Napa Valley

We arrived in Napa, CA at about 8:30 PM last night. We had driven well over 10 hours in the car and were not exactly in the mood to find a restaurant to eat at. Most of the restaurants closed a 9:00 PM anyways, so we just ate at the Denny's right next to our hotel and called it a night.

This morning for breakfast we went to, surprise surprise, Denny's. We had received coupons for a discounted breakfast there. After breakfast, we went to the hotel lobby for information on the plethora of vineyards in the area. We checked out of the hotel and were on our way.

We decided on a vineyard in St. Helena. We arrived there after a leisurely 30 minute drive through the Napa Valley. This drive was beautiful. The weather was perfect. We saw pine trees sitting next to palm trees. We drove by many vineyards and saw bunches of ripe grapes weighing down their vines. We then pulled the car up to Beringer Vineyards, the oldest vineyard in Napa Valley.


Yes. This actually IS the same Beringer that produces the Beringer White Zinfandel that you can buy for $6 a bottle at your local Harris Teeter, but we didn't see any of that wine in the tasting room. We sampled a Sbragia Chardonnay Limited Release, a Cabernet Franc, and a GREAT dessert wine, the Beringer Nightingale. After the tasting, it didn't take long for my parents to get roped into becoming members of the wine club there.


After walking around the vineyard and sampling some great wine, we then headed up the street to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. This is not THE Culinary Institute of America, that one is in New York. This is a branch campus. They've only been open for about 6 years. We went to the restaurant here for lunch called The Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant.

The cooks here use local ingredients and the menu changes with the seasons. This insures that the freshest ingredients are used at all times. My dad went with a sample of wines while my mom and I just went with sparkling water (someone's gotta drive). For lunch, I went with the Chanterelles Pasta. Chanterelles are a local mushroom found in California that I had read were fantastic. They were. The sauce was a sort of cream of mushroom type sauce that was delicious. The pasta was a homemade flat pasta that I don't know the name of off hand. Here is the picture.

After an amazing main course, we were still a little bit hungry and decided to go ahead with dessert and coffee. I got the Creme Brulee. This was amazing as well and was very rich. It topped off the meal perfectly and filled me up as well.


Today was a great day. After the lunch and a short stop at the Franciscan Winery, we headed to our next hotel destination in Berkeley, CA just outside of San Francisco. I like Northern California a lot. I can't really describe just how perfect the weather is right now. Stay tuned for more. Tomorrow we go to San Francisco.

Lots of Driving UT/NV/CA

Yesterday we drove over 700 miles from Park City, UT to Napa, Ca. It was quite a long time in the car. We did gain an hour since we made it to the Pacific Time zone.


We did take some pictures while on I-80. Here are a few of them. They were taken while the car was moving, so I'm afraid that the quality is not the best.

The Great Salt Lake
This was not far from the lake. The salt was all over the place. Looks like snow.

Here is a Morton Salt factory or something like that. If you look closely on the building, you can see part of the Morton Salt logo. This will end up on your dining room table in a week.

Here are some of the hills we were rolling through in Nevada and on into California.
More on Napa in a separate entry.

Park City. Kind of Baller.

Park City seems like a pretty exclusive little town. Why wouldn't it be? People pay top dollar for Sundance Film Festival tickets after they buy themselves a Rolex on Main Street. There is not a crappy looking place all over town. I'm tempted to take a vacation at the Burger King here. It's that nice.

We went to this place called Wasatch Brew Pub. I got a Pumpkin Ale that was actually pretty good and tasted JUST like pumpkin pie. Overall, it was a good food experience, but nothing crazy. I wouldn't mind coming back here sometime. According to Craigslist, I could rent a 2 bed room house during Sundance Week for $5,000. That doesn't include airfare or tickets to the event. :)

Dumb and Dumber was actually filmed here and in Breckinridge, CO. Kinda cool.

This isn't my pic since we were only here at night. This is from Wikipedia but you get the point...

Park City for the Night.

We did a good amount of driving today. We did about 550 miles of driving to be exact. Check the pic. We're in Park City, UT for the night. We'll see how it is. Don't really expect to be able to take in a lot of sites.

The Last Supper

So the last dinner my aunt made while we were here in CO was sofa king good! It was amazing! Shrimp and Grits. I can't express how good this was. Here's a pic.

Rocky Mountain Hiking

Just got back from a little hike in the "foothills" of the Rocky Mountains. I had a great time. I wasn't huffing and puffing nearly as much as I thought I would. That being said, I could definitely tell there was less oxygen around. :) Here are some pics.





I like it here.

Weekend in Monument.

Friday night we went to this place called The Old Stone Church in Castle Rock, CO. This place is literally an old stone church that was converted into a restaurant. We had to have a few drinks at the bar before being seated so I had another chance to have a Fat Tire beer and enjoy some conversation with my aunt, uncle and parents. Sitting around with family having drinks and hearing old stories is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do.


We were seated at about 8:30 PM. I was immediately impressed with the menu here. Not exactly the fare you'd expect in a small town. I ordered another Fat Tire while we decided what to get. We settled on the appetizer of Thai Chile Calamari which was awesome. It had a slight spice that built up over a few bites, but it wasn't overwhelming. I had never had anything like it, at least with calamari.

For my main course I decided on the Buffalo Ribeye cooked medium rare. I've been eating steak so much in the past week, I chose to keep that streak going but this time with buffalo. I'm glad I went with this choice because it really was great. The steak was lush. The asparagus was fresh and crunchy. The mash potatoes were perfect. There was also a garnish of fried cactus which was really sweet surprisingly. Everyone else's dishes looked equally appetizing. I really liked this place.


Saturday was the Air Force v San Diego State football game. We arrived at the stadium at about 10:30 am to tailgate before the noon kickoff. We had a few beers and breakfast burritos while meeting some of my uncle's colleagues and classmates from the Academy. This place definitely has a very loyal alumni following. At about 11:30, we made our way up to the stadium.

This stadium is pretty nice and it also helped that our seats were great. Pregame traditions are pretty cool at the Academy. They had the cadets marching out onto the field and people parachuting down just before kickoff. There was also a fly-over just before kickoff. I took a video but it didn't exactly turn out well because of my camera's lack of zoom.



The game was a good experience. The Falcons took a comfortable 16-2 lead into the half. The San Diego State Aztecs made the game somewhat respectable with 2 lucky touchdowns late in the game to make the final score 26-14. The game was good and it was a gorgeous 69 degrees out with not a cloud in the sky. It was a great way to spend a Saturday.


After the game, we came back to the house for some beers, snacks and more great conversation. My Aunt Lisa made this "Taco Soup" as she called it for dinner. I devoured two bowls of this chili. I don't have a picture because it didn't really last long. It was great with corn bread and Frito scoops. I don't usually love beans, but this one had 3 kinds in it and I still killed it. I honestly think my aunt is an amazing cook. The risotto, the chili, her french toast this morning. It's all gooooood.

Following an AMAZING meal, we sat outside on the deck with brews in hand. More great conversation ensued and my cousin, Nick, and I proceeded to quote movies for a LONG time. I'm beginning to see that the Cicere clan loves to quote movies. It's hilarious and I love it.

Today, we're going on a hike. This should be fun since I'm still out of breath just from walking up the stairs at this altitude. More on this later.

Monument, CO

Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Monument, CO after a quick 2 hour drive south from Fort Collins. We passed through Denver on the way where I got to catch a glimpse of Invesco Field at Mile High and Coors Field.

My uncle went to the Air Force Academy and served in the Air Force for 25 years before retiring to work in the athletic department at the Academy. My Aunt Lisa and Uncle Chris' house is awesome. On their back deck we can see the chapel at the Air Force Academy a short distance away. We were also wearing short sleeves while we could see the snow capped top of Pike's Peak. That was kind of awesome.

I had not seen my cousins for a few years so it has been great to see them. The youngest one, Andrew, did not really remember me considering he was like 4 the last time I saw him. Oh well, he warmed up to me as soon as he saw that I enjoyed playing the Nintendo Wii.

For dinner, my aunt and uncle made some great sausage risotto while my dad and I put a dent into the beer. I like it out here. Much like California, it just has a different vibe than the east coast. Everyone seems to enjoy the hiking and other numerous outdoor activities that you can participate in.

Today for lunch, we met up with my uncle at the Academy for a tour of athletic facilities and a pregame football luncheon. We got to hear the coach speak about the previous games and his outlook on their match up against San Diego State tomorrow. We will be attending this game. After we parted ways with my uncle, we check out the chapel at the Academy, which has a pretty unique design.






That's it for now, but here is a jam from a Boulder, CO band. This has got to be a home made video because it's kind of lame, but the song is awesome.

Fort Collins, CO

Yesterday, I was in Fort Collins, CO for the first time. We were there to pick up my cousin, Kelley, from CSU. While in Fort Collins, I got to meet up with a former co-worker of mine, Jan De Bruyn Kops from National Cable Communications. (Shout Out) It was great to see a familiar face on the trip. He picked me up for lunch and we went to this great deli/bar in downtown Fort Collins right near CSU. I got an Italian sandwich called the Sicilian Kiss and we picked up a round of Fat Tires at the adjacent bar. MONZ!

Fort Collins definitely has a great laid back vibe that I noticed just from being there for only a few hours. I'd definitely visit again.

After lunch, I met my parents at my cousin's sorority house. This place is legit. I kind of wish I went to a college with a fraternity scene! It was great to see Kelley since it had been a few years since our last meeting. We then headed to Monument, CO to see the rest of the family.

Mount Rushmore

This morning we drove from Spearfish, SD to Mount Rushmore in Keystone, SD. It wasn't too long of a drive and out here the drives are pretty nice. Like Devils Tower, you can see the main attraction a copy of miles away. Let me just say that seeing Mount Rushmore in person completely trumps looking a pictures and reading all about it. You have to see it in person to appreciate all the work that went into this.

I would go into the history of Mount Rushmore that I read about today, but I figured I'd just post a helpful article here. Here is an article about the main developer too.

I should have been blasting this little ditty on my ipod while at Rushmore...

Devils Tower and Deadwood

Today we went to Devils Tower, WY to check out the Devils Tower. You may recognize it from the Spielberg alien flick, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This MASSIVE rock formation was actually a lot cooler than I thought it would be.



Deadwood was just ok. I feel like the charm of this place could have been a lot better if they hadn't turned EVERY place here into a crappy looking casino. By casino I mean 10 slot machines with cheesy western themes. It was kind of cool to see "Wild Bill" Hickok's grave though. "Calamity Jane" is buried right next to him by her request.

Dinner in Spearfish, South Dakota

Last night we decided to go to a steakhouse for dinner. We had been driving by grazing cows all day and I decided that I wanted to eat one! We picked this local place called Shoot the Bull Steakhouse.
As soon as you walk into this place, you could tell it was pretty authentic. No bells and whistles, no booths, no music, just a great place to eat. There was a fireplace in the middle of the restaurant which is nice because it was a windy 40 degrees out last night.

Since it was "Margarita Monday" last night, mom got the strawberry marg for $2. Dad and I both got the Leinenkugel Summer Weiss. I'm seeing more and more that this beer is pretty big out here.

Looking over the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted and what I had come here for. A steak! Below the steaks listed, there is a notice that says, "Our steaks are best prepared at medium rare to medium." Basically they're telling anyone who happens to like their steaks well done NOT to mess around with what they know is good. I decided on the Ribeye like my dad except I opted for medium rare and he went with medium. I got the garlic mashed potatoes as my side choice and added sauteed mushrooms on top.



With dinner, I got one of these Moose Drool Brown Ales from Missoula, MT. I really liked this beer. Not really going to rave about it, but it was good. The steak was perfect. Juicy with a little bit of fat around the edges. The warm pink center melted in the mouth. The dry rub of spices and salt eliminated ANY need for A-1. The mushrooms were just the icing on the cake. The garlic mashed potatoes were made with redskin potatoes which was awesome. This place gets my blessing for anyone looking for a great steakhouse. The next time you're in Spearfish, SD you should check it out.

I-90 South Dakota

Today we pretty much just drove. We left Sioux Falls, SD around noon and arrived in Spearfish, SD around 7pm. We entered the mountain time zone today. I'm pretty tired but here are some pics from the drive.



The Sioux Falls...
The Missouri River


And the terrain begins to change!

Chicago

We arrived in Chicago last night around 7:30 PM. After unloading the car, sounds easier than it was, we headed up to our room. We stayed at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue, which is pretty awesome.

After settling in at the room, we changed and headed downstairs to check out the local eateries. We did not stray far because we were pretty tired after the drive from Cleveland. We ended up at a hotel restaurant connected to the Congress Hotel. This meal was satisfying, but nothing spectacular. We did get to see fireworks being set off at the Navy Pier right from our table. That was pretty cool. After dinner, it was about 10:30, so we just called it a night.

Today, we were able to get a lot of site seeing in. We woke up early and hit up the hotel gym. After a nice run, we got ready for our day and decided to hit up the hotel breakfast buffet. It was actually quite good. I had a fig for the first time and it was amazing. With our bodies exercised and nourished, we headed out to begin our day.

Our first destination was the Art Institute of Chicago. You may recognize some of these exhibits as they were immortalized in the 80s classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Being able to see these paintings VERY up close gave me a renewed respect for what artists can do! I think one of my favorites was a contemporary painting called Picture of Dorian Gray. It was painted by Ivan Albright and used in the 1945 film of the same name. The painting actually has a lot of color in it and is very vivid. The painting is supposed to show the decomposition that Dorian Gray goes through. The movie was in black in white, but when they show the picture in the film, they used color and you can see why. This museum was ridiculously awesome. I recommend going because it really covers a broad spectrum of art from all over the world and through out the centuries.

Picture of Dorian Gray

We had built up an appetite during our stroll through the institute. I had heard about Chicago's famous Italian Beef sandwiches and how good they were. So I knew I couldn't leave Chicago this time without sampling one of these things. We walked a good mile and a half from the museum to, what looked like, the second location of Al's Italian Beef. This place is famous for these things. Al's was featured on such shows as Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Man v Food. They're basically steak sandwiches. I don't know exactly what goes into making them, but after your sandwich is ready, they dip the entire sandwich in the juices of the meat. I got mine with both sweet and hot peppers. It was messy, but believe me, it was well worth the mess. SO GOOD!



After eating, we were pleasantly full and not overstuffed. We walked east to the Navy Pier. It was a good distance to walk, but it was such a nice day out that we didn't mind at all. At the Navy Pier, we walked to the end to sit have drinks at the Beer Garden there. We had a good time, but I personally think that if you're going to name a place a beer garden that you should have more than 6 beers to choose from.

From the Navy Pier, we took a water taxi to Michigan Avenue, which cut our walking distance in half. Going up into the Sears Tower was not exactly what anyone had in mind next. I'm not exactly a fan of heights. They do have one of those glass obversation platforms now, but F*&$ THAT!

With a LONG day of walking behind us, we headed back to the hotel for room service and bed. We had an awesome day of driving to Sioux Fall, SD ahead of us. Here are some Chicago jams. I thought of the Kanye song when were eating dinner watching the "fireworks on Lake Michigan."



Here's a depressing one by Wilco, but I still like it.



And some Rogue Wave.



More Rogue Wave. I wonder where they are from!?