Getting Stuffed. Healthy Version.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Boy are we getting our share. On Saturday, we went to the Wolf Bay Lodge in Elberta, Alabama for the "best seafood" in, (depending on who you believe amongst the posters to Chowhound, Chefmoz, or Roadfood forums), the Gulf, the state of Alabama, the country, or the world! I knew we might be a little disappointed when we read the menu, noting that everything is "fried". For the healthy grilled versions, it would cost a dollar more. The restaurant also seemed to be filled primarily with families... not the "foodies" I would expect to populate the dining forums at the above websites; and weighted heavily toward the geezer class, (your author included).

At any rate, I opted for the West Indies Salad, a Mobile area specialty consisting of a whole bunch of marinated crabmeat mixed with sweet onions, sold at "Market Price", which on this day was 15 bucks. Margaret had the sampler platter with shrimp, stuffed shrimp, catfish, and oysters.

Now, being fried doesn't necessarily mean artery-clogging breading. The coating was very light and tasty. The stuffed shrimp and oysters were especially tasty. The salad was excellent. But how would we know this was the best seafood in (pick your geographical area) without something to compare it to?

So last night we drove the 12 miles to Fairhope, AL on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, to try out the Old Bay Steamer, where they also offer fried seafood, but the way everybody eats it is steamed. They also modestly proclaim to have the "best seafood on the Eastern Shore". Well- they don't lie. In fact, I would call this the best seafood in the world! And the only way to eat it is to get the "The Big Steamer" sampler for 2- a large bar tray filled with about 2 dozen (whole)giant royal red gulf shrimp, 4 snow crab clusters(about 20 legs and a couple claws), a half dozen steamed oysters, corn on the cob, red potatoes, and way more cocktail sauce and drawn butter than would be healthy. I washed mine down with an excellent Abita Restoration Ale from Abita Springs, LA. Be prepared to make a serious mess! Two rolls of paper towel are supplied to each table, and you also get a large fingerbowl with lemon wedges and warm water. We can't wait to get back and do it again.

If you find yourselves in the Mobile area and want to go to the Old Bay Steamer, go online first and print out the $10 coupon- (good on any ticket over $50- and trust me, it's real easy to go over $50.)

Now it's time to break camp and head to Georgia for the Holidays. Margaret's already left, so she can make it to grandaughter's school presentation tonight. I'm following in the morning.

I have one more day of WiFi here at Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, and may use it to catch up on all our previous travel.. I'll at least post some pictures from the last few weeks. What a long, strange trip it's been.

It's a Dynasty.

It's official. Grand Valley wins, 17-14. And Cullen Finnerty finishes his career as the winningest starting quarterback in NCAA history, with a mind-boggling record of 51-4. Them's some big numbers.

Another Big Game!

In just over an hour, there will be another big game. Unlike a few weeks back, where Michigan played Ohio State for an "unofficial" National Championship, this one is for real. This one is in NCAA Division II, and features my alma mater, Grand Valley State University, 14-0, and the number one seed, vs. 14-0, number two seed, Northwest Missouri State in a rematch of last year's national title game, won by the Lakers. It was their third national title in the last four years. Win one today, and I would call them an official "Dynasty".

This is a lot of fun for me, because when I attended (this gets wordy) "Thomas Jefferson College of the Grand Valley State Colleges" in the early 70's (we got college credit for bowling, bicycling, producing a humor magazine and, not incidently- photography), the football program was only in it's 3rd or 4th year- they had yet to win a single football game! They are now the owners of the nation's longest winning streak (27)... that's in all divisions.

Things have certainly changed. Go Lakers!!

Get Well Tim Johnson. Please!

From time to time we report on political news about our adopted "home" state, South Dakota. This one has national implications. Our Democratic Senator, Tim Johnson has suffered an apparent stroke and is in critical condition. If he dies, or is incapable of returning to the Senate, the Republican governor of the state will undoubtedly replace him with a Republican which will revert power back to the bad guys.

Things that make you go "hmmmm".

I hope their checking Johnson for Polonium.

NM Travel Albums

For more pictures from the Camino Real International Center , Hwy 107, and the Quebrades Back country Byway, click here, and here. Enjoy.

Festival of the Cranes

This is the third year in a row we've come to Socorro at this time. We're primarily here to hunt with our hounds, but there are so many other things going on in the area. The biggest, of course, is the Festival of the Cranes, held jointly at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio, and the campus of New Mexico Technical University in Socorro. Art fairs are held around town, and in nearby communities such as Magdalena. Not to be confused with the Festival of the Cranes, there's also this...

Stop the Presses! Dining Correction.

Today, following a rugged drive from Pueblocito to San Antonio on the Quebradas Scenic Backroads Byway,

we decided to try the green chile cheeseburger across the road from the Owl Bar. We have an aquaintance in Socorro who has maintained for years that the burgers at Manny's Buckhorn Tavern were way better than the Owl's. Well... these two diners agree! At the Owl, I've always left feeling like I could go for another burger. (Or in many cases, I did have another!) That was certainly not the case at Manny's. Big enough that they cut it in half for you. Great meat, great bun, and really great chile. Much smaller than the Owl, you will need to plan on waiting a while for a seat.

It's not just us, either... here is just a sample of many websites I found. Those are just average Joes. This one is from a guy who went looking for the best burgers in America. (See number 7).

Going NoMail.

Rumor has it there's a somewhat important football game Saturday. It's no rumor that we'll be watching and will be completely incommunicado until it's over. Don't even try to reach us.. for anything, until about 7PM EST. If you've been living under a rock in Islamabad all year, an excellent explanation can be found here.

Plugs!

Observant readers will have noticed the links on the right hand side of the blog.. (Including the Tip Jar! Remember that? Hmmm?). One is for GoCoursing.com. Well, two weeks ago, Rally started wearing her snazzy new coursing blankets from GoCoursing.com. We thought you'd like to see how they look in action. This image is from the Region 9 Regional Invitational in Gilbertsville, NY where she finished 2nd in Field Champion stake. This weekend in Albuquerque, at the Region 3 Invitational she was First in Field Champion. Pretty good results. Is it the clothes?

Eating Tip: New Mexico Version

This post is guaranteed to elicit a comment from Louisiana. Guaranteed. We arrived in Socorro, NM last night. A short trip from Albuquerque, got us to Casey's Socorro RV Park. We got settled in and decided that common-sense eating would have to wait: We headed 8 miles south to the famous Owl Bar, home of great green chile cheeseburgers. No red wine was consumed- it seemed out of place- but we did enjoy the cheeseburgers, a bowl of chiles and beans, and home made fries. And a Corona. (The beer selection is sadly lacking).

Needing to get the Escape to the local Ford dealer early this morning for a new clutch, and front brake rotors, we decided to hit the Socorro Springs Brewery for breakfast. A microbrewery and pub that opens at 6:30 AM Monday through Friday is rare indeed. That the fare is excellent is just a bonus. No, we didn't have beer for breakfast. Starbucks coffee is the house brew in the AM. Margaret had Eggs Florentine, which she pronounced delicious. I had the SSBC omelette: 3 Eggs, green chile, capicola ham, feta cheese, spinach, pepper jack. Fat and moist, it was just what the doctor ordered. Well, maybe not. Good though.

Get Drunk.. Stay Thin.. Live Longer

Counterintuitive? You bet. But we just love research results like this.

Trouble Looms for the Antis

The "lame duck" congress will probably pass this legislation shortly. It spells trouble for the more activist of the socalled "animal rights activists" who, as we know, really deep down, hate animals. It's interesting that this act was co-sponsored by very conservative and very liberal lawmakers. Hip Hip Hooray!

Weather Elsewhere

Fortunately, this one will not effect New Orleans.

Tucumcari Tonight.

Hard to believe that last Sunday we were more than 1800 miles East and North of here, in chilly Gilbertsville, New York. We're ensconsed for the night at the Cactus RV Park in downtown Tucumcari. The park is actually the courtyard of an old Route 66 motel. This is one of the units. They even came with garages! The weather has improved greatly from New York. Beautiful sunny, ... and warm... days. 

Oklahoma: Windpower, and Sweet Horsepower

 

More Dashboard Highlights

Any morning in St. Louis.. this one happened to be Wednesday. 

Not Just Your Basic 18 Wheeler

Here's another new semi-regular feature. We'll call it, um...... Dashboard Highlights! Images from the driver's or passenger's seat of the 'Express as we travel around the country.

I encountered this rolling roadblock somewhere between Effingham, IL and St. Louis, on I70. As best as I can determine, this is a "74-Wheeler", and it was really heavy. The state trooper held up traffic as the oversize load took each overpass alone... and at no more than 5mph. Guess how long the backup was?

I don't know, because I was close to the front, but the radio chatter was not fit for family listening.

More to come...
 

Political Endorsement.

While there's still time, I want to reach out to all our friends in Texas, and say... if you don't elect this man your next governor, you're all morons! But then, based on your past political choices... we already knew that. (insert evil grin here)

It's not too late. Change is good.

A New York Album

Interested in more from our day in New York? Click on the link above to see more, like Riverside Church, lunchtime at Columbia University, Cathedral of St John the Divine, Times Square, and more. This is a detail from the Cathedral... pretty creepy. 

Halloween in the Big Apple..

This is what you might see if you were in New York on Halloween, as we were yesterday.

We got to see the run-up to the Halloween parade. These guys were the "Grand Marshall". I'm told they were the real deal. How would I know?






































There's no place like.... Broadway?