Wednesday, August 12, 2009

"Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" - The Road Trip

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Some people, and I'm one of them, are infatuated with the Food Network's program "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," hosted by Guy Fieri. When we flew down to Miami last April we decided to see if we could find one of the places that had been featured to visit. Within a couple of hours of landing, and finding the car rental, renting the car, and driving a few blocks south we found the one we were looking for, "Scully's Tavern." The food was wonderful!

After being back home for a few months I got to wondering if I could generate any interest on the part of anyone to go on a "Diner's, Drive-In, and Dives," road-trip. I thought my wife and maybe another couple, but unfortunately she isn't too interested; but she said if I wanted to go with a couple guys she would be "ok" with it.

I emailed my old best buddy, Joe, and asked him if he would be interested in going, sans wives. Amazingly, he emailed me back and said his wife thought it was a GREAT idea. I was pleasantly surprised.

While all this is going on, one of my other old best buddies, Larry, showed up: this after almost 40 years of no-contact. Larry, Joe and I, a little over a hundred years ago, were college room mates. After a little emailing back and forth between the three of us we all decided this is a "we-must-do-this-road-trip." We aren't exactly college kids anymore, so the whole thing is a bit reminiscent of two recent movies, "The Bucket List," and "Wild Hogs." But this is real-life, so how much trouble, really, can the three of us get ourselves into?

The sketch is an outline map of where we have discussed roading to: All the way from Seattle, to San Diego, and back. At one point we were thinking about heading back home through Salt Lake City and Boise, ID., where there are some fabulous looking "DDD's" to visit; but now we're thinking ten days is about all some of us can afford. Getting all the way down and back in ten days might be a stretch, but we think it's doable. We can always turn around and come back. Right?

The next problem is timing. We don't want to go in the heat of summer when everyone and their kids, and dogs, are on the road, so sometime after school starts up this fall, but before the snow and ice begins forming in the Siskiyou Mountains in northern California.

Wish us luck.

4 comments:

  1. You WILL keep a trip journal and share with us, won't you? Sketches, too, not just food reviews! Great idea. September is a great time in Northern California.

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  2. I just started making my own maps. Well, I've done exactly one...and it's hard! I like the work you've done on yours.

    Enjoy the trip! I'll want to see what you draw on the trip.

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  3. How I would love to join you guys on this trip. I never miss DD&Ds program on Food Network. Salivate during each episode.

    Please list the places you're going to visit. Journaling the trip is a must do thing.

    Have a great trip.

    Jesse

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  4. Boise would have been a challenge to plan because you'd have to be here on a Saturday morning to get beef tongue at Gernika before it sold out, but it could be a weekend trip some other time. (You don't know me, I believe you went to high school with my parents as I found you via facebook, your drawings are WONDERFUL)

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