Road Trip Eating & Activity: Part 3 of 5

Maintaining a reasonable balance between eating and moving was a big part of our trip planning.  We aimed to strike a balance between cooking in, dining out and take out food.  Add the wine we took with us and we were golden.  While we always eat well, this was especially fun.  Earl's thinking of approaching the Food Network to pitch his idea for a Motel Cooking Challenge.  Like he needs another project.

One of the more useful purchases we made was a hot plate (Amazon Prime, of course).  Chef Earl did amazing things cooking in a motel room with his favorite seasonings, an old saucepan and a sauté pan. Cooking in was easier for me, but more work for Earl.  Restaurant dining gave us a change of scenery as well as a chance to sample the local specialty.  Take out food was often a compromise as long as we had room to dine somewhere other than the bed.

Balcony view, dining al fresco
Whenever our motel room had a balcony (however small), we either had wine and appetizers or wine and dinner al fresco,taking in some of the best scenery right from our room.  The unanticipated ambiance just added to dining.  The wine always added to dining.

The good, bad, and ugly
Another Food Network favorite is Diners, Drive–ins, and Dives.  It features unique, fresh, and home-cooked food.  This trip seemed like a perfect opportunity to explore the diners in the West. With a few exceptions, it was.  The huge Mexican mural in the southwest diner and the stuffed game in the Western–themed diner became an 'OMG' part of the experience.

Boise, Arches, Ashland
If you enjoy it, cycling brings an element to a trip I don't think you would have otherwise.  Given that my trike took up so much space, was cumbersome and I only got to ride three times, I doubt that we'd bother taking it again.*  That said, those three rides were memorable for me.  My friend, recovering from a broken leg, took us for a tour along the Boise river, she on Skeeter, her dog on a leash, me on my trike, and Earl walking.  I can't imagine how else we would have pulled that off.  Triking across the Colorado River and, finally, through Ashland were pretty unforgettable.  Earl made more frequent use of his road bike as it was much lighter and easier to unload.  Between biking, running, walking and yoga, he could afford his usual snacking.  My most frequent exercise was the yoga and taking a bath that didn't involve injury.  That expended more calories than I would have thought, but I still passed on snacking.**

The lesson:  Eat well, move often and drink lots of wine.


*Previous post: The trike and Skeeter
**Previous post: Testing the retirement–planning the road trip



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