Tag: Life & Leisure

Eddie Murphy & The Golden Girls

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, TravelLeave a comment

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This story appears in my book,  A Casual Traveler

Kananchuburi Provence, Thailand 

      I booked a no-brainer trip from Pataya Beach to the Kananchuburi province in Thailand, near the Burma border. It is home to the Bridge on the River Kwai, that was made famous by the movie of the same name.  For those unaware, it’s where the Japanese used allied prisoners of war to build a railway bridge over the river, and through the mountain pass into Burma.

      The shuttle bus picked me up at my hotel at 5:30 a.m. sharp, a despicable time of the day. The birds weren’t up yet, but there were still a couple people drinking at the bar across the street. Not unusual in Pataya. I’d behaved the previous evening, opting for a movie at the local cinema, instead of being one of those people at the bar.

     I climbed into the van and saw with my one open eye that there were other people on the bus. Three older black women had nabbed the best seats. The looked like a darker version of the Golden Girls. I wedged myself in and didn’t pay the driver much attention, until he got lost two blocks from my hotel.

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The Two Bill’s – Part 2

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, Entertainment, TravelLeave a comment

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This story appears in my first book, A Casual Traveler

 The Way Back 

            Usually, going somewhere is more fun than coming back. Whenever I plan a trip I try to take that into account. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but I hate covering the same ground twice. I’d much rather make a loop and go out of my way, than drive down the same road more than once. Unless something is worth seeing again, from a different perspective.

            Cathryn and I had a great ride getting to Vancouver, but I knew I had my work cut out for me, trying to find an eventful and scenic way back home. The whole idea of the trip was to cover new ground, since both of us had been out west before. Seattle came to mind. Although I’d been there twice, I never had time to see more than a few token attractions on the waterfront.

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The Two Bill’s – Part 1

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, Entertainment, Travel1 Comment

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This story appears in my first book, A Casual Traveler

 Westward Ho

Cathryn’s big question was, “How do I pack for a whole month?” She was faced with the dilemma of how to get her clothes, shoes, and toiletries into one small suitcase, that fit into the trunk portion of our Harley Davidson motorcycle. I had laid out a plan to ride all the way to Vancouver, and back, within a month…or so.

“You only need to pack for five to seven days,” I offered, “We can do our laundry along the way when we stop for more than a day.” I broke the trip into segments, staying in a few different places for more than one night at a time, so we could take a rest from the bike, and not have to be on it every day of the trip.

We met with our friends Greg and Brenda, to discuss the first leg of the trip. They changed their final destination, deciding to only ride as far as Milwaukee with us. It didn’t matter, we were going on with or without them. Figuring traffic would be lighter, and a hotel in downtown Milwaukee cheaper, we left at 9 am on Sunday, July 3rd.

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Steerfish in Spearfish

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & Dining, TravelLeave a comment

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You never know what you’ll end up eating when you’re on the road and looking  a  good meal. Cathryn and I struck it rich in Spearfish, South Dakota when the manager at our motel recommended Steerfish Steak & Smoke.

Spearfish is one of those towns that most folks have never heard of, but this restaurant and the annual motorcycle rally in neighboring Sturgis have put them on the map. If you are ever anywhere in the area, visiting this eatery is a must.

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Better with Bacon @ Arby’s

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Food & DiningLeave a comment

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I never, ever, thought I’d be blogging and bragging about any food at a fast food restaurant. The new Brown Sugar Bacon Club Sandwich changed my mind.

Cathryn and I were on the road, returning home from our motorcycle trip to the west coast and back. We were into day three on the road, in the middle of Iowa, somewhere along highway #20. The gauges on the gas tank and our stomachs read almost empty, so we pulled off the road to fill up.

The choices were Subway or Arby’s and the latter won the coin toss. We couldn’t remember the last time we had eaten there. Ironically, a couple of nights before, I had seen a tv commercial about the new brown sugar bacon sandwiches at Arby’s. So, I ordered the Club and asked the girl if my sandwich would look like the one in the picture.

Of course, she looked at me like I had two heads, but another girl said that it was a big sandwich and I would like it. When I picked up the tray, I knew she was right. It had some serious weight to it.

The sandwich was stacked high with meat and bacon and all the other yummy stuff you get on a club sandwich. It had to be a half a pound, on a nice soft bun. I usually shun Arby’s for all their processed crap, but it was easily the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten there.

If I had to complain about anything it would be the brown sugar bacon. It was a bit sweet. I thought a smoky bacon would be better. Just saying.

Seattle’s more than Seafood

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & Dining, Travel2 Comments

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Seattle deserves a lot more time than we allowed ourselves there, but with a Kamikaze agenda, we hit enough bars and restaurants to give us a good taste of the seaside city. For me, downtown Seattle means Pike’s Market on the waterfront. You could spend a whole day wandering through the dozens of shops in buildings on both sides of the street, and not see it all.

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3,200 Miles to Granville

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Travel2 Comments

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So far, Ruby has carried us (Ed, Cathryn and Axle) over 3,200 miles…that’s about 5,000 Kanadian miles, from Windsor, Ontario, to Surrey, British Columbia. She’s resting in the garage as I write this, but has an appointment at the hawg  dealership tomorrow, for a new front tire, oil change, and minor damage repair from a hitting a bad pot hole somewhere out there. Yes, Tim, the Harley made it all the way across  the country…just follow my oil slick.

Although it’s been nice to get off the bike for a few days, we’ll be back on her soon enough, heading to Seattle next, to visit an old friend. We’ve had a mixed bag of weather, but none of it bad enough to stop us. A couple of close lightening strikes did give me pause.

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