Russian River Vacation: Day 3

We started our Saturday morning being happy healthy wilderness explorers. A big group of us drove out to Armstrong woods and split up into three different groups who wanted to do hikes of different levels of difficulty.

Armstrong Woods is great because there is a short flat loop through the redwoods that's accessible to people who want to walk slowly, and is also accessible to those who just want to drive through a forest.

However, there are also trails that lead to the top of some pretty steep hills overlooking the Russian River Valley. My little trio thought we were going for a 3 mile jog through the flat area, but we ended up hiking for eight miles and hitting the summit. We wish we'd brought water, but the views were incredible. It was a little different from any scenery I've ever seen: really lush mountainsides of pine tree, eagles soaring overhead, and lush valleys of long wavy grass. There was a mix of wooded and open areas, and some ponds and creeks along the way.

After that hike, we were naturally starving. After a quick shower we regrouped with everyone and had a delicious lunch at Stumptown Brewery. This is C's plate of ribs, which was extra large and came with a tall glass of blueberry beer because the server forgot her order. I think the ribs and fish and chips are the best things on the menu, though our pulled pork sandwiches weren't bad either. The food is homey, cheap, and plentiful. And the beer is good! J's favorite was the Xporter, which is dark and sweet. I like wheat beer so the Rat Bastard was right up my alley.

I was too tired and tipsy most of the afternoon to do much more than lie on the deck and sunbathe. Other people went down the the river and waded around or floated on inner tubes.

Look! Nature! A mother duck scooting her baby ducklings down the river.

And a weird little caterpillar living on the large redwood that grew up from the ground in the center of the house's many decks. No one touched it because of its rather intimidating coloring.

So pretty! If only I could have this view every day. All while sipping vodka sweet tea with a wedge of lemon, of course.

Dinner was another delicious home cooked meal. N made garlic bread with fresh garlic, J grilled up polish sausages and garlicked salmon, we recycled the pesto and watermelon salads and added a green salad, and I baked up some fresh parsley biscuits and made sweet tea cocktails for everyone. One of the great things about a RRV vacation is that we don't have to spend a lot to have a great time.

We spent the evening eating pie, playing cards, Scattegories, and Scrabble, trying unsuccessfully to light a fire, drinking wine, and admiring the stars outside. Great company, great food, great time.

Pachamama and Everett and Jones

We did a little house shopping in out near Jack London Square in lieu of Mother's Day this weekend. The weather was gorgeous, but I think we've both decided if we have to live in the East Bay we like Emeryville a lot more than Jack London Square.

It was a fun day, though, and I got to try a new coffee place. Pachamama! Fun name.

I opted for a drip-to-order Peru, which was light with a little of what I call a "paper" flavor. For those who like black coffee that's mild enough to be almost a tea, this is great.

After walking all over half a dozen properties in over two hours, we were starving! Sadly, waterfront dining on Jack London is really pathetic. We were going to walk back towards Lake Merritt BART and see what we found along the way when we stumbled right into Everett and Jones. I had the ribs.

J had the brisket! Both of these huge plates of food were lunch specials for about $9. The only downside is that we didn't get to pick our sides; all lunch specials come with (mediocre) wheat bread and (quite good) potato salad.

We opted for hot sauce on the side.

Consensus: as delicious as ever. E&J excels at getting a smokey flavor into their meat. If it were up to me, the meat itself would be a touch more fall off the bone. However, as a whole package it was really fantastic. So fantastic that I fell into a 90 minute food coma as soon as I got home. Thank goodness the gym didn't close before I could get in a protein-fueled workout.

Crispy Ribs Salad

Someone complained to me this week that losing weight is too hard even with regular exercise because he/she loves red meat too too much. Sigh, don't I know it! I too love red meat more than many other foods. Still, there are many reasons to eat less meat: you'll save money, help the environment, and stave off the extra pounds. And when you do eat meat, make sure it's good!

Tonight we're having slow-cooked Prather Ranch ribs, but instead of each eating slab of meat with bread, rice, or potatoes we're balancing our meal with plenty of colorful vegetables. It's ideal for me because I get all the flavor of beef without that heavy feeling you get after eating too much greasy food. Like I keep telling people: if you take the effort to make sure you're actually eating 5 fruits and vegetables every day, you shouldn't have that much room left for the tasty but less healthy foods we all love.


First, I salt and peppered the ribs and stuck garlic slivers in several slits in the meat, then wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and baked for almost four hours in a 200 degree oven. When I was ready to eat I took off the foil and crisped the meat on the outside, then cut it into small pieces and set aside.


The salad is mixed greens tossed with a little garlic dressing, then topped with toasted flax seeds (or sesame seeds) and finely slivered carrots. Beets, corn, tomatoes, roasted asparagus, or roasted bell peppers would have made it even more delicious.