Sunday, October 14th - The Search for Roadside Caffeine
An early wake up call only accentuated the fact that I had gone to bed at 2 am. Groggily I wandered down the hall to meet the cheerful face of Anita as she stepped out of her room. She quickly analyzed the situation, which only coffee could solve. I stumbled down the stairs behind her, as she grabbed some cafeteria coffee to go. We met Mike in the lobby, and headed back to the GBT to grab a quick interview with him. During the mile and a half trip to the telescope, Mike informed us of the excellent educational outreach that this facility conducts. This was highlighted by the fact that a whole pack of Cub Scouts were trained the previous night on one of the radio telescopes to earn their astronomy merit badges. This type of exposure to science, early in a child’s life, is what our country should seek. Its only through these experiences that our children can be inspired to pursue careers in engineering, math and science.
Mike’s alert and enthusiastic mood lifted us out of our sleepiness as we set up for his interview. Mike has a wonderful outlook on life, and truly enjoys his role as business director for his institution. With our ½ hour interview completed, our gear stowed for the road trip to Cincinnati, it was time for a proper southern breakfast. So we followed Mike’s advice, and journeyed over to Ryder’s Gas Station and Restaurant.
Now, I know what you’re thinking; Gas and food? I got to remind you, we’re in West Virginia. The population is sparse and fancy fine dining is smirked at. But Ryders put to shame many of the restaurants we’ve dined at over the past few weeks. The food was hot, and excellently prepared. Our plates featured 2 large farm-fresh eggs cooked to order, 4 strips of REAL West Virginia Bacon, and a home-baked biscuit smothered with the best sausage gravy I’ve ever tasted. Now the food may give me a heart attack, but the bill didn’t. This wonderful fare cost us only $7.32. for both meals, including coffee. I walked away from Ryders full and inspired that there was still great values in our country. Now it was our intention to swing by the NRAO visitor center to grab some espresso to charge us down the road. It was to our disappointment that their espresso machine was broken. But it was with courage in our eyes that we felt we could travel 70 miles to the next major town where they surely would have a functioning espresso machine or at least gourmet coffee. Yes, we are addicts of the West Coast Coffee Craze, and the Corporate Offerings of Starbucks. Our addiction was only enhanced from our journeys through Europe and Chile, where great espresso was part of the daily life. Now in West Virginia, the love for espresso has not yet caught on. Our search for our fix would find us stomping through several diners and gas stations along our travel route until we came upon a Starbucks along a major freeway.