Hello, Again

It's been a while; I've been off gallivanting on a much-needed vacation.

Typically a large part of the reason I travel—anywhere—is for the food. Not so this trip. This was all about national parks and state parks and wildflowers in bloom.

And road food.

Despite my snob status, I'm quite fond of road food. There's places along the road that are innovative for their um, architecture, or for THE BEST pizza or ice cream, or a Guinness wanna-be obscenely large food object. Road food doesn't necessarily have to be good—it's as much about the experience as anything—though it certainly helps.

But it should also know what it is, and not have any pretensions otherwise. So I feel quite confident in stating that the gyro at the Mad Greek Cafe in Baker, Calif. is actually NOT the world's best, despite the numerous billboards along I-15 claiming this crown. (Note: the food is rather salty, which means it's better to stop on your way out of the desert, since salt is so dehydrating.) But I've certainly had worse. And come on, the attraction here are the Greek faux statuary and the quips such as: "English. It's all Greek to me!" posted around the restaurant. This is big-time kitsch, baby, in all its blue-and-white glory. The milkshakes are supposed to be amazing; sadly I was all milked out from the date shake at China Ranch I had earlier in the day. It sounded so unappetizing that I just had to try it. The verdict? A little weird (what with all the chunks of chopped-up, sugar-crystallized dates), a little too sweet, and more like a Dairy Queen Blizzard than a shake.

I also learned I much prefer Coco's Cinnamon Roll French Toast to the wink, wink, nudge, nudge-named Grandma's Cinnamon Loaf French Toast at Carrows. (C'mon. We know Granny's not back there in the kitchen.)

Because I was camping, I knew the only way to eat—let alone eat well—was to suck it up and bring my own food. Here's a sampling:

Homemade trail mix for snacking in the car (Low-salt peanuts, no-salt sunflower seeds, dried raisins, dried cranberries, M&Ms. Mix.)

Cold cuts for sandwiches (A jar of roasted red peppers did the trick here, elevating DIY sandwiches from ho-hum to yum-yum.)

Steak (Make a quick marinade of Worcestershire, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper before you leave and let the steak absorb it all day until dinner at your destination)

Pre-made salad (Let's face it: unless you bring salad to eat the first night, there's little chance of seeing another leafy green until you return home.)

Frozen yogurt (Individual yogurt servings, frozen before leaving, helps keep the cooler cold. Eat one—still partially frozen—the first night for dessert; the others make satisfying breakfasts, especially when paired with homemade granola.)

Campfire-roasted sweet potatoes (Wrap in foil. Stick in fire until done.)

Pre-cooked rice and boil-in-bag Indian beans from Trader Joe's

Lots and lots of water

But I think the next trip will have to be a foodie destination.