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!

Cake!

The McKenzie River Trail

Last week Ben and I did our first backpacking trip in Oregon: The McKenzie River Trail. I strapped a baguette to the outside of my pack and Ben brought a huge summer sausage and we hiked 26 miles from Clear Lake down over lava fields, past hot springs, all following the McKenzie River. The trail took us past two huge waterfalls, Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls, then the river disappeared for awhile, re-emerging at Tamolitch Pool, a stunning and strangely still aquamarine pool. We camped at a place where the river converged with a small stream, then the next day continued our hike, at first following raccoon tracks from a creature who had probably been interested in but unable to reach our bear hang during the night. In the afternoon, we hit Deer Creek Hot Springs, a small, steaming pool walled off by piles of rocks from the adjacent river. I really like the West Coast ability to stop during a hike and soak in natural hot springs! My feet felt much happier afterward. The rest of the hike took us through mossy forests and then ended with a rather anti-climactic late afternoon hike near the road, at which point both Ben and I realized that our bodies were extremely upset with us for hiking 26 miles since 1 p.m. the previous day.
Here's a photo from one of the highlights, Deer Creek Hot Springs. We were lucky we had it all to ourselves!

And here's a photo of me looking goofy with a baguette strapped to my pack (we'd already eaten part of it):

The lovely mossy part of the trail:

All in all, an amazing trip! The trailhead is less than two hours from Corvallis, so we will probably be hiking this again. I love Oregon!

Mount Hood!

Can I put an exclamation mark after Mount Hood if we failed to see Mount Hood itself? I think I can. Although fog obscured the peak, we did a lovely short hike from Timberline Lodge (where they filmed The Shining) to Zigzag Canyon. The coldest, most rainy part was hiking from the car to the lodge. Once on the trail, the wind and rain died down, making for a nice hike.

Here I am at Zigzag Canyon with my friend Maggie:

and here is the canyon itself, which should end in a spectacular view of Mount Hood but instead ends in a spectacular whiteout:

I think my favorite part of the hike was the terrain underfoot: soft ash. Purple flowers dotted the area, spaced apart in seemingly deliberate formation, as if some ambitious gardener had landscaped the entirety of the mountain.

Another bonus to this trip: Ben and I found our first good Chinese restaurant in Oregon. The winner? Shandong, 3724 NE Broadway, Portland. The curry chicken fried rice and Manchurian beef are, I think, the most delicious Chinese food I've eaten since Taste of China back in Clinton, Connecticut (WARNING: their website plays annoyingly loud music).

Sunset on Dimple Hill

Last night Ben and I hiked up Dimple Hill to watch the sunset. We met a friendly mountain biker at the top who pointed us a little way down the hill to the perfect spot:

On the way back down, a coyote trotted down the trail ahead of us. The moon and stars were coming out as we hiked the last portion. A lovely night!
Back home, I've been cooking up crepes with blackberry sauce and ice cream. Recently, I recreated "The Elvis," a peanut butter/banana/Nutella crepe that they sell at Perk on Main in Durham, Connecticut. This crepe and I have accomplished a lot of writing together back home with my Connecticut writing group.

In weasel news, Rocky was feeling sick for awhile, but he's returned to normal. Just another sign that my ferrets are getting old. How did I know he's feeling better, you ask? Here is the answer:

I thought this was something only cats do, but apparently the joys of ripping toilet paper to shreds extend to ferrets, too. Rocky has learned to open the bathroom cabinet if we leave it open the slightest amount. He weaseled his way into the cabinet, began tearing up toilet paper, and then invited Ichabod in to help. The two of them managed to shred about six rolls before Ben found them. At least it means Rocky is feeling more like himself!

Screeeeeech

Our newest obnoxious neighbor: