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April 23, 2010
 When you come to Folly Beach, one must slow down, stop, and smell the locust tree or sit back and listen to the birds chirping. Or if you feel like looking for hidden treasures washed in from the sea, you can ride your bike along the shore and find all sorts of shells, sand dollars, and if you are really lucky, perhaps a shark tooth! Today has been the perfect day. Jon’s friend, Rick (better known as Rasta Rick) took us on a sweet guided boat tour around Folly Beach and James Island. He took us to Morris Island – to the tip of the island which was a long sand bar flanked by a beautiful, old lighthouse. We ventured off the boat and walked all over the island and found some really cool sand dollars! We saw dolphins, a loggerhead turtle, (well, they all saw the turtle) osprey, and pelicans galore! Wireless doesn’t work on our computers here so blogging has been challenging! But, we are enjoying our time here hanging out with Rasta Rick and his super nice girlfriend, Ria eating amazing fish tacos, guacamole, and frozen orange screwdrivers….which are pretty damn tasty, I might add! I will try to post more later, but for now, I need to relax. 
April 21, 2010
 We are en route to South Carolina…let the festivities begin! We hope to make it to North Carolina this evening. This time we are taking my FJ which is pretty roomy and comfortable so far! More to come…
November 9, 2009
 After sleeping 11 hours last night, Jon and I feel great! Our dogs even slept in, as well. Not only are we glad to be back in beautiful Vermont, but I think our dogs and cats missed us more than we thought and vice versa. It’s good to be home. We are glad to have made this trip…Jon’s commented on how it’s changed him for the better. I’m happy to have experienced this journey with him. We enjoyed reading all of your comments….thank you! Feel free to keep checking back. We may continue to update this blog.
Hugs to all from the Vermont crew!
Love,
Calico + Jon
November 8, 2009
I’m writing this post at 6:06AM this morning after feeling the need to update our avid readers who have followed us along on our wild journey. After driving to the small town of Madison, outside Cleveland, we pulled into a Red Roof Inn at 12:30AM to try and get a room for the night. Right before we pulled in, I paused for a moment at the wheel and stared at the packed parking lot and noticed two women standing outside the side entrance to the inn. All of a sudden, a plump, African American woman came bounding out the door, wearing nothing, but a blanket wrapped around her neck as a cape. She was completeley naked, boobs flailing! Then, all of a sudden, she fell flat on her face. What the heck just happened? She was either drunk or on drugs or just got caught fornicating with someone else’s husband, perhaps! Either way, this was too much drama for my liking at midnight, when all we wanted was a peaceful night’s rest. I drove back onto I90 and headed north to Ashtabula, Ohio where we pulled off to try our luck at a Sleep Inn. Keep in mind, I had pulled into one other motel parking lot and noticed how packed it was. This lot was no different. They were completely packed. There was only one room left and they wanted to charge us more than we wanted to pay for only 6 hours of sleep. Again, there was some big soccer tournament in the area so every hotel was booked! I decided to drive across the street into a Flying J gas station. I noticed many truckers, RVs, and cars all parked and sleeping. Jon was extremely agitated by this point. We decided to follow suit and park our car to sleep for a few hours. No hotel for us this time around….but it wouldn’t be a real road trip without one night slept on the side of the road! Only 7.5 more hours until we reach home.
November 7, 2009
After leaving San Francisco, we headed east on I80. We made it to Park City, UT. After a good night’s sleep and feeling the affects of the elevation, we continued our trek through two of the widest states on I80…Wyoming and Nebraska. Nebraska was never-ending, with miles of flatness and the occasional over-powering essence of manure. Completely exhausted from the monotonous journey, we crashed at a Best Western in Council Bluffs, Iowa…a sharp contrast to Park City, UT! Iowa is nothing but cornfields and wind turbines. A creepy older man checked us in and we entered our room which had a musty, mildew smell. After turning the fan on right away and showering, we slipped into bed and immediately fell fast asleep. After getting lubed up at a Jiffy Lube in Council Bluffs, better known by locals as, Omaha’s ugly, little sister, we are now enroute to Ohio…hoping to make it to somewhere in NY off I90.
November 5, 2009
 Jon and I met Dad and Helen at their house for a quick coffee, bagel, macerated strawberries and papaya juice and hit the road. We had to make it to City Segway Tours in Fisherman’s Wharf by 9:45. We were there a bit early and met Johannes….a lively, gray-haired man with a slim physique. He would be our tour guide for the next 3 hours. We started off by viewing a short video on how to ride a Segway and followed the video with a practice session. After the session, our group took off. We had an intimate group….it was Jon, me, another couple, and Johannes. We started our trek in Fisherman’s Wharf. He showed us everything…and was full of information and interesting tidbits about the area. We had great weather and picture-perfect views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco Bay. Riding a Segway is like nothing I’ve ever done before. The key to riding a Segway is pretty simple….you just step onto the Segway and stand straight while holding onto the handle bars. Turning is super easy….and backing up only involves leaning back ever-so-slightly. When going up hills, you lean forward…going down, you lean back slightly. You can play on them as well, making fun slalom-like moves and 360 degree turns. When we finally got back, we felt pretty confident with our Segway skills. We both really enjoyed this tour. It was a great way to see the city, for sure!
Afterwards, we headed over to the enormous Boudin Bakery which has a bakery, giftshop, cafe and restaurant upstairs. We had a wonderful lunch…I had the crab and corn bisque in a sourdough bread bowl. The Boudin Bakery was the first bakery to make sourdough bread. I grew up on this sourdough bread and no other bread company really compares. It is the best….something to do with the water and yeast! After lunch, we drove up to Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. I was hoping to see the infamous wild parrots. If you haven’t already seen the documentary film, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, do yourself a favor and rent it. Johannes, our Segway tour guide had mentioned that the parrots are still around and that they have multiplied in numbers. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any. 
We drove over to Japantown afterwards and perused the unique shops. Jon bought some interesting shoes and I purchased beautiful origami paper. We stopped at the mochi goshi bakery (see bottom picture to the left) and Dad & Helen bought some mochi goshi. Growing up as a child, this was one of my favorite desserts during the holidays. It’s basically a sweet, glutenous rice paste filled with a sweet bean paste and lightly coated with powdered sugar. It sounds bizarre, but it’s wonderful in every sense.
We decided to have dinner at this Moroccan restaurant on 32nd and Clement. I can’t remember the name, but it was AMAZING. The exterior of the restaurant had beautiful tile work and as you stepped inside, you felt like you were stepping into Morocco. There were plush, low couches everywhere with low round tables and small poufs to sit on, as well. All the walls and ceilings were draped in colorful fabrics. Our server came out with a giant tea kettle and poured warm water over our hands so that we could clean them. He gave us each a towel to dry our hands and keep for the rest of the evening. There were no utensils…we would be eating with our hands or scooping up food with slices of bread. We started our meal off with a delicious lentil soup. Each of us cleaned our bowl. The next dish was a platter which included marinated carrots & cucumbers, an eggplant tapanade and a tomato relish. Again, we consumed the entire platter. The next dish included a puff pastry filled with chicken and veggies and topped off with powdered sugar….WOW. Again, we devoured the dish. It reminded me of funnel cake or fried dough that was stuffed with a savory filling. I ordered the fish tagine special for my main meal which was made up of baked seabass, lemon, olives, capers, and a delicious red sauce chock full of wonderful herbs and spices. It was served with couscous on the side. Jon had ordered the chicken, onions and sweet raisin entree which he loved. My Dad and Helen loved their dishes, as well. For dessert, they brought out another platter that had deep-fried banana fritters and a paper-thin pastry with sweet cream and honey, I believe…not quite sure exactly. It was a wonderful Moroccan feast and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! After dessert, he brought out hot, mint tea which was a great way to end the meal. While sipping the mint tea, a beautiful belly dancer came out into the restaurant and starting dancing…it was mesmerizing, not only to the men, but to the small children and women! I really enjoyed the belly-dancing and I think my Dad and Jon enjoyed it that much more!
All in all, it was an incredible day….one that we will remember forever! My Dad and Helen were extremely gracious hosts, as always, and I’m glad we were finally able to come out to San Francisco to see them again. Next time, we won’t wait 4 years. I have to say, still to this day, San Francisco is by far, the best city…from the attractions, scenic views, the weather, to the unbelievable selection of fabulous restaurants. I really miss this place! Time to pack up…first breakfast at The Cliffhouse with Dad & Helen, than we continue our journey back to Vermont.
 Yesterday was a fantastic day! We ended up having our favorite food in San Francisco…Dim Sum with Dad and Helen!!! Yummy! If any of you don’t know what Dim Sum is….it’s a style of Chinese cuisine where they come out and you select various small plates of food which might include sticky rice, steamed pork buns, steamed scallop dumplings, spinach and shrimp dumplings, egg rolls, flat egg noodles stuffed with pork and veggies….and the list goes on! If you have never had Dim Sum…you are missing out on one of life’s greatest culinary delights! So, after consuming more than we probably should, we headed over to Golden Gate Park to the California Academy of Sciences and spent about 2 hours completely enthralled. I don’t know what was more fascinating….the 4-story rainforest or the aquarium! I loved the rainforest….it was filled with interesting flora and fauna, gorgeous butterflies, parrots, and various tree frogs and lizards. A butterfly landed on my pinkie finger as I was taking a photo of another butterfly! It was heavenly. The aquarium was amazing too! You really have to see this place. We headed over to the Japanese Tea Garden afterwards. I had never visited this garden while growing up in SF, but I’m glad I was finally able to see it now since I have a greater appreciation for gardening and landscaping. We checked out the gift shop after perusing the lush gardens and we met Helen’s brother…Uncle Benh! I hadn’t seen him in decades! He volunteers at this gift shop, as well as, the wonderful bakery in Japantown where they sell mochi goshi (not sure of correct spelling). After an epic day in Golden Gate Park, we ended the evening at Bella’s…a nice Italian restaurant fairly close to where my Dad and Helen live, in the Richmond District. Jon got his favorite dish, gnocci, while I opted for my Dad’s recommendation, the lobster ravioli. What a perfect day! Could it get any better than this?
November 2, 2009
 Just made a brief stop off Highway 101 at a great little restaurant called Duke’s about 2 blocks from the beach in Ventura, CA. I googled fish tacos on my iPhone and this place came up so we decided to check it out. It was probably the most authentic, and definitely the best meal so far. We each got the special trio taco plate which came with 1 chicken, 1 carne asada, and 1 fish taco, along with beans and rice. We also ordered a bowl of guacamole and chips. Let’s just say, we both devoured our plates! Each mini taco was loaded with tons of cilantro and onions and it came with a side of zesty tomatillo salsa to pour over each tasty morsel. The guacamole was phenomenal, and the homeade deep-fried tortilla chips didn’t stand a chance!
I washed down the yummy goodness with a cold Corona and lime…the perfect companion to a fish taco! We walked down to the beach and took in the sunny, Cali vibe. We met a local guy who was a little too friendly…we decided to move along after he asked us for an email address. We are enroute up 101…SF bound.
October 27, 2009
 After waking up to a blue bird day with temps in the high 30’s, we packed up the car and headed out to find The Aztec…another local’s favorite. Tucked down Aztec Street, right off of Guadalupe Street…we came upon this funky little joint. The Aztec is authentic in every sense, from the interesting artwork, both inside and out, to an artistically drawn chalkboard displaying a wide array of coffee drinks to please any java officionado. We soaked up some rays outside and decided to check out some of the local shops. The Peruvian Connection happened to be right around the corner on Guadalupe Street (mi madre works at the one in Manchester, Vt)! We drove around town for a bit and took in the sights. The mountains surrounding Santa Fe were all snow-capped…supposedly, a snowstorm will be heading their way this evening. All in all, we like Santa Fe…and would definitely return to take in the art galleries, old chapels, mountains, and local flavors. The locals seem friendly here too…I would guess it’s a mixture of artists, writers, musicians, and hippies. Next stop, Sedona, then Glendale, AZ to see my brother, Rhetta, and our nephews, Quentin & Jaxson!
October 26, 2009
We are quickly making our way through the Texas panhandle…just stopped in Amarillo at a local Jiffy Lube for an oil change. One armadillo sighting…unfortunately, his end was the road. 1,870 miles travelled.
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