Sunday, March 6, 2011

A Little Saturday Fluff

It was a partly cloudy morning after a brief shower and the temperatures were to flirt with the 60s in the afternoon; rain was forecast for the nighttime hours.  The options included doing some much needed yard work (still branches about that need collecting from earlier storms and ...) or finding some fluff activity in keeping with a master procrastinators natural inclinations.  I persuaded Sheila that we needed to travel up US Highway #1 in Maryland.  I've always preferred traveling the older highways in search of the Mom and Pop diners and restaurants but time has usually dictated otherwise.  Eventually I will travel the highway, north to south, Maine to Florida, and hopefully the lengths of US 40 and US 66 but today, I insisted, only a stretch in Maryland.  In the back of my mind the planning included "The Dairy."  

Many of the universities with agricultural schools will produce dairy products.  Many of those schools will then have an outlet from which the general public can purchase (usually reasonably priced) very rich and satisfying (we won't use the word filling) ice cream.  The closest for us is the University of Maryland in College Park.  Oh sure, there are the B&Rs, Cold Stones, and whatever other choice you might have, but the best for me has been from the dairy outlets.  "The Dairy" is located directly on US Rt #1 just a few miles into Maryland from DC.  What planning!   We arrived at just the right time for a pairing with lunch.  Only "The Dairy" was closed.   It seems there are only a few Saturdays during the year when it is open.  What planning!!!  A disappointment at the very least but a wonderful day followed notwithstanding.  The U of M dairy outlet is easy to find as it's located at the Visitor's Center but the best dairy outlet (so far with more to come) was the University of Wisconsin's which is hard to find.  Put me in Madison again and I'll find it though.

Here's a pic of the Visitor Center and if you look to the left between the far left columns you'll see where to go.


Back onto Rt 1 and north to Baltimore.  "Charm City" as it is called is an easy day trip allowing for plenty of "fooling around" time.  Fooling around we did.  We left Rt 1 at US 40 and headed east eventually winding our way back into Baltimore having followed as closely as we could the train tracks upon which we rode just 2 weeks ago.   A relaxing day that permitted our return home for a late dinner.


This is a pic of Baltimore as approached from US Rt 1 on the south side.  Notice the string of billboards.


Of course we returned home to the same branches on the ground and the other chores I had evaded - all of which can be handled on another day.   ...til later...

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