Page 4C
East Oregonian
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Sarah E Crowder/Katie Workman via AP
HALIBUT FRIED FISH SANDWICH
WITH LEMON BASIL TARTAR SAUCE
AP Photo/Eva Parziale
This May 25 photo shows a view of the world-famous hoodoos, also called tent rocks, fairy chimneys and earth
pyramids, at Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. These tall, thin spires of rock are composed
of sedimentary rocks like sandstone and shale and can be found throughout the western United States.
2,400 miles in 4.5 days
By EVA PARZIALE
Associated Press
I
drove across the country
for the first time in 1984,
alone in a car without
air conditioning and a radio
that stopped working as I
crossed into Texas. I took
my second cross-country
road trip this year, this time
in an air-conditioned Honda
CRV, with music streaming
from my iPhone, and my
20-year-old daughter in the
passenger seat.
I drove with Kelsey from
Columbus, Ohio, to her
summer internship in Los
Angeles — 2,400 miles in
4.5 days. We encountered
highway construction,
accidents and rainstorms but
we also managed to take in
some of the most beautiful
scenery imaginable, tucking
in sightseeing and even some
pool time despite our nearly
500-mile-a-day trek. Here’s
how we did it.
The drive and the stops
Day 1: We left Columbus
at 8 a.m. and drove 719 miles
via Interstate 70 to Topeka,
Kansas, through construction
in Indiana and Illinois,
rainstorms in St. Louis and
Kansas City, and traffic
accidents. We’d planned 10
hours of driving, but didn’t
pull into the Fairfield Inn
until 13 hours later. We ate
takeout from Wendy’s —
burgers and fries — standing
up in our hotel room to ease
the kinks in our backs from
sitting so long.
Day 2: Clear skies, dry
roads and little traffic. We
sped past the lush Flint Hills
outside Manhattan, Kansas,
through the flat lands of
western Kansas and into
Denver. After 630 miles
and climbing 7,000 feet, we
arrived in Vail, Colorado.
Most businesses in this
high-end resort (including a
couple of mink coat stores)
were closed because it was
after ski season and before
AP Photo/Eva Parziale
This May 26 photo shows Kelsey Delehanty in front of
Weeping Rock, the hanging gardens created by drip-
ping streams, at Zion National Park in Utah. Weeping
Rock is one of nine shuttle bus stops along Zion Can-
yon Scenic Drive, which is closed to private cars be-
tween March and November.
Memorial Day. But we found
a creekside patio table and
meal at Sweet Basil before
turning in at the luxurious
Tivoli Lodge (offseason rates
via Booking.com made it
affordable). We wished we’d
had time and energy to hike
the snowcapped mountains.
If we had, we might have
needed the container of
oxygen in our hotel room
($19.99) to offset the effects
of the altitude.
Day 3: After a day
of mountain driving, we
reached Utah’s Bryce
Canyon National Park. We
skipped the cowboy dinner
show, one of several dining
options offered along with
lodging at a complex just
outside the park. Instead we
headed to the park, arriving
at 5 p.m., which meant few
visitors clogging the 13
viewpoints along a 38-mile
loop drive. We made three
stops, ending at Inspiration
Point, home to rust-colored,
pinnacle-shaped rocks called
hoodoos that spike upward
from the ground.
Day 4: We hit the road by
7:15 a.m. and reached Zion
National Park two hours
later. The drive into the park
winds down into the canyon,
past spectacular, soaring,
red-hued sandstone walls,
through a mile-long tunnel
to a visitor’s center. Shuttle
buses take visitors through
the park. We stopped only
at Weeping Rock to see the
hanging gardens created by
dripping streams and at the
lodge for a tasty lunch.
Back in the car around 1
p.m., we were in Las Vegas
three hours later. We stayed
off the strip, at a Marriott
next to the Convention
Center. After a couple hours
at the pool, with drinks and
appetizers, we went by cab to
The Venetian to gawk at the
pricey stores. At the Bellagio
we saw the colorful Dale
Chihuly glass sculptures
and grabbed dessert at Jean
Philippe’s patisserie, then
took Uber back to our hotel.
Day 5: We forgot to gas
up before leaving Las Vegas
and got nervous with a
quarter-tank left and nothing
but desert ahead. Siri said
the nearest station was in
the roadside town of Jean,
about 30 miles ahead, and
we limped into the Chevron
on fumes. We made it to
Pasadena at 1 p.m., tired
but proud of ourselves. We
ended our road trip with a
family dinner that night. My
father, uncle, brother and
sister-in-law live in southern
California and hosted us at
the Terrace restaurant at the
Langham resort.
Preparation and tips
AAA provided
guidebooks and Google
Maps was indispensable in
planning the route. We had
a mechanic look at the car
before we left, getting new
spark plugs and an air filter.
Hotels inside and outside
national parks fill up so book
ahead. In general, hotels
seemed to be a better option
than Airbnb for the few
hours we had each night.
TripAdvisor and Booking.
com were useful.
National park entrance
fees vary. We bought an
annual pass for $80 which
Kelsey can use while in
California this summer. The
pass has paid for itself in less
than a month.
Makes 4 sandwiches
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Lemon Basil Tartar Sauce
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tablespoons minced cornichons (baby pickles)
• 2 tablespoons minced scallions
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed, then
minced
• 2 teaspoons coarse Dijon or Creole mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
Halibut Fried Fish Sandwiches
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup milk
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 (6 -ounce) pieces halibut
• Vegetable oil for pan frying (about ½ cup)
• 4 potato rolls
• Several pieces of leaf or romaine lettuce, torn to
fit the rolls
• 1 ripe tomato, sliced
• Lemon wedges for serving
Preheat the oven to broil.
Make the Tartar Sauce. In a small bowl, mix
together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, cornichons,
scallions, capers, mustard, basil, parsley, and ½
teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper. Have all of the sandwich rolls and toppings
ready to go so that when the fish is cooked, you can
assemble the sandwiches right away.
In a shallow wide bowl, mix the flour with ½
teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper. In another shallow wide bowl, beat the egg
with the milk and the hot sauce. Place the panko
bread crumbs in a third shallow wide bowl.
Heat enough oil to come up ¼-inch high in a
large skillet over medium high heat. While the oil is
heating, dredge each piece of fish first in the flour,
shaking off any excess, then in the milk mixture,
allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl, and
then finally dredge the fish in the bread crumbs. Fry
the fish in the oil for about 4 minutes on each side
until the fish is golden brown and cooked through.
Remove it with a slotted spatula and place on a
paper towel-lined plate or surface to drain for a
minute.
While the fish is cooking, broil the buns cut side
up for just a minute until lightly browned. Place a
piece of cooked fish on the bottom half of each roll,
and top with a spoonful of the tartar sauce. Top with
the lettuce and tomato, and then with the second
half of the roll. Serve immediately, with the lemon
wedges.
Nutrition information per serving of Lemon
Basil Tartar Sauce (about 2 tablespoons): Nutrition
information per serving: 98 calories; 93 calories
from fat; 10 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 6
mg cholesterol; 319 mg sodium; 1 g carbohydrate;
0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 0 g protein.
Nutrition information per serving of Halibut
Fried Fish Sandwiches: 611 calories; 168 calories
from fat; 19 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 139
mg cholesterol; 686 mg sodium; 62 g carbohydrate;
2 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 45 g protein.
———
Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused
on easy, family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!”
and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at http://
www.themom100.com/about-katie-workman
MOREHEADS: Mike also hunts for rocks, and has a few favorite spots
Continued from 1C
their eyes, whether a chip-
munk sunning itself on a rock
or the light streaming through
the branches of a tree. They
try to go to certain places at
different times of year. This
summer, they’ll make several
trips into the Blue Mountains
to take photos of elk with
new babies. They also have a
favorite spot on the John Day
River that they try to photo-
graph in each season to catch
the changing leaves and light.
Driving along, Mike
suddenly stops the car in the
middle of the road and gets
out.
Hidden by a few trees on
a hillside, several pillars stick
out of the earth. He climbs the
hill, camera in hand, to get a
closer look. Small round rocks
are embedded in the boulders,
which Mike thinks is the
result of volcanic activity.
Barbara calls out from the
road that a truck needs to get
by, and Mike climbs back
down.
“Good deal,” he says with
Contributed photo by Barbara and Mike Morehead
A feral rabbit stands in some grass in downtown Ukiah.
a grin. “I’m going to come
back here.”
As they make their way
up into the hills, the Elkhorn
Mountains come into view.
Jagged gray rocks poke
through snow, and several
peaks surround the tree-cov-
ered hillsides.
They end up at Anthony
Lake, where, except for a
couple of kayakers, all is
quiet. Mike snaps several
photos of the snow-dappled
peak reflecting in the water
Their own adventures
Mike’s penchant for
exploring takes him places
many people never see. He
likes to hunt for mushrooms,
and will pick up shed horns,
mountain mahogany and
yew wood to make walking
sticks. Occasionally, he picks
up kinnikinnick, a plant that
Native Americans used for
many purposes, including to
treat infections.
A Vietnam veteran, he
often remembers the time he
spent as a riverboat patrolman
in the Navy, and some of the
fire fights. But there, too, he
was able to document some
of his experiences. He has
photos of the river patrol
boats, including the God of
Hell Fire boat, and a Tango
M-6 boat, which he has shared
with many others.
He also hunts for rocks,
and has a few favorite spots.
He enjoys finding “Apache
tears,” or round black obsidian
pebbles, which are made of
volcanic glass. He knows how
to tell the difference between
the real ones and fakes — if
you stomp on the real ones,
they don’t turn to dust. He
clambers up a 45-degree
hillside, sending a river of dirt
and gravel flowing down to
the road. Ten minutes later, he
comes down with a handful of
the stones.
He’s discovered most of
these spots by accident, just
poking around in the woods.
“Whenever he has time,
he’s up in the mountains,”
Barb said, noting that her
husband will sometimes walk
for two hours in the dark, with
a headlamp, to reach a spot by
sunrise.
And turning 70 hasn’t
convinced him to stay on
marked trails, which he
eschews in favor of wilder
routes.
“If I hike a trail, it’s to get
to somewhere else,” he said.
Barbara doesn’t join Mike
on his off-trail trips, but is
largely responsible for sharing
the photos they take. She
sends sky shots — sunrise,
sunset and storm photos — to
the Tri-Cities station KNDU.
She recently began submitting
photos of local landmarks to
be used on Google Maps,
and she posts a lot of photos
on local Facebook pages
where people from around
the county see them. On Shut-
terfly, she creates galleries
and even calendars with the
photos they’ve taken.
“Barb will send the
photos,” Mike said with a
laugh. “I don’t touch the
computer.”
It’s common enough now
to see people documenting
every aspect of their lives.
But for the Moreheads, the
joy comes out of capturing the
things most people don’t see
every day.
As they turn up a gravel
road just over the Union
County border, Barbara
remembers that in this very
spot, they once ran into a
group of cowboys rounding
up cattle.
“There was an old cowboy
out there, and I asked Mike
to stop and take a picture of
him,” Barbara said.
“Dirty hat, unshaven,” said
Mike with a laugh.
Barbara remembers snap-
ping several photos of the
man, before he finally turned
and acknowledged them with
a smile.
Whether a buckaroo or a
bend in the river, the More-
heads will be there, camera in
hand.