Results tagged “Utah” from Intelligent Travel Blog

After reading an article in this weekend's New York Times about Utah's unique Pastrami Burger, National Geographic writer Catherine L. Barker blogged about her own reporting on obscure regional foods a few years ago, when she discovered such local favorites as the Kringle, a round, flaky pastry in Racine, Wisconsin, or Livermush, a North Carolina delicacy that is exactly what it sounds like. It she also learned how passionate people are about their local tastes:

Early in my reporting I realized that people become strangely emotional when they are asked about their favorite foods. It's as if Moon Pie or a conch fritter acts as the proverbial Madeleine, sparking a rush of memories--and a growling stomach. Some of my sources became defensive, some got excited; pretty much all of them were nostalgic. I spoke to one woman in Hawaii about Spam Musubi, a sort of sushi made with Spam, for at least an hour. Did you know that there's a festival dedicated to this canned pork product every year in Waikiki? That's devotion! And a bartender from Nevada was so enthusiastic about Picon Punch, he mailed me everything I needed to mix the potent drink beloved by many of the west's Basque émigrés. Some North Carolina residents waxed poetic in emails they sent me about livermush, a culinary mishmash of pig parts and cornmeal. I thought it sounded pretty revolting, and I spoke with other Southerners who agreed. From California to Connecticut, everyone I talked to had an opinion about their local food, and where to find the best of it.

Catherine is gathering more regional dishes over at NG Blog Central. Go share your favorites with her there. And check out the entire "United Tastes" series from the Times here.

Photo: A Kringle pastry, via NG Blog Central

In conjunction with his upcoming book, Here Is Where: In Search of America's Great Forgotten History, we're following historian and Legacy Project founder Andrew Carroll as he drives, flies, walks, boats, buses, bikes, and hikes to seek out little-known historic sites in all 50 states. Bookmark all of his posts here.

Near the top of my "things to find" list for this 50-state journey are historic markers on major highways that come up out of nowhere and cannot possibly be read at 65 miles an hour. I've seen these plaques and signs on past trips, and I'm determined to locate one at some point so I can stop, back up along the shoulder (safely of course), and see what it says.

What brought this to mind was the faded brown and white sign I recently whizzed past on Highway 6 & 50 en route to Baker, Nevada, that simply states: "Historical Marker."

The sign gives no indication as to what site of historical significance awaits whomever ventures down the gravel road. Nor does it suggest how far one has to drive. I was running late, short of gas, and had no time for an open-ended adventure in the middle of a Utah desert.

But I knew I'd curse myself if I later found out I'd passed by some extraordinary site just a few hundred feet away, so off I went.

Ever since Monday's announcement by Kodak that they're discontinuing production of Kodachrome film, professional and amateur photographers this week have been busy discussing its demise. Kodachrome was known for its rich color saturation and was widely used by National Geographic photographers in the first decades that the magazine printed in color. In fact, it was so well appreciated that when some explorers came upon a landscape that just demanded to be photographed, they decided to name it after the film. Traveler's Senior Photo Editor Dan Westergren has the details.

A little more than a decade after its introduction, Kodak's Kodachrome transparency film was becoming a favorite of National Geographic explorers in the field. In the September 1949 National Geographic magazine, writer/photographer Jack Breed chronicled the "First Motor Sortie into Escalante Land." Breed's expedition, which included 15 people, three jeeps, two trucks, and 35 horses, headed off into a rugged territory that is visible from Inspiration Point at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. The expedition was hoping to find unknown and yet unnamed geographical oddities in the hidden cliffs and canyons. One local cowman, when asked if there were any natural bridges or arches in the country replied, "Yes, I've heard tell of one or two, but in my 40 years here I've never seen any. I'm always too busy looking for stray cattle or good grass feed to notice the scenery."

There were arches to be discovered but, after only five miles on the first day of their trip they stumbled upon "A Color Photographer's Paradise." Here's what Breed has to say about the area:

It was a beautiful and fantastic country. A mile to the left near the base of the cliff I could see red pinnacles thrust up from the valley floor. The few natives who had been here called this area "Thorny Pasture," But we renamed it "Kodachrome Flat" because of the astonishing variety of contrasting colors in the formations.

The National Geographic Channel's series DogTown kicks off its third season tonight, Friday, March 20th, at 10 p.m. The series examines the important and emotional work of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, among the largest no-kill animal shelters in the U.S., as it houses, treats, and seeks permanent homes for dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, goats, pigs, parrots, and other domestic animals. Best Friends is often these animals' last hope as many are tough to adopt due to advanced age, shyness, or medical conditions.
  
Best Friends is set on 33,000 acres in southern Utah's Red Rock canyon country, not too far from what's appropriately called the Golden Circle of parks: the Grand Canyon (about 75 miles away), Zion (25 miles), Bryce (60 miles), Lake Powell (65 miles), and the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (10 miles). Best Friends, about a four-hour drive from Las Vegas, welcomes visitors and offers eight spacious guest cottages for those dropping by. You can even spend the night with a dog or cat from Best Friends if you're thinking of adopting; they provide the supplies and kibble, too. Camping is also available on their extensive grounds and there are some pet-friendly hotels in town in Kanab. Beyond a day visit and tagging along on one of the four, 1-1/2 hour tours offered daily, it's possible to stay a little longer to volunteer to help feed the animals, clean enclosures, assist with grooming, and even take Fido for a stroll and play fetch.

If you're planning a trip in out West this summer, consider stopping by Best Friends to check out DogTown (or Cat World, Horse Haven, even Piggie Paradise) yourself. My dear friend Jill Williams, a Pennsylvania native like yours truly, did just that for two weeks five years ago and was so moved by the important work of Best Friends and the sheer beauty of the place that she now lives in Kanab with her husband and son; they both work for Best Friends (she as part of their Guardian Angel program), and her family of three humans, three dogs, and three cats love it. She tells me she can't imagine a more beautiful place.

Photos: Left, National Geographic Channel; Right, Jill Williams

Friend of IT Brian Schott sends us a dispatch from the ski slopes of Utah, where he and others attempted to ski all of the state's 13 resorts in one day.

"Intelligent" was not the word uttered by anyone when I mentioned my upcoming trip. "Insane!" "Absurd." "Ridiculous"--these were a few of the adjectives that slipped easily into email or conversation when I remarked that I would join a team of ten skiers who would attempt for the first time to ski all of Utah's 13 resorts--in a single day.
 
To set the stage for our gluttony, we loaded into a twelve-passenger van at 2:30 p.m. in Salt Lake City for a 250-mile drive south to Brian Head Resort. As I settled into the back seat, I began to think that perhaps I should have looked more carefully at a map before offering to participate in this road trip that seemed ripe for a bad reality TV show. As we pulled onto I-15, the brakes of the van started to grind. But under an expanding sky, across an empty highway, following an ever-setting sun, I began to get excited.
 
After dinner on my way to my room in the Cedar Breaks Lodge, I longingly eyed the indoor pool and hot tub before asking the concierge for a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call. The front desk called my room to make sure that I was serious.
 
"Dizzy." "Skeptical." "Nervous." These were the words slithering through the withered roots of my brain as our dedicated driver piloted us toward the maintenance shop located half way up the mountain slopes. We clicked into our skis and rambled down smooth corduroy on Giant Steps under the big moon. 4:37 a.m. Mood elevated and adrenaline rushing, we took off our ski boots, chomped bagels, and settled down to sleep as the van rocketed us back towards the big Salt Lake.

It doesn't completely surprise me when places like Philadelphia pop up on the map as being great places for brew pubs, but I was a bit taken aback by a recent New York Times article on Utah's brewery scene.

Utah hasn't always been pub-friendly. The state has strict laws against alcohol, mainly due to its large Mormon population. But in the 1986, Greg Schirf opened Park City's Wasatch Brewery, and until 1989 fought for the legality of brew pubs. Today the pub is a local hot spot, and its 1st Amendment Lager and Polygamy Porter join other award-winning ales.

Brew pubs are popping up all over Utah, and mostly in popular tourist areas (skiiers need a way to warm up, right?). There's the new (2005) Zion Canyon Brewing Company, Moab Brewery, Roosters Brewing Company in Ogden, and a host of others. Of course, when you try a Utah ale, don't expect to get the same kick as other beers worldwide. The alcohol limit in the state is 3.2 percent for beers on tap. Beers there are made with higher alcohol, but they are considered a liquor.

Image: Wasatch Brew Pub