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Favorite Finds

A Favorite Find: Maria’s Margaritas & Silver Saddle

December 15, 2011
Favorite Finds, Food, South West
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Santa Fe has some truly charming older motels. At one time they must have been a fair distance outside of the city, but over the past few decades the city has encompassed them. We chose the Silver Saddle – by far one of the cutest hotels I have stayed at ever, and even better because it was only $45 a night. Plastered walls, a cotton quilt, and a beautifully tiled bathtub gave it all the charm I needed. Add a balcony and it would have been perfect. Oh, and I almost forgot, there is a margarita haven right around the corner.

At the Silver Saddle - In case you forget to bring your cowgirl boots, just borrow the pair by the front desk!

A couple locals had directed us to Maria’s for dinner. They mentioned that Maria’s had good margaritas if we were interested, but they left out the small fact that they offer 100 different types of margaritas — and I always thought a margarita was a boring, unchanging drink. From the outside the place looks deceptively small, but when you walk in, you’ll be greeted by a meandering collection of never ending rooms. Not to worry, margaritas are on the menu no matter where you end up sitting.

A Favorite Find: La Nortena Tortilla Factory

December 8, 2011
Favorite Finds, Food, South West
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Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of this great place. My La Nortena experience was “to go”, so I didn’t realize what I had come across until I was miles down the road.

Located in the small West Texas town of Pecos, La Nortena was hard to miss with the full side wall of its former building being painted in bright colors and an arrow pointing across the road. Even with this welcome, the place had a surprisingly understated facade. Simple, clean, and open, walking in you felt as if you were entering an industrial version of your grandmother’s kitchen. A few tall tables off to the side were in front of a line of refrigerators and freezers offering bags of tortillas and pints of beans and meat.

Homemade tortillas and tamales are the house specials, but beans, rice, and perfectly seasoned Asado are also available for purchase in bulk or single counts. I suggest a Burrito Asado (the meat is so perfectly seasoned, there’s no need for the guacamole, sour cream, or cheese) and a tamale dinner with rice and beans.

A Favorite Find: The Dunes Cafe

October 16, 2011
Adventure, Favorite Finds, Food
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A teeny store front hidden at the back-end of a small shopping center, The Dunes Cafe in Florence, Oregon was an unexpected surprise find. Admittedly, I didn’t find it myself. Only an eagle eye would have noticed it tucked off of the 101 highway. We were directed to it by the young man at the gas station up the road.

With just a handful of tables and 5 bar stools, the atmosphere was cozy to say the least. It was a little after 10 in the morning and the place was packed. I ordered an egg and bacon sandwich and tucked myself away by the bar to keep out of the fray. Within 5 minutes I had one of the most delicious breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever tasted, and I had made a few new friends at the cafe bar.

A Favorite Find: Olympic National Park’s Pacific Coast

October 6, 2011
Adventure, Favorite Finds, National Parks, Pacific North West
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La Push, Beach 2: Before leaving Seattle, my sister told me that we had to stop in La Push if we were driving through the Olympic Peninsula. I, of course, took her word and we ventured the 15 miles off 101 towards the coast. About 10 miles in, I had the realization that this is “Twilight” land, and in fact, this town might be more well-known for its association with the movie than for anything else.

Boy was I wrong. As soon as we drove into the town, home to Quileute Indian tribe, it was clear my sis had not led me astray. Driftwood (and by driftwood I mean 2-6′ wide pine tree segments) covered the beach. Small fishing boats were bobbing in the current, and the view to the horizon was only broken by the large rocks jetting out of the sea.

Kalaloch Campground: Nestled amongst giant mossy trees on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this was quite the romantic campground (two words I never thought I would use together). Still partially filled at the beginning of October with a dozen RV’s and a sampling of tents, we knew this place had to be good as soon as we drove in.

Reservations are required from June to September.  If you want a view, make sure to reserve the D loop, numbers 24/31/33/35/36/37. We chose 37.

A Favorite Find: Whitefish, MT

September 29, 2011
Favorite Finds, MidWest, National Parks
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Driving through South Dakota was interesting, Wyoming was rugged and beautiful, and Montana as a whole has been breathtaking, but the place that has enchanted the most since leaving Minnesota is Whitefish, Montana. Right at the edge of Glacier National Park, there is a buzz in the air here. The downtown looks like a setting right out of a picture book.

We drove in on a Tuesday night to the weekly farmer’s market in the park by the train station. Did you catch that? A Tuesday NIGHT farmers market — obviously a brilliant idea because the park was packed. If it hadn’t been for the plastic signs advertising the market, you would have thought the state fair was in town. An easy mistake considering the smell of grilled Bison sausage in the air. Yum.

A Favorite Find: Poffertjes in P.E.I.

September 4, 2011
Adventure, Canada, Favorite Finds, Food
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I came across these Dutch delights not in Amsterdam but in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Located on Victoria Row in downtown Charlottetown, this cute little cafe’s yellow and black umbrellas are inviting on their own. But look closer and you will notice the owner, Lucy, dressed in a darling European ensemble, dropping dollops of dough into the cafe’s only window adornment – a special griddle just for poffertjes.

“But what are poffertjes?” you may ask. Imagine a ball of perfectly cooked sweet dough swimming in butter and covered in sugar. It is as if heaven were on the end of a little wooden fork.

Only offering their signature poffertjes and a house blend coffee, Poffertjes Dutch Mini Pancake Company’s business plan seems simple — Do one thing and do it well. Mission accomplished.

A Favorite Find: La Have Bakery

September 2, 2011
Adventure, Favorite Finds, Food
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La Have Bakery, Nova Scotia

My new addiction in Canada became berries (blue, ras, and black), so you can imagine my excitement when we stopped at La Have Bakery in La Have, Nova Scotia and discovered that they had delicious homemade blueberry muffins. Cute, quaint, and quirky this place had great food, a craft co-op downstairs, and a gallery and custom skateboard store upstairs. Everything you could need!