Football in Fresno

September is . . . end of summer, start of the school year and FOOTBALL!!! Woot! Woot! Okay, I'm not the biggest football fan. I won't lie, but I've had the football itch the last couple of years. Ever since I've moved to California, I've wanted to see my alma mater, The University of Hawaii (UH) compete in some sort of athletic competition. 

You know I love a good road trip, so I put the bug in a friend's ear and headed to Fresno to see UH play the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Warriors were NOT supposed to beat the Bulldogs, but THEY DID! Final score, Warriors 49, Bulldogs 27.

Many may think that Fresno is a town to pass through, but we had a great time! We stopped at the Bravo Farms Cheese Factory. It's a great place for a pit stop. There are all sorts of curios and edibles to purchase and sample. I sampled and purchased some cheddar cheese curds. . . yum! 

Another great find in Fresno is the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market. It's a cute little store, but the wonderful thing is that all of the items are made by the students of Fresno State University's agriculture department. The list of items are endless. . . product, plants, ice cream (I've never seen so many ice cream flavors), wine, meats, sausages, jams, etc. Unfortunately, I found out that the items are seasonal, so I wasn't able to buy everything I had intended. Oh well, just another excuse for a trip back. What I was able to get was a nice syrah, peach ice cream, dark chocolate covered cabernet soaked raisins, toffee chocolate almonds and smoked sausage.

How could I do a road trip that doesn't include wine tasting?! There were a few wineries to try, but as football was the highlight of this particular road trip we only had time for one tasting at Birdstone Winery. Birdstone had a pleasant selection of whites and reds. Besides the wine, they also had pickled items and olives for sale. The one that intrigued me most was the jar "Frog's Balls" aka pickled brussel sprouts. I know what some of you are thinking, YUCK! But if you like pickled items and brussel sprouts, then this is something you cannot miss. YUM!

An overnighter in Fresno may not be high on your road trip list, but I'm just saying that you should consider at least stopping by to enjoy a bit of its charm.