Gas Price Locators and Gas Cost Calculators

Find out how much it's going to set you back a buck before you set out on a roadtrip. A number of sites propose they have the best insider info on the price of gas by geographics. Here's a quick review:

GasBuddy.com rises to the top in the Google search results for geo-local gas prices. The main site is alright if you stick to the gas price heat map (quite a functional and visual tool), the gas price map, and the gas price index. However, drill deeper by states and you end up diving down a rabbit hole not far from my definition of a link farm.

AAA's Fuel Gauge Report boasts "The most comprehensive nationwide fuel price survey available from any source." According to the site over 100,000 gas stations are polled daily to cull the data on this site which includes: Daily State Gas Price Averages by State laid out in a map format and the National Average Gas Prices laid out in table format. Very user friendly in true AAA form.

MSN Autos offers a new online Interactive Gas Center in a beta map version you can opt into test driving. This is pretty slick--enter a city and state and you'll get in return a detailed map with map points and in the left-hand margin a listing of gas prices by station/brand (ie. Citgo, Gulf, BP) mapped to those plot points. Plus a fuel cost calculator.

Mapquest Gas Prices is yet another interactive map, of course using the Mapquest functionality. Search gas prices by entering addresses in the map search fields and then get a map with plot points and current prices. Also gives you a simple national high and low. Another nifty gas calculator tool.

GasPriceWatch.com is another interactive map featuring gas prices provided by unofficial gas spotters. This site's disclaimer in the tiny print at the bottom of the page is that is will not be held accountable for false information. I like the fact that the site also provides a gasoline ticker marquee across the top of the page despite the fact that I don't think the general public cares about the the price of gasoline futures.

FuelEconomy.gov, a "joint effort" of the U.S. Energy Dept and the EPA, also gets in on the gas price act with its data tools and slew of information resources. A basic interactive map, tons of educational resources, FAQs, methodology, and gas mileage tips are all included.

4th Day in Avon, NC- Outer Banks

Our 4th day on the beach in Avon, NC. Seas really rough today. Skies partly to mostly cloudy with periods of hazy sun (very hazy). Avon Pier fishing pompano, sheephead, drum and spot. Doug was catching small sheephead (1-2 lbs) and giving them away.

We took a break at one point to dig for sand fleas down on the beach. I'd never done that before. We got soaked in the water on that.

Everyday is different for the fishing on the pier. Yesterday was solid bluefish all day long--dozens pulled up onto the pier one after the other. Rough, clear water.

I flew one of my stunt kites on the beach this afternoon--excellent day for that!

Good groceries: Village Grocery and Food Lion.
Dirty Dick's Crab House is just out front on Route 12-- excellent creole shrimp and grits, great hush puppies with corn.

A Week on the Outer Banks

So it's the week leading up to Labor Day. Me and some friends are in a rental home in Avon--two days in. We're right next to the Avon Pier-- a long wooden pier that's hilly in places (really) and grayed like drift wood. It's one of my favorite things about the vacation, so far. Costs a buck for a "sightseer" pass and gives you access to the pier up to midnight, when it normally closes. Of course fishing is a different price-- $10/day. You can drink on the pier, which is a bonus.

Doug's been out there fishing. Today he was the rockstar of Spanish Mackerel fishing, yanking them in off the end of the pier with a plain white gotcha plug. No other guy there could manage it, their retrieves were not nearly the same as his--their poles were dropped and the pole snaps too small, I think. Doug was playing the pole out the side with more vigorous snapping and reeling. At the very end of the day he lost his only white gotcha with no more available in the pier house (if they'd been available those other guys would have snatched them up anyway). None of them had a plain white one, either.

Since he lost his, tonight we went on a white "gotcha" hunt to the area tackle shops. Only one that had them was the Frisco Rod and Gun shop about 20 mins south of here. Wow, is all I have to say about this place. Stocked to the gills with tons of inventory. Let's just say they'll have to restock those white gotachas tomorrow!

How we almost got struck by lightning this afternoon....

Road Trip Tech Tip: Email Safety

Since I'm a freelance writer I am deeply concerned about staying wired and connected while road tripping around America and beyond. The amalgam of ad hoc WiFi networks, and other forms of Internet access make working on the road semi-hazardous.

I want to share this post from MIT's Technology Review mag-- it offers valuable tips for protecting your email while on the road or even out of the country.

2 Days in Provincetown and Cape Cod

This was the perfect week to spend time in Provincetown, MA or anywhere on Cape Cod for that matter. By this weekend the place will be stuffed to the gills with early summer vacationers. Route 6, the main route out along the Cape to P-Town will be slowed way down and Commercial Street in P-Town will move at a snail's pace (it's already slow-going). The weather is perfect--the leaves are cracking through their buds and the town is in Spring bloom. Most of the restaurants and shops are open for the season with the exception of a few, but even those have their 'Hiring Now" signs hung in the windows.

We are staying in the Bayberry Guest House off the east end of Commercial Street. Right now there's no competition for rooms--we literally pulled up and booked a room. She charged us a simple $150 for 3 in a large upstairs room with private bath. We get a continental breakfast in the a.m., too. We've booked it a second night, no problem.

We have shopped til we dropped along Commercial--there are many specialty boutiques and shops you'll not find elsewhere. Restaurants worth a try: Bayside Betsy's for the clam chowder and extremely outgoing staff, Lobster Pot for....well, the lobster. There's a little Portuguese bakery that's fantastic as well. And if you're a chocolate fiend, don't miss the Purple Feather where they make chocolate delicacies on site sure to sate any bizarro chocolate craving.

Driving Boston to P-Town

Drove out of Boston yesterday morning under a perfect sky. Our plan to head to Provincetown and possibly Martha's Vinyard. From the Liberty Hotel we headed east on I-93 then picked up route 3 south and east toward Cape Cod. From Boston to P-Town is probably 2 to 2.5 hours and likely much more in the high peak season.

I have to say this is the perfect week to hit Cape Cod and P-Town. From route 3 we picked up route 6 east once over the bridge on the Cape. Our first stop was Plymouth where we checked out the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. Again, perfect weather and only a few people there with us. Cute town and you could easily spend a day even a weekend explorign this particular area alone.
My Bad Lunch Review

We pulled off the road in S. Yarmouth to the Fat Cats deli for sandwiches--we were starving. Very disappointed here. Maybe under normal circumstances this small hometown deli can handle the lunch traffic, but not on this particular day. We ordered 3 cold deli sandwiches: 1 turkey on sourdough, one turkey/ham on sourdough, and one veggie on sourdough. We waited over 45 MINUTES while many lunch orders came and went (this joint clearly caters to the fire dept., police dept, and has a slew of regulars) while ours continued to be delayed. I'm not sure really what the problem was and suspect a few things were going on: regular cook was injured so she had others helping her, but clearly the regulars were getting their orders before us. AND it's not that they can even claim they lost our order or forgot about us. They apologized over the counter a few times for the delay, yet continued to screw us with it...so we finally asked for the money back, cancelled the order and then headed up the road to Wendy's (really pissed me off). My recommendation: don't stop here.

Route 6 through the center of Cape Cod passes through Bourne, Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orlean, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and then into Provincetown. At many points 6 is only two lanes and speed limits range from 45 to 55. During the summer this is probably very slow going. If you have some time head north to 6A instead of 6. This takes you through quaint little towns/villages where you'll find antiques, boutiques, cafes, restaurants, inns and beds and breakfasts. If you're traveling and need coffee, like me, beware: we only spotted 2 coffeeshops-- one, Nirvana coffee in Barnstable, and the other in Brewster. I apologize if there are more, but those were the 2 I could clearly pick out of the landscape. Spring time is also stunning through this area.

3 Days in Boston

We started out from CT on Sunday morning. We decided the best route was to head out of Hamden north along I-91 to East I-84 to I-90 into Boston/Cambridge. We had already made reservations for the luxurious Liberty Hotel. That would be our first stop.

Mistake number 1: not printing off the Google map that illustrated the directions I had printed out. Ended up lost (not really) and driving around downtown Boston for almost an hour looking for the hotel AND getting frustrated with the cluster-f$#@k of streets. VERY quaint, and beautiful this time during the Spring--cherry trees in full bloom, trees popping a spectrum of soft greens, tulips and daffodils and everywhere brownstones with colorful window boxes.

The Liberty Hotel -- AWESOME. I'll not take up the time here to describe it, but here's my in-depth review of the opulent Liberty Hotel.

Day 1: After we got settled in our room D. and I grabbed our walking map and hit Charles Street heading to Boston Commons and the Public Garden. This lower end of Charles -- just on the edge of upscale Beacon Hill-- is a somewhat quiet tree and brownstone lined street punctuated with small restaurants, antique shops, bakeries, oddity boutiques --The Inkwell is memorable-- and two Starbucks. At Beacon Street I decided I wanted to partake in a very tourist-y pasttime--a beer at Cheers. We sat in the room called the Set Bar, which is really nothing like the bar you see on the TV show. But there is an awesome moose head on the wall surrounded by a stellar woodcarving that I would swear is a Grinling Gibbons, but may just be a very good likeness. Nevertheless that was a find for me. Besides our beers, we ate up a plate of potato skins.

After that we headed to Newbury Street about 4 or 5 blocks away along the edge of the Public Gardens. Newbury is the ultimate shopper's paradise. The street is decorated with the highest priced retailers--Gucci, Marc Jacobs -- to name a couple. Restaurants spill out onto open sidwalks for alfresco dining and drinking. This particular afternoon in May was near 70 degrees.

That evening we took the T train to Fenway Park for an 8 pm Red Sox game. Crowded, but a true Boston sight. We had nosebleed seats, but we didn't care. Chewed on hotdogs and fries. Went back to our hotel loaded and happy. The Charles/MGH (Mass General Hospital) T station is just across the street from the hotel, btw.

Day 2: Trekked the Freedom Trail throughout downtown Boston. From our hotel we walked diagonally through Boston Commons to just below the State House, where we picked up the head of th Freedome Trail. For me the most memorable part of this 2+ mile walk was the Granary Burial Ground near the start of the walk. Here headstones alone are a veritable historical tableau of early America. Celebrity corpses buried in the yard include Paul Revere, Ben Franklin, one of the Adamses, and John Hancock, to name a few. Also memorable--the Italian - American North End, particularly Mike's Pastry. If you hang out in Boston long enough you're sure to spot a few folks wandering aroudn with littel boxes sporting the "Mike's Pastry" logo. We stopped, elbowed our way through the pushy crowd at the totally disorganized counter and ordered a huge lemon bar and a chocolate dipped pizelle....mmmm. Oh and the old Italian guy on the street claiming he was the true Rambo the gov't has wanted to keep muzzled since the Vietnam War was frosting on the cake. Not worth it was the beer and potato skins we ordered in the Green Dragon pub on our walk home.

Concierge recommended Skip Jack's for dinner--a "seafood emporium" not too far from the hotel. When we asked for a taxi we were instead offered the "house car" which was sitting idle at the time. This is a complimentary (gratuity-based of course) service the Liberty Hotel provides. Brand new Cadillac suv with a very nice driver, that dropped us in front of the restaurant in about 5 minutes. I had my heart set on sushi and I wasn't disappointed--some of the best rolls I've had in a long time. D. ordered the Skip Jack styled scallops (soy-marinated, then broiled) also a nice surprise.

Day 3: Took the T out to Harvard University and poked around there a bit--wandered Harvard Square, some of Harvard Yard, visited the Harvard Bookstore. Grabbed a bit and a beer at Grendel's Den--thank God finally a pub worth raving about. Good and cold beers and top notch food that makes a sensible stab at combining the best of bar style dishes with some gourmet savvy. D. and I shared a small plate of nachos and a greek salad, both fresh and assembled with fresh and satisfying ingredients. Back in Boston proper we ambled about sunny but chilly Boston Commons.

Evening it was the capstone of our trip: The Blue Man Group at the Charles Theater. WOW is the best way to describe this act. Now most people have heard or seen something about the Blue Man company, but you really should see it if you're into exciting acts. The Charles Theater is small and intimate, so there really is not a bad seat, even if you're in the balcony. Be warned that should you purchase tickets for the first 3 or 4 rows you'll be donning plastic coveralls--these guys bang on drums covered in red blue and yellow paint....it splatters. Great show, period.

Three ways to get around Boston easily: (note: we parked our car the entire 3 days we were there)

1. Walking -- much of the city is very walkable
2. Taxi -- most of the main arteries have taxis running up and down; stick your arm up and you'll get one...
3. The "T" (MBTA)-- use it once or twice and you'll have the hang of it. Honestly, on our way out to Fenway Park we hopped on a train going in the wrong direction....We jumped off at the next stop and got ourselves re-oriented and heading in the right direction. Simple. Most of the hotels have MBTA maps and can point you to the nearest station, at the very least. Fares are $2. Unless you leave a station you travel on the same fare--in other words, if you change trains or lines you don't have to buy another fare unless you leave the station and come back in.

Resources:

Freedom Trail official site and maps
MBTA (the "T" subway)

Liberty Hotel Boston: Former Jailhouse is Best

The Liberty Hotel set on the edge of the fashionable Beacon Hill neighborhood is one of the best I've experienced. When we arrived two days ago the welcome alone was a standout: valet greets you, parks your car ($40 per day for parking :() then somehow secretly lets the upstairs desk know your party is on its way. When we got to the front reservation desk we were greeted by name, then offered a glass of sparkling Spanish wine from a chilled and freshly corked bottle right in front of us. Nice.

The hotel proper is a renovated jailhouse and the soaring lobby is one of the most dramatic, a luxurious, but sleek and unostentatious haunt. The lobby is contemporary, stylish, and dotted with club chairs and small intimate tables, where you can feel confined enough to sit out in the open and enjoy a drink, a conversation, read a book or even conduct an informal business meeting. A lobby bar serves cocktails, beer and wine. Ambient music. Light spills in from high ornate windows.

Rooms are not cheap ($270/night was our bill), but one of the more affordable for the Boston scene. Adjacent to Mass General Hospital and the "T" train. btw.

The room itself is dressed in warm taupe colors, clean and fresh carpet, down comforters on the beds, top quality mattresses; stone and granite-appointed bathroom, stylish Kohler sink and fixtures. Shower and separate soaking tub, European terry-cloth robes and thick white bath towels. We have been enjoying the large Philips flat-screen TV and free wireless internet. If you're a techie geek you'll also appreciate the Cisco phone and cabling system that digitizes this place. You'll find a fully stocked mini bar that includes juices, beer, wine, champagne, top-shelf vodka, martini glasses, wine glasses, chrome shaker and spherical chrome ice bucket. In fact this hotel is all about details. Can't say enough about the staff--concierge, registration, doormen, valet, etc.
Really, this hotel is the best and I've stayed in a few very nice digs -- next best would be the Kimpton in Seattle. The Liberty Hotel has won awards and notoriety for its luxury and over the top service.

From the Liberty Hotel (which I keep referring to as the Jailhouse Inn) we've walked easily to the Boston Commons, Newbury Street, and trekked The Freedom Trail. We've used the T train to get out the Fenway (first night here for the Boston Red Sox game) and out to Harvard today. Fares are $2 each way and navigating your way on the T subway is easy.

Liberty Hotel website provides an extraordinary visual of the main lobby...a must see.

A Weekend in Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth...a real find.

Drove up from CT early Friday morning, cloudy and mild--great driving. About 3 hours--straight I-95 through Mass and into NH. Stopped at the NH Welcome Center -- there's a nice information center with tons of info. Picked up maps and brochures on things to do in and around Portsmouth.

EAsy off of 95 into downtown Portsmouth. Didn't know it would be as small a city, really a town. But so pretty and immediately a real surprise. Here;s a quaint, but bustling little New England harbor town. Couldn't check into our hotel until between 4 and 5 so we parked a couple blocks off the main center of town and kept coming back to feed the meter. The meter readers are rigid here! During peak tourist season they ask that you only stay in a space for 2 hours and then must move your vehicle...wah?! to WHERE? This town would get stuffed with tourists really quickly. Anyway, not a prob for us this weekend.

Walked around and shopped for a bit. Hit a fantastic little CD shop right off the bat-- Bull Moose Music. (a few locations peppered along the Maine and NH coastal areas). Picked up a continuation of road trip mood music- Thievery Corporation's Bossa Nova

Checked into our room at the Alehouse Inn at 4. D. was really looking forward to this--she'd booked it and was excited and paid a pretty penny. Alehouse Inn is a converted brewery that's been remade into 10 private "stylish" rooms. Our impression: there is no official front desk. You go up onto the 2nd floor of this building and in a small office are the concierge-attendant. It was a nice couple, clearly not the owners of this inn and not very knowledgeable about the local eateries--I was aksing for dinner recommendations. The room--for a cool $170+ / night-- was TINY and I don't need much space; bathroom TINIER. Clearly the moolah was for the accessories: big flat screen hi-def TV, fresh orchids, real drinking glasses, wine glasses with opener, a Keurig coffee maker (!), and amazing bed. But compared to a couple Kimpton hotels we've experienced in Memphis and Seattle, with comparable pricing--this was really subpar for the price, even with all the upscale accessories. And without a view. And without proprietary parking OR a valet to park it for you. We slept really well, but...In their favor, the room is very clean, very fresh.

Dinner we walked the few blocks to The Green Monkey. The reservations were all gone, but we got there early enough to sit at the bar and dine, along with almost everyone else. I: goat-stuffed half a roasted chicken with mashed yams and asparagus, D: espresso marinated filet with sauteed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes. Red Spanish wine. Delish. and two thumbs up. Waiting in line behind us when we finally left.

Rainy Sat night.

Sunday a.m. --overslept! Nearly 11 a.m. when we woke up. Packed our stuff and headed out. Raining and chilly. We stoped for breakfast at Popovers--yes, fresh baked popovers. I hadn't had one in years. I had mine plain with honey-butter. But you can order them stuffed and accessorized with fruit, eggs, etc. Great breakfast spot.

Then we headed back to CT. Already making plans to return. This was a great little town with a lot of flavor.

Three Months in Portland Oregon

It's summer in Portland, which means the more sunshine the natives can soak up the better. After September the rain returns, first in fits and starts then in steady and predictable day-after-day patterns.

Living in a high rise apartment building -- Harrison Towers -- just a couple blocks from the waterfront and Riverplace. Street car stops right out front and we gave it a go last Saturday. It;s very user-friendly and compared to larger cities one of the simplest mass transit vehicles I've ever used. Fare for a day is $1.75, but that's only if you travel outside the "Fare-free Zone," a large chunk of the downtown route you can ride for free.

Every Saturday morning we walk norht on Harrison a few blocks to the Portand Farmers Market. It's better to go early, less congested.

We've checked out the Pearl District and Alphabet District around 21st and 23rd streets-- also quite boutiquey with plenty of restaurants, pubs and coffeeshops. On teh EAst Side we've trekked up and down Hawthorne and introduced ourselves to the Alberta 'hood, a Bohemian hold-out and a refreshing breath of air after a Saturday afternoon along the busy strip of Hawthorne.

I think the best coffee I've had in Portland, this visit or the last visit, was Stumptown Coffee. Per cup the spend is a bit more, but this local roaster boasts some of the finest beans collected from all over the world. At the Farmers Market you can grab a cup, french press or special drip roasts.

Willamette Week, a free newsprint publication, puts out an annual city guide--the Willamette Week Finder is a must-have and is available in many retail places. We've used it to find new restaurants as well as explore neighborhoods.

This coming weekend we'll head to the coast, Newport or Seaside. We've been to Cannon Beach a couple of times when we were here two years ago. Time to try a couple new beach spots.

Streetwise Portland, Map Review

Streetwise maps are popular in most bookstores, they're laminated, folded and compact, so really appealing to travelers like us. HOWEVER....this is an inaccurate rendition of Portland streets: Streetwise Portland includes some street routes that don't exist and fails to show others that do exist. The map area is also very limited. My recommendation: go with the big clumsy fold out map for a more accurate trip about the city.

Streetwise Portland map--just say no.

Looking for Good Pizza in Portland

I'm from Connecticut and I'll admit it, a pizza snob. I've eaten at Pepys Pizza and Modern Pizza, both in New Haven Ct and two of the best pizza places in the country. So I'm choosy.

Craving pizza this morning in a big way and on the West Coast. After reading a local guidebook decided to try Apizza Scholls tonight.

Located on the SE side of Portland at 4741 Hawthorne Blvd I had big expectations. Hours are 5 p.m. through 9:30 p.m. Get there early, the place was packed with easily an hour wait or so by 5:30. The place has limited seating area, thus the wait, plus it's apparently garnered a rep for good pizza pies.

We stood at the bar in the waiting area and enjoyed a glass of wine--makes the wait so much more bearable and when we were there the bar was clear. Lots of families and larger parties waiting for seats. We were seated ahead of quite a few parties because we were willing to take seats at the bar in the actual restaurant and there was only two of us.

Pizzas come in one size--large. My snooty review: pretty good for being clear across the country from really good NY pizza. Attention really paid to baking with high heat and making sure a goodly amount of char is put to the crust--really important when it comes to the serious craft of pizza baking.

Pizza could use a bit more mozz for me and parmesan cheese is meted out by the tablespoons and you have to ask for it. Sorry, but I come from a place where the parm is in jars on every table. Okay, so it costs money and this Portland restaurant boasts completely natural ingredients, which means parm is fresh and doesn't come in a jar that can sit at room temp,----still....

Overall, thumbs up on Apizza Scholls pies.

Red wine and beer on site, in limited quantities and they warn that they could run out of pizza dough on busy days....not sure how that could interrupt one's dinner plans, but....

Apizza Scholls

Portland Farmer’s Market, Oregon

The Portland Farmer’s Market is not to be confused with the “Saturday Market” along the Willamette riverfront. The Portland Farmers’ Market is set up on the main campus of Portland State University, smack dab in the middle of downtown, every Saturday morning from April through mid-December. In the realm of farmer’s markets this is an epic length of time and offers access to an impressive scope of seasonal and regional foods. Vendors are almost exclusively farmers and small agricultural producers from the region: the Columbia River Gorge and Hood River areas. There is a mix of organic and traditional, but all feature a luxurious spread of their earth-wares.

Come prepared to carry bags. Market veterans tote their own handled shopping baskets. You’ll find fresh artisan cheeses, rustic breads, sinfully delicious baked goods—try the pumpkin scones and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Fresh berries include regional favorites the huckleberries and marionberries, and fresh veggies include heirloom varieties of almost everything that springs from the soil. If you want exotic meat, shop for range-raised elk and buffalo. Crave seafood? Stroll the tents for fresh Dungeness crab, mussels and regional fish varieties. Vendors tug them up fresh from the depths of ice packs. Just walk nearby and I swear you can smell the sweetness of the Pacific Ocean. As compliment to your baked bread don’t miss the homemade preserves and for your veggies and meat there are fresh and unique marinades and artisan rubs, custom-blended and artfully packaged. Brave a taste if you’re unsure.

Don’t leave without an armload of fresh-cut flowers, either. The only other place I’ve seen fresh bouquets this inexpensive and luscious was at Pike’s Place Market in Seattle. Bouquets are built from a foundation of plump dahlias, to which are added generous stalks of daisies, husky sunflowers, cosmos, even globe thistle. Smaller bunches start at $8 and go up from there. If there is a special combination of blossoms or colors you’d like it’s possible the vendor will hand-pick you a custom bouquet on-the-fly.

My favorite finds have been the sweet, red curry squash, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, extra sharp cheddar cheese, fresh raspberries, and heirloom tomatoes of any kind.

If you are parking nearby don’t forget to pay the parking kiosk – they are located in various spots along every street block -- and tape your stub to the inside of your car window. Expect to walk a few blocks to the market. If you’re a coffee-monger you’ll easily find a few coffee joints along the way, including the ubiquitous Starbucks. Alternative brewers include a nearby Coffee People and Illy if you want something different. Come to the market hungry and you’ll find a foodie midway. There are fresh breakfast burritos, natural biscuits, fresh artichoke and goat cheese tamales, and even Asian stir-fries, all fresh made while you wait.

Figure in plenty of time for grabbing a sit on a bench or beneath a tree. Besides the produce this is some of the best people-watching, dog-petting and free folk-music around.

Zydeco at the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival

I actually have listened to quite a bit of Blues music, but had never really spent any time taking in Zydeco. And I certainly have never seen live Zydeco with performers within a couple dozen feet of me. We spent most of our time at the Waterfront blues Festival front and center at the Front Porch Stage, the designated Zydeco venue. A smaller stage, set well away from the most trafficked area this is, as far as I'm concerned, the hot-spot for great Louisiana, Zydeco music. The washboard was amazing and some of the playing was quite athletic. Cedryl Ballou and his band almost seems to meld a few hip-hop style moves into their washboard and accordion playing. Cedryl, the band leader may be only in his 20s and his arsenal of accordions spans from the traditional to the an orange tiger striped.

Take it some Zydeco for a Blues change.

Cedyrl Ballou band is 3 generations of Ballou family on stage with a 9-year old nephew banging it out on the drums. Sound hokey? Add in a musician friend on washboard with some hip-hop-like moves and this was a really unique crew. Cedryl takes some traditional Zydeco sounds and turns up the volume. The band can turn out some innovative mash-ups of zydeco and recognizable R&B melodies which appeals.

Portland OR: Waterfront Blues

Already into 3 months in Portland. Living a couple blocks from Tom McCall Waterfront park and the bank of the Willamette River (bisects Portland). This weekend great blues festival on the river. The Waterfront Blues Festival is in its 21st year and benefits the Portland food bank--so part of visitor admission includes two cans of food as a contribution.

The performances run back to back all weekend long. I actually thought we'd be able to hear the music from the apartment, but there's too many obstructions in the way. However, we had a great view of the fireworks last night from the apt--amazing and unexpected--didn't think we'd see a thing then they were suddenly right there.

Portland Blues Festival

We spent most of Saturday afternoon and evening soaking up all manner of Blues music and engaging in some seriously excellent people-watching. Performers take one of five different stages located along the waterfront and one on a cruise boat. Front Porch Stage located at the far north end of the event featured Zydeco bands. Because neither of us had ever had the opportunity to hear much Zydeco we stuck close to this area.

We really enjoyed Chris Ardoin, Rosie Ledet, and Cedryl Ballou and the Zydeco Trendsetters.

Even better, Front Porch stage is a smaller venue, much less trafficked and setup with rows of aluminum benches. We could grab a great seat.

Plenty of opps for buying performer cds, plus all the festival merchandise you could want, blues music souvenirs, etc.

WBF Blog

One thing disappointed me: the WBF Blog. Before we set out yesterday I pulled up the blog--I expected a blow-by-blow first hand account of the festival, festival goers, a bit of the sights, sounds and flavors, but instead I found it stagnant. The last post was entered on June 11th nearly a month ago. Here's the thing, official event photographers roam throughout the event snapping noteworthy photos for some publication I'm sure. And on the Front Porch side stage I saw a young woman scribbling notes, as well, maybe for a press piece. So why not a blogger? Okay great way to keep event goers on the edge of their seats in advance of the event, but what a missed opportunity to excite others (like me) via the festival blog. Blog--regularly updated and features the most up-to-the-minute, as it's happening thoughts, events, etc. Too bad this languished.

Official Waterfront Blues Festival website provides almost all the information a visitor needs to know.

Top 4 Fuel-Hardy Road Trips Still Worth Your Gas Investment

Regardless of gas prices topping $4.25 per gallon in some spots, I've already argued that folks are still packing their gear, their kids, their music, their kids, and hitting road. Here is my top 4 list of utterly jaw-dropping scenery and adventure to be had well worth the gas dime:


Yellowstone National Park is more than you imagined. Visitors should allow multiple days to explore this national wonder. No guidebook, school teacher, encyclopedia or Flickr photo album can convey the immensity and geologic phenomenon collected in the space of this park. I never would have thought I could be so intrigued by hot water spewing from the earth or the sight of a bison plodding within feet of our car. Here it is--the nation's first national park, a real gem: go hiking, drive it from stem to stern, explore the gateway towns, try fly fishing, camp, raft, take pictures, study the geology...soak up every second of it. Don't miss the dramatic snow capped Grand Tetons.





The California Big Sur Coast Highway is historic Route 1 and hugs every notch along the California coast. This is a dramatic and really pleasurable drive that runs between Monterrey and Ragged Point, about 250 miles north of Los Angeles. The landscape curves around steep coastal mountains, and from the road visitors have sweeping views of ocean, rocky coast and uplifted mountain faces. Before setting alogn this stretch of highway make sure you gas up--there is little of commerce along the Big Sur Highway.

The highway between Ragged Point and Los Angeles is worth it as well--the drive becomes a spectacle for fame. You'll pass right through Santa Monica, past Malibu mansions and straight through Beverly Hills--just a left turn in the middle of town and you're on historic and romantic Rodeo Drive.







The drive through the South Dakota Black Hills and the Badlands, the western half of interstate 90 in SD is an unexpected visual surprise. I've done an extensive post on this trip. All I have to say is do it. Plan on staying in the area for a day or two, visit Mount Rushmore and stop by Crazy Horse. Lodging options are plentiful and diverse. We stayed a night in a cute one room log cabin, all modern amenities and plenty of room for a small family.

Route 66, any segment of it is a slice of Americana. This strip of roadway traverses hundreds of miles between Chicago and Santa Monica, California. In between are cities like Tucumcari, Oklahoma City (don't miss the Oklahoma City bombing memorial-extremely beautiful and moving at night), Albuquerque and Flagstaff, Amarillo, and Tulsa, not in any particular order. The roadside is punctuated with kitschy 50s motels, greasy spoons that still serve some of the best travel food in America, and large swaths of landscape between map points.

Bizarre Travel Links

I was visiting Digg recently and I stumbled across a few really unique travel articles. Consider these some of the more innovative and outstanding road trip ideas:

• Road tripping hobby musicians-- leave your spendy guitar at home and invest in a travel guitar that can take the hard-knocks and environmental abuse on the road.
  

• I'm not Jewish, but if I were maybe I'd be interested in Kosher Travel. How 'bout Kosher road trips?

• As a kid I was fascinated, no, obsessed with the notion of time travel. I stuffed a dogeared copy of Wells' The Time Machine into my bike bag, my jacket pocket, my school lunch box--pretty much wherever I went. In fact I wanted to be the first girl time machine inventor. Article about the feasibility of time travel that brought my childhood wonder rushing right back in...I'm off to make a blueprint....hee hee, ha, ha.

So there's your time travel kosher vacation, and don't forget the rugged travel guitar for those bumpy blackholes.

Fuel-Hardy Travel

Gas prices not near their tipping-point for certain road trip vacation journeys.

During the 7 days we stayed in West Yellowstone, MT we criss-crossed Yellowstone National Park over and over. Meanwhile, in gateway towns surrounding this vast park, gas prices topped $4.25 a gallon. I imagined those prices would be a real summer vacation show-stopper. The media reports have certainly indicated that consumers at large have all but parked their cars and cancelled long-distance road trips and other fuel-hardy vacations. But according to the steady stream of family cars and RVs everywhere in Yellowstone I have to conclude somewhere there's skewed statistics.

In West Yellowstone the gas station operators I asked reported banner summer volume regardless of pump price. 'K..... a thing that makes you go hmmmmm.

See I think we've vastly underestimated the American desire to hit the road--$4.25 per gallon is not the tipping-point in every travel circumstance. So what is it? The point at which there is a significant brake put on the travel plans? I considered my fuel tipping point...would I curtail road trips at $5.00 a gallon for gas? Probably, in fact had I not been driving through some of the most spectacular areas of America I would have saved my cash, already.

That's it! It's easy for bi-coastal journalists to report travel curtailed in areas around the East Coast megalopolis and in California --although I'd argue vehicle travelers have probably continued to charge up and down the Big Sur highway--highway 101 that twists and turns with every mountain fold along the California coast--that's a spectacular fuel-hardy drive, my friends. And so is a trip to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons. So-so vacation destinations may show a measured decline in traffic flow, but I'm willing to bet that the spectacular, once in a lifetime drives are still worth $4.25 a gallon.

**Hit the road and make the most of every single minute you have on gas-time...keep a travel log, stop to check out every site you can, take pictures of your travels, save gas on the scenic byways and backroads, but most of all relax, turn off the kids' DVD player, and open your eyes, man.

On the Road Observations

Just some things I noticed between West Yellowstone MT and Baker City, OR

• Fedex, UPS and ABT are all driving long loads out here: three trailers hitched to a cab. I thought it was to save gas, but probably not that much with the extra load. Add together the combined volume of goods delivered, plus the little cost savings in fuel and these companies may be doing all they can to save.

• Idaho and Montana post 75 mile per hour speed limits-- like boon days for gas. But limits like these are hardly cost-effective. At 7o or over you can literally watch the gas gauge drop.

• Each state's deer signs are slightly different: some are chubby, some are skinny and I saw one today in Oregon that displayed this: DEER. That pretty much says it.

• Lexus is transporting some special cars in black, covered trailers? Two big rigs heading my way and two more I spotted heading in the opposite direction at one point. Top secret performance vehicles?

• McDonald's coffee is better than I expected, but is an excellent example of market value--it goes for nearly the same as any specialty coffeehouse.

Yellowstone to Portland Oregon

Left West Yellowstone Montana, gateway to the west entrance of Yellowstone, at 8:30 a.m. Headed south on 20 toward Idaho Falls where we picked up 15-86-84. West of Pocatello the highway turns exclusively to 84. South 20 travels through a wide flat valley to the east the Grand Tetons, to the west in the distance are the Pioneer Mountains. Gas is $4.23—a small fortune to fill up an SUV, what we’re driving and loaded to the max, at that.

Speed limit through Idaho is 75—great if you have time to make, horrible if you’re concerned over your gas gauge. At 75 you can literally watch the gauge moving. Out here a few of the major trucking companies are stringing together three trailers (long loads), perhaps to save fuel (does this trick work?) or to simply move more product at once. The most common long loads are FedEx and UPS—interesting, too they have added on a fuel fee to their shipping services.

Spent the night in Baker City, Oregon, not far over the Oregon-Idaho border (the time changes to PST). This is Powder River and Hells Canyon land. Baker City is a small town and wireless coverage is poor. The Best Western is pet friendly—a key for us. The hotel restaurant is just okay, basically like the standard diner food you find anywhere, so disregard the “fine dining” sign tag. Not fine dining and our waitress seemed harried and inattentive. In the distance the Glass Mountains tower snow-capped.

The next morning was sunny and surprisingly warm. Interstate 84 swings northwest until it meets the Columbia River at the uppermost Oregon border.

A few memorable roadside sights:

Greenwood Tree Farm—miles and miles of a tree species planted along the westbound shoulder.
Roadside native plants—grayish green tea olives, Artemisia/sage brush, yellow and white wildflowers.

The Oregon Trail turns into the Lewis and Clark Trail—I try to imagine seeing this land for the first time as explorers may have.

Between Pendleton and Boardman the roadside is brown and dusty, uninspiring. Beyond Boardman the highway swings alongside the Columbia. The territory is still brown, but much hillier and rockier. At this point Mt Hood becomes visible in the hazy distance and almost seems like an apparition, some surreal snowy volcano. Speed limit in Oregon is 65 and cops seem quite committed to it.

Groups of wind turbines sit on windy ridges above the Columbia at exit 137 for Arlington.

The closer we draw to Portland the higher the hills rise alongside the roadway, bluff-like and slightly greener.

Two dams are located along the Columbia in Oregon:

John Jay Dam
Dalles Lock and Dam

Both are quite impressive.

Bluffs slope down like giant’s feet with tan toes that sit right at the rivers edge.

Mount Hood rises 11,000 and is unlike anything else in the region. The Columbia River Gorge area is lush. The river itself is wide and brown; tugboats and barges float along and there is an occasional riverside grain elevator.

The Gorge area is also home to a collection of wineries, many that you can see across the river on the Washington side. Lodging includes dingy motels and upscale inns like the Columbia Gorge Inn.

Hood River area

Multnomah Falls—are located yards from highway 84 not far east of Portland. Take the exit to the left and park in one of the visitor lots. A walkway leads right up to the bottom of the falls. Multnomah Falls is one of the most spectacular waterfall sights, period; well worth the stop.

If you can’t find the time to pause for a look you actually can see a large part of the falls from 84.