My first, and as time will tell my last, winter backpacking trip. Ed Tucker, Ed Jaros (husband of a woman Ed and I worked with at Schneider) left work early (around 2:00pm) for the short drive to the Greenbush Kettle Parking lot. Shelter # 5 is our intended campsite for the night, about a mile away which was good because sunset is at 4:30 this time of year.
We arrived at the three sided shelter with daylight remaining. Ed T and I had free standing tents making it easy to set inside the shelter. Ed J. was not so lucky. He brought a tent that resembled an army pup tent that required stakes to be driven into the ground. Unfortunately for him, the ground was solidly frozen as the temperature was hovering around 0 degrees F. Ed J. was forced to use all of our available cord to rig the tent inside the shelter.
We collected enough wood to have a nice fire. As the temperatures dropped even further (the overnight low was 9 degrees below 0 F) we stood by the fire and turned around and around to keep each side warm.
Day 2 – Saturday
Boy was it cold overnight. I was happy to have my air mattress between me and the concrete floor and my down 0 degree sleeping bag. Ed J. we found out only had blankets beneath him and a cotton sleeping bag. He said he shivered all night long! The water in the bag and hose froze overnight (needed to keep them in the sleeping bag with me). Today’s plan was to hike 5 miles to Carl’s prepositioned car and to then drive to pickup Ed T’s. car at the trailhead. The day was still cold but sunny which made the walk bearable. Around noon we arrived to Carl’s car and much to our dismay realized that Carl left the car keys in Ed’s car. With no other option we turned around and walked back to Ed T’s car.
Our joy of arriving at Ed T’s car was short lived when we realized that the car had been broken into and a couple of bags of excess clothing stolen, including Ed T’s wallet. Fortunately, Carl’s car key was still in the vehicle. This was certainly one of the least pleasant backpacking trips for Carl.
This recipe sounded weird to me. Use olive oil to make a sweet almond cupcake. Well, I was very surprised – couldn’t taste the olive oil and the flavor is similar to the more expensive box mixes.
2TBLcitrus juicefrom the same citrus fruit as the zest
¼tspalmond extract
¼cupalmondsliced
Instructions
Preheating your oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups into 6 cups of a muffin pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Ensure all ingredients are well combined.
In a separate measuring cup, whisk together the wet ingredients: olive oil, milk, egg, citrus zest, citrus juice, and almond extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, gently stir the mixture just until combined. Don't overmix the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Each cup should be about three-quarters full. Evenly top each muffin with the sliced almonds. Then, lightly dust the tops with extra sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let the muffins cool slightly in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. Can be served cold or warm (warm is better).
This recipe originally came from the Big Green Egg website but it has been slightly modified. My grandson, who is a picky eater, really likes the flavor and asks for seconds. We like to serve it with a homemade BBQ Sauce.
Five to six pounds of meat is way more meat than we can eat in a single setting we generally freeze about 1/2 of it.
Set the BGE for indirect cooking at 235 degrees using apple wood for smoke flavor.
Mix all of the dry ingredients and season the brisket liberally. Cook the brisket fat-side down for 1 hour and then flip it to fat-side up. Cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Lay out a big double-thick layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil and lay the brisket on it fat-side up. Pull up the sides of the foil and pour on the coffee as you close up the package. Be careful not to puncture it or you'll have to start over.
Place the brisket packet in a 235 degree oven. After another hour, begin checking the internal temperature. When it reaches 200 degrees, remove from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes, wrapped. Remove the brisket from the foil. If desired, skim the fat from the liquid and serve the remaining juices as a sauce. Slice the brisket about 1/4 inch thick , across the grain, to serve.
Once you have tried this recipe you’ll never go back to making Risotto on the stove top. The Instant Pot makes this so simple. While the risotto is cooking in the Instant Pot you can go about making the remainder of your meal.
Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Add and melt the butter. Add the onion and stir fry for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add garlic and rice and cook for an additional minute. Add ½ cup broth and stir for 2-3 minutes until it is absorbed by the rice.
Add the remaining 1 ½ cups broth, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Lock lid.
Press Pressure Cook and adjust time to 10 minutes. When timer beeps, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Quick release any additional pressure until float valve drops and then unlock lid.
We flew to Phoenix from Appleton to the Mesa airport for this trip. The direct flight was excellent. It was a breeze to secure the rental car from Alamo (through Costco) before heading out to Dave and Ann’s house in Sun City West. The traffic was horrendous even at 7:00pm at night. A charcuterie board and wine awaited us when we arrived. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 14, 2025
After coffee and chatting with Dave and Ann we made a 50 minute drive to Pinnacle Peak Park in Scottsdale where we hiked 2 miles RT where excellent views of the valley were had. Trail (4 mile RT, Scottsdale). In the evening we all headed to the Stand Up Live Comedy Club for a hilarious night of stories from three comics. The MC was Patrick Keene, followed by Pauly Casillas (from Tucson, AZ) and then the headliner Kyle Kinane. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 15, 2025
Again after coffee and chatting Lori and I headed to an Artwalk at Trilogy in Vistancia. It was not a large art show but we did find a 3-D dice tower and Uno card holder to purchase as gifts. Since it was sunny and clear skies we headed to Lake Pleasant and hiked 4 miles RT on the Maricopa Trail. We were disappointed with the trail because it never got close to the lake. The drive to the Discovery Center was very roundabout and just as we headed to the car it started to rain. Ann prepared an excellent chicken dinner for us. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 16, 2025
Luckily there was a Packer bar nearby which was only a 5 minute drive so we could watch the Packers beat the Giants with other Packer fans. After the game we headed to a Goodwill store but didn’t buy anything (lines were too long). In the evening we taught Dave and Ann to play Reganwerman. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 17, 2025
The highlight of the day was a Food Tour booked via Viator. The food tour along Roosevelt Avenue (known as the RoRo district). The first stop was at Taco Chelo where we sampled Sonoran Taco followed by a stop at Arizona Wilderness DTPHX (a brew pub) to try a steak burger, Wilderfries in duck fat. Loria and I also purchased a cider sampler. The third stop was at Pomo Pizzeria for a slice of Margherita Pizza with Pomo Lemondrop alcoholic drink. The final stop was at Match Market and Bar where we sampled dumplings from Lovebite Dumplings followed by a Tuxedo Cake and ice cream. Lori went to a different Goodwill where she made a couple of purchases and we taught Dave and Ann the game of Skyjo. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 18, 2025
We said goodbye to Dave and Ann around 11:00 and drove to our hotel (which wasn’t ready yet) so we hit yet another Goodwill where Lori made another purchase. Supper was at Red, White, and Brew with Tim and Susan Pickering before relaxing for the remainder of the evening in the hotel. Stay: Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix/Gilbert
November 19, 2025
We lazed around in the hotel room before leaving for the Mesa airport (15 minutes away) at 11:00. The flight home was uneventful.
This trip started when Lori flew to Seattle in the evening and caught the hotel shuttle to the Ramada Inn in Tukwila Southcenter to await Carl getting off the trail.
August 20, 2025
Kathy Travanty flew to Seattle (from Milwaukee) in the AM, caught the shuttle to the Ramada Inn to wait with Lori. Carl and John got off the trail at 10:30, went to the Pancake House at Snoqualmie Pass before heading with Ed and Liam to the airport. Carl and John were dropped off to rent a car before heading to the Ramada Inn to pick up the girls. From there we headed to a Holiday Inn Express in Bothell WA and John and Carl got cleaned up. We met Ed and Liam (they stayed at a different motel) at the Crab Pot, Bellevue for a celebratory dinner. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Bothell WA
August 21, 2025
John and Kathy went hiking while Carl and Lori stayed at the hotel so Carl could dry out his tent and equipment and do a load of laundry. We all left the hotel at 1:00 to do a wine tasting and tour at The Winemaker’s Reserve. Very interesting business model doing custom wine making and bottling for different companies. We got a tour of the “back room” where all the magic occurs. There were oak kegs, huge stainless steel tanks, concrete tanks and traditional clay tanks. They also had the equipment to do crushing of the grapes and a bottling line. None were active when we were there.
The highlight of the day was at Chateau St. Michelle where we attended a “Somm Dinner” which taught us about wine tasting and pairings with food. Very intimate, four couples. After the Somm Dinner we came back to the motel before walking to Grazies for appetizers. STAY: Holiday Inn Express in Bothell WA
August 22, 2025
To save time driving we decided to take the ferry from Edmonds WA to Kingston WA. We were lucky to arrive at the ferry terminal just as they were beginning to load the ferry so we didn’t have to wait long. We drove directly to Lake Crescent to hike the trail on the north side of the lake. We did a total of 7 miles at a quick pace and watched folks jumping into the Devil’s Punchbowl. There was a Sea to Sound bike ride taking place – lots of bike riders!
We drove to our motel, Riviera Inn in Port Angeles, WA and checked in. Older motel, clean with no A/C. Since it was unseasonably warm we were expecting a warm night in the room. We then walked to the ferry terminal (so we would know where it was the next day) and had dinner at Kokopelli Grill. Carl had the 12 oz steak and excellent mac and cheese! On the walk back to the hotel we stopped at Harbinger Wine Bar for a glass of wine. STAY: Riviera Inn in Port Angeles, WA.
August 23, 2025
Fortunately the room cooled off and we got a decent night of sleep. Headed out on foot at 6:45am to go to New Day Eatery for breakfast and then to the Black Ball Ferry Line terminal to catch the ferry to Victoria. The ferry ride was uneventful. We arrived to sunny, unseasonably warm temperatures.
John and Kathy headed to Butchart Gardens and Lori and I walked to the starting point for the Victoria Guided Food and History tour booked through Viator. Adam was the owner of the company and our guide. He was knowledgeable and interesting. We visited many places, Philips Brewing for beef meatballs with arrabbiata and salsa verde, Friends and Family Bake for Ube Ensaymada (purple buns), Just Matcha Tea Shop for Matcha Lemonade, Shanzee’s Biscuit Cafe for sweet biscuit with Nutella and Grilled Banana, savory biscuit with sausage gravy, bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions, and garlic grits, Chimac Korean Fried Chicken for boneless chicken, original and Garlic Soy, Roger’s Chocolates for chocolate.
All four of us got on the 3:00pm ferry back to Port Angeles. Again, we stopped at Harbinger Wine Bar for a drink. The bartender (and a couple of customers) suggested that Next Door Gastropub would be a good place for dinner. We walked there and Lori and I only had side Caesar salads since we were not too hungry. The walked back was along the Olympic Discovery Trail. STAY:Riviera Inn in Port Angeles, WA.
August 24, 2025
Left the hotel at 8:00 and stopped at Jazzy Joshua’s Restaurant for breakfast before heading to Heart O’ the Hills campground and doing a 5 mile out and back hike on Heart O’ the Hills trail. Lori got stung by a hornet on the hike. We then headed to our hotel in Tukwila WA. Relaxed in a nook in the hallway with John and Kathy and had some wine before heading to Grazies Restaurant. Upon return we sat outside (it was cool enough by then) and finished our bottles of wine. STAY: Ramada Inn Tukwila Southcenter
August 25, 2025
Lori and I took the hotel shuttle to the airport at 9:30 to catch the light rail to Pike’s Market area. John and Kathy headed out to Snoqualmie Pass to do a hike. We were really early for our food tour so we walked to Seattle Glassblowing Studio and watched two customers do a glass project with a professional. Very interesting. Our guide for the Viator Taste the Sea – Guided Seafood Tour at Pike’s Market was Carolyn Manning. Lots of great seafood and stories about the market development. Took the light rail and airport shuttle to the hotel before heading to BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse for appetizers and drinks with John and Kathy. Back to the room and early to bed because we had to get up at 4:00 to head to the airport via UBER. STAY: Ramada Inn Tukwila Southcenter
Who doesn’t love these rice Krispy treats? There are three recipes in one. The first recipe is the basic, no nonsense recipe. The second uses both white and strawberry marshmallows for a different flavor and the final recipe is a bit different using both Karo syrup and peanut butter.
