Frozen lunch food reviews

It has been a busy few weeks, thus the lack of recent posts. I thought I would share my opinions on a few great frozen lunches I've tried recently. While I prefer fresh food or leftovers for lunch, I keep a stock of a few entrees in the freezer in case there is nothing else on hand. Often times I will incorporate a previous night's dinner into a lunch- roasted veggies mixed with goat cheese or brie and put in a wrap, cheese, cucumber and sun dried tomato sandwich, etc. Other times I pair a pack of frozen vegetables (Green Giant Simply Steam boxes are amazing!) with an Amy's frozen burrito (the best brand I've tried) or a small wrap.

As a die-hard Kashi fan I picked up a few entrees to try. My absolute favorite is the Mayan Harvest Bake. It is an incredibly sweet and spicy mix of unusual ingredients, and a nice diversion from the usual burrito/pizza lunch fare. This dish is made up of plantains and roasted sweet potato, black beans and kale, and its covered with a spicy ancho sauce and pumpkin seed garnish, all served over seven whole grain polenta and amaranth. Some seriously fancy stuff for a frozen lunch that I can buy for less than $4 (oftentimes these are on sale at the King Soopers here). This amazing concoction clocks in at 340 calories, 9 g fat, 8 g fiber and 9 g protein. Also low in sodium for frozen food at 380 mg (16% DV).

I also tried the Ranchero beans, Black Bean Mango and Tuscan Vegetable Bake. The bean dishes are decent, especially the Mango. The Tuscan bake is a little bland. I added some spice to all of these but they still are far superior and healthier than most other meals on the market.

Lean cuisine meals are slightly cheaper than Kashi and often on sale, so I tried a few of these as well. My old standby is the macaroni and cheese. I mix in frozen veggies (peas or broccoli usually) and it is fairly filling and healthy, though high in sodium. (290 calories, 7 g fat, 15 g protein).
The butternut squash ravioli is tasty but a pretty skimpy portion for an entire lunch, though higher in fiber and lower in sodium than the mac and cheese.
Lean cuisine pizzas are surprisingly good for cooking in about 4 minutes. They come with a crisping tray, an ingenious way to get a microwave pizza fairly crispy. I've tried the roasted vegetable and spinach and mushroom "deep dish" varieties. The roasted veggie was pretty tasty and had a decent amount of veggies on it. The spinach was a little soggy and there weren't man mushrooms on the other kind. I put crushed red pepper and garlic powder on these to spice them up a bit, but they were pretty filling and healthy for pizzas, with less than 400 calories and 10 grams of fat.

Tasty Cereals!

I was at Target the other day and had to make a mid-week grocery run, so I picked up a few things there. They have decent prices on a lot of my staples, like kashi cereals and morningstar farms products. I also enjoy their generic store brand, Archer Farms. I picked up a new kashi cereal called "Honey Sunshine," and an Archer Farms cereal called "Cinnamon start with protein." Generally we only buy kashi Golean, as it is chock full of protein and fiber and keeps you full until lunch, but I was getting fairly sick of this twiggy cereal though so I thought I'd branch out.

Both of these cereals are very tasty and make a great breakfast or snack. The Honey Sunshine has an appreciable nutrition content: 100 cal/1.5 g. fat/6 g. fiber/2 g. protein. I've been looking for an easy pre-workout snack and I think this would be great, with or without milk. It's best to avoid slow-digesting whole grain before a workout, but it's low enough in protein and fiber that I think it would be alright about an hour before the gym. The Cinnamon start cereal tastes exactly like cinnamon toast crunch, a beloved childhood favorite of mine. But unlike the sugar-loaded kids' cereal, this packs a nutritional punch with 190 cal/2 g. fat/4 g. fiber and an astounding 15 g. protein (not really sure where that is coming from).

The best thing about these cereals is the dessert I just concocted- sprinkling a little of each over a half cup of Dreyer's (Breyer's on the east coast) yogurt blends vanilla frozen yogurt. It tasted like a cinnamon filled fried ice cream and was a very filling evening snack for about 150 calories. MMMmmmm!

Eldorado Canyon: Rattlesnake Gulch Trail

A few weekends ago we ventured to Eldorado Canyon State Park, only about a 20 minute drive from Boulder. The $6 entrance fee was well worth it. We did an easy 2.8 mile hike up Rattlesnake Gulch Trail to the ruins of the Crags Hotel, which burned down in 1912. The trail follows and old wagon road and leads past beautiful views of the canyon. The ruins of the hotel are not that impressive, but it does give one a deep sense of history standing in the former hotel fountain and looking out what was once a window with a sweeping panoramic view. I am a huge fan of ghost towns and historic ruins so this place was a big hit for me. There are pottery shards and glass littered all over the ground so that it literally sparkles in places. Further past the hotel ruins there is a gorgeous view of the continental divide, which made a great lunch spot for us. It is also fun to watch the multitude of rock climbers make there way up the park's many cliff faces. FYI, www.protrails.com is one of the most comprehensive and well researched hiking databases I have ever used. They have detailed trail information, directions, and photos and it's free! Check it out!



Jay next to the fireplace ruin.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

This is a tasty and rich fall dish. Wild mushrooms are my favorite and they really shine in this risotto. I served mine with oven baked Quorn cutlets (my usual substitute for chicken). Defrosted Quorn is easily breaded, topped with a little parmesan and baked for about 20 minutes. Recipe from recipezaar.com.

• 5 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used veg. broth, and you may not need this much)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 lb wild mushroom, sliced (oyster, crimini, shiitake)
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry sherry (I used dry white cooking wine)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 2 oz)
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1. Bring chicken broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover and keep broth hot.
2. Melt 3 tbsp butter with olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots; sauté 1 minute.
   
3. Add wild mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and juices are released, about 8 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat.
   
4. Add sherry and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 3/4 cup hot chicken broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently.
   
5. Add remaining hot chicken broth 3/4 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh thyme. Serve warm.

Healthy "Fried" Eggplant

I recently cooked this eggplant and was very impressed. In the past I've had trouble getting the breading to stick to baked eggplant, and frying it is just way too greasy. This is a really easy recipe and it comes out tasting like deep fried eggplant. I cooked some zucchini in the same way and topped some pasta with the veggies, marinara, parmesan and fresh basil. This would also be really tasty in an eggplant parm sandwich.

• 1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 lb unpeeled eggplant, sliced-about 12 (1/2 inch slices)*
• 1/3 cup fine dry breadcrumb or panko*
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• vegetable oil cooking spray

1. Combine first 2 ingredients, stir well.
2. Spread evenly over both sides of eggplant slices.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl; dredge eggplant in breadcrumbs mixture.
4. Place eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake@ 425 degrees for 12 minutes.
6. Turn eggplant over; and bake an additional 12 minutes or until golden.

*Although I didn't peel the eggplant this time around, I would reccomend taking the time to do this, and if you have a chance salt the eggplant, let it sit and then rinse well.
*I used a combo of regular breadcrumbs and panko.

Fall means yummy food!

While I love the summer, with it's cool drinks, light dinners and sunshine 'til 9 pm, I equally enjoy the heartier fare of fall and winter. I love soups, casseroles, chili and root vegetables with their versatility and strong flavors. I find myself making a lot of comfort food lately- most recently, a variation on grilled cheese and tomato soup, a favorite old standby. I like the hearty tomato-bisque style soups by Amy's and Wolfgang Puck, but these can be pricey. So I picked up a can of Campbell's this time, but instead of water I used fat-free half and half (it says on the can that you can use milk, and since I only drink soymilk I figured this would work). With some basil stirred in this made a tasty, creamy and cheap soup. I paired it with a grilled "bacon" and cheese (morningstar farms veggie bacon and pepperjack). I always
sprinkle a little garlic salt on my grilled cheeses, as learned from the infamous dollar grilled cheeses sold by touring hippies at music festivals and shakedown streets. A fast and easy weekend lunch!

The quest for the perfect snack bar...

This is very much a detour from the regular content of my posts, but it does have to do with food so I will continue. I am always reading reviews of new snack products online and in magazines, searching for the perfect balance of nutrition, taste and satiating factor. I tend to eat one snack in the morning and one in the afternoon, and appreciate something convenient and fast. Here are reviews of a few snack bars I've tried recently-

Kashi- I love pretty much everything this company makes, and I feel safe buying it because it never contains much of the crap you find in everything else: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring and flavor etc. Their products taste like they are good for you because they are made with high quality ingredients (hence the slightly higher price than the average General Mills/Kraft products. I tried the TLC fruit and grain pumpkin pie bar and the TLC baked apple spice cereal bar. The pumpkin bar has a good crunch and a nice mixture of flavors and textures. I am a pumpkin fan so I enjoyed it, and it has 4 g. of protein and fiber, not bad for 120 calories.

The apple bar was softer and had a nice flavor but is a bit too sweet for my taste. Not bad at 3 g. fiber, 2 g. protein and 110 calories. However sweet this bar is it's got nothing on Fiber One's oats and apple streusel bar.

Fiber One- I should have known by looking at the ingredients, being that sugar appears 3 times in the list, in addition to HFCS and high maltose corn syrup (?). I would eat this as more of a candy bar than a healthy mid-morning snack. However, it somehow has 9 g. of fiber so it is filling. It could use about half the sugar and more protein (it has 2 g.). This bar has 130 calories.

I still enjoy my old standby, Nature Valley crunchy granola bars in oats and honey, cinnamon and peanut butter, but these have more calories, fat and sugar, and less fiber. They are pretty filling and good for a crunchy snack on a hike.

I am probably going to try the Kashi Golean bars next and I will report back.

Last Rockies Voyage

We went up to "the park" last weekend for probably the last time this year (the snow has already started). We were a little late for the Aspens but still saw some pretty foliage

on the drive up. We went to the ultra popular Bear Lake area for a nice 3.6 mile hike. Starting at Bear Lake, which many people just walk around, we hiked up to a lunch spot at Nymph lake, which is normally covered with lily pads but was already frozen over.



From there we continued on to Dream Lake and then up to Emerald Lake, an aptly named deep green lake nestled at the bottom of the intimidating Hallett Peak. It's easy to see why this is one of the most popular hikes in the park. It's not too challenging and rewards you with great views and peaceful waterside respites.

Photo Monotony, not so monotonous

I stumbled upon this blog of a woman who takes a photo of what she eats everyday: http://notitleyet.tumblr.com/

All polaroids, in fact, each with a lomo-style, retro edge, but somehow she still manages to make the food appear appetizing (some of it, at least). I think this is about far more than documenting what she eats- there is a small expression at the bottom of each photo that seems to fit perfectly with the image. Concentrating on one subject every day is a great way to perfect your craft. Maybe I will only photograph umbrellas from now on...

On a similar note, Jay recently started taking a self-portrait everyday on his laptop. This is very easy to do now, since we use our computers everyday and taking a photo is one mouse click of effort. I've always been fascinated with those slideshows of a year's worth of someone's face. There are bound to be subtle changes everyday. Thus another project ensues, more to come later...

Pasta Caprese

So I am realizing I need some more colorful dishes to really make these pictures look as good as the food tastes, but alas, last night's fresh summer pasta came out great. This is from my head so the recipe is not an exact science- just the best of summer ingredients thrown together for a light dinner.

Pasta Caprese
6-8 small tomatoes (I used these very tasty "Flavorino" tomatoes)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional, but I LOVE garlic)
bunch basil
olive oil
salt and pepper
Thin Pasta (use whole box if you want leftovers)




1. Chop tomatoes and place in bowl with juices. Add mozzarella, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let sit while you cook the pasta (the longer the better).
2. Cook pasta al dente.
3. Add basil to tomato mixture, stir and check seasoning.
4. Toss tomatoes with hot pasta and serve.
Note: I didn't want to murder my basil plant, so in addition to the leaves I plucked I tossed in a frozen cube of pesto I made last week.

Argentinian Empanadas

These are savory-sweet pastries that are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is a vegetarian version of the usual meat-filled South American pastries, from "Vegetarian Main Dishes from Around the World."

1/2 lb. frozen flaky pastry, thawed (phyllo is what I used this time but it's hard to work with)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 T. chives, chopped
1 pear, finely sliced
2 peaches, finely sliced
1/2 C. red lentils, cooked
1 T. sugar
1/4 C. dry white wine (optional)
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. margarine
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven 400. Heat margarine and fry onion until soft. Add tomatoes, pepper and chives and cook about 5 min.
2. Add pear, peaches and lentils and mix well. Sprinkle some sugar and pour wine to taste. Add cinnamon then season.
3. Roll out pastry and make circles about 4 in. diameter (you can use a bowl and trace around it).
4. Put some filling on half of circle, then moisten edges with water. Fold over and press together with fork. Poke a few holes to let steam escape. (I also brush pastry with a little melted butter).
5. Fill all empanadas and bake on tray for about 20 minutes until pastry is puffed up and golden.

I served with a green salad and homemade guacamole and chips.

Dal with Cucumber Raita and Banana

This is an easy and filling dinner. I made it on the spicy side since I made the Raita, and doubled this recipe to freeze some for later (don't freeze Raita). This is adapted from "Vegetarian Main Dishes from Around the World."

1 C. red lentils
2 small potatoes, diced
2 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 t. ground cumin (or to taste)
1 t. ground turmeric ("")
1 t. madras (hot curry powder- I used regular and cayenne pepper)
2 t. ground ginger

1 can chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
To Serve: 1 sliced banana, mango chutney, cucumber Raita

1. Cook lentils and potatoes in boiling water 10-20 minutes or until soft, drain.
2. Heat oil in pan and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook until soft, then add spiced. Continue to cook for a 1-2 minutes before adding tomatoes.
3. Let mixture cook for a further minute or so, then add lentils and potatoes. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes and check seasoning. Serve with rice or nan and side dishes.

For the Raita I had made falafel the night before so I used a tzatziki dip and added chopped cilantro, plain Greek yogurt, a dash of cumin and pepper, lemon juice and diced cucumbers.

First Backpack Trip

Indian Peaks: Camp Dick to Red Deer Lake
We did a very nice and easy overnight this weekend in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. We started at Camp Dick, fairly close to Nederland, CO and about 8500 ft. elevation. From there we hiked up through a cool forest for about 4 miles until the trail opened up into a meadow full of wildflowers. Steep, rocky cliffs that seemed to be mid-crumble surround the meadow. We continued into the actual wilderness area and were soon rewarded with views of snow-capped peaks. The trail follows a fast-flowing creek and passes a rocky outcrop with views of a waterfall. At about 9800 ft. we headed up a fork in the trail to Red Deer lake. The lake remains hidden from view until the very end, where after short climb a snow covered cliff appears with a glistening alpine lake below (about 10,300 ft.).
We set up camp in a wooded area near the lake and explored. A very beautiful setting and a nice intro into mountain backpacking.

Lates Hikes Update!

Well it has been quite a while...just to update, we are now living in Boulder, CO and eager to enjoy all the natural wonders around us. We have tubed Boulder Creek- an exhilarating trip and gone on a few local hikes and one backpacking trip so far.
The first hike we did was the Canyon Loop Trail in the Betasso Preserve. 3.2 Miles- pretty easy. There were great views of Boulder and beyond and the trail winds through shady forests and into open vistas.
We hiked the Anne U. White Trail- also an easy trek, about 3 miles in Fourmile Canyon. It was shady and cool, and also very easy to get to.

The First Flatiron hike was a great trip. It starts in Chautauqua park and heads up a wide gravel road into switchbacks that pass through forest. There were several rock climbers tackling the mini Flatiron. From there we headed up a boulder field and a few more switchbacks until we reached an amazing view of the valley, some of the Indian Peals, and the other Flatirons.

The Amazon is a scary place

Yes, it has been awhile. But you, whoever you are, GO READ the book "The Lost City of Z" by David Grann. A great adventure story with history, science and anthropology thrown in the mix, it tells the story of one of the greatest exploration mysteries- the disappearance of Percy Fawcett and his party during their search for Z, a supposed Eldorado-like lost civilization in the Amazon. One thing becomes clear early on- the Amazon is a place where everything in nature it set against humankind-the bugs, the reptiles, the fish, the "native savages", the weather etc. I greedily devour exploration tales- Krakauer is a favorite and I am searching for a copy of Shackleton. It is so wonderful to hear about places on the planet that have yet to be corrupted and destroyed- that still hold a wild mystery to outsiders.

I've Gone Avocado Crazy!

Avocado is quite possibly nature's most sublime food. Recently I purchased a bag of them, since Trader Joe's only sells them 4 or 5 to a bag (how inconvenient, really). So I've found myself with excess avocados, but there really is no such thing. My only issue is that it takes them a few days to ripen, and now of course they are all ripe at once and must be eaten soon. I think I am up to the task, however. Last night we threw one in a salad-it lends a nice, mellow, creamy texture to contrast with crisp lettuce and veggies. Today I made a sandwich with low-fat cream cheese, veggie morningstar bacon and avocado (lettuce and tomatoes were not around but they'd be good in there too). What a satisfying concoction! I mashed up the leftover parts with some 3-pepper salsa and ate with tortilla chips. Can't let any go to waste! Tonight I plan on making a pizza with cheddar and swiss, veggie bacon and of course the last two avocados! Sorry for this little ode- my love is too great to keep silent. Thank you avocado for your spicy guacamole, beautiful color and creamy goodness. And they say you are a "healthy fat"- while I've never quite understood those, I can feel less guilty about gobbling you up several times a week! I am now seeking avocado ice cream- my heart melts at the thought!

Art that makes your hands bleed

So yesterday, on my precious day off, Jay and I decided to enjoy the sunny-but-still-chilly weather and take a walk in Untermeyer park in Yonkers. This park has a weird vibe about it, possibly due to urban legends involving occult rituals and Satanism and the supposed fact that David Berkowitz, or the Son of Sam serial killer, hung out there and murdered dogs there, as he lived across the street.
Anyway, it was still a beautiful day so we took a stroll to the "Eagle's nest," a stone portico overlooking the Hudson. Apparently this park, while it claims to close at dusk, has no enforcement whatsoever because the place is a literal trash dump of beer cans and broken glass. We wandered down amongst this debris and I decided to make the most of the glass graveyard. I began constructing a small mosaic, which I thought looked rather pretty glistening in the midday sun. As it was getting cold, I did not spend as much time on this endeavor as I should have, and hope to possibly go back and create more of a permanent "installation." I have always been a fan of street art, and greatly admire my s.o.'s various projects, but I had never thought of using trash and other "found objects" to create art. So if I can find a way to make this particular project work I will, and I will now be on the lookout for interesting trash elsewhere in the world.
(I would love to post pictures here but am being thwarted for some reason...they will appear if I can figure out how to get them on here)

A love for cowboys

So I saw "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" the other night. I was very impressed- by the acting and directing, but also the use of bushy-eyebrowed, cockeyed glances to build suspense. For instance, for the entire first 10 minutes or so of the film there is no dialogue. It is fun to impart one's own dialogue into these scenes, as everything transpires with a stone-cold stare from under a wide-brimmed hat.The music really makes this movie, and also becomes stuck in your head for the remainder of the evening. If only all of life's encounters were scored so dramatically. I also love the costumes- Clint Eastwood's coattails billowing in the wind, the spurs that give away the sneak attack, the ponchos. I think this may be the beginning of a long and dusty love affair.

there's a itchy-scratchy monster sneaking up my throat...

So to take a quick break from the laborious process of recounting this past summer, I have to say that being sick is awful, but knowing you are ABOUT TO GET SICK is almost worse. I awoke today feeling stuffy and a little out of it, but shrugged it off to a poor night's sleep. As the day progressed, my throat became more sore and now it is ragingly painful. Otherwise I have no symptoms, besides general fatigue/achy. To top this off, tomorrow is my first day of work at a new job! (Trader Joe's). I am trying to think positive and bolster my immunity with healthy thoughts.
On another note, I recently saw "My Bloody Valentine" in glorious 3-D. The ticket was close to $15, but I have to say it was more of a cinematic "experience" than most films nowadays. Sure, it played the 3-D gimmick for all it was worth, but isn't that what my hard-earned (or in this case boyfriend's) hard earned money is for? I mean, how often does one get to dodge a pick axe flying at their face, or cringe as some poor teen's blood drips off the screen? Cinema at its best folks. The only downside is that I may need a small fortune to see all these 3-D movies coming out soon.

Highlights and Memories

Tornado Alley
On our way from our first hotel to Colorado, we started noticing a very ominous looking sky. We gave our folks a call, more as a joke than anything else, to ensure tornadoes were not in the forecast. However, it turns out that there were lots of them, all around us, and headed straight for us. We pulled into a gas station to get Quizno's and see what was up. As my sandwich is being made, Jay is putting gas in the car, which he says was literally tilting off the ground with the wind. My sandwich is taking an eternity to roll through the toaster, and I catch glimpses of a TV with a radar map of the area, covered in bright red dots, with a rolling WARNING banner across the bottom of the screen. Then, a truck with yellow sirens pulls up. The driver, a storm-chaser tells Jay and all others to "get out of here right now and go east or south". Sheer panic sets in and all the occupants of the gas station, minus the poor Quiznos workers, scream and run flailing to their cars. My sub finally rolls out of the toaster and I pace...should I just leave it? I pay the kid at the register and run to the car, beginning to seriously freak out when I see the sky and feel the wind. I call my dad, who tells me there is indeed a hell of a storm where we are headed. We follow a road which turns into a dirt road, and end up in a field where the grass is literally bent over sideways, like something out of the movie Twister...not where we want to be. Finally we find our way to an east-heading highway and check into a motel in Salina, Kansas. All the ground floor rooms are taken, of course, save for a smoking room. The desk person tells me to get in the shower, as there are no basements. The TV is telling us to seek shelter, so in a fit of complete hysteria I sit in the shower for several minutes, which only made me more distraught. Eventually, we put on "Good Will Hunting" and watched it amidst very loud thunder and wind. I awake to find my car in one piece, and our trip officially under way.

Rocky Mountain National Park
We got a gorgeous campsite in Moraine Park Campground with a clear view of Long's Peak. We did several great hikes, one of which, Bierstadt lake, we saw a female moose and two young moose. Lots of Elk as well. A drive up Trail Ridge road gave us a glimpse into the tundra- there are few places you can drive at 13,000 + feet and get out to take a stroll.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison
We did an awesome 7 mile out and back hike on the north rim's North Vista Trail. We could see 3 mountain ranges from the top of Green Mountain. We drove down into the canyon (frightening and incredible) and camped at East Portal campground. We saw a huge Bullsnake, mule deer, hawks.

Arches National Park
Words cannot describe this otherworldy landscape. We did the classic Delicate Arch hike, windows loop and Double Arch hike. It was fun to scramble up the sandstone. We watched a gorgeous sunset gradually turn the stone a myriad of colors. We went mountain biking on the Klondike Bluffs Trail near Moab. It was very tough but had great views of the area, as well as dinosaur tracks frozen in the stone.

Canyonland National Park
We saw an amazing lookout point in the "Island of the Sky" where the Green and Colorado rivers converge. We did several fun, short hikes to Mesa Arch, Upheaval Dome and Cave Spring. We did an overnight venture into the Needles, amazing rock-spire formations. After leaving our heavy packs at camp, we endured a rough climb up to Druid Arch, but it was well worth it.

more to come...

Documenting the Summer

So, while I was planning this major escapade last summer, I found very few references that incorporated a large-scale roadtrip like I was planning on taking. So, since I did not have the luxury of keeping a blog while travelling, I thought I would post a brief summary of me and Jay's travels here, for whoever would need it, and for myself when I start forgetting its splendor. I'll start with an itinerary of the whole trip:

May 24, 2008: Left Cleveland, OH/Slept near St. Louis
May 25: St.Louis to Salina, KS (stopped by army of tornadoes)
May 26: Salina to Boulder, CO to Rocky Mountain National Park
May 27-30: Moraine Park Campground, RMNP
May 30-31: Aspen, CO
May 31-June 1: Crawford State Park, CO
June 1-2: East Portal Campground, Black Canyon of the Gunnison
June 2: Grand Junction, CO to Arches NP, UT
June 2-4: Devil's garden campgrounds, Arches NP
June 4-8: Moab, UT
June 8: Squaw Flat Campground, Canyonlands NP, UT
June 9: Backcountry Canyonlands NP
June 10-12: Capitol Reef NP, UT
June 12-14: Bryce Canyon NP, UT
June 14-16: Grand Canyon NP, AZ
June 16-18: Zion NP, UT
June 18: Mesquite, NV
June 19: Las Vegas, NV
June 20: Sequoia NP, CA
June 21-23: Sequoia NP
June 23-27: Backcountry Sequoia
June 27-29: King's Canyon NP, CA
June 29: Los Banos, CA
June 30: Santa Cruz, CA
July 1-5: Berkeley, CA
July 5: Patrick's Point State Park, CA
July 6: Del Norte Coast State Park, CA
July 7-9: Crater Lake, OR
July 9-10: Eugene, OR
July 10-11: Portland, OR
July 11: Kalaloch campground, Olympic NP, WA
July 12-15: Backcountry, Olympic NP
July 15: Lost Resort Campground, Ozette WA
July 16-18: Coastal backcountry, Olympic NP
July 18: Ellensburg, WA
July 19: somewhere in South Dakota?
July 20: Mt. Rushmore and Badlands NP
July 21: Near Chicago
July 22: Home!

Well, well

Hello all! So I never thought I would do this, but I've created a blog, more for myself than to gain fame or friends. I am hoping to post my thoughts and musings here, and would love any feedback. My principal reason for this blog will be to document my travels, whether they be on foot or by mind :-) I am hoping to construct a post or section particularly dedicated to the trip I took this past summer. I seem to be always in a new place lately, so I will try to keep it interesting. Anyways, enjoy!