We didn’t have time in Wichita last weekend to eat at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Market so we tried Po’s Dumpling Bar on lively 39th Street in Kansas City – not bad. The dumplings were unusually oblong-shaped and fresh tasting. The spicy (but not too) Kung Pao chicken and two vegetarian noodle dishes (one with thick and wide homemade noodles that reminded me of the egg noodles found in Midwestern’ chicken-and-noodles) also were also fresh tasting, with good quality meat and crisp vegetables.
Finally picking an inn to stay at in Vermont!
After reading up on lots of inns in southern Vermont, we finally picked the Old Tavern Inn in Grafton (after I found a less expensive room than was listed online). Very hard call but I think Grafton will be the quintessential inn and village I’ve been looking for to show off Vermont to my husband – who has never been there. I was captivated by the beautiful Inn at Manchester – which is not in town but in the bucolic countryside with a pool – but was a bit put off by the outlet malls nearby. Also liked the more affordable and perhaps laid-back Stone Boat Farm Bed & Breakfast in Jamaica, Vt. Next time.
Filed under Vermont
A visit to the Swamp Fox in Knoxville, Iowa
After touring a reconstructed prairie in 100 degree heat (which was lovely except for some very irritating little flies with a nasty bite), we stopped by the Peace Tree Brewery in nearby Knoxville, which is in an airy old brown brick building, and then ate burgers around the corner at the Swamp Fox, in the town’s cultural center (which were guessing was once an old meeting hall.) Darned good patty melt! We passed a good looking ice cream stand on the way west out of town but were too full to partake. Peace Tree is open officially for samples on Thursday and Friday late afternoon and eves and on the weekends. We’ll have to return sometime.
Filed under DINING, Iowa, Uncategorized
Great Western Trail from Park Ave./Des Moines to Cumming – quiet friday
As expected, we had the trail almost to ourselves on Friday because 1) it’s a week day 2) so many cyclists were away on RAGBRAI. We had an easy 20 mile ride from Park Avenue in Des Moines to Cumming although we almost had a collision with a fast-moving golf cart when we rode through the golf course. In Cumming, we found a good picnic spot in the local park on a picnic table under an overhang. And got my friend N’s soft tire filled with air at a very cool shop that redoes vintage English sports cars (on tap – a very sweet pale green Jaguar convertible and a jaunty white and red paneled Aston Healy convertible.). Was sorry to hear that the guy who fixes and shows off vintage juke boxes in town – I did a story about him years ago – has retired.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
Cycle Central Iowa – great new map with 17 loop rides!
(forgot to post this yesterday): One day after riding a day of RAGBRAI and I’m feeling just fine – maybe a little creakier than usual but not aching at all. So maybe this weekend I’ll set out with the new Cycle Central Iowa map which has mapped out 17 loop rides around central Iowa on bike trails and county roads. They all look great – and the descriptions include handy info on things like where to stay and eat. My one reservation is that we’re somewhat reluctant to ride our bikes on country roads, given the bad reputation they’ve developed for being inhospitable to cyclists. There have been some bad accidents where cyclists were hit by vehicles. Still the loops look like fun – and i far prefer a loop to going back and forth on the same trail. I bought my map for $2.99 (I think) at a local bike store – and it was the last one available but with hope, there are more available. To order contact: info@dsmbikecollective.org
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
My first taste of Ragbrai – why haven’t I done this earlier???
I LOVED IT! Granted I only rode 37 of the 56 miles (from Slater to Altoona Iowa) on one of seven days of RAGBRAI – but I loved everything about it. The scenery – small towns with welcoming residents, from kids offering welcome sprays from water hoses to elderly people sitting in lawn chairs clapping, to farm families rooting by ringing a cowbell as we chugged up a steep hill; picture postcard perfect farmsteads, fields and fields of corn and beans; the scene – riders of every shape, size, complexion, age, attire on all kind of contraptions (a variety of bikes, upright, recombinant,old-fashioned, sleek and modern, tandems, triple-seat bikes, plus the occasional wheelchair), great food (pastafari’s pesto pasta/ariabiatta pasta with sautéed zucchini and grilled salmon outside of Alleman, terrific rhubarb/strawberry pie in Elkhart, a homemade citrus sorbet bar (which completely hit the spot when we arrived in Altoona in 94 degree heat/humidity completely dripping with sweat). Eating my sorbet bar and watching nine very cute kids do a pretty impressive musical performance where they all danced and played the drums was perfect! I met people from Brooklyn, Vancouver, Oak Park (Illinois); Oregon, all over really. I’d really love to go again tomorrow but not sure I’m physically up for it. Next year, maybe I’ll do more serious training and try to do more of the ride.
Filed under Agritourism, biking, Iowa
Day tripper – on Ragbrai in Iowa
We’re off tomorrow morning to Slater, Iowa about 35 miles north of Des Moines to tag along for a day on Ragbrai – not exactly sure what to expect but figure it’s a good way to get a brief taste of what it’s like to ride bikes alongside thousands of other people through Iowa’s countryside and small towns. We’re only riding 34 miles of the 56 mile route tomorrow but that’s a lot for my friend and I – and who knows, if we enjoy it, maybe we’ll do more next year. (My friend did the entire Ragbrai ride across Iowa last year.) In preparation, I’ve bought an inner tube in case I have any tire issues. Wish me luck.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
Vermont ideas…for hiking, dining, driving
NYTimes readers recently weighed in on where to go in Vermont – and since we hope to go there in September, I duly note them here:
– For hiking ideas, check out “The Walker’s Guide to Vermont” and “The Long Trail Gide”. In Burlington, hike around Camel’s Hump and Mount Mansfield. In the south, (where we’ll be, hike sections of the Long Trail with Stratton Pond as a destination) or near Killington. Also good hiking in the Green Mountain National Forest – Mount Moosalamoo near Lake Dunmore.
– for food in Burlington, try Bove’s on Pearl Street (Italian)
– in Waterbury – Alchemist for beer/pub grub and Hen of the Wood for fine dining.
– Drive south to north on Route 7.
Filed under Uncategorized
Odds and ends from West Central Wisconsin
In Sparta, we ate at Angelini’s – a nothing fancy but good old-fashioned Italian restaurant downtown that was packed on a Saturday night and makes a good tomato meat sauce and has good thin crust pizza. One minor quibble – among the photos of presumably Italian notables (Sopranos actors, Al Pacino, Sinatra et. al.) hanging on the wall was one Benicio del Toro, who is Puerto Rican (full name: Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez)
In Westby, we ate at a nothing fancy very Norwegian cafe, Borgen’s – motto is “Spis, drik, a ver gla!” (Eat, drink, and be glad! in Norwegian I’m guessing. We didn’t get too adventurous or Norwegian (we skipped the Meatballs & Gravy with Lefse and the “Feisty Norwegian Chicken Sandwich”) but they served a good BLT. We had bacon several times during our Wisconsin trip (each morning at our B&B) and it never disappointed. But then bacon rarely does. I also was intrigued by a replica of a Kransekake, Norway’s signature cake often served at weddings, birthdays and anniversary parties – a conical tower of thin layers of cake made out of almost paste, that narrows as it rises from bottom to top.
Canoeing via the Titanic on the Kickapoo River in Wisconsin
We inadvertently picked the best day to canoe on the Kickapoo River in southwest Wisconsin last week – a Monday. We were going to go on Sunday – when it would no doubt be crowded – but the weather wasn’t promising so we waited a day and had the river almost entirely to ourselves, which was a treat. We rented a boat from a rental place in Ontario called Titanic (and managed to stay afloat!) – good boat, fiberglass with molded seats so slightly more comfortable. We opted for the 3.25 hour trip, which was a little shorter than that, put in at the landing beside the rental place and were picked up right on time at Bridge #5 (helps that the canoe rental guy had few other customers.) The river itself is narrow and very curvy, with high grassy banks and forested stone bluffs. Really lovely. Must do again! There are several other canoe rental places next to Titanic but it suited us well.
Filed under Uncategorized, Wisconsin
TakeBetsywithyou 