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Do you have a favorite thing to eat? Perhaps favorite restaurant chain? Favorite drink?

Chocolate!!!

Pilgrimages are typically referred to in religious terms, but there's no reason you can't make a pilgrimage...to the home of your favorite soda, or food. Have you eaten a hamburger at the oldest surviving McDonalds in Downey, California? Visited the oldest surviving White Castle building in Indianapolis (sadly, long closed but still architecturally sound)?

The Coca Cola Corporation has a well-known visitors center and museum at its corporate headquarters in Atlanta. Hershey, Pennsylvania is an entire city and theme park built up around the celebration of chocolate. Many creameries in the upper midwest offer tours of their milk and cheese operations. And even of they don't offer a tour, the tasting room can be quite delicious.

Just a taste, please!

Many companies have these sorts of attractions for you to come, sample their wares and perhaps learn a bit about how your favorite things are made. It's a pilgrimage with benefits, so to speak.

Celestial Seasonings has a terrific tour at their tea facility in Boulder, Colorado. The SPAM Museum is in Austin, Minnesota (no, not Hawaii). The Sea Spirits Distillery on Maui has a great tour in a gorgeous setting. McIlhenny Company, makers of Tabasco, has a famous visitors facility just a couple of hours from New Orleans.

If you're a wine drinker most wineries have tasting rooms. With wineries in virtually every state there's no doubt a pretty decent place just begging for a day trip. Or maybe visiting a brewery is more your speed. Or a distillery.

The point is that we often default on the standard adventures for our time on the road. Flying off to parts unknown and head to the beach, park or other. We don't often think about visiting those places, those institutions which may be a favorite part of our day.

It's worth the trip.

(There's a terrific website, Factory Tours USA, with loads of possible tours in all fifty states.)

Samples!!!

CHEF'S TOYS

A large grinder - coffee maybe? - in the foreground deep into the basement of the famous 

Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. A true American castle.

The full kitchen covers several rooms, with this room comprising 

the baking and staging area for the house.

As home tours go, the Biltmore House is an excellent one if you're in the area. 

Or even as a destination in and of itself.

Pc of the Day: Swimming Strongly Discouraged

They say that Australia is, species by species, the most dangerous place on Earth. Everything wants to eat you.  This lesson is drilled into you at almost every turn, particularly in north Queensland where you will encounter wild crocodiles, cassowaries, a variety of large insects and other nasty predators. Not a place to wander aimlessly.

One evening we took an evening (sunset) cruise up Packers Creek in Port Douglas, aboard the very charming Lady Douglas. A variety of wildlife was visible including a pair of nesting eagles who were quite happy to provide us a show as we passed their nest high atop the mangrove trees.

But far and away the highlight was this little guy, estimated at 5 meters long (16') by the ship's wildlife expert. He's a well-known local, a salt water crocodile with a reputation 

as being the "Big Croc on the Block". 

He paced us for a while before being convinced we weren't going swimming.