Things I Saw Driving the Interstate

I was on another road trip this weekend. Driving ten hours, many of them across Idaho. The state has some lovely scenery and fun places to visit, but I-84 isn't any of those. It is one of the most boring stretches of freeways I've ever been on. The scenery is mostly sagebrush and fields of grass. At least it's green this time of year.

We amused ourselves by watching the other trucks and cars driving the same stretch of boringness. Most of that was boring, too.

On a trip a while back, we saw a little old guy in a battered pickup that looked like it was ready to disintegrate any minute. The best part was his dog, though. He was a gigantic Great Dane trying to fit in the front seat of the little truck. He kept turning around and around with his head banging into the roof of the cab. His face would be smooshed against the passenger side window while his tail was whacking this little old guy in the face. We laughed for a solid forty-five miles watching the antics. Then the old guy took an exit and we drove one with just the memories.

This trip we only saw a couple of semi-trucks with fun logos.

One was a tanker truck with red letters on the back that looked like someone had done them with duct tape strips. They said LIVE TROUT. We had a good discussion for a while whether this was a call to action (Live!, trout.) or a statement about the state of trout or some other weird slogan. Then we got alongside the truck and saw the company logo - somebody's Trout Farm. The tanker truck was full of live trout. It makes sense when you think about it. All those fish need to be delivered somehow so they can stock the rivers and streams where people like to catch the fish.

Then we saw this truck:

Notice the logo - D&D Transportation Services. I have no idea what the D&D in this logo stands for, but we immediately jumped to Dungeons and Dragons.

So I present to you The Truck of Holding.

Thursday Recipe - Spiked Lemonade and Road Trip News

So this is late because I've been in my car since 4am driving from Utah to Washington State for a con. Lots of gorgeous scenery and fun conversations with my hubby. We ate breakfast at Spencer ID, at an Opal Mine and Diner. Biscuits and Gravy. Mmmm. We also stopped in Phillipsburg MT at a Sapphire store. Not quite as weird as it sounds. There are lots of sapphire mines in the area. For a mere $25, you can buy a bag of gravel and look for your very own sapphires. But they aren't cut and polished and I have too many cans/boxes/buckets full of uncut, unpolished gemstones and rocks I've collected. I'm addicted to rockhounding. It's fun, but the rule at our house is, "When your pants start sliding off, you're through putting rocks in your pockets." I ended up with a bag of uncut, unpolished opal, arrowheads, a big honking trilobite, and a nice flourite crystal. They're rocks. I can't resist. It's the BS in Geology. Gets me every time I go into a rock shop.

Okay, enough travelogue. Time for a recipe. This one is great for those hot summer afternoons. And it's spiked with mint and tonic water.

Spiked Lemonade

1 packet unsweetened lemonade drink mix
1 c. sugar
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 sprigs fresh mint
1 quart ice cubes
1 quart cold water
2 liters tonic water or club soda
1 c. fresh raspberries, optional

In gallon pitcher or large punch bowl, mix water, concentrate, sugar, and drink mix. Lightly crush mint sprigs and add to lemonade. Stir in ice. Add tonic water carefully, it foams. Stir gently to mix. Garnish with raspberries. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes for the mint to infuse. Serve cold. Makes about 1 gallon.