Author Archives: bcorbett907

Unknown's avatar

About bcorbett907

I'm a Calgary-based writer who enjoys exploring the landscapes, and menus, of western U.S./Canada

Mapping Road Trips

2 Replies
Alberta may produce the best road map of any western province or U.S. state

To my mind Alberta  produces the best road map of any western province or U.S. state

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In Alberta, that tired aphorism certainly doesn’t apply to a health-care delivery system that seems to change course every few years. But it’s definitely true of a provincial road map that has been pretty much unchanged over the decades. Which is a good thing, because it works brilliantly well. Indeed, I think it’s the best, most-user friendly official highway map produced by any state or province in western North America.

I love highway maps. They are the backbone of any road trip, from the preliminary planning stages to figuring out how far you are from the next town and pulling over for a bathroom break or meal. GPS devices, with their monotone digital voices, are great inventions, especially for finding specific addresses in big cities. But I can’t ever see them replacing paper maps for open-road motoring.

When I’m driving, I like folding up the map into a small rectangle that just shows the immediate road ahead. Of course, this eventually leads to paper tears along the creases. Better paper would help, but I just replace the maps for free every couple of years from a tourism or AAA/CAA office. One drawback of the latter’s offerings is they tend to put two states on each map, one on each side. I much prefer the official state maps, with the big picture of all the highways for that state on one side and the detailed city maps and other information on the other.

Having traveled extensively through western North America, I’ve had the opportunity to use about a dozen of these state and provincial road maps and compare notes. There are many things that go into the making of a good highway map. But by far the most important is ease of use.

When you’re driving, you have maybe a couple of seconds to glance down at the map in your lap, usually without the aid of your reading glasses. So it’s vital to be able to easily read the map. You’d think this would be blatantly obvious to the mapmakers. But some places do a spectacularly bad job of it, particularly if you’ve got aging eyes that don’t read fine print well.

They can all take a lesson from Alberta. The one thing mapmakers there have done particularly well is use a very light-coloured background, ranging from white in the prairies to the palest of greens in the foothills and a slightly darker yellowish green in the mountains. They’ve also used a fairly dark black font for towns, which is nicely enlarged and bolded for cities. A red font is used for provincial and national parks. What this means is it’s relatively easy to quickly find what you’re looking for.

My heavily used and marked Alberta road map is easy to read

My heavily used and marked Alberta road map is easy to read

By contrast, Utah, for instance, uses maddeningly light fonts for towns, mountains, forests…. everything. In Arizona, the background colours are too dark and the metropolitan names a jumble of large, almost overlapping print. Colorado also uses too dark a shade of green for mountainous regions, though, like some other western states, it does a nice job of highlighting scenic routes with bold dots. Idaho and Wyoming do deserve props for using weather-proof paper and bold black for their place names.

This enlargement makes it more legible, but Utah's road map is hard to decipher

This enlargement makes it more legible, but Utah’s road map is hard to decipher

Good luck trying to navigate with this map around Phoenix's suburbs

Good luck trying to navigate with this map around Phoenix’s suburbs

There's a lot of dark colours in Colorado's road map, but at least it does a good job of highlighting scenic routes

There’s a lot of dark colours in Colorado’s road map, but at least it does a good job of highlighting scenic routes

A few other things I like about Alberta’s map. Like some U.S. states, it provides population numbers in the index for all cities and towns. And the back of the map is totally devoted to detailed maps of all provincial cities and major resort communities. Interesting tidbits like the communities’ area and elevation are included here.

The back of Alberta's road map shows detailed maps of every city and major resort community

The back of Alberta’s road map shows detailed maps of every city and major resort community

The map for the neighbouring province to the west, British Columbia, does an even better job than Alberta of highlighting the names of its major communities. But it commits the unpardonable sin of splitting the map, so the more heavily populated southern portion is on one side and the northern portion on the other. And there’s no detailed maps for the two largest cities: Vancouver and Victoria.

It's the third largest city in Canada. Don't you think Vancouver deserves a more detailed inset map than this?

It’s the third largest city in Canada. Don’t you think Vancouver deserves a more detailed inset map than this?

What’s in a Name? Some Peculiar Western Monikers

2 Replies
The original name of Hot Springs may have been more accurate, but you've got to admit the current name of this New Mexico city is more eye catching

The original name of Hot Springs may have been more accurate, but you’ve got to admit the current name of this New Mexico city is more eye catching

In his seminal travel book Blue Highways, author William Least Heat-Moon explored U.S. back roads, sometimes taking long detours just to visit a place with a compelling moniker. This led him to towns such as Nameless, Tennessee.

In the course of my road-food journeys through western North America, I’ve seen my share of creatively named towns, either in passing or when poring over highway maps. Hence this list of attention-grabbing names. Admittedly, a number of these places are unincorporated communities, a few no longer populated, but where’s the fun in pointing that out?

There’s no Nameless in the U.S. west, but there is a No Name in Colorado and a Nothing in Arizona, the latter concisely answering the question: “What’s there to do in your town?”

Also under the “let’s not attract tourists” category, it’s an epic battle between Arizona—boasting Why, Gripe and Goobertown—and Oregon countering with Boring, Idiotville, and Nimrod (apparently, the main town sign in the latter has been bolted down to keep it from being stolen). California vaults into third place with Bummerville, Hellhole Palms and Clapper Gap, while Idaho narrowly misses the podium with Slickpoo.

You might have better luck luring visitors with sexual innuendo. So argues Climax (Colorado) or, more perversely, Camel Hump (Wyoming). I dare not guess what Washington’s Humptulips stands for.

In California, the restless spirit of Deadman Crossing is countered by the fatalism of Dunmovin. Speaking of spirits, Idaho has Beer Bottle Crossing, while California features two places that likely don’t do much business: Condemned Bar and Mormon Bar. Chugwater (Wyoming) is apparently what happens when you run out of beer.

Stoner was obviously ready for Colorado’s new liberal marijuana laws. Weed (California) and Weed Heights (Nevada) are hoping their states follow suit.

Want the last name in any directory? California has that covered with Zzyzx, narrowly edging out Oregon’s Zig Zag; don’t vowels count for something?

How would you feel about visiting two Montana towns, Prison Farm or Square Butte? What about Blubber Bay or Spuzzum, both in British Columbia, or Alberta’s Hairy Hill? Don’t forget your Hygiene in Colorado or you won’t get to visit Santa Claus, in Arizona of all places.

Sometimes a seemingly strange name means something. Helper, Utah was named for the extra train engines needed to haul long lines of freight cars up steep grades nearby.

 A true story: New Mexico’s Hot Springs changed its name in the 1950s to that of a TV show, Truth or Consequences, looking for a town willing to do just that. In 1999, Internet startup Half.com gave the town of Halfway, Oregon $100,000 and some computers to change its name to that of the company for a year. But truth in advertising obviously failed Alberta’s Seven Persons, which actually has 230 residents.

Why not have some fun with your community name? In Saskatchewan, there’s long been a town entrance sign that reads, “New York may be big, but this is Biggar.”

Finally, this is a road-food blog, so it’s fitting to end things with a New Mexican place named for a 1920s’ bakery that made dried-apple pies. It’s called Pie Town. If you happen to be passing through, stop for a slab of real pie at Pie-O-Neer. Its motto: “If you bake it, they will come.” Amen.

Historic Downtowns: Where the Real Action Is

4 Replies
It may have been gussied up for tourists, but downtown Bisbee, Arizona retains the character of its mining past

It may have been gussied up for tourists, but downtown Bisbee, Arizona retains the character of its mining past

I recently read a New Yorker article on the demise of the traditional megamall, with their soulless concrete façades surrounded by a moat of parking somewhere in the suburban sea. It got me thinking about the entrances/freeway exits to most North American cities and towns.

Like a Las Vegas casino, they inexorably parade you past a gaudy, neon spectacle of gas stations, chain motels and the usual fast-food outlets. So familiar is this blueprint that without a map, you’d be hard pressed to tell where you are. It all looks the same.

The cookie-cutter gas/motel/fast food strip entrances to most North American towns and cities tell you nothing about the character of these places

The cookie-cutter gas/motel/fast-food strip entrances to most North American towns and cities tell you nothing about the character of these places

But from all my road-trip travels, I’m detecting a kickback. The glittering entrances may be where the traffic is, but the real action is someplace else—in the centre, in fact. And the key to finding it lies in the freeway signs, not the ones luring you to the chains but the ones saying “Historic Downtown.” (This obviously applies more to compact towns than sprawling cities, where interesting, independent places are harder for visitors to find).

Take that exit, drive for a few minutes and look for another indicator: a line of low downtown buildings, with little collections of cars and trucks parked out front. Not surprisingly, these businesses are often literally on Main Street. This is where these towns got started, where the remaining historical buildings are, where the true soul and character of these communities reside.

The historic downtown (the main street here in Lacombe, Alberta) is where the heart of these communities resides

The historic downtown (the main street here in Lacombe, Alberta) is where the heart of these communities resides

It’s where, as a road-trip diner, you’ll usually find two things. One is the local hangout, a diner or coffee shop where the regulars banter with the servers on a first-name basis and where the fare is basic but filling and affordable. The other is older buildings refurbished by, typically, youngish entrepreneurs interested in more modern cuisine but in a historic setting.

The character-filled Palm Cafe is where the regulars hang out in Orick, California

The character-filled Palm Cafe is where the regulars hang out in Orick, California

EXO Roast in Tucson, Arizona is a superb example of translating history into a funky cafe

EXO Roast in Tucson, Arizona is a superb example of incorporating history into a funky cafe

Finding these places involves a willingness to get off the bypassing highway and do a bit of exploring. There’s no guarantee you’ll hit pay dirt, but at worst you’ll get a drive past what defines, or once defined, these communities.

Recently, for example, three of us were driving on Highway 6 between Salt Lake City and Moab, in southeast Utah. It was a scenic road I’d taken half a dozen times without stopping. But this time, I glanced over at some old buildings in the small community of Helper and took the exit into the historic downtown.

Artists are leading the charge to revive historic Helper, Utah

Artists are leading the charge to revive historic Helper, Utah                                   Photo: Kairn Kunelius

While I was ordering a coffee at the nicely renovated and wonderfully named Happiness Within, a companion ducked into a potter’s studio and discovered that Helper had become a magnet for artists, who were helping refurbish a town named for the extra engines required to pull trains up nearby steep grades. I wandered across the street to the spacious, wood-floored Balance Rock Eatery & Pub. We’d already eaten, but I was impressed by a monstrous breakfast burrito being tackled by a local diner.
Balance Rock Eatery & Pub on Urbanspoon

A similar willingness to explore led me to one of my favourite western U.S. towns, Salida, in mountainous central Colorado. The approach on Highway 50 promised nothing but the usual commercial strip, but we persevered and drove into the heart of downtown. There, we discovered great galleries, an art park and, alongside the headwaters of the Arkansas River, painted containers of flowers and great little eateries like The Fritz.

Even the public flower planters are funky in Salida, Colorado

Even the public flower planters are funky in Salida, Colorado

The lesson here is what is old is new again. Finding it will unlock you from your chains.

Dilly Dallying in Delightful Dillon, Montana

1 Reply
The lovely, broad valley near Dillon, Montana

The lovely, broad valley near Dillon, Montana

Dillon, Montana is one of my favourite western U.S. towns,  a perfect stop after a day of driving south on the I-15 from the Canadian border. There’s the setting: a broad, verdant valley dotted with Angus cows, flanked by low mountains and bisected by the meandering, trout-rich Beaverhead River. There’s the fine historic buildings and the oddly named University of Montana Western, to complement the ranching/hunting side of things. And for outdoorspeople, there’s the enduring lure of the Patagonia outlet store (Bonus: no sales tax in Montana). The only problem with Dillon is getting back on the road to resume the journey.

On our latest visit, for example, there’s no exiting the Patagonia store in under an hour, especially with an inveterate shopper/bargain hunter or two in tow. Then it’s off to the Fiesta Mexicana bus (510 North Montana Street, daily 9 am-10 pm) for an excellent lunch of made-to-order, bountiful burritos, enchiladas and chiles rellenos, eaten along an inside bench sheltered from the raw spring wind.

The magic Fiesta Mexicana bus in a Dillon parking lot

Inside the magic Fiesta Mexicana bus in a Dillon parking lot

It’s great to see this family-run Mexican joint embraced by the local community and travellers alike. But the regulars aren’t very helpful when asked what to order:  “Everything.”

There's a monster burrito verde lurking beneath all that greenery at Fiesta Mexicana

There’s a monster burrito verde lurking beneath all that greenery at Fiesta Mexicana

To avoid falling into a mid-afternoon coma, we set out for Sweetwater Coffee (“Proudly serving kindness with a side of coffee”) for a fine java jolt, chased with a great chocolate icing cookie, in a cozy, artsy setting. The diverse food menu includes a most interesting choice: a breakfast French toast sandwich.

Sweetwater Coffee, with its artsy period furniture, is a great place to hang out with a java and snack

Sweetwater Coffee, with its artsy period furniture, is a great place to hang out with a java and cookie

Then it’s around the corner to the state liquor store where, to my dismay, they don’t carry beer (What the hell? In Utah, if you want anything stronger than the “three-two” beer, like the excellent line of Epic Brewing ales, you have to go to a state liquor store). The day is saved by a trip to a Town Pump gas station (633 North Montana Street), where the limited selection of microbrews includes my favourite Montana beer—the Scottish-style Cold Smoke ale from Kettle House Brewing.

It's hard to come by the great Cold Smoke ale outside Kettle House Brewing's Missoula hometown. When I saw it in a Dillon gas station, I grabbed a dozen 16-ounce cans

It’s hard to come by the great Cold Smoke ale outside Kettle House Brewing’s Missoula hometown. When I see it in a Dillon gas station, I grab a dozen 16-ounce cans

Only the threat of snow on the drive north through Montana finally snaps us out of our Dillon reverie. But there’s always next time through.

Moab Mayhem

Leave a reply
The Jeep Festival takes over Moab, Utah in late April

The Jeep Festival takes over Moab, Utah in late April

It pays to check the local events calendar before planning a trip to Moab, in southeast Utah. We’re arriving on the Easter weekend (prior to embarking on a canoe trip down the Green River) and are thus expecting heavier traffic. But we’re not quite prepared for the monster truck rally that doubles as the week-long Jeep Safari. Culturally interesting, perhaps, but non-stop traffic and noise, especially the midnight hammering of a dented axle in the RV campground, where tenters are definitely second-class citizens.

The Easter festivities mean restaurant lineups at dinner and reinforce the merits of solo road-trip dining. With six palates to please, it takes five minutes to decide if the group wants to eat at a particular establishment, during which time three or four tables are snapped up and a 20-minute-plus wait is guaranteed. At which point, one person flees to Subway and another heads to Moab Diner for liver and onions. While a little heavy on the starches and gravy, the latter offers reasonable fare (“You can’t go wrong ordering a clubhouse or BLT,” one participant observes) and the added spectacle of efficient servers whizzing past with loaded plates decorating their arms.
Moab Diner on Urbanspoon

The staff certainly hustle at Moab Diner

The staff certainly hustle at Moab Diner

The good news is meal prices are quite reasonable for a tourist town like Moab. If this were Banff, a beer and a burger would set you back about $23. But at the packed Moab Brewery, a burger and fries cost about $8 and a house pint $4. Our preferred burgers are a few bucks more at Peace Tree Juice Cafe, but they are half-pounders from Angus beef. It’s also the only place pouring our favourite Moab Brewery beer, the Scorpion Pale Ale.
Peace Tree on Urbanspoon

A tilapia sandwich, fries and pint adds up to only $13 at the busy Moab Brewery

A tilapia sandwich, fries and pint add up to only $13 at the busy Moab Brewery

Being a minimalist road tripper, my best Moab meal is at the Quesadilla Mobilla truck, where we twice lunch on divine and inspired quesadillas in a downtown parking lot. When they’re not off climbing (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), young owners Carrie and Steven have smartly focused on doing one unique thing extremely well. And most of our crowd, other than the semi-professional eater/blogger, have trouble finishing an $8.50 regular-sized quesadilla.
Quesadilla Mobilla on Urbanspoon

Quesadilla Mobilla co-owner Carrie combines a love of rock climbing with a commitment to killer quesadillas

Quesadilla Mobilla co-owner Carrie combines a love of rock climbing with a commitment to killer quesadillas

My enchanted chicken quesadilla is a wonderful, gooey blend of house-made green chile chicken, cheese, sautéed onions and corn, roasted red peppers and refried beans

The New Mexican Identity Crisis quesadilla is a wonderful, gooey blend of house-made green chile chicken, melted cheese, sautéed artichoke hearts, spinach and black olives

Breakfasts are a tossup. For a quick, light meal, it’s hard to beat the efficiency and quality of Love Muffin Cafe, which pumps out a range of breakfast burritos and paninis (about $6) to fast-disappearing lines of customers. For $2 more, a friend loves the skinny omelette, a crepe-like delicacy containing spinach, red onion, mushrooms and feta cheese.
Love Muffin Cafe on Urbanspoon

For heartier fare, there’s nothing like a mammoth plate of huevos rancheros at Eklecticafe. It’s undoubtedly Moab’s quirkiest diner, with a massive ceramic cup out front and tables containing collections of antique jewelry under glass. There’s a lovely garden patio, but on a chilly spring morning, it’s well worth crowding into the tiny dining room and enjoying the show, including a customer breaking a bookshelf she climbs onto to inspect a piece of art for sale.
Eklecticafe on Urbanspoon

The Eklecticafe certainly combines quirky charm and big plates of breakfast

The Eklecticafe certainly combines quirky charm and big plates of breakfast

My go-to coffee shop is Moab Coffee Roasters, which pulls excellent eight-ounce Americanos and pours fine dark brews from their organic beans. My only quibble is the lone barista running the entire place the first hour of business, when people are lining up for their java jolt.

Moab Coffee Roasters does a bustling business of java in the morning and gelato in the afternoon

Moab Coffee Roasters does a bustling business of java in the morning and gelato in the afternoon

Diner Delving in Pocatello Idaho, For Pete’s Sake

1 Reply
Jumbo's has been serving Pocatello regulars for decades

Jumbo’s has been serving Pocatello regulars for decades

It starts with a search for Pocatello Pete’s, a great character diner our companion had visited years ago on a trip through southern Idaho. Or maybe it’s just a shard of memory from somewhere else, as our streetside queries draw only blank stares from longstanding residents. But our fruitless hunt leads us to Jim Johnston, a realtor, city councilor, former chaplain, fingers-in-all-the-local-pies guy, who can rattle off answers to any Pocatello question (population: 54,260, elevation: 4,450 feet, trails: 250, major industry: education). More importantly, he can tell us where the locals eat.

Thus at 7 the following morning, we roll into Jumbo’s Cafe to find half a dozen sturdy regulars already claiming the counter stools overlooking the kitchen. We grab a table, read the signs (“Complaint Department That Way 200 Miles) and peruse a menu featuring omelettes this family café has been serving for 40 years and something I’ve never seen or tasted: deep-fried scones. Of course, I perform my annual duty and order house-made biscuits and sausage gravy, accompanied by two perfectly cooked over-easy eggs.

As the name suggests, the portions are jumbo: plate-sized pancakes, a “senior’s” portion of French toast, bacon and eggs that would satisfy a teenager and a table-denting, three-egg omelette with hash browns and good homemade toast. And the prices for this quantity and quality of food are downright ridiculous, starting at $5.49 for three hotcakes that will do you for the day.

The servings are substantial at Jumbo's Cafe

The servings are substantial at Jumbo’s Cafe, and I’m not even showing the accompanying toast

I say, let’s go on these wild-goose chases more often.

Jumbo’s Cafe (it also goes by Jeri’s Jumbo’s Café)
3122 Pole Line Road, Pocatello, Idaho
Weekdays 6 am-3 pm, weekends 6 am-2 pm
Jeri's Jumbo's Cafe on Urbanspoon

As I’ve said before, I don’t often order meals at a coffee shop. But it’s late in the afternoon, with the caffeine levels well topped up, when we enter Red Hot Roasters, primarily to catch up on email and Internet searching. So we switch gears and go for a lovely bowl of tomato bisque soup and a refreshing plate of potato salad with spring greens and a sesame dressing.

Red Hot Roasters offers fine salads to go with its fresh-roasted coffee

Red Hot Roasters offers fine salads to go with its fresh-roasted coffee

Red Hot Roasters
737 East Clark Street, Pocatello
Weekdays 7:30 am-7 pm, Saturday 8 am-7 pm. Closed Sunday
Red Hot Roasters on Urbanspoon