Text 17010, 77 rader
Skriven 2011-10-25 01:23:06 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
Ärende: WV Trains, day 5
========================
Day 5:
Breakfast was the standard Holiday Inn Express free breakfast.  Only
thing new to us was a pancake machine instead of the usual waffle
machine.  Push a button and in a few minutes out comes a pancake.  Push
it twice and you get two.  We did not try them, so cannot comment on how
they tasted -- but they looked decent enough, thin enough to have been
cooked through.

The train trip today was on a line called the Potomac Eagle,
http://www.potomaceagle.info/.  Lunch aboard the train was another box
lunch type affair.  I think that this one was the lunch where they gave
you a bun but the meats with lettuce and tomato wrapped separately.
Given the amount of moisture in the meat package, that was probably a
wise decision:-}}

The train engine this time was a diesel.  The seating was much more
comfortable than the previous hardwood seats had been.  The rail line
followed the Potomac river.  The brochure claims that "this south branch
of the Potomac is so clear that you can see the fish as they lie resting
in the shade".  The brochure mis-spoke.  The water looked like the same
muddy water we see on the Potomac as it approaches Washington DC.  The
path takes you through what they call the Trough, a narrow passage
between the mountains.  Here they say that "with the steep canyon and
high perches, this forested canyon provides the perfect nesting place
for the bald eagle."  Although the narrator said where an eagle nest
was, we really could not make it out.  Nor did we see any eagles in
flight.  So much for their claim of a 90% chance of spotting them.  

I recall a previous trip where near a salmon hatchery in Canada, there
were dozens of eagles and ravens circling around.  That is the only time
we have seen a bald eagle in the wild.  In spite of the failure of two
of the brochure's promises, we did enjoy the ride.  Partly because the
ever present clouds and rain had let up for this day.

After the train ride, the coach drove us to a Holiday Inn in Cumberland
MD.  Dinner that night was on our own.  We looked at a folder of
advertisements in the room, and focused on two places.  One was an ice
cream parlor with deli style sandwiches and burgers.  The other was
called the Baltimore Grill and promised that they had a number of Cajun
dishes.  I asked the desk clerk for directions.  It was turn left for
the ice cream parlor, turn right for the Baltimore Grill.  We opted for
the Baltimore Grill because of the Cajun menu offerings.  BIG mistake.

We are frequent visitors to New Orleans and really like Cajun food.
Gail had a "spicy chicken sandwich" which was essentially a fried breast
meat with Buffalo wing type spices on it.  She judged it fairly good,
and as expected.

I was not so lucky.  My first order was their seafood gumbo.  What I got
looked like they forgot the first step in making gumbo -- first you make
a roux.  Instead, what was there looked and tasted like a pale powdered
gravy mix.  The amount and quality of the seafood was good, but this was
not a gumbo.  

I wish that I had the gumbo before I ordered my entree, which was shrimp
etoufee.  Then I would have ordered something else.  The etoufee was
described as shrimp smothered in a rich brown gravy -- which is a
correct description.   What came out was the exact same pale tan gravy
from a powder mix that had been in the gumbo.  Again, the shrimp were
decent large shrimp -- but this was not a decent representation of what
etoufee should have been.  The vegetables in it were cooked to a crisp
tender stage, which was ok to my tastes.  Others might have liked them
cooked a bit more.

For drinks, I tried to order the draft Yingling that their pamphlet had
touted.  Sorry -- No draft tonight.

The place was quite busy.  If we were ever in the area again, I might
give them a second chance on some of their other menu items -- but
forget the Cajun.


... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 00:38:01, 25 Oct 2011
___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30

--- Maximus/NT 3.01
 * Origin: Owl's Anchor (1:261/1466)