Paul’s Aunt Jane and her fiance Bill at our departure.

The drive along Route 2 was gorgeous. It threatened to shower on a couple of occasions, but by the time we reached Mexico, Maine (sadly no tacos to be found here) it had really cleared off and the sun was shining. We pulled over at the Rumford Falls Dam park for a truly spectacular view of the dam, reservoir, and park.

The Rumford Falls Dam in Mexico, ME.

We wound our way along it until we came to Route 113, which took us through White Mountain National Forest. White Mountain National Forest is a beautiful spot with a number of hiking and primitive camping areas. Being that it is spring everything is lush and green. Route 113, a very narrow road winds its way along a small river and through trees that overhang the tiny road by a good three or four feet. We drove South looking for route West. We got turned around a couple of times looking for a road that went over the next mountain.

Photo Credit Paul Perkins – One of the roads that did NOT take us where we wanted to go.

When we reached the South end of the forest we turned back West on the tiniest road we could find. We had to stop at a garage and gas station just to find it! It was during this stop that I saw the biggest Dalmatian I have ever seen. This dog looked like a Great Dane with a Dalmatian print. Hurricane Mountain Road is a seasonally open, tiny road that goes straight up and then straight back down Hurricane Mountain. It drops you somewhere between Conway and Glenn. From there we stopped for some gas and jumped on Route 302. We took Route 302 all the way up to Interstate 93 and rode that into Littleton, NH. Initially, our plan was to stop at Burlington in Vermont, but it became clear it wouldn’t be feasible if we wanted to erect our tents in the daylight.

We drove through Littleton looking for camping spots and didn’t find any, so we turned to Google. Crazy Horse Campground had the highest ratings and was quite close, so we drove over and secured ourselves a spot. Unfortunately, the tent sites at Crazy Horse are on the expensive side at $33 (including a discount that we didn’t understand). Fortunately, we found the best BBQ restaurant on the East Coast in Littleton: the Screaming Boar Smokehouse. This place was so good that it merits its own (forthcoming) review, but I will summarize the experience here. The BBQ was great, the proprietor was awesome, and the bar was well stocked.

The Screaming Boar Smokehouse bar is very well stoked. The owner is very knowledgable, and has excellent beer recommendations.

After dinner we headed back for a little campfire, a little blogging, and a lot of Zs.

Goodnight!

From Ezra Moore.

Paul’s uncle, Bill, has been helping Paul replace various broken parts on his car for several months. Maine requires a warrant of vehicle fitness, or an “inspection” in order to register the vehicle. To pass inspection, Paul’s car needed new rocker panels, new brake hard lines, and a new horn. We had planned on departing the Milford area yesterday, the 14th. Prior to departure, on the 13th, we thought it would be a good idea to have Bill examine the car again.

The Big UMaine “M” at Paul’s Alma Mater.

Good thing we did! The car had been using a little coolant, Paul had added a gallon or so a couple of months ago. We found a small leak under the hood when Bill inspected it. It appeared to be leaking from the coolant overflow line, not a trivial piece, but no big deal. Bill replaced it, filled the coolant and we drove it back to Paul’s apartment.

The following morning we finished packing and Paul checked into his first online class of the summer. After much cleaning and deliberation we had the car loaded, almost ready to head out on the road. When I arrived from Washington, Paul told me he planned to leave on the 15th. I was surprised, as I had only planned to spend a day or two in Milford before we headed out. Much to my dismay, Paul was right.

As we prepared to prepared to depart on the 14th we opened the hood to check the coolant and other fluids. It was clear that the coolant overflow hose we replaced did not resolve the problem. Even worse, the only remaining culprit for our leak was the car’s radiator. We discovered this at 5:30 PM, just about the time auto parts stores close up. Paul’s Aunt Jane, and Bill saved the day by rushing off to pickup a remanufactured radiator from a local auto parts store. We finished packing things up, visited Paul’s parents one final time and headed out to Jane and Bill’s house at 10 PM to get started on the radiator.

The UMaine Mall

Bill and I tore into the radiator while Paul and Paul’s childhood friend Ben headed out to get something for us all to eat. Paul got a taste of auto mechanics as we reassembled things. By about 2:30 we had the radiator replaced. The hardest part of the whole experience was dealing with rusted and rotted metal, caused by the heavily salted Northeast winter roads. After testing the car we headed in, ate, and fell fast asleep, looking forward to getting up in the morning and getting on our way.

Paul wrenching on his own vehicle.

We should have known better. We woke up late, about 9:30. Jane was preparing coffee but needed sugar and bread for sandwiches later. Paul, Ben, and I offered to run to the gas station so she didn’t have to. Upon our return we popped the hood of the car to find the water pumping leaking considerably. Wash, rinse, repeat. A hurried trip to the same auto parts store. A new water pump. Before we knew it, late afternoon had arrived and it was time for dinner. Instead of heading out after dinner, to what quite possibly would have been an unknown, rainy, dark campsite somewhere in Northern New Hampshire, we elected to spend ONE FINAL NIGHT in Maine. We will be headed out at 7 AM tomorrow morning along Route 2.

Here I am pulling good parts off the old radiator to use on the new one.

From Ezra Moore.

The Portland airport was refreshingly small and easy to navigate. Baggage came out quickly and we were on our way. After being too cheap to buy a sandwich at JFK I was starving, so Paul suggested we go to Nosh Kitchen Bar, a place he had raved about a few months back.

The Nosh Burger – The patty is made of ground beef chuck, beef brisket, pork shoulder, bacon, garlic, and rosemary. It is topped with pork belly, bleu cheese spread, garlic sauce, and a fried egg, served atop a brioche bun. Holy moly! Also pictured: bacon dusted fries.

Nosh has been featured on Man vs. Food (YouTube) for their Apocalypse Now Burger, a meat and cheese monstrosity topped with seared foie gras and cherry jam. To protect people like me from actually consuming a delicious burger like that, they price it at $20. So instead, I opted for the baby-brother, which is simply titled The Nosh Burger.

After lunch we jumped in the car and made our way Milford, where Paul has an apartment. I slept off and on, trying to overcome jetlag and overall lack of sleep. We stopped in Orono and picked up another of Paul’s friends, Ben, who was in town from Vegas visiting family and friends.

The next few days will be packing, visiting Paul’s family, and exploring Maine.

From Ezra Moore.

I flew out from SeaTac for JFK last night, just before 10PM. Flight has always made me giddy. I love planes, and as frustrating as airports can be, I love air travel.

This marks my first time flying JetBlue. Paul has made this flight more than a few times and he sings their praises every time.

Since I will be gone for Mother’s day, Ashley, my sister, and I decided to take my mom out before my flight left to celebrate early. We ate Thai food and Cold Stone near the airport, and then made our way into SeaTac’s curly parking structures. Aside from almost forgetting my radar detector (a critical tool for cross country drives) in my car, and struggling saying goodbye to my family, things went very smoothly. SeaTac only had one security checkpoint open in the entire airport, so security was very slow.

I am sitting at very rainy JFK, stubbornly refusing to pay $10 for a day-old sandwich and sipping a Dunkin’ iced coffee. My flight to Maine boards in half an hour.

One of the best parts of any East Coast trip, Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee. This was only $3.

From Ezra Moore.

Today I embark on what will become, a cross country expedition from Maine to Washington, with my best friend Paul. Paul has spent the last couple of years living near his hometown in Maine to facilitate his (now complete) education at U Maine. Though he was born and raised in Maine, Paul has a wandering spirit and prefers the West coast.

Paul will graduate at the end of this week with a B.A. in Journalism, and was faced with two options. One, sell off his car and any other possessions that won’t fit in the overhead, hope a flight and start afresh on the west coast. Or, sell off all of his possessions that don’t fit in the back of his Buick and drive that behemoth across the country with a close friend. Guess which option I coerced him into making?

Stay tuned for posts (and photos) along the way!

From Ezra Moore.

A basic insalata caprese. This salad can be laid out in a number of ways. It is visually bold and delicious!

Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Yum. Staple foods if you ask me. The Italians think so too, just ask them. Conveniently, if you use the traditional variety of all the ingredients the dish’s colors match those of the Italian flag.

Insalata caprese comes from the Campania region of Italy. Traditionally, the salad is not dressed with balsamic vinegar, but with salt instead. You should try it both ways, I tend to prefer the pop that the vinegar imparts.

I like to switch things around a little and use heirloom tomatoes. Not only do their different colors make the dish more interesting, their subtle but complex flavors are really set off by the tangy balsamic vinegar.

Nothing too complex here.

Ingredients

Heirloom tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella
Balsamic vinegar (if you want to mix it up, try while Balsamic)
Basil (another good place to experiment. Standard Italian basil, red basil, even Thai basil!)

Directions

This is merely a matter of assembly. I like to lay the salad out as  in the photo above, or stack them, alternating ingredients. I try to grab small medium and large heirlooms when I shop, that way I can slice them up and layer them vertically from largest to smallest. There is so much that can be done with this already visually stimulating dish. In the future I would like to experiment with putting this dish on unique plates and bowls.

There isn’t much more to say about this simple dish. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

N.B. An insalata caprese is one of those dishes in which the quality of your ingredients really matter. You won’t be disappointed if you spend a little extra on any or all of the ingredients.

From Ezra Moore.

I use my carne asada recipe to make the filling for the enchiladas. I have considered reworking it to turn it into shredded pork, but so far I have just cooked it as described by my recipe and then chopped it up.

Verde Sauce Ingredients

1 yellow onion
a handful of peeled garlic
1/2 serrano pepper (seeds removed)
1 bunch cilantro
14 oz. chicken stock
2 lbs tomatillos
1 cup water

Verde Sauce Directions

Roughly dice the onions and garlic. Split the serrano in half and remove the seeds, dice it very fine. Add the onions, garlic and serrano to a hot pot with a tablespoon or two of olive oil in the bottom. Stir regularly while you prepare the other ingredients. Chop the cilantro very fine. Remove the outer skin of the tomatillos, rinse and quarter them. If the onions and garlic have started to caramelize, add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir well and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for at least half an hour, or until it reaches a light soup consistency. Stir occasionally. I often simmer for about an hour. Once done, transfer to blender or food processor and pulse until smooth with no large chunks. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 Enchilada Ingredients

10 medium flour tortillas  (you can of course, use whatever tortillas you prefer. I use Guerrero brand.)
5-10 oz Cojita cheese
pork filling

 Enchilada Directions

Heat a skillet on the stove to warm the tortillas. One at a time add a tortilla, cheese, and filling to the tortillas. Roll each tightly and transfer to casserole dish. I use a 3 qt Pyrex dish like this one. Once you have filled the casserole dish, pour the verde sauce over and spread evenly. Crumble the remaining cojita over the top. Heat your oven to 400 degrees and bake for 10 minutes to heat through.

From Ezra Moore.

At least up until the day this was written (12/07/12) GAMME will crash immediately after starting a migration if the local copy of Office is 64-bit. You will need to uninstall the 64-bit version if you have it installed and install a 32-bit version. There is no mention of this limitation on the download page for GAMME.

Itis possible to use one of Microsoft’s trial copies of Office, which is what I ended up doing.

Available here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/home-and-business/redir/XT102264974.aspx

This tool is much faster (in my testing) than the Outlook migration tool, which is great because I have found that tool to be quite slow and unstable.

Happy migration!

From Ezra Moore.

Washington to Madera, CA. Think we’re staying on Interstate-5 like the map suggests? Doubt it!

From Ezra Moore.

Use a quart slide-lock ziplock and chop/pour everything into that. I find it helps to sometimes roll the top of the bag down and place the bag into a large tupperware container. That way everything stays open-side up.

a small handful of garlic, roughly chopped
2-3″ nub of fresh ginger, finely grated
about 1 cup of soy sauce
about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
a little squirt of Sriracha sauce

Get as much air out of the bag as possible* before you seal it, shake it up, massage it, add your meat, massage it some more!

Marinate for 30 mins to overnight. Enjoy.

* My friend Buster taught me a neat trick for getting the air out of a marinade bag. Fill a bowl or sink with water, leaving the top of the bag partially unsealed so that air may escape. Submerge the bag as much as possible without letting any water in. When the air is all out and the bag is completely submerged, make a complete seal. Remove the bag from the water, towel it of and leave it to marinate.

From Ezra Moore.