McMinnville, Oregon: Dave golfed Wednesday with his Cousin Jim, so I had an afternoon to myself. Did I needlepoint? No, I did not. Too busy. After my exercise, I ran a few errands and then stopped to the McMinnville Roth's Fresh Market, a small local chain of kinda fancy grocery stores. Bet I was there one hour... going down every aisle and inspecting the produce. They had one of our favorite Tillamook cheeses, a smoked white cheddar with black pepper. We don't see this often in the Coachella Valley.
When I was growing up in Oregon, the Tillamook Creamery Association were basically an Oregon-only brand of cheese. Small distribution. My mother always had a two-pound loaf of orange Tillamook cheddar in the fridge. Even when Lisa was in college in D.C., she couldn't find Tillamook cheese in a grocer, but would go with her Oregonian girlfriends to Johnny Rockets burger chain that used Tillamook cheddar and sometimes the girls would buy slices from the restaurant to take home. Though Johnny no longer uses Tillamook exclusively, the cheese is available everywhere now. I mean everywhere. We saw it in Taipei a few years ago.
Well, that was a ramble...
But burgers must have been on my mind as when DT returned to me after his round of golf, we decided to go out for dinner... and by go out, I mean walk across the parking area of this RV resort and grab a burger from a food truck. This is the second campground we have stayed at on this trip that has a food truck pod. A new trend? We had great burgers, cooked by Matt, at McSmashville, and no dishes to wash.
Today was a bit quieter. A lazy morning and then we watched the France v Morocco match. At this point in the World Cup, all the matches are very exciting and the players are so skilled and fascinating to watch.
For our afternoon adventure, we went to the McMinnville Farmers Market (though didn't really need a thing). For a small town, the market has it goin' on. Lots of crafts, honey, soaps and flower bunches, a food truck pod, but a good array of vegetables and fruits as well. Local stone fruits are just arriving on the scene, along with all sorts of berries and cherries. A few handfuls of perfect green beans did make it into my tote, along with a basket of super-sweet blueberries the size of cherries.
The main drag in McMinnville is very lively with shoppers and tourists (we met a family from France) - and many of the store fronts are tasting rooms for nearby vineyards. Fun restaurants, a McMenamins (obviously required), book shops, kitchen shops, little grocers, but few touristy shops.
My Driver decided he needed an ice cream. He loves this shop. One time we arrived here at about 3p on the day local schools let-out for the summer. The line was down the block, but he waited for his scoop. Chocolate chip is his go-to.
Back to the RV to cool down. Dinner was prepped prior to leaving - chips & guacamole and chicken tacos. I will not bore you with yet another photo of our appetizer, but the chicken tacos were very flavorful - and fresh pico de gallo was also prepped earlier this morning. The jalapeno used had a bit of a kick! Yum.
Maybe a bit more World Cup and wine country exploration tomorrow?
Until my next update, I remain, your rested correspondent.
Campground Information: Old Stone RV Resort. (Formally Old Stone Village.) This park was always nice and perfectly maintained. There is a section in the back with (nice) mobile homes which shared the resort facilities. A few years ago they put in a new clubhouse for RVers with a larger pool and super-fancy laundry room. Next door (walk there) to the famed Spruce Goose.