Lobsters Galore

Although yesterday's goal was chanterelles, I think we found a total of three. None of them looked like the yellow chanterelle, so I was a little wary of them until I realized we had the Pacific golden chanterelle. Equally delicious, it's also Oregon's state mushroom! I meant to take a picture, but forgot until after they were sautéed in butter and eaten. They were growing in an area deprived of light, so their color was more pink than golden or yellow.
The true star of the show turned out to be piles upon piles of lobster mushrooms. We hiked barely a mile on a trail a little south of Cape Perpetua and just kept finding them -- one was even growing on the trail.
Here's a photo of us with our haul:

Tonight, I'm going to try making spaghetti alla carbonara con lobster mushroom, maybe with a bit of bacon added and a different type of pasta. If it turns out well, I'll post my modified recipe.

ADDENDUM: Although the taste of the lobster mushrooms was a little buried under the other ingredients, it turned out well. Here the recipe:


Spaghetti alla Carbonara con Lobster Mushroom

1 lb. pasta (we used whole wheat penne)
1/2 lb. lobster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 T butter
bacon, 3 slices
1 cup pecorino romano, grated
black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup green peas, thawed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced

Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot of salted water. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Sauté the lobster mushrooms in the butter over medium heat for about six minutes. Add garlic and black pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Cook the bacon separately and keep the grease. Combine the pasta, green peas, bacon, bacon grease, mushrooms, and reserved liquid. Cook one minute, shaking the pan to combine the ingredients. Add the pecorino romano and more black pepper to taste, stirring to coat the pasta. Remove the pan from heat. Add the beaten eggs, whisking vigorously until thickened but not scrambled. Serve immediately.

Creatures of California

On Friday, I drove down to Redwood National Park in northern California for hiking/backpacking adventures with my friend Ken-ichi. It turned out to be a creature extravaganza! We found frogs, salamanders, and -- for some inexplicable reason -- piles upon piles of millipedes. The giant salamander that Ken-ichi found under a log at a botanical area was the highlight:

Other figures of note were tailed frogs, a foothill yellow-legged frog, and a black salamander (or was it a del norte salamander? Either way, it was black). A harbor seal frolicked in the breakers in front of us at Tolowa Dunes State Park, and when I stuck my head outside the tent on our first morning I found a herd of Roosevelt elk staring back at me.
Even after all of that -- plus finding piles of chanterelles and even porcini mushrooms -- finding a foot-long salamander tops the list! Here's a photo of Ken-ichi with his new friend:

Although Ken-ichi carefully removed all the pine needles from salamanders before taking their photos, this salamander neglected to mention that Ken-ichi had a pine needle stuck to his head. I find this somewhat ironic.

I will definitely find my way back to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, especially the Gold Bluffs Beach Campground, which is one of the finest places I've ever pitched my tent:

It's also halfway between Corvallis and San Francisco, which makes it a perfect place for a break when I drive down. I will be back!