Signs from a recent road trip through some mountain U.S. states
Who needs Arches National Park when you have the world’s largest elkhorn arch?
Signs of the Times: Things You See on a Road Trip
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You Don’t Have to be a Billionaire to Enjoy Jackson Hole
There’s undoubtedly a few billion dollars worth of properties in this view of Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Jackson Hole, Wyoming is my kind of resort community. Just kidding. It’s the first place where I heard the expression “the billionaires are pushing out the millionaires.” A glance at a glossy real-estate magazine reveals a number of $2-million-plus properties for sale and a 6,900-square-foot five bedroom mansion for a mere $4.99 million; heck, it’s on a 1.7-acre site. As JH Weekly notes: “Buying a home is prohibitively expensive for most of the non-trustafarian working class.” Needless to say, rents are sufficiently high that at least one wage slave recently spend a frigid winter camped in his car. Note: Jackson Hole refers to the whole community; Jackson is its principle town.
So where does this leave the budget-minded road tripper? Downhill skiing and golf are expensive, lodgings exorbitant in peak season. (Tip: Check the no-frills national forest campgrounds a bit of a drive from Jackson for reasonable rates.) Fortunately, it’s free to hike, bike or run the hundreds of miles of fine trails. While the dining’s definitely more fine than rustic, Jackson does have a number of first-rate, affordable eateries and drinkeries. Oddly, none of them appear in the resort dining guide.
Fresh-From-the-Water Crab near Rockaway Beach, Oregon
It’s a one-woman show for cleaning, cooking and delivering fresh crab at Kelly’s Brighton Marina near Rockaway Beach, Oregon
I’m driving south down coastal Highway 101, near Rockaway Beach, Oregon, when I suddenly spot this sign: “You have passed Kelly’s Brighton Marina. Turn around.” I veer off the road and do just that, having read about the place’s fresh-from-the water crab, oysters and clams. There are boats leaving the marina, people pulling crab pots from the water and a group of hunters in camouflage outfits and smudged faces departing with bags of live and cooked shellfish.
A Jolt of Coffee and Good Cheer in Astoria, Oregon
An all-American view out the window of Three Cups Coffee House in Astoria, Oregon
I’m not sure what gives me more of a wakeup jolt at Three Cups Coffee House, in Astoria, Oregon—the double-shot Americano fired straight into my veins or the cheery 7 am welcome as I walk in the door. It’s a friendly, airy place to sip a java in a comfy couch, pull a worn book off the shelf, smell the coffee roasting in the centre of the shop or grab a window seat and look way up to the long, long bridge and causeway that spans the mouth of the Columbia River and connects Washington and Oregon.
Fried Oysters Worth the Long Drive
These smouldering fried oysters, in South Bend Washington, are pockets of heaven
A New York Times food critic has written it’s worth the two-hour-plus drive southwest from Seattle to Chester Club & Oyster Bar, in South Bend, Washington for “what might be the best fried oysters in the country.” They’d better be, as I’ve spontaneously decided to backtrack an hour to where I was the day before just to order a basket of six oysters and fries, the $8 bill probably less than the extra gas to get here. Things are looking a mite sketchy as I enter the dimly lit bar, adorned with two big pool tables at the front and a swinging half-door into the men’s room at the back. As well, these are deep-fried oysters, though the oil is frequently changed and not strained, to avoid a greasy taste.
All my doubts are instantly forgotten with the first bite into these lightly breaded, smouldering pockets of milky heaven. Strange as it sounds, they taste almost raw and so good I dare not sully them with tartar sauce or a squeeze of lemon. The Willapa Bay, outside the bar’s window, is the oyster capital of the west coast, producing one-sixth of the nation’s harvest. But consumers elsewhere sure ain’t getting them this fresh.
Chester Club & Oyster Bar
1005 West Robert Bush Drive (US 101), South Bend, Washington
Daily 10 am-11 pm
Mexican Madness in Tacoma, Washington
Fabulous red-chile pork tamales at Vuelva a la Vida in Tacoma, Washington
From a culinary perspective, Tacoma, Washington might conjure up the usual west-coast images of oysters, crab, salmon. But a mini-Mexican hotbed? Who’d have thunk it? Yet when you get east of the city centre, there are a few places that define Mexican authentic: streetfood, casual, inexpensive, friendly. My kind of joints.
Leading the way is Vuelve a la Vida, which translates as “come back to life.” Here, that means returning to Mexican roots, with no Americanized chips and salsa. My asada (steak) taco, served on a corn tortilla with whole beans, is very good. But the standout is the smoking hot tamales, the masa dough enveloping a rich filling of red chile pork. Seriously, you only need two of these bad boys for a filling, $5 lunch.
None of that Americanized chips and salsa at Vuelva a la Vida
But my server, Juana, is not done with me, bringing over complimentary samples of Mexican drinks—horchata and jamaica—along with a little plate of shrimp ceviche. Any minute, I’m expecting to be introduced to the family.
Vuelve a la Vida
5310 Pacific Way, Tacoma
Weekdays 10:30 am-10 pm, weekends 10 am-10 pm
About a mile away, Taqueria La Fondita is a food truck that pulls into a gravel parking lot every morning, with smoke soon belching from the tiny kitchen. A steady stream of neighbourhood youth saunters up to the window, ordering junior burritos to go.
The Taqueria La Fondita truck in a Tacoma parking lot
I choose a more substantial torta, handing the included Sprite to a surprised kid. The bread isn’t as substantial as some tortas I’ve had, but the tender chicken filling melds nicely with slices of avocado to create a fine, gooey mess, kicked up a notch with some flavourful green chile sauce.
It’s all gooey goodness in this chicken torta
Taqueria La Fondita
3737 South G Street, Tacoma
Daily 11 am-10 pm
Marathon Mouth 