Before I forget...On a cold ride,if I'm coffee'd out, the best gas-n-go snack I've discovered is: Get a small bottle of orange juice, mix in a cup with equal amount of water, nuke until hot, and drink with honey roast peanuts. I've done many a mile in the cold, so fortified. Apple, grape, and others work as well. Best hot-weather drink. Got this from an old hardrock miner in the Panamints: one part grapefruit juice (yuk) two parts water, a dash of salt, and a packet of sweetener. Makes you salivate, replaces precious electrolytes (token buzzword), and tastes reasonably good even when warm. You've heard of Orange Julius? I've named this one Grapefruit Walter (after that fascinating man)
The only sitdown fastfood places I frequent are Subway, JB's, and occasionally McDonald's. Mostly consistent, and JB's has a killer salad bar. When I ride great distances, the last thing I need is a Whopper and fries. They just lay there in my stomach like a brick, until they rot. A salad bar is light and full of water. When traveling out here on the Western desert, your body is like a big swamp cooler flowing through the dry air. Often we don't drink as often as we should. I must force myself to pound fluids, and keep up the sunscreen program. You'll do OK as long as you keep moving, but when you stop, it feels like someone turned a flame thrower on you. Coming down from Yosemite one time, the valley felt like a furnace. Near CalState Irvine, I spotted an offramp towards a little fast food place. Took four iced teas to get back on the Voyager.
Sour gum or SweeTarts are handy. Also those marvelous old-time lemon candies we all remember. An old desert rat trick is a coin or small pebble in the mouth; although if you bite down on the coin, you'll get about 6 volts across your fillings. When you get drowsy, if you pull just one nose hair out, you'll be good for another ten miles.
I like to cook outdoors. Since I mostly camp out, I know that during the day I can usually find fresh veggies and fruit, and some kind of meat to go with my tortilla. When I gave my world-famous Frugal Camper symposium at the rally - er, GET-TOGETHER (sorry Gino, I keep slipping) I mentioned three foods that share a common property: chorizo, menudo, and potted meat. The common property is; eating them probably won't kill you, but if you read the label, you'll probably throw up. Potted meat tastes just as good as deviled ham, on a cracker, just DON'T READ THE LABEL. I also buy special treats for dinner that I seldom buy for the cupboard, example: pickled herring in sour cream =burrrp=. Check out the flatulence thread over on
the list <grin>
Outside of Utah, out in the world of Civility, you can buy liquor in the stores, along with your crackers and cheese. Often I find tiny little bottles of Cabernet Sauvinion to go with my meal at night.
There's a stand of trees out west of Cedar Fort where I and wife # 2 used to escape to. We'd get naked and chase each other around the van, but I digress................ Anyhow, we used to burn a small amount of juniper wood down to coals, and roast a Kielbasa for dinner. It would drip and smoke itself silly; try it once, and you'll never speak to another hot dog. Ran into a couple of Californians on the way to Moab one year; shared a cabin in Escalante. They were traveling light; no pots. We went up to the store, and they bought a package of chicken breasts and a bag of Match Light. I followed suit with some Polish sausage and beer. We colonized one of the pull-through barbeques, and ate like kings. Don't tell Motel 6, but I've even cooked in the room. Put the stove on something thick and fireproof, so you don't toast the countertop...like your new Hein jacket.
While we're on the subject of motels, PLEASE DON'T USE THE LINENS TO CLEAN YOUR BIKE. Most motels do their own laundry, and have stained/torn/worn towels they use for housekeeping. Ask, and ye shall receive, with thanks. The Thunderbird in Phillipsburg KS rounded up a whole plasterer's bucket full for the Thumper Club to use. Just common sense/courtesy.
Back to salad bars for a moment, then I'll close. My favorite Gas&Go out here WOTMR, is Maverick. They usually have the best price for dinosaur squeezin's, and over in the sandwich department they have a four square foot salad bar. Sandwich addenda! get a tub from underneath, the kind you do chili dogs in, and fill with lettuce, tomato, onion, pepper, mayo, black pepper, you get the idea, a creative salad. You might pay a dollar or so.
