Pooky got the shrimp basket, I tried the bacon cheddar with ranch sauce added. My burger was loaded with yummy bacon and the ranch sauce perked up the flavor to a wonderful, tastebud savoring degree of excellency. I also opted for tater tots which were cooked to an ideal crunch.

Making this even more impressive is we were there during their lunch hour rush, and the food was still good. Some places during a rush hurry their food out to you and it shows.

My only weirdness about Norma's is that they are strong GW Bush supporters. I'm just thankful that they don't do a political affiliation test before serving you, otherwise I'd fail miserably. But in this country I've noticed that liberal and conservative alike will do business with anyone who is a paying customer, regardless of their personal and political beliefs.

1. Curly's Burgers by J
   
2. Bill's Place by Jamie
   
3. Nation's Giant Hamburger by Brian
   
4. Billy Goat Tavern by Ashley
   
5. Green Frog Inn by John Q Public
   
6. Dennis Pharmacy by Cayo Dave
   
7. Blueberry Hill by Matt
   
8. Chris Madrid's by Lisa
   

Why the switch? I found out that my web host had deleted my entire web site without warning due to my violation of their acceptable use policy. They claim I had a Perl script running that caused their server to crash. I thought I had resolved the problem. I had asked them to help me with locating the problem, too, but they refused, so I did the best that I could. I would have appreciated a 24 hr notice that the site was being deleted! I've had to scramble to put this blog and site back together.

I've lost all of the blog entries from the past couple of months. It pays to do a back up. Yet, I don't know how fruitful a back-up would have been. Previous versions of Movable Type export the entries in a format that isn't understood by the newest version. I'd have to manually reconfigure everything. Not a pleasant task!

Anyhow, if you've found me, I'm glad you're still with me!

Despite our error in where we stopped, we found that Rick's Place has a good burger. The freeway burger that Pooky ordered had ham, bacon, and two kinds of cheese, on a ½ patty, plus the usual toppings of pickle, tomato, onion, lettuce, etc. I ordered their version of a cheeseburger (you get to pick your type of cheese) which was a third-pound patty.

Each burger came with a ton of fries and the large drink was truly large. A great value for the price and taste!

On Tuesday I went up to the Seattle area to spend a few days with my dear friend, Pibb*. I told her that she was obligated to quest for cheeseburgers with me. She wasn't reluctant in the least to quest as she attends naturopathic school and is surrounded by assorted vegans and vegetarians who are quite emphatic in their disgust for meat, meat-eating, and meat-eaters. She also understands the sublime spiritual qualities of the cheeseburger, and its therapeutic qualities that soothe body and soul.

Our first quest was at The Ranch Drive-In. Located a quick drive from her residence, we enjoyed our meal of delicious cheeseburgers as our dinner. I was highly impressed with the size and taste of the burger. We both agreed that we'd have to take our respective spouses there to eat.

The next day our adventures took us to Bellevue as Pibb needed to buy some professional career clothes. She enlisted my fashion sense to help her dress appropriately for her upcoming preceptorship. For lunch we went to the Burgermaster of Bellevue. We both agreed that their French fries are oustanding.

*Her real name has been changed to protect her from the wrath of her fellow ND students. Pibb is her official cheeseburger questing persona, and is named in honor of Mr. Pibb, the legendary soda magnate.

Tue Aug 10, 9:25 AM ET

By Bill Barclay

ATHENS (Reuters) - Fuelled by a diet that includes cheeseburgers and chocolate chip cookies, the United States team will eat their way to victory at the Olympics if their chief caterer is to be believed.

"You might have seen a lot of media saying (the U.S. will win) 100 medals, well we feed them every day and I can tell you we are going home with more than 100 medals," said Terri Morman, director of food services for the U.S. team.

Morman said nothing was off limits for the competitors.

However, items like cheeseburgers are rotated on the daily menus together with healthier options such as chicken, fish and pasta to prevent them being eaten every day.

"Our philosophy on feeding athletes is there are no forbidden foods and everything has its appropriate place in the diet," she told reporters on Tuesday.

"We do have cheeseburgers on the menu but it's on a cycle. Hamburgers are an essential part of the daily diet, believe it or not...and we're still making America's favourite dessert, chocolate chip cookies."

Morman said the average U.S. competitor consumed around 5,000 calories daily, with weightlifters guzzling up to 10,000 -- four times the typical consumption of an ordinary person.

"When an athlete comes in and sees that chocolate chip cookie, he's pretty excited to be here," she added.

Country Cousin in Centralia is a highly popular restaurant among the locals and I-5 travellers. Uncle Dick's burger is a specialty containing two patties, slice of ham, slice of cheese, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and mayo, with a soft roll for a bun. It comes with fries all for $8.95. I suggest adding a side salad with their 1000 Island dressing, or try their soup of the day.

Eagan's Big Tom has multiple locations in the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater area. We stopped at the 4th Ave location. I think the fact that everyone was wanting to get a burger detracted from our experience, so I hope to return (perhaps at a less busy location) and re-review this burger.

With fast thinking we drove over to the building to see what it was. We wound up eating lunch and if you haven't guessed by now, since this blog is about cheeseburgers, we discovered a highly unique steakburger at Aberdeen's World Famous Dog House.

If you're ever in the Seattle metro area, be sure to stop by Kidd Valley and try them out. Their fried mushrooms are excellent! I enjoy them with a side of ranch sauce. Pooky loves their burgers and always wants to eat there if we're close to one.

They also have good milkshakes and other interesting menu items. We've always had a good meal when we've eaten there.

No doubt steeped in local history, this little drive-in is one spot worth taking the extra time to visit.

Last night Pooky and I ate at the Olympic Club, a trendy, popular hang-out for local Centralian denizens and tourists. We decided to have dinner before we caught the movie.

One nifty thing about the Olympic Club is that you can also order from the menu and eat during the movie, sit on couches and soft chairs. Most shows are 21 and over since they serve alcohol, too. So the theater is a popular spot for adults. Some movies children are permitted—usually the earlier shows. At $3 a person to watch a second-run movie, you can't go wrong.

This is the first time that Pooky and I had a highly different dining experience. Our scores and thoughts on their cheeseburger are in stark contrast. We do agree on their fried accompaniments, such as their fries and tater tots. Best to go with the salad or the soup of the day.

Their Ruby ale is very good, too, but since I can't drink alcohol anymore, I do lament not being able to have a pint. Excellent ale! Be sure to have a slice of the raspberry cheesecake. Very yummy!