2015 Vacation: Thursday...a bit of city tossed in

I have no idea how late that Loud went. He did seem to tone it down a bit, but I remember waking up at some point to the sound of pounding and muffled bellowing. In the morning though, there was nary a wooden pallet to be seen. That's a lot of wood to burn.

Just a couple of things on tap for today, very city like activities.
There is a huge mall in Syracuse, which seems to be a destination for Canadians doing some cross border shopping. We are going to go and see what all the fuss is about. The highlight for me though will be our plans for dinner...Dinosaur BBQ. Apparently home of some great tasting smoked ribs, and other assorted delicacies. Our friend Sandra has been there and raved about the place, not only for the food, but the atmosphere as well, a classic smokehouse bar.

The mall was just that...a big giant mall. We did manage to find a few deals, and it was a nice way to wander around in coolness, on a stinking hot day.

Spotted a great tow vehicle...definitely unstopable

Later in the afternoon we headed downtown to check it out. We found a number of nice streets, some mostly shops, and other streets jammed with bars and restaurants. Made our way to Dinosaur, and it was just as we had heard, a well worn smokehouse bar, tons of character and characters, with a real good vibe. Everything was old school...a long bar filled with locals, waitresses as seasoned as the fixtures, experts at serving the crowd, and definitely look like they can keep the place well under control. This is very much the local watering hole, with us tourists standing out like sore thumbs.

Naturally, ribs were ordered, and sides chosen. The ribs were excellent, meaty, flavourful, with the outer layer of meat heavily infused with that smokey taste that only true slow smoking can achieve. The mopping sauce was very tasty, a perfect glaze over the smoked ribs. I chose mac & cheese and fries as my sides, Dale went with the slaw instead of fries. The mac & cheese was fabulous, creamy with tons of cheese, and a healthy shake of a spicy rub to add that little extra zing. The fries were classic skin on. A pilsner washed it all down nicely. Lots of food on the plate, so much so that there will be leftovers for Friday night dinner. If you are ever in Syracuse, this is a great spot for fabulous ribs and lots of atmosphere.

Very yum.

We arrived back at the campsite to discover that Loud and the gang have moved and are now directly across the road from us. They must have just lifted all their gear over, as the place was set up just the same. And Loud is still Loud. In fairness though, there is no cussing or swearing going on, just constant pontifications on pretty much everything that he sets his eye on, which is a lot, given he is on the move all the time. He truly does not stop moving, brief moments in a chair or at the picnic table are just that...brief. What is clear though, he is doing everything. Food, drink, pallet pounding, sorting out stuff...all him. Speaking of pallets, the van arrived again and disgorged another load of pallets, in dire need of being pounded apart...which Loud easily accomplished. Those will be gone by morning. One little tidbit I did hear him bellow is that they are leaving Friday. The potential for a quiet evening might just happen.