Cruisin' Cuisine (Spice Bus Tour 2006)

Sorry for the long delay... Let's make hay!

2006-09-05T10:13:00.000-05:00

Hey'all.. sorry for the long blog delay, but internet access was spotty and we were driving hard or seeing beautiful stuff. You know the old saying.."Make hey when the sun shines"?... well, the sun (my internet connection ) is shining, and so I'll make hay(blogs).
I'll combine a few stops to get us caught up. From California we drove North on Rt101 through the Redwoods and to the Oregon coastline(which was one of the most beautiful places I've seen). We stopped and stayed at a few parks along the Oregon coast then went up to Seattle and stayed for a day and a halh and got an oil change on the way out.

Oregon coastline Dunes! (have to actually see it.. it is awesome)

Jeffrey near tide pools

Life within the tidepool

http://www.skgourmet.com/spotTheBus2.jpg

Florence, OR... cool little village with eateries, pubs and shops... we ate Chowder at Mo's... and had some suds. This is a cool place to hang out... as are many villages along the OR coast. I liked Yachats ("ya-huts")

Route 101 - Northern Cali... nicey-nice

2006-08-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

http://www.skgourmet.com/spotTheBus2.jpg

We rode up Rt 101 through Northern California from Novato to Crescent City...then I stopped as I was tired and it was getting dark. What a prety ride ! You start driving through rolling hills and the scenery is a mix of golden fields of grass and lush green vineyards of grapes, then the vineyards yield to the mighty redwood forests and the striking coastline. The road occassionally lets you take a side road for more scenery and we took advantage . We drove through giamt redwoods (which are truly amazing..huge trees everywhere) and elk grazing in meadows, and Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox protecting the netrance to Mystery Trees ( http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/CAKLAtrees.html )

Boys pose outside the Aquarium in Crescent City, CA

another thing I liked to mention is that as we drove through Orick, CA, the marquis on the downtown theatre said the playing attraction was Casablanca... there is something so right about that.

Ciao'! more to follow

I love The City by the BAy...and Wine Country

2006-08-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

remeber to Spot the Bus!....http://www.skgourmet.com/spotTheBus2.jpg

We made history as the 1st tourists in Novato ,CA! Well, that's what Uncle Neil told us anyway. Novato is just north of San Fran and just south of Wine Country. Novato is a quaint little town with a nice downtown shop area.. it could really act as the gateway to wine country .. just needs a little push and some more eateries/wine tasting bars. We stayed at Novato RV Park.. easy access to everything.
Thanks to all our friends in Novato for making our stay here super convenient and SUPER FUN, especially Terry, Mitch, Chris, Tony and Reese Nilsen... you guys are the best!

This place is the culinary epicenter of the world... I could live here... I may live here some day. You have everything gourmet here from wine to cheese, you have the MArket in San Fran (we took the ferry over from Larkspur).. what a great place, bought some mushroom salt...DELICIOUS.
Here are they boys chillin' on the ferry ride to San Fran..and a view of the city as we approach to dock.
Here we are hanging outside the market at Taylor's Refresher, which has its origins in St. Helena as a great roadside burger/shake/diner kind of a joint, but opened a location dockside in San Fran.. serves a large list of MicroBrews also... I think my buddy Mitch likes this place. What a great day this was. http://www.taylorsrefresher.com/ . Also had breakfast/lunch at Mijita, a great mexican joint... http://www.mijitasf.com. One night we ate at Moylan's Brewery, check out the site at http://www.moylans.com

The Spice Bus is parked here at an undisclosed location in Novato,,, it is said a famous portfolio manager lives here.
Enjoying the scenery at Gloria Farerra as we await the bubbly.
lunched at Angele, a fantastic French restaurant in Napa. This was an exceptional meal. http://www.angelerestaurant.com/

Hanging around the cellar at Gunlach Bundschu Winery. http://www.gunbun.com/
We finished the dy at Arger-Martucci Winery ( http://www.arger-martucci.com/ ), small family run place with exceptional wines. We enjoyed a very relaxing end of the day sitting in the backyard at Arger-Martucci with a bottle of red. We then sat down to a home cooked dinner of Abalone prepared by Terry. The Abalone was caught the day prior... this was a real treat... oh yeah... and more wine.

We finished up our time here with a dinner with Neil & Kathy at Cacti in Novato (http://www.cactigrill.com/ ).

Ciao Novato.... Hello Oregon Coast!

Yosemite!

2006-08-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

Oooh.. look cows!
The Spice Bus made it to Yosemite after a day of driving in the dessert of Nevada

While in Yosemite there is no need to rough it... here I'm trying the WoodFlame grill to make steaks and grilled peaches, which we enjoyed with a great bottle of wine... this will bring the bears in!
My superheroes
posing with BIG TREES!

Michele with Sentinal Dome behind her. We hiked t the top and the view from there was awesome...you could see all the major features in Yosemite...it was breathe-taking.

Here it is.. the big panorama from atop Sentinal Dome.. really AWESOME!

http://www.skgourmet.com/spotTheBus2.jpg

The big map update.. more to follow...

2006-08-18T14:32:00.000-05:00

http://www.skgourmet.com/spotTheBus2.jpg

Here it, the big map following our progress so far. I am behind on blogs, but this is due to some problems we encountered and we were also in wilderness areas with no internet. We are just outside Yosemite NP, and I had internet access, but we are leaving i an hour.

Stop #23 (petaluma, CA) will be where we service the RV and get rested and see some friends.. I can probably get up-to-speed with blogs on Vegas, the Sagebrush dessert, Yosemite, etc.

Hope everyone is doing well. Oh yeah, I tried the new Wood fuel grill i got (uses a chunk of wood and a fan to create like 50,000 btu's), made steaks in Yosemite using Max Mojo and BBQ blend.... YUM! with a nice bottle of Marrietta Vinyard Angelee Cuvee it proves that even in the wilderness you do not have to totally rough it.

bye ya'll!

The Grand Canyon... or as the kids say, The Big Hole in the Ground

2006-08-14T12:06:00.000-05:00

Well I can safely say I have not seen something so awe inspiring as The Grand Canyon. The day was overcast and rained a bit so visibility was not perfect, however, it did not take away from the awesome feeling you get as you aproach the edge and look out forever over the canyon.
Michele and the boys strike a pose... see that familiar grip Michele uses? Notice it from atop Whiteface Mountain in the Lake Placid region last year? YEs, it is her patented "overhand baby-holder grip" (U.S. pat # 9033476991)...she puts it into use whenever she is with the kids and within 50 feet of a deadly drop.
Lucky me.. I caught a condor on my first photo at the canyon. These things are huge. Apparently they have reproduced in the wild and so it looks as if they have a chance to come back.
We took The Grand Canyon Railroad up to the Canyon from Williams, AZ. This is a cool Route 66 town that has an old railway with a great scenic trip up to the canyon. Here, Wild Bill is sawin' on a fiddle with Barry(the railroad provides great entertainment for the 2 hour trip, including Barry, train roberies and a U.S. Marshall, that can shoot you dead with absolute impunity... at least that's what I told the kids).
Here Jeffrey and I cool off in the Bright Angel Lodge before our trip back. It rained and flooded the tracks, so we offloaded onto a bus in the middle of nowhere... once back in Williams we walked over to Ponchos, a good MExican pub/restaurant with music.

remeber to get free spices , see details
http://www.skgourmet.com/spotTheBus2.jpg

Cadillac Ranch & Albuquerque Turkeys

2006-08-12T12:19:00.000-05:00

As we headed out of Amarillo our ultimate goal is to get near Flagstaff for touring the Grand Canyon. Leaving Amarillo I realized the windmills are here for a reason... IT'S WINDY! There would be occasional crosswinf gusts that would really knock the bus around.. I would rather drive in a hail storm. So I white-knuckled it all day .

We took a brief side tour on Route 66 to see the Cadillac Ranch... the guy that thought this one up was smoking something. Anyway, I needed to get a photo of this one.

THEN CAME THE BIS SUPRISE between Santa Rosa, NM and Albuquerque... BOOM....flat tire in the middle of nowhere.

The good news is roadside assist guy was there and swapped with the spare within an hour and we got to the gold old KOA in Albuquerque before dark. Next morning we saddled up and got the spare replaced locally within an hour also!

Here is a photo of San jose' De La Laguna Mission, which I took from the side of Rt 40... before the flat tire.

GRAND CANYON HERE WE COME.

When in Texas, ya gotta go BIG.... especially in Amarillo

2006-08-11T01:44:00.000-05:00

That means The Big Texan Steak Ranch ( http://www.bigtexan.com/ ) where they pick you up in a free limo with Texas Longhorns mounted on the hood!
This place gives you a FREE 72 oz steak diner.... if you can finish it and all the trimmings in under an hour.
The boys thought they were up to the task, so off we went in the long horn limo....

The boys even made a few friends and sat down in a Texas sized rocker to digest their beef.

Well.... I guess everything ain't big in Texas. Here Billy hauled in a... ummm, lunker from the fishing pond at Fort Amarillo RV Park.

more updates to come tomorrow..

Grand Ole Opry.. just couldn't pass it up

2006-08-10T09:01:00.000-05:00

We drove from Gatlinburg to Nashville and Two Rivers Campground, just next to the Camping World store, which was convenient (http://tworivercampground.com ).
We headed over to get tickets to the Opry and had dinner at Tony Romas in the Mall across from the Opry.

Sorry for the late updates.. I have to move onto Flagstaff today (8/10/05) and I expect to update you on Amarillo, the excitement on I-40/Rt66 between Santa Rosa, NM and Albuquerque and others... will get this sucka up to date soon.

CHEERS!

Wally

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Twin Creek RV/ FREE SPICE!

2006-08-06T08:13:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to go to http://www.SKgourmet.com
for details on our Spice Bus Tour Giveaway.

Can you believe we are at Dollywood? I always made fun, but she runs a good, clean, safe, fun park. The kids have the rides and then there are lots of music shows to get out of the heat for awhile.

Seems I picked up an extra kid along the way. Of course once Jeff & Billy rode the spinning/rocking/make you puke ride with William they were then able to spot this kid out of a crowd of 10,000 people for the rest of the day.

Here Jeff & I are taking the Sky Lift up the hill from River St in Downtown Gatlinburg... behind us is the main street in town. There is supposed to be a pretty big gourmet food show in the Fall... I would come back here. We stayed at Twin Creek RV park, which was close and clean and very friendly. They rented cars on site and also had free WiFi. Super easy to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Bill runs the joint and I'd like to thank him for his help and hospitality. Here is a link for more info on the RV park...
http://www.twincreekrvresort.com/

Next stop is Nashville... i know we did it last year, but The Grand Ole Opry beckons... that is one good time.

I'll do a quick review of the places we bellied up to the table... some old standards and some new places. Look for it in the next few blogs.

Cheers!

(8/3/06)Cherokee People...Smoky Mountains...Bamm!!..Gatlinburg

2006-08-04T00:37:00.000-05:00

Today we drove through the Cherokee reservation in the Smoky Mountain area and through Smoky Mountain NAtl. Park. I could spend alot of time here...good stuff. Here is Billy whe we took a brief stop to rest and let all the cars that were backed up behind the Spice Bus pass... it is some tricky work driving up and down winding mountain roads with a vehicle of that size... again, this is probably another reason why the truckers have taken to "Spicy Phat Boy"! ( if you don't get this refernece you have not been paying attention. You must review prior blogs immediately, there will be a test upon our return).

The Cherokee area is very "touristy"... casino, fake moccasin/tom-tom shops and all, but then you enter the Smoky Mountains, pass Clingam's Dome (which i believe is the highest point along the Appalachian Trail) and enjoy some fantastic scenery very much like driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is very near here also (starting in the Asheville, NC area)

As you decend and emerge from the mountains.... BAMM!!!!!!!!!! in the blink of an eye you are in a commercialized tourist destination called Gatlinburg. I was shocked..the transition was immediate. In any case, it is a very clean and fun town.. reminded me alot of Lake Placid, but looked newer, cleaner and maybe more fun... but that is open to opinion.

We are spending a few days here before heading West, so I hope to have some more photos of Gatlinberg and DOLLYWOOD!

check out info here http://http://www.gatlinburg-tennessee.com/

Mocksville, NC... protein and sleep (8/2/06)

2006-08-04T00:26:00.000-05:00

Aside from the "thumbs up" and waves the Spice Bus got from other road travellers I cannot say much about North Carolina today except I wish we had stopped for some REAL BBQ instead of driving hard. In the end, we made it to a campground in Mocksville, NC just as it was getting dark, and that was fine, because all we needed to do was eat some beef jerky, wash it down with a protein shake and sleep.

I think the truckers like me... they think I am one of them... probably my dark shades, bbq stain on my t-shirt and they see me chawin' on jerky while I'm driving. I should haved a radio handle... maybe "Spicy Phat Boy"....?????

Tomorrow we head towards Pigeon Forge, TN. I doubt the Spice Bus will make it, but I know we'll make it to The Great Smoky Mountain Natl Park... and that stuff is right up my alley.

Sorry, no pictures today...I am focused on getting internet access tomorrow, 8/3/06, so that I can get caught up on the blog, the pictures and such.

Cheers,
Wally

Chincoteague, VA - The Ponies are gone..but the Fish are ON!

2006-08-04T00:08:00.000-05:00

Our first stop was at Tom's Cove Park in Chincoteague, VA.. a place famous for the wild pony swim across the channel.. which we just missed. Billy was not going to let that put a damper on things, as he set out on his bike to make friends in the campground he found himself on a pier talking to an 'Old Salty Dog' fishing alone in the 100 degree hot sun and humidity. Next thing we know Billy hauls the fish in and runs over to the Spice Bus to see if we can keep it as a pet or eat it! Wow... talk about black-or-white options!
I convinced him the right thing would be to let the fish go back to the water and when he hauls in a fish big enough to feed the family I'll worry about it then.

Here is a shot of the lighthouse on Assateague Island.

Very nice place, just wish it was not hot as Haiti while we were there... having scooters to get around the island would have been very helpful. In any case I fired up the little Weber Smokey Joe and thru some burgers , shrimp and scallops on for an RVers version of surf-n-turf. I got the seafood at a small shack run by a guy on Bebe Rd, just outside the campground.

Tomorrow the Spice Bus hits the road Long and Hard..... ughhh!

2006 Roadtrip Begins...Spot the Spice Bus!

2006-08-03T23:44:00.000-05:00

Here it is folks... THE SPICE BUS !
We embarked on our trip July 31st 2006 and headed South first.

For all of you that spotted us on the road and emailed us or asked in the campgrounds for spice samples...please check our website in the next few days. I plan on putting up a special for those of you that spotted the Spice Bus. I think I'll call the promotion...
"Spot the Bus and the Spice is On Us"

check in at http://www.SKgourmet.com and let us know where you spotted us, and any other info you care to share with us or questions you would like to ask about our fabulous spices & herbs.

Watch daily for new blogs... I'll add them as I have internet access along the road.

ALL the Best!
Jeff W.
aka- Wally
aka- Walkin' Wally
aka- Road Gourmet

Shenandoah Natl Park... the Appalachian Trail calls me... the bear scares me

2005-08-23T12:47:00.000-05:00

Our stop in Shenandoah Natl. Park was too short. We just stayed the night in Big Meadows Campground and had to leave for the Poconos the next day, but that night was great. I took a hike with Billy that started from near our camp site , led onto the Appalachian Trail and then a smaller trail to Lewis Falls, and 81 foot waterfall in the middle of the forest. (see the map of this campground and some of the trails here... http://www.nps.gov/shen/PDF%20documents/Maps/Road_and_Trail/Big_Meadows_area.pdf) I was caught a bit off guard when it seemd the light was fading much sooner than i expexted. Billy and I were at Lewis Falls with quite a hike to get to safety(plus the sign that read: "STAY ON THE TRAIL.. FALLS CAN KILL" got my attention). We had hiked about 2 miles already with a 900 foot change in elevation and I was tired...so I could imagine how Billy felt... but he soldiered on. We made it backl to the RV and it was DARK. Last thing i wanted was to be caught stumbling through the forest were the park service was trying to trap a black bear that had been getting too close.

Well Billy earned his hike medallion that day for sure. The next morning before we left camp Jeffrey and i did a little of the same hike. There was an outcropping of rocks at the edge of the moutain that allowed you to see the valley and full range of mountains, ridges and gaps... while sitting near the EDGE! totally awesome.

Lewis Falls behind Billy.

Jeffrey on the Appalachian Trail

Wally visits Wally's 'Fill-er-up" .. Mayberry RFD

2005-08-23T12:17:00.000-05:00

We drove through a town called Mt. Airy, NC, which is where Andy Griffith grw up and the town the actual show is based on. This town shuts down early and but there was Snappy's lunch, Wally's Fill-er-up and few other things you may remember from the show. Michele travelled back in time to a simpler day when she asked a local kid for directions to "Aunt Bea's BBQ"!

Here the boys almost take a ride in the Sherrif's car as they get into a tussle in Mayberry.

Aunt Bea's BBQ was ok, it was a small local chain I believe. I repeat, OK.

From Boone to Blowing Rock an ill wind blows

2005-08-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

We continued up the PArkway towards the town of Boone, NC, where there stands a Mast General Store (http://www.mastgeneralstore.com/) and is directly across the street from Our Daily Bread , where we had lunch. Boone is a quaint little mountain town, check it out here ...
http://www.boonechamber.com/guide/.

Our Daily Bread
Deli-Cafe serving the High Country since 1984. Breakfast, vegetarian and vegan items, specialty sandwiches, soups, salads. Daily specials. Catering picnics, family reunions, office meetings. 627 West King St. Downtown Boone. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun. 12-5 p.m. 828-264-0173.

From Boone we drove to Blowing Rock, which is a really nice littel mountain town i would like to visit again.. I provide a link below to get info. It is also home to "The Blowing Rock".

Legend has it:
It is said that a Chickasaw chieftan, fearful of a white man’s admiration for his lovely daughter, journeyed far from the plains to bring her to The Blowing Rock and the care of a squaw mother. One day the maiden, daydreaming on the craggy cliff, spied a Cherokee brave wandering in the wilderness far below and playfully shot an arrow in his direction. The flirtation worked because soon he appeared before her wigwam, courted her with songs of his land and they became lovers, wandering the pathless woodlands and along the crystal streams.
One day a strange reddening of the sky brought the brave and the maiden to The Blowing Rock. To him it was a sign of trouble commanding his return to his tribe in the plains. With the maiden’s entreaties not to leave her, the brave, torn by conflict of duty and heart, leaped from The Rock into the wilderness far below. The grief-stricken maiden prayed daily to the Great Spirit until one evening with a reddening sky, a gust of wind blew her lover back onto The Rock and into her arms. From that day a perpetual wind has blown up onto The Rock from the valley below. For people of other days, at least, this was explanation enough for The Blowing Rock’s mysterious winds causing even the snow to fall upside down.
UNFORTUNATELY THE "BLOW" was not BLOWING that day.
http://www.theblowingrock.com/legend.html

the village ...http://www.blowingrock.com/

Mt. Mitchell.. I'm high again dude! Higher!

2005-08-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

We took the RV on a side trip off the Blue Ridge Parkway up to the summit of Mt Mitchell, the highest point on this side of the Mississippi River

at 6,684 ft elevation..

You can drive up to a parking lot near the summit and there is a snack shop/gift shop /rest station there, but then you need to hike up a short, somewhat steep trail to the summit area and an onbservation tower. Billy and i made that trek and her are some shots from up on high.
The plant life is amazingup here. Check this link for the ecology of Mt. Mitchell... http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/momi/info.html

Asheville area and the Last Buffalo (8/15-8/16/05)

2005-08-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

We stayed at Camp Fire lodging in the Asheville area, this campground was clean with great views (see link : http://www.campfirelodgings.com/index.html)

This put us in position to see the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and hit the Blue Ridge Parkway afetr that. The Biltmor Estate in unbelievable in scale and granduer. It is hard to believe that one man built this for his vacation retreat, check out the webiste here http://www.biltmore.com/

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs through North Carolina and Virginia (meets up with Skyline Drive in Shenendoah National Park.. known as America's Favorite Drive). Teh speed limit is 45 mph, and that is fast enough when driving an RV as you want to take the blind turns a bit slow since you are often at the edge of a cliff. This all makes for some unbelievable views... one after the other. It seems like the mountains, righes, knobs, gaps and valleys never end.

Sadly there will be no more views of Buffalo roaming the land anymore since an early settler took care of the last one in 1799.

All Who Wander are not lost.... 4600 miles to prove it

2005-08-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

I created a trail map of the Crusin Cuisine Roadtrip... take a look at this 4600 mile bonanza of sights , sounds, family fun and good food... particularly BBQ.

This trip was an experience, not a vacation. I realized there is so much more to see and do and taste. Even after 3.5 weeks and 4600 miles we barely scratched the surface!

In the days/weeks that follow I hope to post a few blogs that will give tips on how to do a trip like this and let you all (or ya'll) know what did and did not work for us. Cooking with my SKgourmet products (and Raichlen's ash hoe and Tuscan grill) did work, but the time demands of an aggressive trip like this just require that you eat at restaurants and roadside joints. The SKgourmet Napa Valley Grill and Chophouse were favorites of mine on this trip... you can BUY THEM ONLINE BELOW:
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=SKgourmet

I still have some photos to post and hope you all keep checking this site every now and then.

Last week to follow soon.. photos temporarily lost!!!

2005-08-21T19:09:00.000-05:00

I dropped a photo card from the digital camera at a location in NJ.. they FOUND IT! I will get it on the web asap (next few days) and update everyone on our trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline drive with stops at Asheville, NC (Biltmore estate), Mount Mitchell (highest point on this side of the Mississippi), Boone, NC, Mt Airy (town thta Andy Griffith's Mayberry show is based on) and Shenandoah National Park.

Jeffrey and I on the Appalachian Trail. more of these to come from the lost photo card.

we had a few more food stops as well as our final adventure... camping with the Meglen boys in the Pennsylvania Poconos... great campfire going there and good open pit Chickne and ribs.

more Crusin' Cuisine soon!

Stone Mountain, GA (8/15/05)

2005-08-21T18:37:00.000-05:00

Stone Mountain( Georgia) Family Campground ( see more info here http://www.stonemountainpark.com/faq/) was just outside Atlanta and across the lake from Stone Mountain Lift ride and park grounds. We spent the day there and started with a sky ride up to the top of Stone Mountain and a 1.3 mile hike down the mountain to a theme park. The mountain is the largest granite outcropping in the world and has the largest relief carving on it. The Memorial Carving depicts three Confederate heroes of the Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson . Here is Jeffrey and Michele with Atlanta behind them in the haze.
Billy and Jeffrey both succesfully climb a rock wall for the first time... here they are ringing the bell at the top.

The park also had a girl versus boys tree house among other fun stuff to do. This was a great place for some outside fun. They also had smoked turkey legs... see Michele below proudly holding her turkey leg as the boyz show off their hand puppets from the Okefenokee swamp.

We ended the day with dinner at the Stone Mountain Inn Restaurant which was a southern style buffet. I must say for buffet food it was good.. really did taste like homemade bbq chicken, collared greens, sweet potato pie, etc... Then we layed out on our blanket in the open fields by the relief carving for the nightly FREE laser show(they say it is the largest laser show in the world). The entire show is put to music and is honors Georgia's confederate past and patriotic present.

That's Cruisin Cuisine for today.

Tin Roof. Rusted! Love shack, baby love shack...

2005-08-15T09:02:00.000-05:00

Driving from Okeefanokee , GA to Stone Mountain Park , GA(just outside Atlanta) we were on

some pretty lonely/scenic roads and got to see some roadside BBQ shacks and some vendors that sell Georgia peaches, vidalia onions and of course BOILED PEANUTS.

We also saw many houses/shacks with tin roofs, many of them rusted, like in the B-52s song "Love Shack" (they are from Georgia)

We stopped at this BBQ shack in Enigma, GA. Here it was real simple.. the pork BBQ had been boiled, shredded and sauced up with their version of sauce... tasted good and hit the spot as we worked our way towards Stone Mountain. We also tried their fried chicken and some hotdogs. Stop by Enigma BBQ shack if you are ever on Rt 82 in Enigma, GA.

Here they boys prepare for the final leg of the trip to Stone Mountain after filling their bellies with Enigma BBQ.
That's Cruisin' Cuisine for today.

Rockin' on 3,000 miles in Jasper and Swamp Oddities (8/12/05)

2005-08-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

In Jasper Florida or thereabouts we turned 3000 miles on the odometer. I pulled over to gas up and get the kids some food when all of a sudden I was inducted(or abducted) into a rock band headin to play gigs in Columbus and Atlanta Georgia. Here I am with them at a roadside gas station in Jasper Florida... very nice bunch of kids. I actually forgot their band name (someone had the Public Enemy shirt on but I do not think that is the name). I wish them the best.

We were on our way to the Okeefanokee Swamp in Georgia. We would stay at the Stephen C. Foster Park there, and it is by the Suwanee River(remember the tune?). Funny thing was, of all the places we had been, this was by far the most remote... I mean we were in the middle of a damned swamp, yet they had full RV hookups and the best cable TV reception of all the places we had been. This was a good thing because as we found out we are not swamp folk. For starters the ginormous spiders everywhere were a bit scary, plus we knew there were some poisonous snakes and gaters in 'them thar waters'. Still it was a very nice park. We took the walk on the path/boardwalk into the swamp to see some of the plant life (4 of the 5 insect eating plants exist here) and swamp creatures. We did not see any gators, but we think we heard one of their warning sounds they sometimes make as we walked through. Place was full of swamp Cypress trees, spanish moss, etc.. pretty cool... oh yeah and big spiders, pretty scary.

Simple swamp folk enjoying an evening rockin' on the cabin porch.

The Gulf was our DESTINy (8/10-8/12/05)

2005-08-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

We headed over to an RV park called Camping on the Gulf , which happened to be in the
Destin area of the Florida panhandle. We got lucky, they had a spot for us directly on the beach site for 2 nights. This was a great RV park.... friendly people, very clean and fantastic view. We literally lived on the beach here with that breeze and the warm water... very nice. Unfortunately it is the exact place and beach where the 14 year old girl was killed by a shark attack this year. So we only went waste deep and ony if there were other people in the water.

On our second night we took a taxi down the road to The Back Porch, which was an on-the-beach restaurant and bar. Food was pretty good and the view was real nice.

Here Billy is knawing on a fried crab claw with cocktail sauce (later he would take on some scallops after he ate 1/2 a rib-eye. Jeffrey ate 1 1/3 rib-eye steaks.. I guess frollicking in the Gulf makes a boy hungry).
I had a Jack Daniels marinated tuna steak that was real tasty and Michele had char-grilled grouper.

Then we walked over to The Track and proceeded to school everyone on proper driving technique... since they had not yet noticed my skills on the last 3000 miles of this trip!

That's Cruisin' Cuisine for today!

The Big Easy... a little sleazy... (8/9/05)

2005-08-15T07:03:00.000-05:00

...But the food was GOOD!

We left Natchez and bee-lined it for New Orleans. We just wanted to see Burbon Street, so we only planned on staying the night. Thank goodness, because when RVing and trying to stay close to The French Quarter your selection is limited to a few RV parks that are in neighborhoods that are not so nice (I am going easy here). We parked at Mardi Gras RV park next to Red Carpet inn, which was about 4 miles to Bourbon St... I guess if you are there to see Bourbon St. it is not so much about the RV park and nice shaded lots.

We walked down and around Bourbon Street and came upon NOLA, Emeril Lagasse's restaurant. They had a wait for a table, however they seated us immediately at the Tuscan oven station were all the kitchen action was going on. We figured that would be fine since 1) it was late, 2) we were hungry, 3) it would keep the boys occupied watching the frantic action and 4) what other choice did we have.
Here is a link to Emeril's Dinner menu at NOLA>>> http://www.emerils.com/restaurants/neworleans_nola/menu_dinner.php

we ordered: Emeril's Barbecued Gulf Shrimp with Rosemary Biscuit, Wasabi Taco with Cajun Blackened Tuna, Sesame Cucumber Salad, Avocado Salsa, Pickled Ginger and Sticky Soy Glaze; Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Worcestershire Sauce and Walnut Blue Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushroom; and Lamb chops along with a less expension variety of Stags Leap Cabernet. VERY DELICIOUS. Billy pounded down some sort of super, double chocolate cake dessert.

Then we walked to Cafe' Du Monde for some Cafe Au Leit and Beignets. A Beignet is somewhat like an Italion zepolli, but better in that because it is thinner it does not have that heavy , doughy feel to it.

Then on the way back to the RV we stopped and got geared up for Mardi Gras. (Note: Jeffrey is in the background playing his Gameboy... I think he is beating Groundon. I think Jeffrey now has the world record for playing gameboy in more places than anyone)

and that's Cruisin' Cuisine for today.

Missin' Mammy in Natchez Mississippi (8/9/05)

2005-08-15T05:57:00.000-05:00

We bolted out of Memphis on Interstate 55 heading for Jackson , MS. We needed to sleep somewhere in that area so we could travel the southern leg of the Natchez Trace (at an RV about the last 80 miles or so). Turns out we stayed just outside Yazoo City (isn't that a great name?) park called Springfield RV park. The office was closed and so they just leave an envelope for you to fill out some info and leave payment on the "honor system". WOW! What a concept, the honor system! Anyhow, it was convenient and it was CHEAP... $23 I think, full hookup with cable.

Next day we were in perfect position to enter the Natchez Trace Parkway (note: an ancient trail that connected southern portions of the Mississippi River to salt licks in today's central Tennessee. Over the centuries, the Choctaw, Chickasaw and other American Indians left their marks on the Trace. The Natchez Trace experienced its heaviest use from 1785 to 1820 by the "Kaintuck" boatmen that floated the Ohio and Miss. rivers to markets in Natchez and New Orleans -----see this link for more info http://www.nps.gov/natr/). We stopped along the trace at it numerous pull-over areas with scenic views or historic relevance including an Indian Burial mound/temple . We ended this portion of the journey in Natchez, MS, and I got to stand next to the Mississippippi River from the banks up high in Natchez. Natchez looks like a cool long weekend vacation for adults... nice little historic downtown, some Inns, B&Bs , restaurants, pubs, etc and the riverboats.

After leaving downtown Natchez we headed for New Orleans by way of Rt 61 through Baton Rouge then east on Rt 10. But not before stopping at Mammy's, a roadside eatery on rt 61 in, or just outside of Natchez. We just missed the lunch and they were closing, but Billy spotted some chocolate cream pie dessert left over and they were glad to sell us some. It must have been good because before I could ask for a taste the rest of the crowd had devoured it. It is easy to spot Mammy's since the building is a gigantic Mammy and the dining potion of the building is housed under her dress!

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS of this portion of the trip
http://www.skgourmet.com/Natchez_Mammy.html

That's Cruisin' Cuisine for today.

Piggin' Out in Memphis (8/8/05)

2005-08-09T09:25:00.000-05:00

We swung through historic Beale Street in Downtown Memphis on our way out of town. Lunched at a BBQ&Blues place called The Pig on Beale. Our server told me the ribs were hickory smoked for 24 hours... well it was worth it, as these were the best ribs/bbq we've encountered on our trip so far. I know bbq is a personal thing , but as for my 2 cents I would suggest stopping at The Pig on Beale when in Memphis.

That's the Cruisine Cusine for today.

Click this link to see photos of Sun Recording Studio, where Elvis recorded his first record. It is just blocks from Historic Beale St.http://www.skgourmet.com/sun_beale.html

"Thank you. Thank you very much.".... (8/8/05)

2005-08-09T08:29:00.000-05:00

We made it! We're here! Memphis-Graceland. We did the full tour of Graceland seeing Elvis' house and grounds, his collection of cars and planes and oh yeah about a bizillion gold and platinum records. Elvis is actually burried on the grounds of Graceland with his mother, father and grandmother. Since there are too many photos I will post a few here with a link to all of them on another site.

More Graceland pictures at this link:
click here>>> http://www.skgourmet.com/graceland.html
(lot sof pics.. it may take a few moments to upload)

Crusin' Cuisine will post about eating on Beale Street in Downtown Memphis on next blog.

Billy.. The Good Ole Boy....

2005-08-07T00:18:00.000-05:00

We went to see the first Saturday night Grand Ole Opry show and it was lots of fun. Billy had his cowboy hat on again and was stompin' and hootin' -n- hollarin' all throught he show. I'm not kidding! This kid gave a YEeeeHA! about 200 times. All the hoots were well deserved, and I suggest this to anyone in Nashville.. it is good clean family fun, and you get to see up and coming country music performers as well as long standing stars. The show is run live on radio and goes for about 3 hours. The outside plaza is a party scene also with a music stage, drink/food stands, souveniers. Here are some photos of the Grand Ole Opry. It was the second to last thing we did before retiring for the evening.. after the show we did 2 rounds of Go-cart racing and that was HUGE FUN!

Oh yeah, there was a huge BBQ Cook-off just next to the Opry, I estimate at least 150 participants. Some had big rigs all decked out for smoking and others had more modest setups. I thought we might try some BBQ again for dinner, but Jeffrey cried foul and proclamed he could not possibly eat BBQ again tonight...and so we headed to Jillians, and extremely cookie cutter mall type restaurant with large recreation areas(pool room, bowling, arcade). Cruisin' Cuisine gives Jillians a thumbs down. Obviously we have not been preparing as many meals as I thought we might, but that is the reality of wanting to see the sights and also the reality of relatively small food storage and cooking space in an RV... plus it's fun to find local eateries along the way. I will include a piece soon that contains some tips or tricks to help in dealing with the small food storage/prep space with this rented RV.

Heading for Memphis tomorrow... I guess it's sort of a pilgrimage for Michele.... she always wanted see Graceland.

-Wally

Nashville Nights.. making it in music town

2005-08-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

Billy decided he would strum a tune and try to make a few bucks after seeing all the Wanna-Be's out on the street playing for tips.

But it's a good thing he did because he scratched up enough for us to chow down on Bar-B-Que at Jack's Bar-B-Que on Broadway in downtown Nashville.

A simple menu and no-frills service... in fact it's cafeteria style makes this a very laid back experience. Grab a tray, pick yer meat, pull on a beer and enjoy! Check out the website by clicking the link below:
http://www.jacksbqrbque.com

Jack's Bar-B-Que is Cruisin' Cuisine's pick for today.

After filling our bellies with smoked meats we grabbed a horse and carriage ride around downtown Nashville... it was a particularly nice night! More than once Billy tried to enter an establishment that was not quite ready for him! The bouncer at Coyote Ugly and a few other places asked him to come back in a few years... LOL! (wow.. no wonder.. http://http://www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/nashville/pix.html)

We're staying at a Yogi Bear Jellystone Park Campground near Grand Ol' Opry and these parks are all over the country and seem to be good for kids. They have a number of kid/family events each day, all the needed facilities plus some to make it more fun.
for more info on these parks click this link : http://www.campjellystone.com

Diamonds are ForNever (8/5/05)

2005-08-06T12:15:00.000-05:00

On the way out of Kentucky on Route 65 South we pulled off at Park City, KY to visit the Diamond Caverns. I made a gut decision to avoid Mammoth Cave Park and the worlds largest Cave system (I believe) due to time constraints and a feeling from some informational brouchures that Diamond Caverns would be a quicker stop and a better deal. The Caverns were lit up very well to highlight the amazing features and the tour was guided and lasted about 45 minutes. I later heard someone at the RV park say they were upset with Mammoth Cave. Here are some photos of Diamond Caverns... and NO there are no Diamonds, but it got the name because the man that discoverd the cave thought he may have found a diamond mine ... and the name stuck.

Yeee-HA!!! My Old Kentucky Home

2005-08-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

We are at The Kentucky Horse Park Campground in Lexington, KY. Nice place here.. I like it almost as much as I like the Adirondacks. Very pretty rolling hills and horse everywhere. We are positioned perfectly in the park, steps from the info/supply store, steps from the pool, steps from the playground.

First night here we just settled in and I got a fire going since it was almost dark. Dinner was just a few hot dogs cooked on the fire along with some sides Michele whipped up.

We spent Thursday (8/4/05) at Kentucky Horse Park, which is a monument to the horse in every variety. It is a sprawling complex with a few museums , shows, horse riding/pony riding, etc. Michele and Billy actually went to ride horses on a short trail ride.

Michele made it, but Billy had to bow out before the ride began as his spurs were too sharp and the horse began to buck wildly! Billy, the kid, held on and rode it out like a true cowboy, but then decided to hang with Jeffrey and me in the air conditioned cafeteria while we waited for our cowgirl to mosey on home.

We also drove through Lexington today and south to a scenic drive on Rt 68 to Harrodsburg, KY. Great drive, but at times a little scary with an RV. The ride takes you through great rolling hills and horse farms everywhere, with the black or white fences that are everywhere down here outlining the farms. Then the ride brings you through a very narrow, winding road over the Kentucky River Gorge. On the other side you work your way up through the narrow road flanked by walls of Limestone. It was all very pretty. Along the way you pass some roadside vegetable/fruit stands and you end up the ride in Harrodsburg.

We ended the day back in Lexington at a BBQ joint called Billy’s BBQ, featuring genuine West Kentucky BBQ(101 Cochran Rd, Lexington, KY 269-9593)… some had voted it the #1 BBQ joint in Lexington. We chowed on chicken, ribs, chopped pork butt, fried mushrooms with horseradish sauce, fried banana peppers and washed it down with a Kentucky Bourbon Ale (it actually tastes a bit like bourbon as I believe they finish it off in old bourbon barrels). My boys ate well… Billy, the kid, inhaled this BBQ like I’ve never seen him eat… while wearing his new straw cowboy hat. Check him out here as he is experiencing a BBQ food coma at the moment... look at that plate!

Here we are posing next to Billy’s BBQ van after gorging ourselves on BBQ. This was a good day for Cruisine' Cuisine as we got our first taste of good BBQ on the road and we got to pull into our campground and hit the sack without any work to do on the campfire or the RV kitchen. Oh yeah!... Don't forget to try the Kentucky Bourbon Balls, a chocolate ball with real bourbon and a nut on top... it is real good and Real Kentucky.

See MORE Kentucky Horse Park photos here (click link below):
http://www.skgourmet.com/RoadTrip_Kentucky.html

Thank You Uncle Sam!

2005-08-06T10:44:00.000-05:00

Our family and friends back in Bergen County , NJ probably never knew this little tidbit, but all Wal-Mart’s across this great nation allow RVers to use their parking lots over night! Well, actually one friend did know this back home, Carmine Montemarano, I think he must have had a past life as trailer folk. In any case this was huge since it positioned us close to The Buckmeister(Wayne Hall) , gave us a place to sleep overnight free and let us re-stock supplies at Wal-Mart in the morning( see I knew they had an ulterior motive). In fact staying at a Wal-Mart lot is not free on a warm night since you run the generator so that you can have air conditioning… so in the end you pay for gas and generator time(if you are renting the RV) and I estimate it costs about the same as pulling into a campground, but when you are tired and it’s dark out it is the good call to make. By the way, we were not alone! So Thank You Uncle Sam for your wonderful offer to RVers!

Wayne took us out to a Red Robin restaurant and we got caught up on the latest with him. Food was standard chain type food and so we ended the Long Haul Day the way we started… quick fast food…and a couple of beers with Bucky. We only got to drive through Cleveland, but it was all about seeing Bucky anyway. I would like to announce that the Ohio Department of Transportation needs to get to work on the roads,,, way to many potholes.

That's all from Cruisin' Cuisine today..................Wally

The Long Haul…. “10-4 good buddy” (8/2/05)

2005-08-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

Today we wanted to position ourselves to work our way south, but we had 2 goals in mind…1) See Niagara and 2) see Buckminster Palace in Ohio. Buckminster Palace is one of many nicknames Wayne Hall, our good friend, goes by and he lives just outside Cleveland , OH on Lake Erie. In the End I would feel like a trucker on a long haul today and this day would not end until after midnight.

Although the schedule was aggressive we started the day along rt 12 continuing the scenic seaway route until we hooked up with RT81 south. We had breakfast at a Cracker Barrel, which everyone is probably familiar with , unless you have not been on an interstate highway in this country in 10 years or more. I new that the Cruisin’ Cuisine for the day would be this highway rest stop kind of food because of our aggressive sceduale, but that’s the way it goes… you take the good with the bad.

We got through Buffalo, NY just before rush hour and made it to see Niagara Falls.
Wow, is that wet or what?

The entire place is very much a tourist trap, but we just had to see it. Funny thing is, Jeffrey Lost his first molar tooth while inhaling a Hershey bar at the falls… here is a picture of him showing off the new vacancy in his chocolate stained pie hole. This makes me start to wonder… our friends back home joked that we would start losing teeth now that we were living in a
trailer…. Is this just the beginning?

Now we backtracked through Buffalo (this time we tasted a bit of rush hour) and towards Cleveland (via Rt 90). I called ahead to Mr. Bucklesworth(Wayne Hall) to see if there was a Wal-Mart near him. There was, and that story is to follow….

A Three Hour tour… (July 31, 2005)

2005-08-06T10:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it was more than three hours but we wound our way out of the Adirondacks and headed for the border (Canadian Border that is). We found ourselves on the Scenic Seaway Trail.

We crossed over the bridge and into Wellesley Island State Park Campground and I began to make a fire in the pit. I had picked up some steaks and chicken and proceeded to grill some NY Strips over a wood fire. SKgourmet Chophouse was all over these babies, of course, and it was pretty tasty stuff.

The next day was lawn games and bike riding around the park. Dinner was Chicken with SKgourmet Napa Grill Rub along with onions and some veggies on the side. Billy and I actually logged 6 miles on the bikes as we peddled to the end of Wellesley Islands towards Minna Anthony Nature Center. We saw a turtle trying to cross the road and Billy wanted to help… too many cars though…I think he made it.

Pictures from High Falls Gorge (Ausable River)

2005-07-31T08:32:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from High Falls Gorge, which we visited on July 30, 2005. This was our stop after some Mtn Biking/hiking at North Pole campgrounds and before WhiteFace Mtn and Tail-O-The_Pup.

Dude...I'm so High!

2005-07-31T08:05:00.000-05:00

4867 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL to be exact!
We took the steep drive up WhiteFace Mtn to the elevator that brings you to the summit and we were amazed. What a great view ! I don't think we ever held our kids hands so tight and I don't think they minded... some of the areas we walked to looked a bit scary. I told the kids to watch the first step..it's a big one. Billy of course wanted to climb to the very edge. I got somewhat close with him and sat there for a while and it was beautiful (and very quiet).

Below are some more photos from atop WhiteFace Mtn.
Below that is our Cruisin' Cuisine for the day.

We noticed 'Tail-O-The_Pup' a few days ago when we were bee-lining it for North Pole Campground (it is between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake). We were a bit tired and hungry after WhiteFace Mountain and High Falls Gorge(post to follow...)so we decided to pull up to this roadside BBQ joint. There are plenty of tents to eat under and an open air picnic area with a kids playground. They had a huge fire going with Adirondack chairs around it. The food is hickory smoked and you eat at picnic tables with paper towels as napkins. Live band was playing , Lake Placid Uba Ale was flowing, and fingers were getting sticky eating BBQ.
Although it was not the best, it was worth the stop and I suggest it to anyone in the area(especially travelling with kids) or any road weary traveller with hunger pangs.

That's Cruisine Cuisine for today, July 30, 2005.

-Wally

I'm very resourceful...

2005-07-30T22:38:00.000-05:00

In the middle of a forest I solved the digital camera problem.

Sort of...

I actually walked into the campground registration center and rented a high speed internet access for $4 and was able to download the camera drivers to the laptop. So here we are and I would like to update you all on some photos from the last few days..

Mom and boys posing with RV at Ledgeview Campground near Lake George(our first stop)

Michele whips up some grub in the RV as Jeff inhales his first helping.

We made a stop Friday July 29th in North River at Gore Mountain to see the Gore Mtn. Mine and prospect for Garnet.. a red stone. This stop was also the start of our Northward push along scenic rt 30 to Saranac Lake. Jeffrey and Billy look to be successful in finding the red gemstone.

Main Street, Lake Placid , NY. What a pretty town. I need to get up here and spend some time.. we may cheat a bit tomorrow when we leave the North Pole Campground and Santa's Workshop and get a room for the night. Walk Lake Placid and take it in... and take in some proper showers.

3 Big Things…

2005-07-30T22:08:00.000-05:00

1) The Adirondacks
2) Our big/long scenic drive through the Adirondacks
3) Our growing hunger as night approached

There is no other way to sum up this day, July 29, 2005. We left Ledgeview RV Park and headed up 9N along Lake George to its northern end. What a nice drive and it gives you a great sense of the kind of fun to be had at Lake George. Making a left onto Rt. 8 we headed west for Mt Gore area to do some Garnet mining at the now closed Mt Gore Mining Camp… the kids loved it and it put us on the scenic drive that winds through Adirondack Park from Speculator to Lake Saranac.
It was my intention to cook a meal today, but when you are in the middle of a forest and the sun is going down and you have not had dinner you tend to grab what you can at the nearest gas station. We did make a split second decision to pull over at a little unassuming ice cream stand in Tupper Lake to keep the kids happy while we tried to phone ahead to North Pole for a camp site and hoped we would make it there before sundown. It turns out this little ice cream stand had a greasy spoon type kitchen and we grabbed some hot dogs and ham&cheese sandwiches. I had a “Michigan” Dog. What is a Michigan Dog you ask? Well I found out it is pretty much a chili dog with sweet onions in it…I’ll have to research if this is an Adirondack specialty or if it is more widespread than that… I admit it was a new one on me(I found some links that may clear up this hot dog mystery... http://www.pressrepublican.com/michigans/michigans_duquette.htmand http://www.apnmag.com/spring_2005/michiganhistory.htm) .
So that was the reality of Cruisin’ Cuisine today.

I cannot end without mentioning what a great long ride we had today… I would put Saranac Lake and Lake Placid on my list of places to visit on another vacation… really nice looking towns with shops, pubs, restaurants and good scenery. I will be back for longer stays at these wonderful places..

In the end we did make it to North Pole and pulled into North Pole Campground where I hooked up quickly as darkness fell and started a fire in the fire-ring. Billy and I toasted marshmallows and then we retired for the night. We decide to stay 2 nights so we can hike/bike, visit Santa’s Workshop and see High Falls Gorge. On the way out we’ll see Whiteface Mountain Memorial drive and visit the summit.. I hear it is something to see.

Sometimes Cruisin’ Cuisine is what it must be… quick and to the point.

-Wally

Here we go again....

2005-07-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Well I got to the internet but have not figured out the digital camera problem yet.

After breakfast we limbered up and packed up and now we are off to cruise Adirondak Park.. which I learned is the largest, and is also bigger than New Hampshire!

By the way, the vegetable omlet with SKgourmet Provencal seasoning was great and will sustain us for the day ahead!

Check back later... more to come from Cruisin' Cuisine!

Man I'm tired......

2005-07-29T10:58:00.000-05:00

Well we finally got that RV packed up and ready to go and I’m sure we forgot something but we’ll be ok. Drove up I-87 to the Lake George Region in the Adirondacks ubtil we reached an RV park named LedgeView Village(518-798-6621). We pulled in just before dark and I got us hooked up in no time.

With all the excitement and preparation this last week Michele and I are fairly tired, as for the boys, they are just wound up like tops. We decided to make life easy on ourselves and heat up some of the meatballs and sauce we brought along and I had some SKgourmet style chili that Michele made for the trip. The microwave and stove worked like a charm.

It is 10:30pm and for some reason my camera would not connect to the laptop even though it did last night. Once I figure it out I’ll load up some pictures. I also could not connect to the WiFi internet access as the campsite was a bit to far from the connection point, so I will load up a few days once I get to a good access point.

I think a vegetable omelet is on tap for me in the morning before we unhook and head on a scenic drive from Spectator to Lake Saranac through Adirondack State Park. Next stop………got me??????

Wally

Me, my son and Steven Raichlen

2005-07-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here my son and I catch up with Steven Raichlen after he held a BBQ class. I look forward to using his Tuscan Grill over an open fire while on the road.... Steven don't fail me now!"

4 days and counting to Take-off!

2005-07-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

I think we have it under control but in 3 days the RV will be parked in the driveway for loading and I am sure we'll be scrambling... and not eggs. We're excited and a bit nervous. I packed a supply of SKgourmet spices and herbes as well as salt, pepper and some other essential seasonings condiment(garlic poweder, onion powder, red papper flakes, basil, cayenne pepper, red pepper sauce, etc)

We are getting the cooking tools together tomorrow. I will try to incorporate some of Steven Raichlens Best of Barbecue line of tools/gadgets as I think they will serve me well while I prepare my "Cruisin' Cuisine".