It has been awhile

Hard to believe that it has been three weeks since my last post!!! Where has the time gone? Most of it is due to not being home, lack of internet access on the road, and some to my laziness. Oh well, there's lots to catch up on so I will do it chronologically over the next few days. Hmmm...where did I leave off? Oh yeah, the Mohawk Valley!

If Ithaca is Gorges, then the Mohawk valley is Magnificent! Natty Bumpo Country! I have been to Cooperstown, and driven on the Thruway between Syracuse and Albany often, but you don't realize how beautiful this area is until you get out of the car and into the hills that surround the ribbon of water that carved a perfect spot for an interstate. I was enamored with the landscape, and the people who reside there.

What makes the the area so unique, and different from where I live is: the bedrock. The Finger Lakes are underlain by very thin, crumbly shales which are the result of millions of years of deepwater deposition of eroded mountaintops. These rocks, as well as glacial activity, are the reason we have beautiful, deep lakes and dramatic gorges carved by crashing waterfalls. But the Mohawk area is dominated by younger, thicker limestones. These younger limestones represent warm, shallow water deposition of calcium rich organisms, which over great amounts of time hardened and became the rock that we now from the area today. The landscapes are similar, because of the presence of many creeks and some smaller lakes, but there is definitely a difference. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it can be seen. Some of the properties I visited had broad, expansive views overlooking the river valley. There is so much texture and depth to the land that can only be appreciated in the openness. Rollicking hills dotted with thick hardwood forests and pastoral farms fade into to The Valley, while on the other side the foothills of the Adirondacks, dark with conifers, stand imposingly many miles to the North. The granduer of this area is intensified by seeing it in the warming glow of the rising sun. Luckily, my job entails me raising in sync with the sun and the birds, and forces me to open my eyes to the dawning of the new day, and a new way of seeing the land. It reminded me of my old job in Boulder, where I had to be at work by 5:00am some mornings, and would always step out at sunrise to watch the rusty red sandstones of the Flatirons catch fire in the crisp Rocky Mountain air.

Enough of the flowery talk, let me tell you about the food. Two things come to mind from the Mohawk leg of this journey: a dinner I had in Cooperstown, and Stewarts. Let me start with what an amazing store Stewarts is. For those of you who don't know what it is, or have maybe had their Root Beer or Cream Soda, it is an actual chain convenience/gas station. I believe the cut off is around Utica, but go north and south from there and every town has one. The Adirondacks are full of them. Thank God! I usually don't wax poetic about gas stations and convenience store, but let me tell you, these oases of fuel and pre-packaged foods are amazing. You can get ice crem here at any time of the day! But what made me fall in love again was not the sundaes, or the root beer, or the reasonably priced gas. It was .99 cent PBJ's. For a week and a half straight I would hit the first one I saw. Fill up my coffee mug and snag a PBJ and be on my way. The coffee cleaned the cobwebs, and the PBJ fed me and kept me energized til lunch. Walking through wet, chest high grass ain't easy, and I needed all the help I could get to keep my legs from crashing out below me. Thank You Stewarts! I can't wait to see you next week.

The other meal worth mentioning was eaten at a little inn in Cooperstown called The Pit at the Tunnicliff Inn. It was in the basement of a hotel which had its heyday in the mid 1800's, and I had to pretty much duck the whole time I was there. The first thing that caught my eye was that they had Ommeganng on tap, and dammit, I love that beer (its made in Coooperstown, next time through we're doing the tour). I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive, but when I feel like splurging, thats usually what I get. So naturally, I ordered one while I perused the menu. the second thing that caught my eye was a dish that was grilled, locally made kilebasa served over Ommeganng braised red cabbage. Good thing the menu was laminated because I instantly began drooling. I was so excited to order, because my supervisor said once in awhile treat yourself to a morale boosting dinner, and this where fate found us. I sipped my beer slowly, because it is strong and I had an empty gullett. I didn't want to get drunk to fast, it was only 5:30 afterall. Well, when dinner arrived, I was not dissappointed. There were TWO grilled, locally made kilebasas nestled comfortably on a mound of crimson colored red cabbage. My Polish blood was racing at the sweet, malty aromas wafting from my plate. I have been quoted as saying, "I will eat anything soaked in beer," and eat I did. The kielbasa was delicious, especially with a dollop of tangy dijon added to it, and the cabbage was so flavorful and tender I almpst cried. This must be what they serve in heaven. It was so good, that I am inspired to do it myself, and need to get to the farmers market to buy some Kielbasa from the piggery, but first I must wait til I can afford to buy me some Ommegang.

Well, that about does it for the Mohawk Valley. There will be more to follow in the next few days or so.