Gold Gate Auto-Truck Plaza, Sparks, NV

9/3/14

I'll go one mile out of my way any day to save $0.30/gallon of gasoline.  Especially when driving a big van with a big gas tank up the hills of Nevada.  Saving money is always nice and this gas station has the best prices!  Their listed price is for cash, but credit price was only a few cents more.

When heading east on 80, it's exit 32 and then off to the right.  It's kind of a dark road, but don't worry, the station isn't far.











There was hot food at the same stop, and we saw a sign for Subway, but it was very late when we were driving through and it looked like everything was dark for the night except for the station.



The line to pay moved pretty slowly. There was an issue with one of the two registers, and then the paper needed to be changed on the credit card machine, but the employees were friendly and kept making funny remarks. Terrific little hidden gem of a gas station! Thanks to my dad for telling me about it!

Rico's Tacos, Bend, OR

9/3/14

We stopped for lunch at The Lot while visiting friends in Bend.  The Lot is a congregation of food trucks (much like "Off the Grid" and "The Bend" food truck groups in the SF Bay Area, but these are permanently here). I (of course) had to try the tacos from Rico's Tacos truck.

I ordered one chicken and one carnitas ($2 each). They didn't take long to make and before I knew it my teeth were biting into soft shells and tasty filling. The meat was tender and the carnitas had great flavor and was cooked crispy.  Chicken was perfectly cooked also, and a salsa verde topped both small shells.

I tried a couple bites from friend's plates/other trucks and would love to go back and try all the trucks here. I did notice that these tacos were some of the only small plate options - you could order one taco or ten.  Many of the other trucks seemed like they had only big dishes (around $10 each), so that's a great feature of this truck.  It was also very fast.

Beer is sold by The Lot, but Rico's sells sodas for the under-21.  There is lots of seating available, and much of it has a shady covering. It was really neat to get to check out this place in Bend (everything about Bend is amazing) and it was great to find good tacos while up in Oregon.

Oasis 29 Indian Tacos, Nixon, NV

9/1/14

For any years I have stopped at this taco truck in the desert on my way to, or (more often,) when I'm leaving the Burning Man festival.  Oasis 29 is one of the longest standing seller of Indian tacos and fried bread that I can remember seeing in the desert.  My husband has enjoyed stopping here with me for several years as well.  Before all the sellers of bright lights, car washes, and other items started popping up, Oasis 29 was cooking authentic Indian tacos, served with meat or beans (vegetarian) on a hot fried bread.




$7



They have a shaded area to sit out front and they put out fresh cut onions, homemade salsa, and a couple of hot sauce bottles to garnish your fresh taco.  Chairs and tables are often full. Luckily the food doesn't take long to make and most people are gobbling it down quickly, so it doesn't take long to find a seat.

This is definitely one of the freshest places to get an Indian taco.  While I assume many other of the spots are great also, sometimes you pull over for the tempting "Indian Taco" sign, and you get a family selling tacos under an umbrella out of a cooler.  I stick to Oasis! They are fondly visited every year that I'm in the area.

Shaded seating
 

Rocking Popcorn, West Hollywood

Casey inside the Cirque Gitane entry

9/1/14

Loved the popcorn I had this weekend in the desert! The small bag of fresh popped "Hallelujah Jalapeno" was perfect! A Burning Man campmate told me to visit Cirque Gitane and check out their awesome camp and free bags of popcorn at the front!












I tried my mom's bag of "Ragin' Cajun" and it was tasty also! The flavor was spicy and the popcorn was fresh. It was great to eat, even in the hot Black Rock City.  The camp was just as cool - really pretty inside! Elegantly decorated, air-conditioned, and a welcoming group!

This popcorn would make a great gift - most flavors are vegan and gluten free. And there are a variety of flavors, from "Morphine and Chocolate" to "Tandoori" to "Creamy Dill".  Would love to try them all! Hopefully they'll be back at Burning Man 51 weeks from now with their amazing gift to the playa. Thanks Rocking Popcorn, for heating up my Burn!

CA Extreme Arcade, Great America, Santa Clara

7/23/14

Having been to Dave and Buster's the night before, we really weren't impressed by the small, pricey arcade at Great America.  It's cool that they have an arcade, but how much cooler would it be if tokens weren't $0.50 each?! I mean, I know they nickel-and-dime you at these amusement parks, but really... you put in a $1 bill into the change machine and get back two tokens?!




The rides are free once you've entered the park (all except Xtreme Flyer) - perhaps the arcade should be free also. Wishful thinking, I know.  Go have fun on the awesome rides and keep your quarters.

Only two kids were in the arcade while we walked around. They tried over and over to win a prize in the skill claw. We tried also. (You can't go to an arcade and not play at least one or two games)! A perfectly aimed claw hovered over an unobstructed stuffed Mario Mushroom, and yet, the claws just couldn't muster the strength to lift the small toy. Somebody call the weak sauce patrol! That's just not fair.

Star Tower, Great America, Santa Clara

7/23/14

This no-impact ride is perfect for the entire family, except maybe the person with acrophobia. But even though it's pretty high up, you feel wonderfully safe inside the cool, spinning, glass-walled enclosure.  The Star Tower is near the park entrance and is a great place to visit mid-day when it is starting to get really hot.














49ers New Stadium

The Tower is air-conditioned so it's nice and cool inside. The windows were a little bit dirty and scratched up, but it was still really easy to take wonderful pictures from inside.  It spins slowly, so give you views of the entire park and valley and the new stadium. It is the tallest observation Tower in Northern CA. Thankfully it doesn't drop at full speed, like the Drop Tower (which is just slightly taller than Star Tower!)  A slow descent deposits you safely back on the ground.

The line moved fast and the ride itself isn't very long. Really cool, especially if you have very small children, infants, or anyone with you who can't ride the thrill rides and roller coasters.



Subway Great America, Santa Clara

7/23/14

After looking at the food options at Great America, I decided on Subway. It was a healthy choice and a salad sounded good after walking around in the sun for hours.  Sandwiches were about double the regular price, so my husband passed on the foot long (close to $13), but my salad was under $10 (about $7) and it was wonderful.












I ordered the veggie delight and asked for all of the veggies. I even received extra black olives upon request. Light dressing was added and I was set with a healthy, affordable lunch! I did drool a little as I watched husband eat fried chicken and hot gravy from a nearby restaurant, but I was completely satisfied with my vegetable medley!