Sandy Lake Michigan

Here I am in southwest Michigan, just a few miles north of Indiana. It's been somewhat windy since my arrival last weekend in St Joseph but I've enjoyed taking pictures of the Lake Michigan shoreline

St Joseph, MI is right on the shore and has some fantastic opportunities. I went down after work one afternoon and squeezed off a few frames. The wind was blowing steady and hard, carrying sand with it and felt like I was being sandblasted. Moreover, I was concerned about the Nikon.

The Weather Channel had quite a story on it and was broadcasting from Muskegon making it sound as if the entire lake was being blown onshore. It must have been a slow news day for the weather guys.

Saturday, I rode down into Indiana and checked out the Indiana (I never knew they existed) Dunes State and National Parks. I walked quite a bit on various beaches and climbed Mount Baldy, a huge sand dune. The 125 foot"climb" was pretty much a trail in soft sand that would make you pant for breath even if it was level. As it was, it gave me my cardio for the day.

I've spent a couple of winters in Michigan and hopefully, I'll be out of here soon as the temperature has been dropping into the mid thirties at night. A sure sign of colder times to come.

Buckhorn Exchange

Leave it to my friend Mac to find unusual places to eat. A couple of months ago, he suggested Primanti Brothers Restaurant in Pittsburgh which turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments in my culinary experience. Today, he called me, telling me about the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver which has had plenty of reviews anywhere from Trip Advisor to television shows, such as Man Vs Food. Being the skeptic I am, I had my doubts but went along with it as well as another co-worker, Janey.

At 6:30 pm, we all converged on 1000 Osage Avenue, in Denver. Right away, I felt a little nervous for my car and accessories because it was slap in the middle of a Denver's housing projects. It was also across the street from one of the RTD light rail stations where a lot of "pants on the ground" types congregated. Nevertheless, I saw Janey drive up so we both entered the Buckhorn Exchange to wait for Mac's arrival.

Established in 1893, it has been in constant operation since then and has accommodated celebrities and politicians all through the years, including Teddy Roosevelt. It also holds Denver liquor license No. 1 that was issued in 1935. I might add, there hasn't been a lot of updating of the restaurant since then either.

Stuffed animals hang from the walls along with collections of ancient memorabilia such as rifles, pistols, clothing and pictures from days gone by.

Besides beef, the menu included Buffalo, Elk, Rattlesnake, Lamb, Cornish Hens, Quail, duck and the list goes on.

Our waitress addressed us in somewhat of a robotic attitude, explaining that the buffalo and elk would best be served medium rare. I eat nothing medium rare except vegetables so I endured the raised eyebrows of our waitress and ordered a combo of elk and buffalo cooked (you know it's never what you order) medium.

Even with my skepticism and the high prices, I did find it a pleasant evening. Counting our blessings for still having 4 tires on our vehicles, we split up to get back to our hotels.

I just can't seem to help myself !

I'm not a particular fan of Memphis, Tennessee, simply because of an ongoing war with one of the carriers, but if you fly to or from any airport in Louisiana other than New Orleans, you're only selections are Atlanta, Houston, Dallas or Memphis.

Memphis, like Atlanta, is one of those places that seems inevitable that you're going to arrive at the end of one terminal and re-plane in the far end of another. I think that must be a law or something. Anyway, I've digressed so back to the tale.

Even though I pretty much dread putting up with the Pinnacle carrier for Delta/Northwest in Memphis, one of the joys there is Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-que found on either wing of the "Y" shaped B terminal. My favorite is the Chopped Brisket Smoked Barbeque sandwich. Actually, it really isn't a "favorite", it's the ONLY thing I order there. "What's the big deal?", you might ask. Well, now that you've asked, it's a wonderful piece of culinary decadence, guaranteed to make you stop. It will set you back 8 bucks but what the heck, I'm on the company ticket and it's not like turning in a receipt from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and they shrug it off.

That mouth watering hunk o' burnin' love probably is a half pound of low fat beef brisket permeated with a deep smoke flavor and makes your lip curl back and gives you twitch like Elvis. It's served up with a tangy sweet sauce that you will drink if you don't open up that sandwich and drown your meat with it. Oh, there's sides available and quite sure there has to be a couple of other items on the menu but for me, it's the barbequed brisket sandwich. I can smell it just as soon as I see my itinerary say, "MEMPHIS."

I thought that if I ever had an hour or two on the ground, I'd make a pass by either the 3rd street location or the one in Southaven , MS but from the reviews I read about, the service is third degree lousy. So, I guess that means I'll forever be stopping in at Terminal B when I'm there.