Ride Around the City

Today's big event was cycling around the Great Washington Loop Ride with my dear friend Jerry. We did a variation that took us as far as the 14th St. bridge, then veered off on Maine Ave, and rode through L'Enfant Plaza. I had a blast.

But before the ride, I baked three large Idaho potatoes (the famous ones!) so that tomorrow, I can make Funeral Potatoes. In an interesting side note, here, this particular version of Funeral Potatoes comes from the New York Times, which "updated" the recipe. Almost all other versions of this recipe contain cream of chicken soup (Campbell's right out of the can), and a corn flake topping. I guess that's too declasse for the Times....

Funeral potatoes are a Utah treat (you'd think that the Idaho Potato Commission would have them on its web site, but I guess that would not be culturally Idaho enough, or something). Every Utah household has its own recipe. I looked at several recipes online, and in addition to the cream soup and the corn flake topping, the other ingredients are lots of sour cream and either frozen hash browns or Tater Tots®. Ore-Ida product placement appears in all these recipes.

Of course, I had to doctor the recipe too, and take it further from its Utah roots. I'm using fat-free sour cream (the nerve!), and low-fat cheeses. Hey, I'm on a diet. I want to eat more than two tablespoons of this when it comes out of the oven.

Back to the bike ride: I met Jerry at the old aqueduct arch in Georgetown, then we set out on our great adventure. He and I have these great conversations on the trail. We talk a lot about religion, belief, politics, and what a beautiful day it is. Jerry and I have done the Loop several times. I love it because it takes you past many of the monuments that define Washington, DC. It also takes you through a couple of Northeast DC neighborhoods. It's a great route, and we vary it a bit every time we do it.

When we got to New Hampshire Avenue, we veered off and cut through a neighborhood that took us to University Boulevard, and to our favorite Indian restaurant, Woodlands. It's a vegetarian restaurant that has a great lunch buffet. By that time, I had bike 27 miles, and a filling buffet lunch seemed like a real good idea.

So, I haven't figure out how to record my points for today on Weight Watchers. I'm fairly certain that I exceeded my daily points, although I have my weekly points and my activity points to burn through, too. I didn't make myself a pig at Woodlands (yeah, a diet even in the breach makes one mindful of what one eats), but I wasn't real religious in the application of dietary principles, either. The palak paneer was delicious, and the carrot halwa was a fitting end to the meal.

I pulled my back out yesterday, but felt up to the bike ride today. On the ride I wrenched it some, and by the time Jerry and I parted ways at the corner of Sligo Creek Parkway and Colesville Road, I was in pain. So I bailed at Dennis Avenue, came home and soaked in a hot bath for a while. Afterwards, Ron and I took a long nap. We are retired, after all. Dinner consisted of hash browns and turnip greens. And that's today's sordid tale.