The wife-person left me with three dogs over the weekend to fend for ourselves while she and daughter #1 went brewpub hopping up in Portland, Oregon. They claim they were doing a meet-up with daughter #2 to attend a wedding, but every phone call I got from them was from one brewery, or another.
So for me, staying home alone watching hours of a bunch of guys wearing skintight spandex bike shorts pedaling all around France was not an option. If I spent that much time touring the French countryside it would be in an attempt to visit as many world-class wineries as humanly possible.
As the skilled world traveler that you know me to be, I was able to squeeze in a taste of Ireland, a bit of Belgium, and even pay a visit to a pyramid, all in just over 24 hours.
While I won’t admit as to how many beers it took to get me through that much traveling, I would have to say that my pub stops may have involved more crawling than hopping.
And I was able to accomplish this without suffering any jetlag, whatsoever, so I am pretty sure this Monday morning headache might have an altogether different causation.
Since, unfortunately, I do not personally own a Gulfstream G150, I was forced to do my internationally inspired tankard traipsing closer to home.
My first stop was at the paddle-wheel riverboat Delta King bar and grill, which is permanently moored at Old Sacramento, where they host my new favorite Irish drinking band, Stout Rebellion.
The video I posted below does not do justice to this high-energy, crowd-engaging group of entertaining performers.
The next evening found me just down the street at the Sacramento locale of the Pyramid Alehouse for the release party of their tasty Juggernaut Red Ale.
While the excellent brew was worth the visit, the depressing unemployed, divorced guy to my left, and the—giving her the benefit of the doubt— middle-aged woman to my right, who definitely seemed overly intent on striking up a friendly conversation, was enough to get me back on the road to my next stop on my global beer tasting adventure: Belgium.
It was off to Davis for the second annual Clips of Faith outdoor film festival inspired by…well, I’m not sure.
Bicycles seemed to be a common theme, but given that the event was sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, who makes Fat Tire Ale, which is a beer that references a bike, and the local gathering was hosted by the BikeDavis advocacy group, who undoubtedly were there to sample some of the 18, or so, beers being offered by the brewing company, whose logo is a bicycle…well, now you know my confusion.
My uncertainty grew when I happened to see a travel article about the Fat Tire bike tours of Paris, which apparently does not have anything to do with New Belgium brewing; has more to do with wine than beer; and is not even necessarily held in Paris.
In any regard, you still have a number of opportunities to figure all this out for yourself, as the Clips of Faith travels to many more cities across the country.
But today, it’s time to getting the house back in shape for the return of the wife-person.
I suppose I should at least load the dishwasher and make the bed, not to mention spend a couple of hours picking up all those squishy tootsie roll-looking objects the dogs have been leaving on the lawn for the last few days.
That is, if I don’t want to find myself spending my upcoming days…and nights…out in the yard with those dogs.
Cheers!
Sand Dollar Adventures 