Slow Down, Friends and Neighbors. That's the Message.

I've been scribbling lots of notes, snapping lots of photos, but this trip is moving faster than I can blog at the moment. Making memories and adventures and bonding with family and chasing down the toddler... those are the priorities for now and they crowd out the sitting down and the typing. Its supposed to be a vacation after all. And sleep is too scarce and precious to give up at the moment.

So WHOA, as they say in Wyoming. Maybe they say it in other places too. But in the Jackson Hole area, for us last week, it was just plain old good advice. Big family in a big house and we all like to eat and drink and there's only so much you can eat and drink and you've got to do other things too. Like hike. And see chipmunks, pikas, ravens, deer, elk, moose and buffalo. And eat buffalo too.

Best meal of the week was at the Gun Barrel in Jackson. Medium rare buffalo prime rib, sweet potato with maple butter, and a Zonker Stout from Snake River. I gather that the Gun Barrel's a touristy place and that the food and service can be hit or miss. I get that. Maybe we caught it on a good night. But we all ate game and were happy. The buffalo was as well prepared as any beef prime rib I've eaten, and I've eaten some good ones, friends and neighbors. Maybe someday I'll tell you about the Shady Inn.

So now I'm sitting in the Cypress Room at the McMenamins Kennedy School in northeast Portland. This place is a living work of art and I'll tell you more about it later. Today it has been our hotel and our bar and our restaurant and our swimming pool and our museum. Right now it's my office. On a Friday night. And I need sleep.

Maybe you're feeling rushed too. Whoa there, pard.

Hey: We had dinner at the Concordia Ale House just up the road here. A fun draft list heavy on Oregon beers, but the best of all had to be Taras Boulba. Only $8 for a 12 oz. glass. Yikes. Whoa. Instead I went with a bourbon-barrel aged Mogli Porter from Caldera of Ashland, Oregon. Under abv the draft list just put a question mark. It was something like carbonated dark chocolate pudding doused in whiskey. Whoa.

One Thing That Stables and Breweries Have In Common Is that People Always Say They 'Smell Like Money.'

This impressive chandelier hangs over an equally impressive bar -- the sort of carved wooden beauty that can still be found in many St. Louis pubs -- at the Stable, just south of AB InBev HQ. In fact the Stable's restored home is where the Lemp Brewery's draft horses once were kept. There is a distinct turn-of-the-century feel to the place. I love to think about that period in the middle to late 1800s when German-run lager breweries would have dotted the city. Here it takes less imagination.

The Stable's brewery operation is called Amalgamated and concentrates on full-flavored German-style lagers. Having a Helles on the list did not surprise me. A Zoigl, on the other hand... bready and zesty and disappearing from my glass far too quickly. Best of all, truly sessionable at 4.4% abv. Another surprise nominee for Perfect American Beer According to Me.

There is also a micro-distillery operation here but it was so damn hot that day I think a taste of hard liquor never even crossed our minds. Especially when faced with an interesting list of 36 taps featuring a summery emphasis on IPAs. I can't recommend the food but the ambiance, suds and vintage pinball games... big thumbs up. If you're on a beer trip to St. Louis then visit here in the afternoon before going to eat at the Bridge or Schlafly Tap Room.

Moving on: We've left the Gateway to the West and are just plain old West now. As I write this I'm looking out a picture window at the Grand Tetons. Jackson Hole. Totally impressed by Snake River Brewing, by the way. More on all that later. Tomorrow we're in Yellowstone watching for those telltale clumps of tourists pulled by the side of the road, signifying wildlife photo opportunity. Thirsty work, I expect.