Road Trip ‘05 – Road Trip Trivia

Road Trip Trivia

Final Results

Congratulations – Drew & Fran Griffin

Thank you all for playing along. We had so much fun thinking of questions and seeing how you were all doing along the way. We hope you had fun! I have put all the correct answers below in yellow. We are also including the percentage correct for each question. Unfortunately, the rules committee is taking the rest of the year off, so the answers are not up for debate.

Name	Total Questions	Total Correct	% Correct
Drew & Fran Griffin	47	38	80.9%
Sara Langlois	47	37	78.7%
Ian Aronson	47	35	74.5%
Carol Lee Griffin	47	33	70.2%
Andrea Hendry	47	32	68.1%
Kim Schnathmann	47	31	66.0%
Alicia Langlois	47	23	48.9%
Sara Toney	47	18	38.3%
Amy Fuller	47	17	36.2%
Lynn Mack	47	15	31.9%
Barbara Fuller	24	12	50.0%
Tina Ireland	22	10	45.5%
Michelle Albrecht	19	10	52.6%
Patrick Griffin	22	9	40.9%
Nate Stan	10	7	70.0%
Suzanne Bartel	14	5	35.7%
Jen & Danny	13	5	38.5%
Tess  & Jason Gibson	22	4	18.2%
Erik & Jamie Hietpas	13	4	30.8%
Terri Schnathmann	10	3	30.0%
Scott Schnathmann	6	2	33.3%
Brett Schnathmann	1	1	100.0%

 

1) For an 18 day road trip, how many pairs of shoes did Emily need to pack?

    a) 7

    b) 17 – That was barely enough to get her through!

    c) 27

    d) we had to rent a u-haul trailer to hold them 

         and I was too frustrated to count!

 

(b) 77% got this question correct

 

2) What animal did we see grazing amongst cows in a field alongside I-75 in northern Florida?

    a) giraffe

    b) gazelle

    c) zebra – kinda weird, huh!

    d) liger (Napoleon Dynamite’s favorite animal)

 

(c) 67% got this question correct

 

3) Who won the first round of road trip bingo?

    a) Emily

    b) Patrick – You all should have gotten this right!

 

(b) 19% got this question correct

 

 

4) Those of you who know us know that we love our snacks!  What was the first road trip snack enjoyed by Patrick and Emily?

    a) Beef Jerky

    b) Potato chips – Some might have been shocked it wasn’t candy!

    c) Candy

    d) A healthy assortment of rice cakes and nuts

 

(b) 24% got this question correct

 

 

5) Thanks to a gracious donation from Patrick and Carol Lee Griffin, we were able to rent an audio book from Cracker Barrel in Tifton, GA.  Which audio book did we rent?

    a) Bleachers – John Grisham

    b) The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown

    c) A Walk to Remember – Nicholas Sparks

    d) Underwater Basket Weaving for Dummies

 

(a) 33% got this question correct

 

6) Where did Whataburger originate?

    a) Wisconsin

    b) Texas – looks like you did your research!

    c) Arizona

    d) Alcatraz Island

 

(b) 86% got this question correct

 

7) What year was the first outdoor Coca-Cola advertisement created?

    a) 1894

    b) 1904

    c) 1934

    d) 1400 B.C.

 

(a) 45% got this question correct

 

 

What item can you order from Zarzour’s in Chattanooga (where we ate lunch) that does not appear anywhere on the menu but is served every day?

    a) Chicken fried chicken

    b) Turnip greens

    c) Hamburger – And they were gooooooood!

    d) Ham hocks

 

(c) 15% got this question correct

 

9) What celebrity ate at the Loveless Cafe in Nashville (where we had dinner) the night before we ate there?

    a) Trisha Yearwood

    b) Clint Black

    c) Martina McBride – with her brand new baby!

    d) The Reverend Jesse Jackson

 

(c) 45% got this question correct

 

10) On what unusual roadside structure is Rock City advertised more than 900 times?

    a) Barns – although we did not see any?!!?

    b) Silos

    c) Fences

    d) Bathroom stalls

 

(a) 65% got this question correct

 

11) During our visit to Churchill Downs we got to see a horse named Phantom on Tour.  What horse was his great-grandfather?

    a) Go for Gin

    b) Secretariat – probably because you haven’t heard of the others!

    c) Silver Charm

    d) Mufasa

 

(b) 83% got this question correct

 

12) What famous race car driver is from Columbus, IN?

    a) Mark Martin

    b) Jeff Gordan

    c) Tony Stewart – One for all you race fans

    d) Rusty Wallace (a.k.a. Rick Ramczyk)

 

(c) 56% got this question correct

 

13) In our visit to the Louisville Slugger manufacturing plant, we learned that Barry Bonds changed the type of wood that most hitters are now using after he had his banner home run year.  What type of wood did he change to?

    a) Maple – although I personally liked D on this one!

    b) Ash

    c) Hickory

    d) Corked bat with touch of steroids

 

(a) 61% got this question correct

 

14) How many welcome centers did we stop at along the way to Appleton, WI?

    a) 1

    b) 2 – much to Emily’s disappointment!

    c) 3

    d) 7

 

(b) 0% got this question correct

 

15) After dinner we decided to tour Appleton and look at the houses that Patrick’s parents grew up in over the years.  We found that they have lived within a certain mile radius for their entire lives.  Without going over what is the mile radius?

    a) 3.6 – Drew and Fran looked up the speed at which ice cream melts!!??

    b) 7.2

    c) 15.4

    d) They don’t actually live in Appleton and they are    

         not really Patrick’s parents

 

(a) 40% got this question correct

 

16) What is Emily’s favorite restaurant in the entire Appleton area?

    a) Fusion

    b) La Bamba’s

    c) Tom’s Drive In – Only had cheese curds 5 times during our visit!

    d) The local Taco Bell

 

(c) 87% got this question correct

 

17) According to the sign on the road, what is the current population of Sister Bay, WI  (where we stayed in Door County)?

    a) 421

    b) 886

    c) 1143

    d) 2,400,002

 

(b) 67% got this question correct

 

18) How many pairs of shoes did Emily bring for an overnight stay in Door County, WI?

    a) 2

    b) 4

    c) 5

    d) 6 – not bad for a two day stay!!!

 

(d) 7% got this question correct

 

19) Thanks to a gracious wedding gift from the Toney family we attended a show by the Peninsula Players of Door County.  How many years have they been performing in Door County?

    a) 10

    b) 25

    c) 70

    d) This was their first performance

 

(c) 67% got this question correct

 

20) How many pepperonis were on our Sammy’s Pizza?

    a) 35 – We had to give credit because Drew and Fran called Sammy’s.

    b) 38

    c) 44 – that was our actual count!

    d) One big one!

 

(a&c) 50% got this question correct

 

21) After our fish boil in Door County we picked up this very corny joke.  This is not a multiple choice question so think very carefully.  What fish “makes you an offer you can’t refuse”?  (hint: think about the movie)

 

The Codfather or Marlin Brando

 

(Marlin Brando) 43% got this question correct

 

22) Being that Emily has bought all of the postcards in every city that we have visited, how much did we spend on postcard stamps?

    a) $10.40

    b) $13.80

    c) $16.10

    d) $18.00

 

(b) 64% got this question correct

 

23) Thursday and Friday the ladies made cards for the better part of both days.  With about 7 or 8 women making cards, how many cards were produced in the two day span?

    a) 90

    b) 120

    c) 136

    d) Zero – they couldn’t stop chatting!

 

(c) 64% got this question correct

 

24) We had dinner with Erik, Jamie and Garrett at the Prime Quarter, one of our favorite steak joints in Appleton.  How many pieces of texas toast were consumed between Emily and Me?

    a) 7 – That is right, phase 6 of the South Beach!

    b) 4

    c) 2

    d) We didn’t eat any steak and had 14 pieces of texas

         toast!

 

(a) 100% got this question correct

 

25) What is the name of the group of people from the movie Field of Dreams, that still play together at the field in Dyersville, IA?

    a) The Shoeless Sluggers

    b) The Barefoot Bombers

    c) The Ghost Players

    d) The Children of the Corn

 

(c) 80% got this question correct

 

26) What did we theft from the field of dreams before departing?

    a) An ear of corn – Following in the footsteps of Don Hayes!

    b) A handful of grass from the field

    c) A handful of dirt from the field

    d) Home plate

 

(a) 40% got this question correct

 

27) Fill in the blanks “Is this heaven?  ___ __ ____.” (from the movie Field of Dreams)

 

No, it’s Iowa (Although we wanted to accept “Am I Dead?” by Amy Fuller!)

 

87% got this question correct

 

28) What room does not exist at the Blueberry Hill Cafe in St Louis, Missouri?

    a) Fats Domino Room

    b) The Dart Room

    c) The Smoking Room

    d) The Elvis Room

 

(a) 50% got this question correct

 

29) What St. Louis Walk of Fame Star is located right outside the door of the Blueberry Hill Cafe?

    a) Halle Berry

    b) Chuck Berry – Although Boo Berry was a close second!

    c) Barry Gibb

    d) Boo Berry

 

(b) 90% got this question correct

 

30) How many songs (combined) does the Blueberry Hill Cafe have on their many jukeboxes?

    a) 50,000

    b) 140,000

    c) 250,000

    d) They do not have any jukeboxes

 

(b) 40% got this question correct

 

31) Which broadcaster has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame?

    a) Al Michaels

    b) Bob Uecker

    c) Bob Costas – Although Marv Albert has teeth imprints on the WOF!!

    d) Marv Albert

 

(c) 70% got this question correct

 

32) On September 14, 2005, Chuck Berry will perform his ____ concert at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis.

    a) 75th

    b) 100th

    c) 25th

    d) 1st

 

(b) 60% got this question correct

 

33) Without underestimating, how many singles did Elvis Presley have on the Billboard Top 100?

    a) 49+

    b) 119+

    c) 149+

    d) He never succeeded as a recording artist.

 

(c) 50% got this question correct

 

34) Out of 14 Grammy nominations, how many actual Grammys did Elvis win and what music genre were they for? (2 points here for both correct)

 

3 Gospel

 

60% got this question correct

 

35) In what year did Elvis win his Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award?

    a) 1973

    b) 1971

    c) 1972

    d) 2005

 

(b) 60% got this question correct

 

36) Where did Elvis meet future wife Priscilla?

    a) While he was at a bar on Beale Street

    b) While he was performing in Vegas

    c) While he was in the military in Germany

     d) While he was eating a peanut butter and banana

           sandwich in Tupelo, MS

 

(c) 80% got this question correct

 

37) In 1972, how many shows did Elvis sell out at Madison Square Garden?

    a) 1

    b) 2

    c) 3

    d) 4

 

(d) 80% got this question correct

 

38) On the audio tour at Graceland, which two songs do they say Elvis played on the piano the last morning of his life?

    a) Love Me Tender

    b) Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain

    c) Unchained Melody

    d) Baby Got Back

 

(b) 50% got this question correct

 

39) How long, in minutes, did we sit in traffic outside of Birmingham, AL, at an absolute standstill on the evening of 8/25/2005.

    a) 5 minutes

    b) 30 minutes

    c) 50 minutes

    d) As of 8:35 PM Central Time, we have been sitting  

        here for an hour and 20 minutes and counting.

 

(d) 60% got this question correct

 

40) According to our waiter at Ted’s Montana Grill how many restaurants are in the Atlanta metropolitan area?

    a) 5300

    b) 6400

    c) 8700

    d) 1.2 million

 

(c) 50% got this question correct

 

41) According to our waiter at Ted’s Montana Grill how many people dine out every night in metropolitan Atlanta?

    a) 2 million

    b) 4 million

    c) 6 million

    d) 5 people

 

(b) 30% got this question correct

 

42) How many Cracker Barrels did we stop at during our entire road trip?

    a) 3

    b) 4

    c) 5

    d) Cracker Barrel, we don’t need no stinkin’ Cracker 

         Barrel

 

(b) 20% got this question correct

 

43) What does Cordele, GA ,claim that it is the World Capital of?

    a) Grits

    b) Peaches

    c) Watermelons

    d) Trailers

 

(c) 80% got this question correct

 

44) What does Tifton, GA, claim that it is the World Capital of?

    a) Reading – Bet you wouldn’t have guessed that!

    b) Writing

    c) Spoken Word

    d) Singing

 

(a) 80% got this question correct

 

45) When was the old home in front of Dante’s Down the Hatch built?

    a) 1903

    b) 1910

    c) 1912

    d) 1914

 

(d) 20% got this question correct

 

46) What was the highest price of gas that we witnessed in our travels without going over?

    a) $2.50

    b) $2.64

    c) $2.79 – Looks pretty cheap now!

    d) $2.89

 

(c) 40% got this question correct

 

47) What are the names of the two Giant Pandas at the Zoo Atlanta?

    a) Lun Lun

    b) Peaches

    c) Ying Ying

    d) Yang Yang

 

(a&d) 80% got this question correct

Road Trip ‘05 – Food Reviews – Day 17

Lunch: Ted’s Montana Grill, Atlanta, GA

Review – “Is this heaven?” No, it’s just Ted’s onion rings.

Acting on a tip from our awesome cousin Amy Fuller, we ventured into downtown Atlanta to try Ted’s. Owned by Ted Turner (because really, what in Atlanta isn’t?), the restaurant is themed western style, but classy western as opposed to “throw your peanut shells on the floor” western. A large buffalo head adorns the wall over the bar, and oil paintings depicting western scenes are scattered throughout. Another nice touch was a quote in each booth pertaining to some sort of western life lesson.

Everything on the menu is marketed as fresh, fresh, fresh… freshly ground meat for the burgers (both regular cow beef as well as buffalo meat), freshly cut fries, and onion rings battered when you order them. Even the sodas are served in glass bottles (2 per person) with a glass of crushed ice. And since this is Atlanta, even those bottles are coming from just down the street! The menu consists mainly of steaks, burgers, chicken sandwiches, and some neat items unique from other restaurants like beer can chicken. For the burgers, you basically decide which type of meat you want (beef or buffalo) and then choose from a list of ways it can be prepared. The list has at least 20 different choices on it, with toppings ranging from standard cheese all the way to guacamole and even a fried egg (on the “kitchen sink” burger).

Patrick chose a buffalo burger with cheddar cheese and grilled onions. I went a little out on a limb with the buffalo burger New Mexico style, which was topped with Monterey jack cheese, Anaheim green chili peppers, and guacamole. I was going to opt for the onion rings instead of fries, and then our waiter informed us we could ask for half and half for a slight upcharge. Best decision I made all day, but we’ll get to that momentarily. Prior to lunch, we were served a bowl of “pickles,” which tasted just on the pickled side of a cucumber. Patrick was not a fan, but they reminded me of the ones from the now defunct Big Kitchen Restaurant in Sarasota, so I ate them in tribute to the Big Kitchen.

The burgers arrived very quickly, topped by paper toothpick American flags. Cute. The burgers were obviously hand formed (in keeping with what the menu said) and nicely sized. They were also so juicy mine had soaked through the bun clear to the plate. Yum! The “salt and pepper” onion rings and fries were piled high on the other side of the plate. The fries were clearly hand cut, as some of them still had the dark skins on them. They looked, smelled, and tasted like fries you would get at a fair, which in this case, is a very good thing.

I need a whole paragraph for the onion rings. They were the perfect deep golden brown color and thin… clearly, they were not trying to fool us by jamming 7 rings of onion in one batter dip. Oh no, these were the real deal. The outsides were also indicative of the many seasonings we would find in our many tastes.. the perfect balance of salt, pepper, and possibly a few other spices. One taste and we were gone – these are possibly the world’s best onion rings. The outsides were super crunchy with piping hot rings of onion inside. I nearly forgot to eat my burger for my focus on the onion rings was so intense. Ketchup? Okay, but a little overpowering. Creamy horseradish dip? Perfection atop perfection. The best part about these rings is that they did not need condiments. They were pretty much perfect on their own. I could go on, but it might get embarrassing.

I would be remiss to not mention the fabulous bison burger. The toppings on mine totally worked to enhance the flavor of the meat, which was very much like regular beef but is apparently quite a bit healthier (and if this burger was any indication, vastly juicier, also). There was so much food I could not finish it all (oh, except the onion rings, which I made sure to have room for). I did stop eating so that I could have one of the freshly baked cookies the menu spoke so highly of, but alas, the only flavor left when we were there was oatmeal raisin. Yuck. I was so excited about the Snickerdoodle, and if any of you have ever heard of Gary Gulman and his cookie obsession, you will know how exciting it was to see cookies listed as a legitimate dessert item. But it was not to be, and probably for the best, as we had already gorged ourselves pretty thoroughly.

The GPS returned 7 results for Ted’s when we searched it. I do not know where all the others are, but if you have one near you (or if your travels take you near one), do not pass go and do not collect $200 until you have stopped for a bison burger with a side of double onion rings.

Dinner: Dante’s, Atlanta, GA

Review – Another suggestion from Amy led us to Dante’s, a mainly fondue restaurant in the Buckhead section of Atlanta. From the street, this restaurant looked pretty nondescript. We met Amy, Robin, and their significant others, and headed inside. Walking up thick wooden planks past signs for ports and docks, we started to realize we were entering a place of more intrigue than the simple sign would lead you to believe.

Walking in to the restaurant, you walk down… a dock? And is that a pirate ship over there? And a saloon? And a…. brothel? Walking in to Dante’s was literally like walking onto the set of Pirates of the Caribbean (the ride or the movie). The restaurant is completely themed with authentic pieces from actual ships and villages, with even the masts of the ship being made from 200 year old fabric. Amazing. There are even real live crocodiles and turtles in the water surrounding the ship.

We were seated upstairs in a rounded out balcony that served as the “brothel.” After flaunting our wares to the patrons below, we settled in on looking at the menu. This was where things got a little disappointing, as most of us had all previously visited The Melting Pot, whose fondue process is a finely tuned science. This process was slightly less so. For starters, there was no handy “combination dinner” that combined the cheese, salad, and entree course for a party of two. Everything was a la carte, including the cheese. Also, where the Melting Pot offers several combination plates that couple several red meats with chicken and multiple seafood selections, the only combination offered here at Dante’s was the “mandarin,” which consisted of steak, chicken, pork, and breaded shrimp. Not a bad combination, but not a ton of variety. The other dinners were all beef, all chicken, all shrimp, or all pork. Three of us at the table opted for the Mandarin, while the other three stuck with the all beef.

We ordered a dinner sized portion of cheese for the table to share. It was divided up into two pots, which were brought to the table and placed over a sterno flame. Again, Melting Pot had the upper hand here in that their burners are built into the tables, making it seem slightly more legitimate as a fondue restaurant. But I digress. The cheese offering was only one choice – a combination of several different kinds of melted cheese. It was good but not exceptional. Aside from Amy, no one else was scraping the pot to ensure not a bit of cheese went to waste. It was not as thick and creamy as we have come to know with the cheeses at the Melting Pot.

The dinner meats arrived accompanied by four sauces: horseradish (good), cajun remoulade (Patrick gagged but I enjoyed it), sweet and sour (judged okay by Patrick), and teriyaki (thin, like it was just poured from the Kikkoman bottle). Again, I go back to the Melting Pot for comparison, who offers no less than 6 sauces, all of which are more authentic tasting than these. The meats were crowded onto small dessert sized plates and served with only squash and mushrooms as the vegetables. The oil is brought and placed over the sterno flame, but there were no batters provided for the meats as in other fondue restaurants. Thus, everything was straight cooked in the oil, aside from the shrimp, which arrived lightly breaded.

My biggest complaint about this restaurant, which became very problematic once the meals arrived, was that every single fondue fork was the same color. Nothing distinguished one from the other, and if you have ever eaten fondue, you know this is a critical measure in keeping everyone’s food straight. We ended up with a lot of tangled forks (the pots were also about half the size as normal) and several men overboard (pieces that fell off the forks). The meats were all very tasty, but we were glad to have opted for the mandarin platter, as the lack of breading and dull sauces got a little tedious after a while.

After dinner, we were showed the dessert menu, which consisted of many different ice cream and coffee drinks, plus cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake, and ice cream. No chocolate fondue, you may be wondering? That’s right. If you do not order the chocolate fondue two days in advance, they do not have time to churn the delicate mixture for a full 8 hours, and thus you are, shall we say, up a creek without a paddle. If you think that is bad, they also make only one order per night, and not on Friday, Saturday, or holidays. Pretty snooty chocolate fondue, if you ask me. We did end up ordering cheesecake, chocolate cake, and an ice cream drink, which were all very good, but it is very disheartening to go to a fondue restaurant and not even have the option of the glorious chocolate fondue.

The best part about the Dante’s experience was the company. It was great to hang out with family, and the fondue setting made for a lot of funny conversations. The meal itself was good but we spent a lot of time comparing the actual food experience to The Melting Pot. The best reason to visit Dante’s yourself, in my opinion, is to see the awesome interior and enjoy the ambience. A live jazz band was playing nearly the entire time, and you really are immersed in the full movie-like atmosphere. If only they could have had colored fondue forks….

Road Trip ‘05 – Day 17

Today was the last full day of our road trip, and we were feeling sad. But that didn’t last too long because Emily’s cousin Amy, who works at Zoo Atlanta, had free passes for us to see the zoo. We met her around 10 am and began exploring. Amy is an animal caretaker (not sure the official name) and she also does presentations throughout the day. We watched a couple of her presentations, which were quite well done, and learned something about some animals that I had never seen before.

After having our fill of animals, Amy gave us a great recommendation for a place to have lunch, Ted’s Montana Grill. Amy said that is where she takes most of her visitors, so we thought it would be a fun place to check out. The Ted’s that we chose was in downtown Atlanta and appeared busy as we drove by, but we were determined. After entering and waiting for only about five minutes, they seated us and we had a fantastic meal (Emily’s review).

After enjoying our meal, we explored downtown Atlanta for about an hour and headed back to the hotel. Emily said she just wanted to lay down for about an hour and then we would go out and explore some more. Well four hours later Emily arose, well rested, but needing to get ready for dinner which was about two hours away. I can hardly blame her for napping, seeing as we had been on the go for the last three days.

The dinner plan was to go to Dante’s Down the Hatch. Dante’s is a fondue restaurant located in the Buckhead section of Atlanta. We were meeting Amy, Robin and their significant others, whom we had not yet met. For those of you who don’t know, Amy and Robin are cousins of Emily that live in the Atlanta area. We met them and had a fantastic dinner. The restaurant was very scenic and the food was good as well.

After dinner and dessert we said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel to call it a night. Atlanta was a very cool city that I would love to have more time to enjoy! Tomorrow is the drive back to Orlando.

Road Trip ‘05 – Day 16

We got another great start to our road trip this morning as we again packed up our things and headed to breakfast. Once again we referred to the Road Food book the Griffins had purchased for us prior to leaving, and we found a little place called the Blue Plate Cafe where we had a down home Memphis breakfast. The breakfast was absolutely delicious as Emily may get around to telling you. As we waited for our check we were beaming with excitement to get to Graceland!

As we approached Graceland, you could sense the cheese factor multiplying with each mile we traveled. I had this vision of seeing 100 Elvis impersonators lining Elvis Presley Blvd. as the car approached. It wasn’t quite that bad, but you knew you were in Tourist Town. We got out of the car, headed to the ticket booth, spent way to much money to see a bunch of Elvis crap, and started to explore.

The first stop on the tour was Elvis’ mansion that he purchased when he was 22 years old. It was still decorated as it was when he lived there, and boy was it tacky! There was an audio tour that went along with the mansion so we were able to learn a little about the King as we made our way past the walls with the green shag carpet.

After the tour of the mansion we went through the Elvis car museum. Here were a bunch of cars and golf carts that Elvis owned throughout his life. I am not a huge car nut, but you could tell that these cars were pretty cool for their day. After the car museum we got to tour his private jet, the Lisa Marie, which was very cool. He really traveled in style (solid gold sinks and all). After a little more exploration and gift shopping, we decided we had enough of Graceland and began our quest for Atlanta.

Since we had such a late breakfast, we weren’t hungry for lunch until we reached Tupelo, MS, which just so happened to be the birthplace of Elvis. In reading some of our tour guides we found out that Elvis used to eat at a drive in restaurant in Tupelo. Of course the book didn’t tell us the name of the place, just that it existed. Well, a short cell phone conversation with our good friend Jon Tettambel produced a successful web search of the name of the restaurant. Johnnie’s Drive-In restaurant was our new destination.

When we arrived at Johnnie’s we realized that this place was an absolute “dive” as my mom would call it, but we forged ahead. We both ordered BBQ sandwiches and had some fries and onion rings to go along with it. Boy, are we eating healthy on this road trip. After our last artery was completely clogged we got back in the car and made our way to Atlanta.

Well, just as we were saying how smooth our travels had been as far as not getting stuck in any traffic, leave it to Birmingham to reverse our luck. Just as we passed through Birmingham, we hit a wall of traffic that was at a complete stop. We waited for quite a while, (can’t tell you how long because it is a trivia question) and we finally continued our our journey.

After capping off our fine eating day with a little Mickey D’s (it was too late for any “authentic eating” at that point) we arrived in Atlanta and crashed. Another full and enjoyable day on the road.

Road Trip ‘05 – Day 15

After a very short night’s sleep, which we are actually getting used to, we decided to explore St. Louis. Because the weather was overcast and not the best for taking pictures, we decided to hit Union Station, where they had plenty of shopping to occupy a Mrs. Emily Hayes. Union Station was an old train depot that had been turned into a hotel and a shopping mall. There were a bunch of little stores that sold the local trinkets and postcards galore. We hung around there for a little while and then decided that we were again hungry!

With our stomachs leading the way, we headed down to the Walk of Fame where the Blueberry Hill Cafe was located. The street was lined with eateries and quaint shops, and the sidewalks were lined with stars recognizing the local St. Louis celebrities. We parked the car, snapped a few photos and headed into the the Blueberry Hill Cafe. This restaurant has been recognized for its exceptional decor, nostalgic collections, and delicious hamburgers. We decided this was a place we had to eat. I will let Emily fill you in on the details, but it was a very fun meal.

After finishing our meal we did a little more shopping and photo taking and then made our way to the St. Louis Arch. We were quite excited to see this because it just looked cool! There was an underground museum that displayed artifacts from the days of the pioneers making their way across this great country. We had joked earlier in the trip how it took us about 23 hours of driving to get from Orlando to Appleton. The entire time we were averaging about 65 miles per hour. Can you imagine what it must have been like to travel from New York to California going about 5 miles per hour? Oh yeah, and they didn’t even have McDonalds!

After taking a few pictures of the arch we decided to purchase the tickets that took you up in a “tram” to the top of the arch so you could take pictures. Well, we thought we had to do that since we were here and all. Some of you are like me and when they said tram, you pictured a spacious cabin that brought you to the top. I should have known based on the size of the structure that the “tram,” as they called it, was anything but spacious. I am posting a picture here so you can get an idea of just how spacious this is. I didn’t mind the ride nearly as much as Emily did, who fought off a panic attack in the first 30 seconds after the doors closed. As you can see there are five seats in there; luckily we only had one other passenger besides Emily and I on the way to the top. The ride took about 4 minutes to the top, but it felt a little longer than that.

Once at the top we took some photos. Unfortunately the weather was still overcast, but it was still very cool to be up there. Very much anticipating the enjoyment of the ride back down, we decided to get it over with. We were placed in the above “play-doh can,” as Emily called it, with two other passengers and made our way back down to earth. We were glad we did it but decided we didn’t care if we were to ever do it again.

After watching a short film on the building of the arch, we decided that we needed to head to our next destination, Memphis, TN. That’s right, we’re going to Graceland!

The drive to Memphis was pretty uneventful and was only about 4 hours or so. When we arrived we checked into our hotel, which was located in the heart of downtown Memphis. After getting our bags into our room we asked the bellman what a good restaurant would be if we wanted to taste the local flavor. He quickly pointed down the alley by our hotel and said “Rendezvous would be the place I would go if I had to pick 1!” As we peered down the alleyway we decided when in Rome and went for it. This might have been the best decision we made the entire trip. We enjoyed some dry ribs that Memphis is famous for at this really cool restaurant. For those of you wondering if the entrance was actually in an alleyway, above is the picture. Hard to tell but trust me.

After enjoying this fantastic meal we decided to walk down Beale St. and take in the local flavor. It was a short but sweet walk (we totally fit in, as it was “bike night” on the strip and there were thousands of bikers everywhere), and afterward we decided to call it a night. It is amazing how much stuff you take in in one day when you are on the road. Lots of fun!

Road Trip ‘05 – Day 14

Today was a day I have been looking forward to since I was about 15 years old — the day that I actually got to see the Field of Dreams. We packed the car yet again for our travels, and we said our sad goodbyes to the Toney family The first stop was indeed the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA. The drive was about two and a half hours of excitement, except for the miles and miles and miles of corn.

As I am sure you guessed we were of course hungry well before we arrived in Dyersville, so we made a fun little stop for lunch in Dubuque, IA. This was not a planned stop, but we sure liked this little city, where Emily got to see the Mississippi River for the first time. We ate at a local restaurant called Blackwater Grill, also known as the Bricktown Brewery. The lunch was tasty and atmosphere was pretty cool as well. We spent about an hour running around Dubuque taking pictures and shopping and then continued our way to Dyersville!

We arrived in Dyersville and wound our way down the country roads, working our way back to what I would define as the true middle of nowhere. We drove up to the field just as you saw all the cars do at the end of the movie, a very surreal but cool feeling. We parked the car and, after I pulled Emily away from her natural biological desire to head for the only gift shop for 20 miles, we headed to the field. It is amazing how a baseball field in the middle of a corn field can give you such a happy feeling. We ran around together taking pictures of the house and the field and the corn. It was like we were in third grade. After acting like kids for about an hour and buying enough souvenirs to keep the Field in business for another 10 years, we said our goodbyes and headed to our final destination for the day, St. Louis, MO.

It was about a six hour drive to St. Louis, and we decided we needed to see more corn fields, so that is exactly what we did. We made our way towards St. Louis, but as the sun was setting we realized that we were very close to the capitol of Illinois, Springfield. As it was a race against the sunset we booked into downtown Springfield toward the capitol building. We got there just in time to capture a few good images just as we were running out of usable light.

After our fun adventure around the capitol building we decided we were hungry and wanted to eat dinner. For the first time, we decided to look up restaurants on the GPS system and go to one that sounded fun. For those of you thinking, “Oh, what a great idea!” you can think again. We found a restaurant in the GPS system called Jan and Dean’s Route 66 Cafe, which sounded fun to us. Well, as we made our way through the the darkest residential neighborhood, surrounded by not only a people cemetery but a pet cemetery as well, we realized that maybe the GPS was a little off on this location, or the restaurant simply no longer exists.

We decided to abandon that quest, and we went to a seafood restaurant that we saw on the way through town. The food was good, nothing to write home about, but it did the job of getting food in our stomachs.

After dinner we had another hour or so left of our trip to St. Louis. We pulled into our hotel around 11 pm and went right to sleep. We did not have the wireless internet that we were hoping for, but that did allow for some sleep. Another great day; we love being on the road!

Road Trip ‘05 – Day 13

Today we packed the car and spent the rest of the morning hanging out at the parents’ before we left for Madison. The car has more stuff in it on the way back than on the way up. Emily says this is because we are taking “those stupid baseball cards” home, but I think it is because of all the crap that we have bought. In all honesty, I think we both contributed to the tail end of the Pilot scraping down the highway!

Sara got the kids packed up, and we made our way through rural Wisconsin to the capitol, Madison. This was the first time we would see the Toney’s new house, so we were excited for that. We were also excited to spend one last day with the Toneys and the little guys! When we arrived we got the tour and quickly headed down to a local restaurant, Benvenuto’s, to have some Italian food before making our way down to State Street. The restaurant was very delicious and the service was great. After getting our fill we headed down to State Street, which is the main street that goes right through the middle of the UW Madison campus and the capitol building.

State Street was active but not quite as bustling as it is when school is in session. We walked all the way down the street to the capitol building where I took a bunch of pictures as the sun was setting. The little guys started to get restless so we headed back to the Toney residence, but not before making the nightly stop at Dairy Queen.

Stay tuned for tomorrow as we hit the open road again!

Road Trip ‘05 – Day 12

Today we got up before the sun to get in our third and final round of golf. The foursome was the same as Friday: Patrick Toney, Erik Hietpas, Dad and myself. The teams were the same, and Erik and I were determined that we would win this one for the Gipper. We got off to another roaring start, but just when we were expecting the wheels to come off, we actually played pretty well. Even though my Dad shot two under on the back nine, we still won both the front nine and the overall, making it a wash for the entire weekend.

We returned to the house and spent the rest of the day getting all of our things together for our departure to Madison on Monday. It always amazes me how you can be somewhere for about a week and amass so much stuff in so much disarray. We got the bags packed and spent the rest of the day playing with the boys. Mom made some fajitas for dinner and we enjoyed my last supper in the house that I grew up in.

All in all a pretty relaxing and enjoyable day. Tomorrow we are off to Madison to see the Toney’s new house and from there we will set off on our journey back to Orlando. Stay tuned for new trivia questions and many more exciting journal entries and food reviews!

Road Trip ‘05 – Food Reviews – Day 11

Dinner: The Seasons, Appleton, WI

Review — I am about to say something that will vastly conflict with some of my past Appleton food reviews. This was by far the best meal (Jean’s home cooking aside!) I have ever experienced in Appleton. Now, to be fair to Tom’s and Prime Quarter, this was the closest we have come to fine dining in Appleton also, and it showed.

The menu at The Seasons changes periodically to reflect the foods that are thriving during a particular season. The waiter was spot on in all his menu item descriptions, and he was exceedingly on top of things without ever being intrusive. At our table, the lobster tail as well as the lobster bisque were popular items, as well as the sea bass, crab cakes, and tuna. There was not a single complaint heard at the table throughout the night.

Before the meal began, we were served a bread basket (two actually, as there were six of us dining) with flavored butters. The basket contained many different types of breads… if I had to guess, I would say there were breadsticks, seasoned flatbread, sourdough, multigrain, and possibly a few others. I tried the sourdough with the roasted red pepper butter, which was delicious. I also tried a small piece of the flat bread, which had tons of seasonings and was bursting with flavor. The bread baskets were even refreshed midway through the meal!

For an appetizer, I decided to be brave and try the carpaccio. I have never had this dish, and I asked the waiter his opinion. He said it was terrific, so I sucked in my breath and ordered it. When it arrived, it was artfully arranged in a sort of pinwheel on the plate with capers and ground pepper and sea salt on top. It basically just looked like really thin slices of deli roast beef. It tasted very much like fancy deli roast beef, only it practically melted the first second it hit my mouth. It was very good and not nearly as scary as I had expected. Patrick started his meal with the lobster bisque, which I also tried. Unlike the other night at Fusion, it was piping hot, and very good.

For dinner, Patrick and I both ordered the lobster tail. When it arrived, it was honestly the largest lobster tail I have ever been served for a set (not “market”) price. The waiter quickly scurried over and removed the shell from the plate, and we were free to eat. The lobster tail was served with potatoes (skinned and cut into almost football-like shapes… this is one town over from Green Bay, after all!) and very skinny green beans. It was all wonderful. The potatoes were so simple yet very flavorful. The lobster tail, aside from being huge, was perfectly seasoned and served with the obligatory drawn butter (as you can guess, I am a fan).

Sara partook of the sea bass and said she enjoyed it quite well. As she is not the most adventurous eater, that is a high compliment. Pat went out on a limb with the tuna, which was served in the sushi style, and he was raving about it throughout the meal. Crab cakes were a hit with Don (again, the temperature factor so lacking at Fusion was present here). Jean, Patrick, and I all had the lobster tail and they enjoyed theirs as much as I.

We were all too full to enjoy any of the delicious looking desserts on the menu. Our experience here was fantastic even without dessert (the best part in many restaurants), and we departed The Seasons vowing to return soon.

Road Trip ‘05 – Day 11

Today my mother had planned a wedding shower for a friend of the family, so it was made clear to us that we needed to evacuate the house immediately. I wish you could have seen the transformation of this house from a stamping-and-child nightmare to an immaculately clean house ready to serve lunch to 15 women! Aidan and Zach, my sister’s children, helped Grandma clean the house by standing on the vacuum, making it clear it was time for us to exit stage left.

We took the kids to the Appleton farmers’ market, where we attempted to eat churros and egg rolls while dodging the entire bee population that was still around from our dinner at Fusion. The market takes place in the downtown Appleton area, where they rope off two blocks on College Avenue for people to sell their goods from the local farms and gardens. The weather was perfect and Erik and Jamie met us again with Garrett in the stroller taking it all in.

After the farmers’ market, we took the kids to a local playground where they got to play on the slides and swings while we chased them around with the camera trying to catch them having fun. I will put a picture or two in the article so you can see again just how cute these guys really are. As it was getting to be about 1:00 we decided to head back and fire up the computers to follow along with uncle J.P. Hayes on the PGA Tour, as he was in contention at the Reno Tahoe Open. My dad and I spent the next five hours glued to the PGA tour website watching every shot (as we normally do when he is playing).

After we finished watching golf, we headed to a new local restaurant in Appleton called The Seasons. This was one of the best meals that we have had in Appleton, aside from Tom’s Drive In, and we had a great time. I will let Emily tell you about the food, but let me tell you we had a great dining experience.

After dinner, my sister, her husband, and Emily and I headed to a small hole in the wall bar in Menasha, WI, called Hank’s Tavern, where Pat Toney and I both used to bartend . Some of you might not know that I actually bartended at one point in my life, but it is true. Since Pat bartended there at the same time, we all decided to go back and reminisce about the days of old. The place still looked the same although it was under new management. You can see the building in the picture here.

After Hank’s Tavern, we made the nightly stop at Dairy Queen, headed home, ate our ice cream, and went to bed. It was a full, fun day here in Appleton — see you tomorrow.