Triangle Tramps

So, I've decided to either expand this blog or narrow it, depending on your POV. It will be about the trips I experience, preferably with someone.

Tabitha, Mariel, Joy, and I all decided to spend our Thanksgiving break doing an exorbitant amount of driving. After a bit of a rocky start getting on the road which included a cop stop, the rest of the way to Seattle went pretty smoothly. Of course, we had to stop and oogle snow.
It was interesting traveling with a group of people who aren't from around here. They get excited about the little things. Like black people. And snow.

So, Seattle consisted of getting to our hotel (I <3 Travelocity's Secret Hotels!), and then driving randomly about the city absorbing the nighttime, fog-ridden sights. We stopped at Uwajimaya, which is way cooler than the one in PDX. Bigger all around with greater selection of "fresh" fruits and veggies and bookstore. We stalked some colored arches and drove up many hills. In the morning, we visited Pike's Market, at which I had delicious breakfast pastries and bought too much art.

Then our drive to Portland began. They wanted to stop along the way and see the capital city (Olympia). We wandered about the main building and then drove around looking for food. After resuming our journey, it was expressed that to see Mt. St. Helens would be of interest. And so, after typing that very thing into the GPS, we veered off the main highway on a detour that would take us three hours out of our way with no glimpse of the deformed mountain.

We approached the capital building...

Pretty lights

It looks like a geometric abstract art piece.

When we finally reached Portland, it was on 84 West. Trying to juggle family and friends was a tad stressful. We met up with another Americorps girl and ate at a horrifyingly Portland restaurant; all vegetarian and live. Not my thing. Been a bit sick since. And after that took a quick tour of the city. Our intent was to go to Voodoo, but the line was a bit long. Instead, we drove around a tad and I showed them the echo circle, Pioneer Square, the South Park Blocks, and the lookout point by the Steel Bridge. Seeing my family was nice, but all too short and we got up far too early the next morning. Skipping Voodoo yet again, we visited the Ace Hotel until Powell's opened. An hour there and Max joined us.

It was really good to see him. I was still having trouble adjusting to being in Portland again. We were being a bit too touristy and.....surface value-y for me too feel at home. But with Max being there, it really felt like home again and reminded me why I love it.

That aside, we visited Scrap and another restore before checking out the Saturday Market and eating at the People's Republic of Sandwich. Then, saying goodbye to Max and Portland, we headed out onto open road again. We'd dallied long enough for the sun to come out and Tabitha got her long-awaited view of not only Mt. St. Helens, but a beautiful view of Mt. Hood as well. :) A two-minute stop at Multnomah Falls told us the Vista House was no go due to construction. However, we got onto the second scenic byway and saw the other overlook. Not quite as good but still a beautiful view. After that, home was smooth and uneventful sailing.

Overall, the trip was a whirlwind. It felt very long, but not long at all. It got pretty tense at parts, but I think we all managed to have a good time. :)

Pork Spare Ribs

So I've been on and off craving ribs. And, after a hard day's work raking ALL the leaves off the museum lawn, I decided that ribs were going to happen. I found a recipe and then went off to buy ribs and the other ingredients.
Harder said then done. After a could phone calls to my mother (and translated through my brother because she was driving) I ended up with some pork spare ribs and a bag of red potatoes......

The first direction was to preheat to 300 degrees. Good, got that done. The second was "peel off tough membrane on bony side of ribs". Excuse me? I tried this SO MANY ways before remembering that my mom's ribs always still have it on. Friggin membrane raw meat time killer. :P And all the reviews were like "oh do it this way! It's SO easy" Bullshit! Thing is a BEAST.
Anyways.
Cooking.

After skipping that non-crucial step, I mixed together the rub (3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt). And it you splash out of the bowl because you mixed too enthusiastically, I don't suggest eating the escapees. It's....odd. Spread rub all over ribs. Both sides.

Then I made a little packet out of foil (using it all up! oops!) around the ribs and stuck 'em in the oven for 2 hours.

When I took it out to apply the BBQ sauce, I learned something. The rest of my house uses the same BBQ sauce and there was very little left! So, we had to run to the store. After acquiring such a crucial ingredient, I bumped the temp up to 350, opened up the packet, dumped out the liquid, slathered it in sauce, and then stuck it back in for 30 mins.

Now, apparently you can grill the sauce on in 1-2 minutes, or broil it on a broiling pan, but this seemed to work well. Unlike with those, I'm unsure whether you BBQ both sides and cook it on, but I did not. And it tasted delicious. And was very tender and eatable. We even sat at the table to do so! The potatoes were boiled and buttered as a delicious side. :)