While I’m off traversing the world, in search of great ice cream, I’ve decided to re-post items from my previous blog, “Good. Wholesome. Fun.”  Some of you have transferred over, and already read this, and some of you will find this new and exciting.

This post helped begin my blogging friendship with Jae from Lit and Scribbles.  It also highlights one of the places my family and I will be stopping for ice cream during our trip to Yellowstone National Park.   These are two great and wonderful things.

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Last week Jae of Lit and Scribbles replied to a comment I made on her blog with, “Thanks. I do love epic adventures! And ice cream. So what kind is it there in your profile pic?”

That is ice cream I traveled 1500 miles for.

Technically, I went on a road trip to visit a grad school program at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.  The tour was great, and I got free chocolate milk.  BYU chocolate milk is a close second to BYU ice cream.

Before leaving Southern California, I put three ice chests in the car: one for cold drinks, and two to transport BYU ice cream back to California.  We had snacks, drinks, and supplies for peanut butter and jam sandwiches in case of emergency.

Then, my friend Tamara and I took the long and winding trek from Southern California to Utah.  We carved across the Pear Blosom Highway, which looks remarkably like the exotic landscape Prince Phillip and Mulan gallop across in the Season 2 opening  of ABC’s Once Upon A Time.

The Highway leads to the Interstate 15, and a long haul through the wide, empty expanses of the Mojave Desert, a gas and bathroom break in Barstow, and then on to Nevada.  Once past the border and Primm, Nevada, civilization seems to disappear until reaching the Dalek and construction ridden corridor passing through Las Vegas.

Perhaps the Daleks are holding Las Vegas hostage by their perpetual maintenance of the freeway?

Vegas used to include the last In and Out along the 15, which made it a necessary stop.  However, there are now several in Utah, making this location a little less exciting.  A small part of my childhood gone.

Another expanse of emptiness follows Vegas, broken by a brief oasis in Mesquite.  Then on to the winding path through an Arizona canyon.  It’s a beautiful place, despite the pavement in severe need of an overhaul.  Perhaps Arizona should borrow the construction Daleks from Vegas.  The cliff sides are an iron-rust red, with faces seemingly carved in the rock.

Once in Utah, we wound through the remnants of the desert and up into the forested mountains past Cedar City and Brian Head, and then to the valley of civilization where Provo lies.

Provo lies between two mountain ranges, and is a beautiful place in the Spring.

However, the most beautiful site of all is:

The ice cream is made from milk produced at BYU’s own dairy farm.  It is smooth and creamy, with delicious, original, and distinct flavors.  Standing at the counter, selecting which ice cream to have is a difficult decision.  However, there is time for deliberation due to the long line.

Here’s a list of flavors:

Banana Fudge
Banana Nut
Bishop’s Bash
Brownie Nut Fudge
Caramel Cashew
Cherry Cordial
Cherry Nut Divinity
Chocolate
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Chocolate Fudge Mousse
Coconut Joy
Cookies & Cream
Earnestly Chocolate
Egg Nog (1 case)
English Toffee
German Chocolate Crunch
Graham Canyon
LaVell’s Vanilla
Lemon Sherbet
Lime Sherbet
Marionberry
Mint Brownie
Mint Chocolate Chip
Mint Cookies & Cream
Orange Sherbet
Party Time
Peanut Butter Cup
Peanut Butter Trails
Pistachio
Pralines & Caramel
Raspberries & Cream Cheese
Raspberry Sherbet
Really Raspberry
Roasted Almond Fudge
Rocky Road
Sparkle Sherbet
Strawberry
Strawberry Sundae Crunch
Vanilla

Maybe I should have brought six ice chests…

On the day, I went with the classic Peanut Butter Cup because peanut butter cups are my favorite food.  In a future blog post, I’ll have to explain the differences between Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups, and others.

Here’s the full picture:

And, here’s my road trip buddy:

We returned to our lodgings, which were at the house of my dad’s best friends from college.  There, we were provided with great company, and a delicious steak dinner.  The next morning, after french toast and a nice visit, we went to the local grocery store and got several large blocks of dry ice.

Then, we went once again to the Creamery and packed in eight half-gallons of ice cream and began the 12 to 14 hour trek back across the Mojave desert and to California.

When home, the ice cream lasted about two days, and my family could have eaten a bit more.

Other Notable Ice Creams:

1. My favorite ice cream available locally is Thrifty’s Mint & Chip flavor sold by Rite Aid Pharmacy.

2. Every single visitor’s center in Yellowstone National Park sells ice cream, and is a great break between watching geysers and buffalo.  Also, some employees compete on the size of a single-scoop.

3. Amorino is an Italian ice cream company with stores in Europe and at least one in New York.  My sister Katherine visited every store she passed when she lived in Paris, France for a month.

Here’s a picture of our grandmother, who is the inspiration for our love of ice cream, with her Amorino’s cone while visiting with Katherine in Paris.

Perhaps New York or Paris should be my next ice cream road trip.

Side Note – Trip Highlight:

John, my dad’s best friend, took Tamara and me on a tour of the BYU Physics laboratory.  He supervises fixing and maintaining all of the ridiculous equipment.  I got to see the coldest and hottest elements on Earth, a mirror being polished to go into a satellite, a completely sound proof room, a Kinect being adapted for an interactive display on an early electron isolating machine (I think), and lasers.

It was like walking through a Doctor Who episode.

How far have you driven for ice cream?  What’s your favorite flavor?  What is the best ice cream brand?  What would a laser flavor ice cream taste like?