifford Historic Store at Capitol Reef National Park: we got a DELICIOUS cinnamon roll here. It was filled with pockets of dark, rich cinnamon and topped with creamy icing. It was so good. Probably a good idea to share this gem with a friend cause it is really sugar-filled.

Also, we got to sample some salsas that they sell here. E was especially enticed by their “Five Amigos Fire Roasted Pepper Salsa” and wishes she had six bottles full instead of just savoring the memory at the park.

Taqueria Mexicano in Albuquerque, NM. Some of the best fish tacos ever. This place was especially fantastic because by divine providence we met a woman who will be the pharmacy resident supervisor of a dear friend who will be moving to NM in June. She was so so kind and recommended we get said fish tacos. She bought our meal, encouraging us to get two tacos, one for each, and their homemade lemonade instead of waters. She was a saint. The food was killer and we definitely want to get back there again in the future.

Tim’s Place in Albuquerque, NM. They advertise that they serve, “breakfast, lunch, and hugs.” Tim has Down Syndrome and owns the restaurant. It’s always been his dream to do so. Tim was AWESOME. We indeed got our hugs when we arrive. He showed us his metals for Special Olympics and came by our table to let us watch his stick figure movie he’s making. The place was charming and it really was the most friendly eating joint. Their fries and green chili were scrumptious.

Teka Molino in San Antonio, TX. Their specialty was this guacamole cup. It was really good. The cup was made of a folded, thick tortilla. This place didn’t match up to Taqueria in Albuquerque, but we were glad to try their signature puffy tacos.

Hopdoddy Burgers in Austin, TX. A new favorite. So so tasty. We loved the hipster feel. Everything there was local and totally worth a visit if you’re in town. We got their original with brie cheese and their mushroom burger with goat cheese and pesto. Their ginger lemonade was zesty and we enjoyed their tasty fries.

Rudy’s BBQ in Austin, TX. This place was awesome and really encapsulated the true meaning of BBQ. Their plates are wax paper and the place smelled of delicious smoked meats. We got potato salad, creamed corn, potatoes, and colslaw to consumer with our brisket and smoked turkey. This turkey was to die for. It literally melted in one’s mouth. They provide good ol’ white bread with your meal.

Kerbey Lane in Austin, TX. Right off campus this diner is open 24/7 and sell breakfast all day. Really the best idea of the ideas. Their lemon poppyseed french toast was tasty and mostly tasted like cake. Gingerbread pancakes and yummy, crisp bacon made the meal. Our friend got the crispy chicken benedict and said, “I had a relationship with the food. It combined my one and only favorite breakfast food with fried chicken, which was the quintessential Texas food experience for me. Throw a piece of fried chicken on it and call it a day.”

Tacodeli in Austin, TX. Breakfast tacos. Avacado. Beans. Bacon. Eggs. How can you go wrong?

Harry Potter – what we’ve been waiting for :]

26/05/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Uncategorized

Words can’t describe the magic of this place. However, here’s five one-worders to try: Glorious. Enchanting. Detailed. Wonderful. Impressive. The three of us that went to the park were so so excited and nervous that it wouldn’t meet up to our fantastical expectations. Lucky for us, we were so not ready for the magic that awaited us.

We spent two and a half days in Harry’s world and truly it was not long enough for a fan. I expressed at the close of day two that I would be happy there always. “If someone ever asks me where I’d like to be right then or what my favorite place on earth is I will say here at Potter World.” Ha. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. The way they captured the essence of the books and movies is amazing.

I loved walking through the London train station called Kings Cross station heading towards Hogsmead via Platform 9 and three-quarters. Watching friends and strangers go first was especially cool as they vanished out of sight as they marched through the brick wall towards the Hogswarts station.

It was funny, the first time we went from Hogsmead to Diagon Alley, we stepped off the train to the horrifying reality of the non-wizarding world. They made the platform very commercial and London-esque. We had to make our way out of the station and find the brick wall opening to the fantasticly decorated, and spot-on wizarding shops down Diagon Alley.

We went to Fred and George Weasley’s joke shop in Diagon Alley, escaped through Gringott’s, ate at both The Three Broomsticks and The Leaky Cauldron, took a stroll down the cool and dank Kncokturn Alley (this was actually incredibly refreshing and at one point we took off our shoes and strolled the dark underbelly), and explored the intricate halls of Hogwarts.

The food was fun, but especially getting a frozen, slushy butterbeer and gulping down the tasty pumpkin juice described in the books was delightful. We had different British dishes (ie: bangers and mash, fish and chips, and cottage pie) for dinner. The park (like most any you visit) was pricy. We chose to pack lunches and ate breakfast beforehand. If you’re pinching pennies, try this tactic. I recommend getting a butterbeer to share with your friends though. Harry would want you to after all.

The workers were courtious and did their job well. They had various outfits/costumes depending on their job. Some of workers went above and beyond the call of duty, making the time magical. One kind, young witch in Honeydukes (a candy shop at Hogsmead). She was enthusiastic and helped us get a Dumbledore card (rather, she transfigured our original Salazar Slytherin one) from the chocolate frog treat we purchased. She was really into her part and made sure we had a memorable time.

The other stellar character was one of Olivander’s wand keepers. He was walking past us in the wand shop, headed upstairs for a break. We stopped him before he ducked away and chatted. He not only took a picture with us, but took time to tell us what the cores of each of our wands were. (C: phoenix feather, mine and our hop-on: unicorn hair.)

One of our three wands was interactive. It could be used throughout the wizarding world. We had fun going to statues and window displays to wave the wand and see magic unfold before our eyes. Granted, we knew to look for the motion sensor to connect with the tip of the wand, but this didn’t make casting the spells any easier. C, we learned, however, is a real witch. She often got it on her first try. K and I were flabbergasted and tried to stay patient in our many attempts.

All in all, this place is for anyone with a great imagination. Any Harry Potter fan will be in Heaven, and even a person who can appreciate art and attention to detail will be amazed.

That first weekend.. Figuring things out.

26/05/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Car Living, Plans & Prep

Star Command (our casa in Utah) >> Capitol Reef, UT >> Bryce Canyon, UT >> Henrieville, UT >> Zion National Park, UT >> Kanab, UT, Grand Canyon, AZ >> Flagstaff, AZ

Since we’ve hit the road we’ve slept in the car twice, stayed with friends/family twice, have eaten dried and rehydrated refried beans, creamy pasta, peanut butter & honey, summer sausage and crackers, water, sour gummy worms, apples, bananas, and pistachios. (Not a bad gig.)

We are enjoying being on this trek, and surprised it’s really (finally) happening. We spent months specifically planning this trip, and who knows how many years we individually looked forward to such a journey.

The weather has been cool and rainy in spots. We love our prescription sunglasses to combat the brilliant sun.

One thing we needed to do was find a place for each item we have in our car-home. This shouldn’t be too much of an obstacle, though. We had a few extra items with us to take to C’s family’s home. In fact, we even had an extra memory foam to sleep on. We were provided a specially-made, fabulous little mattress from Intellibed. It is a dream. Having both stacked on top of each other is a bit of a joke though.

Honestly, when we took off, we felt good about the amount of food, clothes, camera gear, toiletries, and medicine that we had packed. We did a nice job planning ahead and down-sizing appropriately.

Danger: One-Way Street

25/05/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Car Living

It seems obvious, but we spend a lot of time driving. Up mountains and through canyons. Along highways, byways, back roads, and more. We have enjoyed observing different drivers in the states we go through.

The freeway on ramps in the south (specifically Texas and Lousiana) were shocking and confusing. One had to first enter a frontage road, then cross over and merge with the speeding cars. The worst part was making a right hand turn.. because after you turn right you’ve got to blaze across four lanes of traffic in about 200 yards to get into the far left lane so you can make the on-ramp for the freeway. Luckily, local drivers seem to know their system is a little nuts and haven’t honked or been frustrated.

At one point in Georgia we were in search for a place to hunker down for the night. I made a right turn down an empty four lane road. I was surprised we got through two or three intersection-esque streets without traffic lights. Only gray, metal fixtures hung above us. I looked down and saw only white dashed lines. “Am I going the wrong way?? Oh no, this is a one-way streets!” People in cars had passed us at that point. I threw the car into a speedy u-turn and blushed in embarrassment.

Our hop on at that brought up this experience several times. I laughed when, after being a passenger for most of the trip, she drove, and immediately made the same mistake..

Despite our personal traffic blunders, driving has been good and as a general statement, other drivers have been courteous. However, Atlanta and Orlando people in other cars seem less willing to share the road and often don’t use their turn signals.

The First Weekend

13/05/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Car Living, Food

The points we’ve hit from 5/1 – 5/5 are Star Command (our casa in Utah) >> Capitol Reef, UT >> Bryce Canyon, UT >> Henrieville, UT >> Zion National Park, UT >> Kanab, UT, Grand Canyon, AZ >> Flagstaff, AZ

Since we’ve hit the road we’ve slept in the car twice, stayed with friends/family twice, eaten dried and rehydrated refried beans, creamy pasta, peanut butter & honey, summer sausage and crackers, water, sour gummy worms, apples, bananas, and pistachios. (Not a bad gig.)

The weather has been cool and rainy in spots. We love our perscription sunglasses to combat the brilliant sun.

The roof top carrier had trouble locking securely, but once we had a second opinion, we figured it was just more stuff than the front portion could handle. We pulled some things out from the top and kept it in the main portion of the car and all seems to be well.

A major thing we look forward to doing is finding a place for each item we have in our car-home. We brought a few extra items with us to take to C’s family’s home. Once that stuff is out and put away it should be a breeze putting things in a proper place.

When we took off, we felt good about the amount of food, clothes, camera gear, toiletries, and medicine that we had packed. We did a nice job planning ahead and down-sizing appropriately.

C has been doing some work for a hospital-grade mattress company. They were so generous to provide a specially-made, Intellibed mattress for us. It is a dream. Prior to this we had planned to sleep on a king-size memory foam folded in half. We have both with us so we can leave the old one at C’s place. Having both stacked on top of each other to sleep on is a bit of a joke. We have a lot less wiggle room and the ceiling of the car is closer than before.

We feel like the real adventure will begin once we leave Flagstaff. Though we’ve been getting used to car-life for the last couple days, the general areas we’ve gone through have been familiar. Once we head toward New Mexico all bets are off and we’ll really be off into the unknown.