California Adventure - Wine Country

This is the third part of Ryan and I's California Adventure.  First we hiked the PCT, and summited Mt Eddy.  Next we drove the PCH through the Red Wood Forests and down to Napa Valley, with a short stop in the Russian River Valley.

On our first full day in Napa we woke up and took advantage of Ryan's Hilton Honors and had ourselves a nice (free) breakfast.  The we drove up to Calistoga to start our day Sampling Wine at Chateau Montelena.  For movie/wine geeks out there, this is the winery featured in the movie Bottle Shock.  While this winery may have put Napa and California wines on the map as being just as good as French wines, neither Ryan nor I felt that anything we tasted was that exciting.  Don't get me wrong, the wines were good, but similar to Seghesio from the day before, you could easily find similar quality, or similar tasting wines from other wineries.

Next we drove south down to Grey Stone CIA based on a recommendation by my aunt Rosie.  While we didn't do any wine tasting, and some how left without eating anything...we did enjoy looking at the corkscrew collection as well as learning about many of the local winery owners in the barrel room.  The receptionist encouraged us to visit the Charles Krug winery that was literally right across the street from the CIA.  Charles Krug has a small plot of land that the CIA students use to grow some of their ingredients on.  While we didn't purchase any pastries or other snacks, I did pick up a copy of "The House of Mondavi" which tells the tell of Napa's great wine dynasty.  So far, it's really interesting.

Since it was so close, and came with a great recommendation, Ryan and I hopped over to Charles Krug for the best wine tasting experience we had on the entire trip. As you may notice if you visit the website, Charles Krug is owned by the Mondavi family, lets just say that story is in the book. There is a giant sign outside near the highway stating that they were voted as one of the top 10 best wine tasting experiences in Napa.  Initially I would never have visited simply based on that obnoxious sign, I like to take the road less traveled.  But, there is a reason they have won this award.  Yes their wines are great, but our server was very fun to chat with, very knowledgable about wine and the wine making process, and was nice enough to give us an extra sample of their port.  Not only was the port good enough to prompt Ryan to buy a bottle, but the port sample comes with a dark chocolate truffle made by students at the CIA.  OMG...the truffle was to die for.  Why they don't sell them at the winery I have no idea.  Any who.... go to Charels Krug and try the port.  Another benefit of chatting up our server was that he steered us away from visiting Hall Winery (recommended by the woman at the CIA), and instead encouraged us to try Cade.

View from Cade winery

So we took a really windy road up to Cade.  Unfortunately they only take 'by appointment only' reservations.  But sometimes when you are really polite.... someone gives you a free sample of their incredibly smooth sauvignon blanc to sip on their patio.

By this time we were both hungry, and in need of food to help soak up all the wine in our stomachs.  On our way to Napa the day before, and on our way to Chateau Montelena in the morning we spotted Buster's Southern BBQ.  The Meats were great, perfectly smoked and oh so tasty.  I had the cole slaw which was so bland and boring I took 2 bites and didn't bother with the rest.  The 3 bean salad was basic but good, and not bland.

Buster's Southern BBQ

Both Ryan and I were a little over-wined at this point and decided to go for a short hike.  We had already done our research and knew that Mt St. Helena was probably too long of a hike for what we wanted (10 miles).  Luckily, our server at Charles Krug once again came through for us and recommended a shorter hike to Table Rock.  Both Trails start at the same place, Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, (no admission fee required) which can be a little hard to navigate since the parking lot is small and comes up quickly when driving the very windy Highway 29.  It felt good to get out and stretch our legs after several days of mostly sitting in the Patriot. The view of the valley was gorgeous as well.

View of Napa Valley from Table Rock

The drive back to Napa took longer than either of us expected, something you learn to expect when driving in the area. Once there we freshened up and went to Oxbow Market.  There was so much going on inside the market, it's a neat set up, but loud and overwhelming.  I was still kind of full from lunch and just got a veggie salad, Ryan was craving pizza and finally settled on one from Ca Momi.

On our last day in California we were still feeling a little wined-out.  I would suggest keeping your (Napa/Sanoma time to 2 days with a few other activities thrown in).  After breakfast at the hotel we started our day with a tour of the Jelly Belly factory!  The tour is free and lasts about 40 minutes.  It was fun, but I thought the sample of rocky-road fudge was much better than any of the jelly beans I tasted. Depending upon what time you get to the store, and how much shopping around you do, expect to spend 90 minutes there. I wish we had come a little later...because they do a wine and chocolate pairing from 11-4pm.  But we didn't want to wait around an hour for it. Ryan had his heart set on sampling some good bubbly so we drove over to Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma, about 22 miles away.

Once again, just expect your drives to take twice as long as they should when driving in Napa/Sonoma. We were 15 minutes late and missed the tour of the Gloria Ferrer winery, this was actually very very disappointing for us.  As much as we enjoy tasting wine, we both really wanted to learn more about how the grapes are grown, harvested, and turned into wine. Until now most of the tastings we had enjoyed were done at a bar, and since we visited late in the season, after harvest we were typically only the second couple tasting at the time. At Gloria, we were seated outside and as you can see from the picture there were many other couples there. In order to maximize our tasting experience we split two different tastings which allowed us to try 6-7 different wines. The wines were nice, and it was fun to compare several different types of sparkling wine side by side. But neither of us felt any of them were worth buying on the spot.  Our favorites were the Sonoma Brut and the Royal Cuvee Brut.

This was one of the first wineries we visited where our server actually discussed how the droughts over the past 3-4 years have negatively impacted the grapes.  I believe 2011 was the last time they had any appreciable rain. While this allows the growers to completely control the vines water 100%, until this point no one had really made mention that it might be a concern for future crops, or a sign of our changing environment.

Sparkling and non Sparkling at Gloria

After all those bubbles, it was time for some real food.  We drove up to the Sanoma market square and walked around for 10 minutes before I decided on Basque Boulangerie Cafe.  Their real food menu isn't huge, but the Tuna Nicoise salad is great, even if it isn't 100% traditional being topped with potato salad and a shredded jicama salad.  We tried to resist, no really we did.... but then we gave in and split a slice of Beehive Cake.  OMG, forget the wine... the bottom layer was a thin slice of sponge cake soaked in honey with about 2 inches of custard and toasted almonds on top.  By the time we left the sugar was coursing through our veins so hard we had to take a brief nap back at the hotel instead of wandering around the rest of downtown Sonoma which has some interesting looking historical buildings and beautiful central park area where school kids were playing and people were picnicking.

After our nap, and repacking our suitcases Ryan and I drove up to Yountville where we had dinner reservations at Ad Hoc, a Thomas Keller restaurant. (The French Laundry is a little out of our price range...)  Even though we had time to stop at Dom p Winery, neither one of us was really in the mood, so we decided to just do some window shopping in Yountville.  While there are a few stores, there was definitely not as many as we expected.  Ryan was getting hungry, and I just wanted an Americano.  For more sugar we shared 2 (BIG) macaroons from Bouchon Bakery, another Thomas Keller property.  The vanilla macaroon was amazing, the cappuccino macaroon was almost as amazing.  If you are in the area, plan on stopping by for an afternoon treat.  

After sitting on a bench outside Bouchon, people watching, and enjoying our second sugar bomb of the day, we went for a little walk on the town trail and basically just wasted time.  Then on to the meal we had been anticipating the entire trip!

Welcome to Ad Hoc

Below is a picture of the nights prix-fixe menu, lucky us, they were serving fried chicken that night.  Lets just say, if they are serving fried chicken you order it.  Seriously.  Unless you have a real gluten sensitivity, or are allergic to chicken, or some other ingredient, you order the fried chicken. Yes it's $22 for 6 pieces of chicken, but even the cold leftovers are great.  When your server tells you that the cold leftover fried chicken is great for breakfast, you listen.

All courses are served family style, except desert.

1. The salad was good, especially the bacon lardons.

2. Best Ribeye I've ever had.  Not that it's something I ever really order, but it was one of the best pieces of beef I've ever eaten.  The potatoes, carrots, and cabbage were equally delicious.  Ryan wouldn't commit and say it was the best fried chicken he's ever eaten, but he said it was definitely up there.  The fried rosemary that is sprinkled on top, adds a subtle flavor that reminds you of Thanksgiving.

3. I really enjoyed the Etude cheese. It had a texture and taste similar to parmesan, but with that goats milk earthiness. The crackers were very unique, exceedingly thin and crispy.

4.  I love cheesecake, and this was really good cheesecake. But after the other two deserts of the day, I actually only ate 1/2 of my serving, which wasn't that big to begin with.  I didn't ask, but wanted to...did they make their own graham crackers?

For people who have never been to a more upscale restaurant with multiple courses, or a prix-fixe menu, Ad Hoc would be an excellent first experience.  Thomas Keller keeps the food very approachable and familiar, but the high quality ingredients are cooked with impeccable skill.  

Ryan and I split a bottle of Bunter Spring Pinot Noir, a recommendation by our server.  It was AMAZING!  Best wine we had the entire trip.  It had such a deep smooth flavor I can't even describe it.  The winery just happens to be owned by our server's brother, but he didn't reveal this until we were finished and told him how much we enjoyed drinking it.  Turns out out, Bunter Spring sustainably raises all their grapes, using no chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers.  We were so impressed with the wine that we have ordered a CASE; a mixture of their whites and reds. 

Needless to say, we left Ad Hoc very full and satisfied

In the morning we woke up early and drove down 101 so we could cross the Gold Gate Bridge before dropping off the Patriot and waiting at the airport, where we ate leftover fried chicken, ribeye, and potatoes.  

mmmm.... Leftover fried Chicken

California Adventure - Red Woods and PCH

This post is about the 2nd part of Ryan and I's great California Adventure.  You can read about the first part HERE, where we backpacked the Pacific Crest Trail with an REI group for 3 days.

Mt Shasta is such a cute town.  It reminded us of Ashville, NC.  Just a little bit smaller, and with bigger mountains.  In the morning we stopped for breakfast at Mt Shasta Pastry.  Ryan had a slice of their pumpkin bread with walnuts, it was pretty tasty.  But the samples of their strawberry coffee cake were even better. Also, I don't normally get excited about potatoes, but their cook made the best breakfast potatoes I've ever had.  He used some kind of seasoning and got them nice and crispy on the outside. If you happen to be visiting the area, you really should stop in here.  Simply because the employees are so friendly!  Not sure if she is the chef's wife, but the woman who took our order and doubles as waitress chatted with us the entire time we were there. So did the locals. One gave us a few tips on where to drink wine in Napa, another two discussed fishing with Ryan.  After drinking our fill of coffee we were off to see the Red Woods.

Bye Bye Mt Shasta!

Our drive took us North into Oregon and then down highway 101 back into California, through the Red Wood forests.  Part of the reason this vacation ever came to be was Ryan's desire to drive 101 from north to south just so he could see the ocean from the right side of the road.

The redwood trees were amazing!  Just Massive! We stopped during our drive to walk along some short trails.

Toppled over tree.

"The Tree was this big..."

Our drive brought us to Crescent city, which is not where I recommend staying, but it's where we had reservations.  It only took us about 4-5 hours to get there from Mt Shasta, and that was only because we stopped to look at trees along the way.  It was lunch time and lets just say the city doesn't have a lot of great dining options. So we stopped at Safe Way and grabbed a sandwich for Ryan and a salad for me; then kept driving south till we found this amazing overlook with picnic tables for lunch.

On the way to our picnic spot we spotted a huge sign and Paul Bunion...The Trees of Mystery.  Of course we had to stop on our way back to Crescent City. This place is straight out of the 50s, it was so much fun, a great place to bring kids. They have a huge gift shop for those of you who need souvenirs, as well as ice cream and homemade fudge (which surprisingly we did not eat).  But we did take the gondola up the mountain ($15 per person) for some spectacular views.  It was pretty neat to see the different types of trees and get a birds eye view of everything.  You have the option to ride the gondola back down or you can can walk the 1+ mile down the mountain.  We chose to walk...when they warn you that it's a steep and slightly treacherous hike down, they are NOT lying.  Ryan and I were holding onto the ropes that line parts of the trail, it's probably a 20% grade at parts going down, with areas where water has created washouts that are slippery and rocky.  It was harder than our hike up Mt Eddy.  

Paul and Babe

In the gondola.

The Cathedral Trees

While there are a fair number of restaurants to choose from in Crescent city, there were not a lot that we actually wanted to eat at.  We settled on 101 Hawaiian BBQ since it got descent reviews on yelp and trip advisor.  Ryan had the teriyaki ribs which were terrific!  I chose the pulled pork which was very tender but without the soy sauce, it was kind of bland.  The pasta salad was also very bland, and a little confusing as a side dish; but maybe that's a 'thing' in Hawaii.  Since there isn't much to do in this small harbor town, Ryan and I settled on doing laundry at the laundro mat to keep our hiking clothes from fermenting in our suitcase.  Even a local who was there doing her laundry complained about how run down the town was, and how there is nothing to do there.

The rest of the evening was spent in our quaint retro motel, Curly Wood Lodge.  Part of the reason I chose this location was based on the fact that all the wood used to build it was from one Red Wood tree.  As far as accommodations go it's a little sparse.  No coffee pot, microwave, mini-fridge, or iron in the room.  But it's a cheap place to sleep at about $60 per night. 

 HOWEVER... there is a fog horn that blows every 10 seconds all day and all night long.  We were tired enough that falling asleep to it was no problem.  But at about 5am neither of us could fall back asleep so we packed up and headed out of town. (After stopping at Starbucks.)

Drive thru Redwood

Heading south on 101 we could see the fog over the ocean as the sun was rising above the mountains.  It was beautiful.  Since we were up so early, taking a short detour to visit one of the drive thru trees was no problem.  Hurray for no lines!  A little further down the highway, we spotted a heard of elk hanging out near a cabin resort.  

Elk grazing

After leaving the Redwood forest we motored on down the road in our Jeep Patriot rental (not what we hoped for), it's rather underpowered when it comes to driving up and down mountains.  Lunch was a quick stop at a Shat's Bakery/Cafe in Ukia.  The baked goods looked so delicious, but Ryan and I stuck with our usual sandwich or salad.  Shat's reminded me of Panera, but less franchise-y.  Which makes sense since they only have 3 locations.

A little over an hour later we were in the Russian River Valley!  Hello wine country!  First stop...Seghesio Winery in Healdsburg which specializes in Italian style reds, Zinfandel in particular. Their basic tasting is $15, which is a very good price for the area.  Most others are $20-25.  This winery was recommended to us by one of my dad's best friends who recently passed away after battling cancer for several years.  Cheers Roger to a life well lived, traveled, and tasted!  We bought a bottle of the 2011 Venom which is now out of stock, obviously it's tasty. The 2012 Pagani Zin was good, but didn't blow us away, so we passed on that as a purchase.  

Just for fun we tried UPTick Vineyard/Winery since we spotted it getting lost on our way to Seghesio.  The tasting room is beautiful; with a massive window behind the bar looking over their vineyard.  While the wines were good, it seemed obvious to us that they were not the owners true passion, more of a dream and hobby; enabled by lots of money.

Sticking with our road-trip theme, we took a few backroads to finish our drive into Napa and ended up at Thomas George.  This was one of our favorite wineries and wines of the trip. The tasting room is in a wine cave and you can see one of their concrete fermentation eggs in the barrel room.  I really enjoyed learning about the different types of aging process' that vintners use.  This was one of the first places that promoted the fact that they don't make the "Typical" california chardonay (big buttery and too oaky).  You know what...theirs was delicious, and I don't typically like Chardonay.  However, after you hear this line, "We don't produce the typical California Chardonay." you start to wonder what typical is?  We did purchase a bottle of the 2012 Baker Ridge Pinot Noir, and a bottle of their 2011 Chardonnay.

By this time we were ready to be off the road, driving to Napa we we hit some traffic, but once there we checked into the Hilton Garden Inn, and found dinner down-town at Taqueria Rosita. This is definitely a place where locals go, it's not just for tourists.  The foods are your basic Mexican American fare, but done well and not slathered in excess cheese.  You won't be disappointed with anything you order.  The exceptionally fast service is a bonus too.  Next up, a few days of wine tasting.

Superior: Sun, Sweat, Mosquitos, and Smoke

This post is all about our 4 day North Shore camping adventure, (actually 5 days...but we drove home in the morning) as told through our delicious meals, and Ryan's beer.  To prepare for the trip we grilled 2# of chicken thighs, and packed 1.5# of ground beef in 2 separate ziplock bags with their designated seasonings.  We froze these and bacon, and 4 brats overnight and packed them on-top of frozen water bottles in the cooler.  Some of the chicken was made into chicken salad for lunch on our first day.  Everything else (deli meat, cheese, veggies, wraps, and other random condiments) were placed on top of the frozen meats and stayed nice and chilly. To be safe, we bought a block of ice on Wednesday.

Just to let people know, not everything we ate was Paleo or gluten free or NWW "approved".  We were on vacation!  However, if you wanted/needed to maintain a GF/Paleo diet it can certainly be done, even while car camping and traveling.  What I've discovered is that I notice NO difference when I eat gluten, compared to when I don't.  But I know that it's terrible for my gut and binds minerals needed for healthy bones; so I still try to minimize it.  Ultimately, I do feel better when I avoid a bunch of processed foods and excess carbs of any form.  However, when eating off track I do maintain that I eat the best option available:  homemade pie (lard) vs. mass produced store bought pie (margarine).

Day 1: Journeyed from Minneapolis to Split Rock Lighthouse where we explored the lighthouse and ate lunch on the rocks next to Lake Superior.  Strangely enough, it was the hottest day of the year so far and the lake breeze was very refreshing.  But that would change.  I also forgot to put on "sun lotion" as Ryan calls it.  ooops.

Chicken salad on a Rudi's Wrap

Ryan eating fresh veggies

staying hydrated

That night we enjoyed Cajun beef salads, seasoned with the Penzey's Cajun spice mix and topped with store bought guacamole.  I cooked on our Green Pan,  instead of buying a new cast iron for the trip.  I bought it last year at target for $20, and did just fine.  It only needed a little extra cleaning to get the soot off the bottom.

Love Campfire Cooking! 

Day 2: After a night of slightly wet weather (we stayed dry thanks to some good trenching around our tent) but storms farther norther in Boundary Waters caused trees to fall on 3+ campers.  Luckily everyone lived.  In the morning we were in the midst of frying bacon on the MSR stove when it started to rain.  So we finished our coffee in the tent. The Rain didn't last long, and we were off to go hiking at Cascade River State Park.

mmm... True Stone in our french press

Which Way?

Made it to the top!

Deli sandwich/wrap + veggies by the Lake

After walking around Grand Marais and climbing around Artist Point, we were in need of some pie...obviously. Off to the Pie Place!  It was sooooo good.  Although I thought the whipped cream was a little too sweet.  

lake water = 40 degrees

apple al'a mode, strawberry rhubarb + whip

Back at camp, we grilled grass fed beef brats, sauerkraut, and made salads.  And Summit Saga for Ryan, he brought a 6 pack, I enjoyed a few sips.  That night we were very happy to have checked the weather before leaving MPLS.  By bed time it was in the 40s.  Sunday before leaving we hurriedly went to REI and purchased new hiking pants (ours were both 2 sizes too big) and made sure to pack an extra jacket; and mittens for me.

"It's a Summit Summer!"

brat + bread + cheese + kraut + mustard = yummy

brat  +  kraut + mustard - bun = delicious

Day 3: A night of fabulous sleep.  "Why is my face wet?  Oh, that's a lot of drool."  We awoke and scrambled egg whites on the stove, only to be chased into the Fit by the Minnesota state bird.  Instead of packing eggs in the cooler and worrying about crack-age, we brought TJ organic liquid egg whites.  Then it was off to Grand Portage where we wondered around the National Monument, hiked at the state park, drove to Judge C. Magney State Park, at lunch then hiked some more.  We forgot our passports, otherwise we had thought about driving up to Thunder Bay.

breakfast in the Fit

Peace Canada

Working up a hunger for turkey wraps and snap peas 

All that hiking left us tired, and happy to leave the cooking up to the talented folks at The Angry Trout. I'm also neither confirming, nor denying that we also bought 2 slices of pie from the Pie Place and ate them around our camp fire.  

Bent Paddle  Venture Pils

Grilled Lake Superior Herring

Day 4: Another amazing night of sleep.  Seriously, why can't I sleep in till 7 when I'm at home?  While making coffee we were again harassed by mosquitos and chased into our tent where we dined on grilled chicken wraps as fuel for our 3 hour Kayak tour later that morning.  Our Guide was Ken, he was awesome!  He's also a super outdoorsman, hiker, canoe paddler, wilderness EMT, and dog sledder.  He's even written a book 'Sled Dogs to Saint Paul' which I plan to read at some point.  We took his suggestion and ate a late lunch at Sydney's,  But on the way stopped and shared a cinnamon sugar donut.

next time we're pitching the tent closer to the lake

don't tell my boss, but I do love a good donut.

"That's my slice."

Bent Paddle, Black.  It was super good

By the afternoon we were beat.  All that hiking and kayaking and walking around had caught up to us.  After some down time and people watching by the lake, we enjoyed a few drinks at the Gun Flint Tavern (Bent Paddle, IPA). Then it was time for the ultimate final campfire supper, CHILI MAC!  I also beat Ryan at another game of cribbage.  I'd call that a successful evening.

1. brown meat with chili spices and diced tomatoes

2. let Ryan cook macaroni on camp stove

3. Assemble and top with remaining guac from Day 1

Day 5: More great sleep. Wake up, tear down camp while swatting skeeters.  Hit the road after grabbing a cup of coffee from Java Moose.  We enjoyed a late breakfast and time outside of the car at The Duluth Grill.  Now that we are home, it's time to get back on track with better balanced meals and a lot less pie.  

North Carolina Adventure

Ryan and I had a much needed 6 day vacation to North Carolina.  I got to visit my good friend and fellow RD Lucy, and then do some hiking and eating with Ryan.  Speaking of eating... I'm going to be honest, when I travel I throw some of my normal eating habits out the window.  While I typically avoid gluten, sugar, trans fats, and MSG...these things are hard to avoid while traveling.  Not to say that it can't be done.  But I'm such a foodie that I want to be able to taste all the local delicacies, and since I don't have any severe reactions to these foods, they end up on my plate.

After waiting over about an hour to get our rental vehicle, Ryan and I hit up a divey joint for some delicious southern food at Backyard BBQ in Durham.  Mmmmm.....cabbage and collards cooked to death with fatback.  No doubt the pork and chickens aren't pasture raised, and I'm sure they cook in vegetable oil; but DAMN was it good!  I did eat one hush puppy, and remembered why I don't like hush puppies.  They are just bland balls of fried dough, nothing to get excited about, and not worth the trans fats.

reminds me of Georgia

We joined Lucy for a sushi extravaganza later that night.  She was so excited that we had ordered enough between the 3 of us to require a sushi boat.  We all had sushi babies by the end of it.

Lucy and her first sushi boat

While I don't have a picture of it, lets just say the warm cookies waiting for you in your room at a Double Tree hotels are FREAKING AMAZING!!! The first ingredient is chocolate, then flour...yhea they mean business.

In Asheville Ryan and I discovered some neat bars where he tasted many local brews.  I tried a locally made hard cider at the Wedge which wasn't absurdly sweet like so many on the market, it was quite tasty.

everything tastes better when enjoyed outside

Sunday night we had a ginormous meal of oysters and pork chop with lima beans and pesto (for me), steak with pimento cheese sauce (for Ryan) at The Admiral.  During which we discussed the option of doing a 24 hour fast the next day because we were both so bloated from the previous two days of food. This would be my second 24 hour and Ryan's first, but he was up for it.  Thankfully we had a full day planned exploring Biltmore Estate.  Being busy is key to doing a 24 hr fast, and we both did really well.  To be 100% honest it was more like a 22hr fast.  At about 5:30 we finished the Biltmore wine tour and were treated to several free samples.  However, no solid food touched our lips until about 7:30ish... when we devoured some very unique tacos from White Duck Taco. The Bangkok shrimp was my favorite.  In between we headed up to the Grove Park Inn for cocktails on the veranda.  I swear we were ok to drive!

Beautiful start to our day

19 hr fasting, Keeping busy at Biltmore, Off-road SEGWAY!

Breaking the fast...mmm....Vino

Mint Julep and Martini at Edison in the Grove Park Inn

View from Grove Park Inn

The 22/24 hour fast did the trick, both of us felt much less bloated and sluggish.  Besides being touristy, we also hiked 2 miles up to the summit of Mt. Mitchell and 1.7 miles up to Mt Pisgah.  Excellent ways to help burn off all the sushi rice, biscuit from Tupelo Honey Cafe, and newly found enjoyment of mint juleps.

Summit of Mt Mitchell

Summit of Mt. Pisgah-TOO BRIGHT!!!

Unfortunately, the day after we got back Ryan came down with the Flu!  Seriously?!!! Again?!!!  We are blaming it on the lady sitting behind him on the plane.  Here's to hoping I don't catch it.