Avocados – they’re so amazing we have a THREE DAY festival in their honor

Avocados. I’m fairly certain if you don’t like them you have to turn in your California card. Luckily, we don’t have that problem in our house.  No rain this week – matter of fact, we’re back up into triple digits… so when E suggested the Avocado Festival, it was another HELL YEAH moment. A) food fest, B) beach, C) FOOD FEST!

I didn’t realize it at the time he proposed the idea but E just wanted to eat from the world’s largest bowl of guacamole. Or swim in it like Juli and I did at the sprinkle pool. It wasn’t even on display! It could have been a Tupeprware container for all we knew.  Seriously? If you’re going to advertise the WORLD’S LARGEST BOWL OF GUACAMOLE, have it on display, people!  He settled for chips and guac instead which was yummy and plentiful.

It’s usually sweets that get me excited, especially since I’m not big on chips – so I opted for a cone of the avocado mango sorbet. Ice cream? No brainer. Good choice because it was seriously YUMMY!

My AWESOME new shirt from our Huy Fong day. Saw LOTS of people wearing sriracha shirts at the fest! Nothing but love for guac and cock (sauce).

Avocados have been in short supply lately (#thanksglobalwarming) so it was nice to see them guaced, spread, deep fried,  baked, frozen and of course as a photo-op.  The varieties were amazing and the ones as big as our hands, wow!  In the markets they basically have bumpy and smooth (yes, I know they have REAL names) and Lord knows we’ve never been able to grow an avocado tree – so seeing so many different kinds was awesome.

 

 

Looks kind of Veggie Tales-ish – half expected it to start playing the Hairbrush song.

We got about 8,500 steps in, learned a bunch about avocados, and E scored a case of chips. They’re quinoa chips, but still.  I even treated myself to this necklace, customized for (some of) my obsessions. I just need to find an awesome llama charm. Not bad for a Sunday.

Until next time Avo Fest – Stay Golden, California!

 

It’s about to get spicy around here

Eric & I have a thing for food tours. We’ve been to Ben & Jerry’s in Vermont. The fortune cookie factory in a sketchy alley in San Fran. Beecher’s cheese at Pike Place and Eli’s Chresecakes in Chicago. Coca Cola in Atlanta. Dr. Pepper in Waco. Coor’s in Colorado. Ethel M & Hershey’s? Check and check. Tequila & rum distilleries. Yes, those, too. (Of course!) and not 1 but TWO Jelly Belly factories.

So, to have the sriracha factory 30 minutes away from us… no brainer! Once a year, Huy Fong opens up their factory and welcomes spicy lovers in to burn their mucous membranes and see where the magic happens.

We’ve been before. In 2014, shortly after Anthony left for college we took the tweedles. Anthony’s response? “Why do you wait for me to leave to do cool stuff?” Ummm we did cool stuff throughout your childhood! I have the scrapbooks to prove it!

So, now that Big is home, we decided to go back for Chili Grinding.

First things first, don these attractive red hairnets. Anthony was obsessed with the giant blow up bottles and could not understand why I didn’t want one living in my house. Yes son, your room still constitutes IN MY HOUSE.

This year, David Tran, founder and chili guru was greeting guests! Better than taking a pic with his cardboard cutout.

The factory is insanely clean. I’d like to think all factories are this clean, but yeah. Probably not.

It’s annual chili grinding time so I grabbed a Kleenex and off we went.

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I passed on the chili and opted for sriracha ice cream instead. YUM!

Anthony dipped into his bag of snacks – popcorn, chips, and jerky. Then immediately to the complimentary bottle of water. LOL

They may not make tear gas, but this stuff can still bring tears to your eyes. 

Huy Fong has THE best gift shop filled with questionably appropriate apparel! I picked up a new Awesome Sauce T-shirt and grabbed some stuff for the tweedles. Anthony was still jonesing for the giant inflatable bottle. NO. Then he saw this sweatshirt…

Me: You’ll never wear it.

Random stranger: Yes he will and then you’ll regret knowing him.

Me: Too late.

Before leaving, Huy Fong hooked us up with free hats, shirts, and bottles of sauce. Pretty awesome way to celebrate the Year of the Rooster!

Who are we kidding? It’s always the Year of the Rooster when you’re cock sauce lovers.

Road to.. Sadness

I’m not sure when Juli and I decided this as the unofficial name of Route 66 west of Victorville. One thing is certain, we’ve driven it more times than either of us ever wanted to. Together. Alone. With others.  Directions? Take 15 North, exit D (look for the sign for the prison), turn left and go past the ampm (if you need to pee or get a drink STOP HERE), drive until you get really sad or see the sign.

Thankful for xm radio. Music blasting. Often trying to tune out the 14 miles of desolate landscape, deserted and rundown buildings, grafitti covered trains, tumbleweed, odd businesses in the middle of nowhere, a federal prison, and the occasional non-vehicular traveler.

Yes, people walking, pushing strollers and grocery carts, golf carts, and my personal favorite, motorized scooter chairs. Where did they come from? And where the heck are they going? You’re on the road from nowhere to, NOWHERE! You probably should have brought a CAR, you’re in the DESERT, people!!!

Seriously, 14 miles of THIS! This is in danger of trespassing? REALLY? There’s NO DOOR!

So much sadness with a few interesting moments in between.

Like the Cross Eyed Cow pizza parlor. Never stopped for the pizza but the colorful roof cow and VW bus advertisement…

This “city” is the only sign of civilization. If you can call it that. The OFFICIAL roadsign for the post office reads “Oro Grande Post Office”. Why the quotation marks? Is it a ploy to capture wayward travelers? I wouldn’t be shocked.

The abandoned Mohawk gas station. When was the last time gas was $1.99/gallon? Especially on a deserted stretch of highway?

The station graphics are still pretty much intact despite being boarded up. The pumps, not so much.

And Bottle Tree Ranch. We’ve driven by SOOOO many times and never stopped at this roadside attraction. This time, thinking this was my last trip, I took a few minutes to walk through.

So how far do we travel The Road? Fourteen. Miles. Turn at “The Sign”.

Yes, the saddest sign on the saddest road is where we know to turn. We’ve never stayed at “The Inn”. I’m fairly certain horror movies were based on this.

Haven’t stayed here either. Obvious reasons.

After years of traveling 66 to Helendale, our trips are finally coming to an end. The house will be sold soon. Our link to the area officially broken. Goodbye Helendale. Not exactly sad to say farewell.