Day 2 & Naughty Teens

The view from the top of the reservoir, Jamie & friends!

The tribe woke this morning to an overcast day and experienced on and off rain showers all day long. A thunderous rain storm hit us for about 1/2 and hours late in the afternoon. (This is the routine for the weather here in Colorado!) Fortunately today is a short day! After a "heavy continental" breakfast, they spirited off to climb the switch backs to the top of the reservoir and coast on to the little town of Keystone, then back to camp for a swim in the pool and a soak in the hot tubs at the Rec. Center.

We chose to spend a quiet day picking up groceries & reading. Somewhat quiet. 50-75 screaming little children on the slides are not considered quiet. Annoying maybe. All right, completely annoying. We had to hide to pop cooler and the lemonade dispenser as it was considered community property. The big "Adventure Cycling Members Only" sign must have been written in a foreign language.

The skate park was equally as busy. All in all the teens that frequent here are pretty well behaved. Except for the "Naughty Three". Three young men about 15 years old were hanging out at the pavilion next to us. Isabel had stopped by for a visit and the Naughty Three came over and asked if we would like to buy a pair of "collectors bike shorts". I don't consider a 1970's pair of corduroy cut offs collector bike shorts. They hustled us for a little while, the oldest of the three sporting an evil glint in his eye. We joked with them and then they proceeded to face the shorts to us: hahahah.....anatomically correct art work sported the front of the shorts. So: being the great ISS teacher that I have been known to be, I informed them that they were really not too funny, rather annoying, and that their consequence for being such was to sweep the pavilion & then join us for dinner. They were a little shocked and then thought it was pretty cool: they swept the concrete and actually did show back up for dinner!

After they ate I told them that if they came back at 10:00 the next morning I would pay them to camp sit so we could ride! I hope they show up!

I feel a little sorry for these guys, if you can't tell. They're at the end of their summer, bored out of their minds, looking for things to do which usually means getting into mischief, and wanting attention. I will give them attention! And something to do.

Dinner tonight was a great fresh veggie salad with all the good stuff from Boulder, Greek Lemon chicken, basmati rice & sauteed patty pan & zucchini squash (or is it squashes? Don't get me started.....) fresh from the field. The tribe loved the food & are looking forward to a day without rain tomorrow!

Colorado Relaxed Day 1

Carla, Hillary & Mary enjoying dinner & friends & amazing eggplants!

Day #1 of Colorado Relaxed! The tribe arrived at the Recreation Center in Silverthorne to a mass of children, all shapes & sizes! The playground that we camp next to had been remodeled recently and it is THE place to bring your kids. I estimate that at dinner time there had to be 200 kids on the playground and another 40 skaters at the skate park! We're here for 3 nights......my patience may wear thin!

There are so many repeat riders on this tour! Hillary: her 3rd tour this year! We have 5 people on staff that rode or worked the "06 cross country tour: Jack, Marilynn, Spike, Bill & Isabel! Also gracing our presence are three staff members from the ACA office! I had better mind my manners!

Dinner tonight is honey glazed pork chops, Indian vegetable stew, (are the eggplants that we picked yesterday not gorgeous??), spinach & orange salad w/ honey mustard dressing and fresh corn on the cob. (Good job shucking that corn, Jamie!) The tribe ate well and did a pretty good job on the beer as well.

Tomorrow's ride is an easy 18 miles: a good start to get the low landers acclimated to the altitude! I know it took me a couple of days!

On to Colorado

Colorado relaxed begins today! Jack and I had a great week off preparing to do this all over again!

We kicked off our vacation week by riding the Gondola in Kellogg, Idaho to the top of the mountain. You have to understand that this was a big deal for me: I am kind of a scaredy cat when it comes to heights. Well, more than kind of. What I can say is that we made it to the top. I did not hyper-ventalate or cry. Well, almost. When we got to the top I told Jack there was no way in heck I was getting off and just turn this thing around and get me back down. It doesn't work that way. They made me get off!!! I cried. A little. We sat for awhile until my legs stopped shaking then boarded for the trip back down. Jack failed to tell me that I could arrange for a ride down with a park ranger. But, I am here to talk about it! Actually the ride down was gorgeous and not as scary as the trip up!

We took a couple of days to make our way to Colorado, then spent the week with friends Jack & Cori in Louisville. We got some riding in, a trip to Garden of the Gods, a long day up through Estes Park & the Rocky Mountain National Park, many visits to local brew pubs (there are a few!), and just hanging out. Recommended eats: the Old Louisville Inn, Oscar Blues in Lyons, Serious Texas Bar-B-Q in Loveland, and Marie's for breakfast in Boulder!

We spent yesterday out and about hunting for local produce. This area is huge on growing corn and organic vegetables. We found a farm outside of Boulder that supplied us with fresh picked corn, eggplants, (I got to hand pick them in the field!), patty pan, zucchini & crook neck squash, cucumbers & baby yellow potatoes. The farmers market in Louisville provided gorgeous organic fennel & watermelon to help feed the new tribe!

We are looking forward to a week on the trails in Colorado: the riding here is awesome as is the scenery. It takes a couple of days to acclimate to the altitude: I went out for a run the first morning here and thought I was going to die! But riding a couple of days later was no problem!

(While riding we encountered acres of prairie dogs: they are SO CUTE! I don't know why everyone calls them prairie rats!)

I will keep you posted on the tour: first three nights we'll be in Silverthorne for a couple of out and backs. Jack's granddaughter Jamie will be with us while we're here and we hope to spend some time riding with her! Then up and over Vail Pass.....we'll see you on the other side!

Idaho Family Tour

What can I say about this trip other than: it was great! We really did have a week of family fun!

The trip kicked off on a sunny day at the Community Center in Plummer with a dinner of Teriyaki chicken & peanut yam tofu. Up early the next morning for the ride to Catalgo: a pretty long day for the little campers! There were lots of moose sightings! Everyone made it into camp with a smile! Well, except Scott. He decided to be a hot shot and blew through water and lunch before they were even set up. No water, no food. Not a good recipe for being a happy camper. Tacos for dinner were a hit: these kiddos can sure eat! One hungry camper made off with 12 pieces of watermelon: I wouldn't want to have been in his tent! Maybe that's why he had his own tent...hmmm.

Day two was a short day into Kellogg with a stop for many tribe members at the Snake Pit for Huckleberry ice cream. The afternoon was spent playing at the indoor water slides and pool, trying to stay cool in the heat! Pork chops & Indian vegetable curry were a big hit for dinner: the kiddos have done a good job of enjoying the vegetarian options! Overall, the small tribe members were pretty easy to feed: kids can be a pain with the "I don't likes" and "I only eats", but we didn't have too much of that here!

Day three was a shuttle to ride the Hiawatha Trail. Everyone had a great time and hit the pool as soon as they were back. Scott was kept busy cleaning bikes! A pasta dinner was well recieved for another long day back to Heyburn State Park on day number four! This tribe of kiddos bonded quite well during the week: lots of friendships made & emails exchanged. What did we ever do before cell phones & email? I remember collecting addresses and having pen pals! I still love to write letters and send cards & little treasures I find along the way through the mail! It's so much fun to open the mail box & have a surprise waiting for you!

The last dinner was a big hit: simple but yummy! Nana's BBQ beef (ie: sloppy joe's) on a bun, beef hot dogs, veggie burgers, corn on the cob & salad. My little watermelon guy from night #2 tried to make a meal of just corn, but mom intervened! Tammy & crew did a farewell map meeting followed up with a camp fire & smores: yumm!

This week went by really quickly, I think more than one tribe member didn't want it to end! It is so good to see families spending time together: especially on their bikes! I was impressed by the number of grandparents with their grandchildren. What an amazing experience to share and priceless memories created. There were a couple of campers that were a little hesitant at the beginning of the trip, but they settled in really well and I believe everyone had a great time! Good job Tammy & crew!

Oh yes, speaking of Tammy's crew: Jack and I shared an inside joke with the tribe on the last morning. Once upon a time Tammy mentioned that she like to refer to her staff as her "peeps". We know she did this in a loving, caring manner. The t'shirts Jack & Kevin sported on the last morning were quite a surprise for her! Good job guys!

So: so long mini tribe members! Max, Ella, Liam, Jamison, Bronwyn & friends! It was fun: I will miss making toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch and cringing when you are on your fifth brownie. I hope you ate well and enjoyed your rides! We hope to see you on another tour next year! For us: on to Colorado!

Honey Spiced Pork Chops

I know that I have published this recipe before: but it is buried in one of the Texas blogs: so this should be easier to find. I have served this with a homemade apple chutney and also without. The chutney recipe is on a Texas blog if you would like it.

These pork chops are so yummy! The rub would be awesome on ribs as well.

4 center cut pork chops

1/4 cup honey (it helps to heat the honey a little: it;s easier to work with!)

RUB:

1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients for the rub.

Rub the chops with the honey then dredge in the rub, covering the whole chop.

Cook over a medium-high heat on your grill until desired done-ness: 160*f internal temp is recommended. (But I prefer them not that done!) Enjoy!

More recipes anyone? I know there have been requests for the peanut yam tofu: it will have to wait until I'm home! I make it from memory for 60.

Smoked Chicken Lasagna

This is a great change from traditional lasagna. It is rich and bursting with the smoke flavor of the chicken. You can make the sauce that I suggest here: it is easy enough: or again you can cheat and use a commercial product.

At home we smoke our own chicken breasts over hickory chips on the BBQ: if you have a smoker that will work great. Do not overcook the breasts as they will get tough and chewy. You can find smoked chicken in the meat or deli departments of better grocery stores.

SAUCE:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup chopped celery leaves

8 Roma tomatoes, cored and diced

1/4 cup Pinot Noir or red wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (in oil)

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic & celery leaves & cook @ 3minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until very soft, 10-15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1/2 hour. Set aside.

LASAGNA:

6 sheets fresh pasta, cooked in boiling water until just soft but still resilient: or cooked dried lasagna noodles to fit a 9X12 baking pan

olive oil, as needed

1/2 pound portobello or white mushrooms, sliced

2 bunches fresh spinach, stemmed

1 pound smoked chicken breast meat, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350*F. Saute the mushrooms in @ 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft. Set aside.

Oil a 9X12 inch baking pan. Spread a layer of sauce evenly over the bottom oft he pan. Set a ayer of lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, then cover with more sauce. Tops with layers of spinach, chicken, mushrooms and sliced cheese. Top with a layer of sauce, followed by a layer of pasta. Repeat the layers, finishing the top layer with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour or until the sauce is bubbling & hot.

Enjoy with a great Syrah!

Herbed burgers w/ mango salsa

OK: I have had a few requests for recipes. I will post each one separately so that you all can just look at the title to find the one that you want! When I get the 3 done that have been most recently requested I will do an overview of the Idaho Family Ride that went really well! Bon appetite!

Herbed burgers w/ mango salsa:

It is ok to cheat on some of the recipes that I do: makes life a whole lot easier and sometimes a commercial product is really good! For this recipe I use the Costco Mango Salsa instead of making my own on the tours. It is a great product and is good on chicken, chips, fish......If you want your burgers a little more spicy increase the amounts of herbs & Worcestershire: just be careful to not use too much sauce of the burgers won't hold together.

1 1/2 pounds lean chopped sirloin or ground beef

1 small yellow onion, grated

1 garlic clove, minced (I like to use a little more: love garlic!)

2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead until blended. Divide the mixture into eight portions and flatten into a patty. Sear the meat 2 minutes each side over a hot grill or fry pan: then move to a lower heat until internal temp of 165*f.

Serve on a good quality bun with fresh spring greens & mango salsa! Yummmmm.

Suggested wine: a great Cabernet Sauvignon.