Johnna'sWorld: California Sightseeing

a Dose of Dave (Barry)

Thanksgiving is not merely a time of eating until we are big fat bloated carbohydrate balloons lying motionless on the sofa watching the Detroit Lions while actual gravy oozes from our pores. Thanksgiving is also a time of giving thanks --as the Pilgrims did so many centuries ago --for the fact that the malls are open on Friday. Otherwise we'd have to spend another day cooped up with our loved ones, not to mention toxic levels of leftovers, and the number of domestic drumstick assaults would be even higher than it is.

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Not everybody is comfortable with the idea of eating turkeys, which are, let’s face it, living organisms, like dogs or celery. You may wonder: Is there a more humanitarian option that you can serve for Thanksgiving dinner? There certainly is: tofu, a semi-foodlike substance secreted by soybeans as a defense mechanism. Tofu can be used as a high-protein substitute, as well as a denture adhesive or tile grout. In its natural state, tofu is tasteless and odorless, but if you form it into a turkey-shaped lump, season it well, add gravy, and bake it for two hours in a shallow pan at 350 degrees, you can also use it for minor driveway repairs.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

California Sightseeing

At first glance, the photo at the left doesn't look like much. At second glance it looks like something brown and green with a red, snake-like line on it. So, let me explain: While enjoying a 2-night, 3-day stay at one of South Lake Tahoe's finest resorts (Thanks BLK!), we decided to explore the beautiful scenery a few miles south of Tahoe. When we informed the resort's concierge of our plans, she replied, "Oh, there's nothing out there!" Right! Nothing but nature's beauty. And, oh, is it breathtakingly beautiful! (Maybe the young lady at the concierge desk meant "there are no video games or racy bars with loud music -out there?).

This is a satellite's eye view of the mountain peak at Monitor Pass -less than 2 miles from the Nevada State line (or about 8 miles by road). On the peak there is a fire look-out station. A narrow and boulder laced road leads to the station from the pass. We decided that OBABIE could handle being Off road BABIE if we drove slowly and carefully. By slow I mean 1 -2 MPH and zig-zagging between boulders. No harm done. Unfortunately there was a locked gate near the summit. Now, do we hike the remaining 300 yards up to the station in 45 degree air at 9,000 feet? Compromise: we walk about 100 yards, take a couple of pictures, and retreat to the car.

Now, the red line: I turned on my wrist GPS gadget while we ventured up the road on foot, and left it on until we reached the Monitor Pass road. The vistas looking down on California, Nevada and Lake Topaz in between were incredible!

Dull, huh, Ms Concierge lady?!!? ;-)

OBTW: for those of you who can access Google Earth on your PC, type in "Monitor Pass, CA" When the view comes up, you can click on the camera icons and get several views of the area.

TTFN,