6.30.2008

Day 3, part 1

I am sitting at a very civilized lunch in Charlottesville. I was promised burritos but I will have to make do with my sandwich, fries, milkshake, and a side of mashed potatoes and the deafening bickering of two junior faculty members. The woman can't bring herself to swear but she's convinced her coworker is an S-head. The man -- high camp -- is convinced the faculty is too male-centric. I wish them luck in all their endeavors.

I began at 645 today. I was so excited and rested that I might have woken some medics with my thanks. Things were easier today. It was cooler in the morning and I made tour de Frenchish pace until bumping into two eastbound cyclists. They gave me some tips and, using their fancy cycling computer, let me know that Charlottesville was only 30 miles away.

After that idea had poisoned my mind I knew one thing only -- burritos. The burrito is the base of my food pyramid, right under 'fats I find healthy'. And this was to be the rare burrito I've earned. Sadly, market pressures here in Charlottesville (a competing Grateful Dead memorabilia store, a wine bar perhaps) have pushed Atomic Burrito out. I would eat anything with the prefix Atomic.

Burritos got me across Monroe's Ash Lawn farm and up over Jefferson's wretched Montecello hill. I skipped Montecello for burritos and I'll be damned if I'm going to bike back up it. It looked beautiful: the highest hill in the area, subtle clearings and the thick trees they have down here. More on the flora and fauna to come...

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