May 11-17, 2003 THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS But first a poem, another Haiku Train whistle blowing the woods Green under story, white blooms Winter chill in springtime Water Stops Parts of our rides have left us nowhere near stores or gas stations – a problem if you need fresh water or a bathroom facility. Schools are a good choice for both. In Bridgeville, Delaware, the custodian was happy to take me to the office for water and the secretary was even happier to let me use the teacher’s restroom. Another alternative is a fire house and in Bealesville, Maryland, the volunteer fireman let me in for both. And when it was Ron’s turn I propped the locked front door open with my shoe so we wouldn’t need to bother the fireman for access again. Food Top on people’s list of questions about this trip is what will you eat? So let’s see, there’s been three pizzas. They were all good. The one in Bethesda at Ron’s nephew’s house was the tastiest with the best crust – thin, not too soggy. The one from Pizza Hut at Dulles International at 1:00 a.m. was the most appreciated. And the one tonight was a great “late” night snack. Two Thai restaurants this week; these are always a good choice for vegetarian fare. Pad Ping King and some type of Thai curry are the favorites. Both the Monsoon in Charlottesville and the Sala Thai in Bethesda served Thai food up to the standards of the Thai House on 4th St. Lu-Mei has run the Monsoon for 12 years, having moved to Charlottesville with her ex-husband. She has ethnic art on the walls and unusual Asian lamps at each table. The Sala is a “happening place” run by an extended Thai family, many who seemed to have just arrived from overseas. Sala served a unique Mango with Sticky Rice. The rice had been baked in the oven after being wrapped in a green leaf, resulting in a pale green rice that balanced nicely with the lime flavored sliced mango. Italian restaurants for pasta, always great food for cyclists. Three pasta meals this week – two dinners and one lunch. They were all good but the best was the one at Adriactico’s in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It was a wonderfully spiced marinara with almost enough garlic! The Lebanese Café in Bethesda gets top billing for the most creative selections – a medley ranging from Spinach Pie to couscous. Breakfast Potatoes – so far no restaurant has come close to the breakfast potatoes and Howard’s in Occidental although the ones at the Sunrise Café in Dewey Beach come close. Nicely spice freshly sautéed chunks of potatoes with spices and garlic are hands down better than the Holiday Inn, pre-formed squares and wedges! Birds Mockingbirds seem to be to this area what scrub Jays are to Sonoma County – everywhere! And that’s probably the reason Thomas Jefferson kept four of them as pets in Monticello house. I’ve added a Cardinal to my life list of birds and seeing it was really exciting. A Baltimore Oriole flew in front of us at Monticello. We’ve seen the usual blackbirds and starlings, robins, purple martins, hummingbirds, goldfinches, sparrows, Canadian geese, great blue herons, gulls, terns, hawks, and turkey vultures. Surprisingly, a carrion crow was on the road. I haven’t seen a crow feasting in a very long time. Trees and Shrubs The Dogwood and some Magnolias are in bloom (lots of white and pink), as well as several others that I have yet to learn the name of. The green of the trees and shrubs is almost overwhelming, so very lush. No east coast spring would be complete without azaleas and rhododendrons. Sounds The number of different birds in the choir of the deciduous forest here is astounding, such melodies for us as we ride through the lush countryside. And then there’s the rumble of trains and the sound of the train whistle fill the air for great distances. I grew up living near a railroad track and miss those passing giants. My father retired from Amtrak as a locomotive engineer so perhaps trains are in my blood. And that was the week that was … LaValle