Jennings GP

The whine of an 848-cc engine began to build in the distance. Louder and longer until it reached maximum crescendo nearing the corner of turn 1. Suddenly the racing Ducati flew down the straightaway. In a moment it was gone, but the sound of the engine lingered. Then, you could hear the rider shifting gears as it headed into the next leg. You could just feel him leaning into the turn—knee to the ground, torso and leg forming a perfect “Z”; shoulders at a 45-degree angle. Then straightening up in a single smooth roll. Top speed at this track is 150+ mph.

It was a practice day, and we were the only visitors at north Florida’s motorcycles only road racing track. Jennings GP has two miles of smooth black asphalt with 14 turns, and is surrounded by chain link fencing.

We had parked on the grass between a couple of muscle pick-ups, all chrome trimmed and shiny in the bright sun. Nearby, a handful of track crew sat on the wood steps of a small outbuilding that sold tickets and tee-shirts.

The paddock held mostly Ducati motorcycles, and riders were splitting their time between track school and taking laps.

Under the bright red tents you could see racing bikes braced in stands, wheels peeking out from under electric tire warmers.

I walked over to the track itself. The sun was warm and dry grass crackled under my step. A few sharp blades poked their way through the holes in my croc shoes. Flies buzzed around a sign warning spectators to stay at least 25 feet from the fence. On race day, there would be hundreds of race fans in the crowd, but on this day I had the track to myself.

Jennings GP is open to motorcycle riders with any level of experience. Newcomer, intermediate or fast riders can get track experience and go to racing school. Even if you just want to watch others ride, visitors can join the fans and enjoy the thrill of racing up close.

How to Make Vietnamese Rice Pancakes

Ingredients

Rice flour... Coconut milk ... Salt

Directions

Depart Chicago’s O’Hare airport on a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong. Change planes then board a 2-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City in the south of Vietnam. Once there book a day tour of the Mekong Delta

Soon you will find yourself sharing a wooden boat with a handful of newly-made friends. Sip fresh juice from a hollowed out coconut as you cross the Mekong river. This mighty river that stretches over 3,000 miles from the Tibetan plateau to the South China Sea. On the way to one of its tiny islands near the river’s mouth you will see a number of large and small cargo boats, and glide past floating fish farms.

Here and there you might see youngsters dive to the river bottom to pull up handfuls of mud, loaded thick and high onto a nearby sampan. It will be sold as fertilizer at a nearby market.

On landing, cross a small bridge to begin your walking tour of the island. Along a footpath cut into the jungle, birds chirp and monkeys shriek and growl. Something moves in the brush at your feet. Keep moving!

A weathered brick building in the clearing houses a small group of local artisans. In the corner steam rises from a charcoal oven covered by a metal pan. The scent of cooking sugar and coconut fills the air.The guide will ask if anyone would like to learn how to make pancakes. This is your big chance!

See one, do one …

She sits in front of a bamboo table ringed with drying cakes. In the center is a bowl of thick, milky liquid which is scooped out with a metal ladle.

Deftly, she gives a quick demonstration of how this local delicacy is made. Now it’s your turn.

Carefully pour a generous portion of white goo onto the hot purple mat and give it a quick swirl. Cover with a bamboo hat for a few minutes. Then carefully wedge a long spatula under the steamed, delicate opaque disc.

Quickly, lift it off hot surface without the letting the sides stick.Ease it onto the bamboo table for final cooling. Tear off a small piece to nibble. It tastes a little sweet with a hint of coconut.

Your mentor smiles encouragement. Cameras snap and a few chuckles arise from the small gathering.

Success! You’ve made a local staple, and a great memory.

Drivin' on Daytona Beach

You can smell the salty air long before this famous Florida beach appears on the horizon. And what makes this beach so special is that it’s one of the few places where you can actually drive ON the sand.

For a mere $5, you can drive past fire pit rings, brightly painted ice cream trucks or beachcombers snoozing under a striped umbrella. Here and there a kite tugs a child along the sand, so be sure to observe the 10 mph speed limit.

Drivers can relive a dream that began in the early 1900’s when the hard packed sand of the local beach became the Daytona Beach Road Course. This is where land speed records were set back in the 1920s and 1930s. In later years fans would celebrate the names of Red Byron, Marshall Teague and Lee Petty.

The last beach race was held on the sand in 1958--a year before the first Daytona 500 was held at the new Daytona International Speedway in 1959.

This is also where NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), the internationally popular sport, got it’s start.

NASCAR headquarters is still located in Daytona Beach. There are track tours and a museum at the Speedway for race fans to enjoy.

Daytona beach is open to vehicles from sunrise to sunset Nov. 1 through April 30, and from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. the rest of the year.

Munching at The Marietta Diner

The parking lot is filled with cars at all times of the day or night. Shiny chrome doors flap open to admit hungry diners while letting out small clusters of happy faces. Step inside this big shiny building and you will become one of over 2,000 visitors a day ready to eat at this famous roadside restaurant just northwest of Atlanta, Georgia in the city of Marietta. While it may be local, the diner’s heritage goes back to its Greek owner and his New York City roots.

Here, the scent of freshly made desserts mingle with the aroma of crisp fried bacon and the tang of pickles, homemade soups and oversized tuna salad-on-rye sandwiches. You can almost hear the sizzle of burgers as the staff brings out the heavily laden serving trays. Have a taste for spanakopita at midnight? They’ll carve out a generous piece for you from one of the more than 30 trays a chef prepares fresh each day.

Wine? In a diner? Yes, and beer too, which complement any of the nearly 500 items on the menu. As you leaf through the pages of the menu, you’ll find long lists of tasty entrees, appetizers, soups and specialty fare. The food is all-American but includes a number of ethnic Greek, Italian and Spanish dishes. Portions are oversize and all of it is delicious. There’s even a bakery, and a take out section. But most of the patrons linger over large plates of breakfast or lunch in the unexpected charm of the classic dining room décor featuring dark wood, sparkling mirrors and art deco fixtures.

I should have taken more pictures, but I was too busy eating.

The Marietta Diner is located at 306 Cobb Parkway South in Marietta, Georgia. If you go, bring a big appetite, and you won’t leave hungry.

Fitzgerald GA Architectural Tour

It used to be a turpentine forest before the Union soldiers came. And the road into town is still lined with pine forest interspersed with cotton fields.

The history of the town dates back to 1895 when P.H. Fitzgerald, a newspaper editor from Indianapolis and former drummer boy in the Union army, bought land in southeast Georgia to establish a “colony” for aging Union veterans of the Civil War. Why relocate? After the War Indiana farmland was stricken with blizzards and drought and nothing would grow in the dust. In the new town of Fitzgerald, men who once fought each other on the battlefield now worked to build a city where North and South reunited.

What remains today is a charming historic district where visitors can see the beautifully kept homes built by the settlers dating from that era. You can drive or take a walking tour of the area using a downloadable guide.

Harris House - Queen Ann style, built c. 1905

Phillip Jay House - Unusual house that has only three masonry Doric columns, built c. 1905

Dorminy-Massee B&B, built c. 1915

Glover House with Victorian turret, c. 1900

Blue and Gray Museum with Civil War artifacts

If you go, don’t miss the Wild Chicken Festival in March that celebrates locally grown, colorful Burmese chickens.

Frogmore Stew a Southern Delight

Some call it “Frogmore Stew”, even though there really aren’t any frogs in it. Legend has it the name came from the birthplace of Richard Gay. He created it from an old family recipe when asked to cook a meal for 100 hungry national guardsmen using regional ingredients. Frogmore itself is a community on St. Helena Island, near Beaufort, South Carolina. And the name of the stew is variously referred to as “Beaufort Stew” or “lowcountry boil.”

In South Carolina, “lowcountry” refers to its central and southern coastline, including the Sea Islands. Here, the culture and cooking draws from its Southern, European, Caribbean, Native American and African roots. Lowcountry boil originated with the Gullah people of these Sea Islands, who are descendants of the East African slave trade. They and have preserved much of their culture and cuisine for visitors to enjoy today.

Along the East and Gulf coast of the US there are a number of seafood boil recipes. The star of the show is locally harvested shellfish.

Lowcountry Boil

4 pounds small red potatoes

5 quarts water

1 (3-ounce) bag of crab boil seasoning

4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

6 ears of corn, halved

4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

Cocktail sauce (optional)

Add potatoes to large pot, then add 5 quarts water and seasonings. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add shrimp to stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Dump onto a newspaper covered table. Serves 12. To serve more—find a bigger pot.

Crab, onion and butter are sometimes added. Whatever you call it, this one-pot wonder is tasty and satisfying!

Valdosta Bar-B-Que

Before you even see the smoke, your nose picks up the rich, luscious scent of barbeque chuffing out of more than a dozen cookers. Tents shield the grill masters from the intense South Georgia summer sun, while a sprinkling of chairs compete for a few patches of shade. In the background a local musical group, The Groove, sets the tone of a southern style family reunion.

It’s the 16^th annual Downtown Barbeque Competition in Valdosta, GA sponsored by the 100 Black Men organization, a local chapter of the national organization focusing on achievement, scholarship and mentoring of youngsters in the African-American community. It’s one of several fund raisers they hold throughout the year.

Stroll the grounds of the Lowndes county courthouse where thousands of visitors stop to sample a variety of grilled ribs, pulled pork, smoked butt, chicken and even deep fried alligator. There’s Carolina mustard sauce, baked beans, funnel cakes and bottled water for sale. You can even buy Nirobi African sculptures, paintings and watercolors.

Zach & Zoei’s Bar-B-Que uses a smoker named “The Praiser” which produces tender, savory chicken and meaty ribs. The name originated as an acknowledgement of the blessings the griller had received from the Lord that enables him to produce his tasty creations.

Another of the 16 competitors whose tent lines the sidewalk is Sam’s BBQ, (this year’s 1^st place winner). One bite of a delicious rib and munchers will understand why he can add the new trophy to the collection on display in the corner of his tent.

Never had ‘gator? Frog legs? Gizzard? There’s a chance to sample bites of these local delicacies at the Gator’s Rib Shack display, whose entry won 2^nd place in the Commercial Category.

Come hungry and early to enjoy the food and family fun that keeps folks returning year after year to this annual fund-raising event. My plate is empty now, and I can't wait for next year's cook-off, which should be scheduled for early August.