Washington Biking

Well we both survived our trip to and in Washington, DC. Actually, it was a great day. The temperature was chilly. We were dressed in layers, but I stayed a bit on the cool side all day. And as the shadows got longer as we biked south in Rock Creek Park I was wishing I had brought my windbreaker. It was in the truck. Great place.

We were more than a little confused about the directions both on the trail and to the trail. What we did find out is that the Capital Crescent Trail is the first several miles of the Great Washington Loop trail that we were planning to bike.

The CCT was a great place to bike. We passed a lot of joggers and walkers and were passed by a lot of bikers. I only remember passing a couple of bikers all day, except for the many going the other direction.

We reached Bethesda in about an hour, and then opted to continue on to the bridge over Rock Creek Park with plans to return to Bethesda for lunch. The best laid plans of mice and men.

We stopped a gentleman on the bridge who suggested we take the Rock Creek Park trail back to Georgetown. Probably not the thing we should have done, but it worked out fine. First problem was no place to eat. Second problem it never seemed like we were making any progress. But that was because the scenery wasn't changing too much and we weren't familiar with the park.

After being convinced we were lost beyond finding we finally took to heart the repeated instructions we were getting to STAY ON THE TRAIL. We stayed on the trail for what seemed to be many miles and suddenly popped back into civilization right in Georgetown about 2 blocks from the truck.

It was a great ride. Yes, my quads were screaming by the time we finished. And my gluteus maximus is still sore. But I'd do it again in a minute. No make that several days. I doubt I could sit on my bike at the moment.

You can look at the pictures Todd took with this link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=yv11rtl.1o8rlmk1&x=0&y=-mcwy4d&localeid=en_US

If I could have copied them here I'd have captioned some of them. But you can sort them out for yourself.

I spent part of this evening in the workshop sanding on my railings. I like to work listening to my mp-3 player with my ear protectors on. The ear protectors block out the sounds of the equipment so all I hear is pure music.

This evening I was listening to Enya's album A Day without Rain. I had a conversation one very cold evening with a friend with this very album in the background. It was an amazing conversation, one that will most likely stick in my mind for a very long time. I realize I am a very melancholy person, and I have been accused of living in the past too much. But some things will stick with me until my mind no longer processes information. Some memories will never die. One of the songs from that album has a song sort of related to that fact. Here are the words to Fallen Embers.

Once, as my heart remember, All the stars were fallen embers.
Once, when night seemed forever, I was with you.
Once, in the care of morning, In the air was all belonging.
Once, when that day was dawning. I was with you.

How far we are from morning. How far are we.
And the stars shining through the darkness, Falling in the air.
Once, as the night was leaving, Into us our dreams were worth keeping.
Once, all dreams were worth keeping. I was with you.
Once, when our hearts were singing, I was with you.

I don't know that I can sort out all she is saying, but the music seems to make the words mystical somehow. I think it must be talking about a love once held and now lost.

On a very different note, do you like Longhorn cheese? When I was growing up I ate copious amounts of Longhorn cheese. But as an adult I eat copious amounts of Cheddar cheese. In searching for the Longhorn I remember from my childhood I found that Longhorn is a Cheddar. I found this on foodreference.com: Longhorn cheese refers to a mild Cheddar or Colby cheese made into a long orange cylinder. Now available in both its original shape and also in rectangles and half rounds. So Longhorn is cheddar, but not just any cheddar. It is actually more correctly referred to as Colby. Colby Longhorn Cheddar I guess.

But today's Colby Longhorn Cheddar does not have exactly the same texture as the Longhorn of my childhood. And the reason is, the Longhorn of my childhood came wrapped in cheese cloth. And as we munched on it and added it to sandwiches we repackaged it for storage in cheesecloth. Today's comes packaged in plastic.

The difference? Plastic doesn't breath, cheesecloth does. So as the cheesecloth breathed the outer sides of the cheese would age a little faster than the insides. So when you ate it, the outer sides had a distinctive dryer taste and a firmness the inside did not have.

And I liked it. Another example, at least for me, when progress isn't necessarily a good thing. I bet you never thought much about the difference between Longhorn cheese in cheesecloth and Colby Longhorn Cheddar in plastic, did you? You can find anything on the Internet if you look deep enough.