May 21 – Tuesday, Time to get to work!

Today, it is time for me to get to Wagengin to start my quest for information on farm made cheese. Only problem is I am one day late, hope they are not upset with me. The family went into Amsterdam for canal boat ride and to tour the Riks Art Museum. We left camp together about 9 am, dropped family off at the trolley stop and I drove down the freeway to Wagengin. Heavy traffic all the way to Utrecht. Everyone drives very fast, no speed limit and no gas shortage but the gas is expensive. It is like driving on the freeways in California except the trucks look bigger and are lot faster the cars are smaller and also faster. Uneventful trip to Wagengen I arrived about 10:30 am and couldn’t find the new building I drove past it 3 times and finally found it when I happened to see the pilot plant. My contact Tineke, was at a meeting and not available until after 1 pm. We had lunch and decided on a program for my (our) farm visits. She and Roozboom had a program all set up for today but had to cancel it when I didn’t show up on Monday. The schedule was rearranged as a result of my being a day late.

Peter Walstra, a dairy chemist that had spent some time at U of MN with Howard Morris was elected by the faculty to some sort of administrative post in the University. Tineke was quite impressed by it all. Also today there was a big party to indtroduce Walstra’s new food chemistry book, which I did not stay to attend. 

I drove back to Amsterdam to the campground with a light sprinkle of rain. It developed into a real rain storm. Marsha and I slept in the tent and the children slept in the camper by themselves for the first time. They didn’t know that it had rained during the night. Marsha and I got rain into the tent during the night. Our sleeping bags got all wet. The tent must not have been put up right plus the wind was really blowing, which didn’t help the problem. We will have to make sure that the tent is put up properly next time we use it!

I was able to talk to Roozboom by telephone and he is busy until next Monday the 27th so we have to find something to do for several days. He suggested that we go see the cheese market in Gouda. We have to be there by 9:30 am to see the market we have to leave camp by 8 am. Do you think that we can make it?

Goodnight.