Monday, February 11, 2008

Granite Dells, new friends, and new restaurant.

Sunday DaNece and I did a meet and greet with Rich and Sadira at the Raven Cafe.

*Restaurant Review Tangent* -

I had never been to the Raven cafe before, but had heard good things. The atmosphere is kind of hippie-cool, and attracts a very diverse group of folks. Me and D opted to get some food. She opted for Pain Perdu (french toast with fresh fruit), and I got the Huevos Rancheros. Iced tea and a latte also accompanied.

The tea was good (says DaNece), but I was unimpressed with the coffee. Anywhere that serves me a coffee in a GLASS is immediately under suspicion right off the bat. The taste was okay (though a bit sweet for my buds), but it wasn't hot. I mean, I should HAVE TO SIP my coffee to start with, but no I was taking full on gulps with nary a fear of burned tastebuds. Combine this with a tall glass that is inefficient at holding in heat, and within about 5 minutes you have COLD LATTE! Un-impressive.

As far as food - the french toast was good. I love fruit so I was somewhat envious of DaNece, and at $5.50 I would call it a fair deal. The huevos rancheros on the other hand were a bit disappointing. When I see 'topped with Salsa and Chipotle Cream' I expect some bite to my meal. Not here. The tortillas, eggs, beans, and even the salsa were all tasty. But there was no spice in the dish, which was a disappointment. The potatoes that came with it were delicious though! At $9.95, I would not call the Huevos Rancheros a good deal.

Also - Rich and Sadira both agree that they have good hot tea there, though I didn't try it.

Back to the Dells

So after breakfast R & S invited us to come out to Watson Lake with them to boulder-hop through the Granite Dells over to the dam. Man was this a blast! We took Scrappy do with us (of course) and he had a grand old time as well.

 

The lake was up almost all the way to the high water marks, which was great to see. It has been a LONG time since it was this full. The water was muddy, but still provided some great photo ops. All in all it was a great time spent with new friends!

 

Blue Skies and Muddy Water:

 

Rich taking pictures with his fancy Canon 30D camera:

 

A view of the dam from above:

 

And another view from dam-level:

 

And of course, the ever-lovely DaNece:

 

FULL PHOTOSET

6 comments:

Chickenbells said...

I say Tom, you've put that girl on a pedestal!

I had such a great time with you guys...and I am excited to go out hiking again soon (Dry up already road to Sycamore Canyon!) You got some really great shots yesterday...you should totally get a G9. (We've got to go to Sweet Tarts next time...food allergies be damned, he makes the BEST pasteries!)

I need to post about all of our adventures, but believe it or not, 7 pm rolled around last night and I was all sore and tired and having a horrible attention span...

TomboCheck said...

Well I don't know about a pedestal... :)

The G9 will probably happen with tax money... I just can't say no.

Sweet Tarts - I am in! Even though Alain (I'm assuming the he that you meant) isn't there any more. The pastries still rock!

Can't wait to see your pics of the day.

Kitty said...

Wonderful photos Tom - I especially love the one of the dam from above. Thanks for sharing! x

TomboCheck said...

Thanks Kitty! It was a great day to be outside!

Mike said...

Great photos Tom. I love the ones of the dam. Is that graffiti on the dam?

Graffiti artists are everywhere.

TomboCheck said...

Mike - Thanks! And yes, it is graffiti on the dam. I always wonder what kind of enterprising young person is willing to drag cans of spray paint through a bunch of boulders just so they can make nature a little more colorful.