Octobrrrr and more brrr

new motorcycle covered with Minnesota snow, 14 Oct 2022

31 Oct:  Cynthia’s flight from St. Louis to Houston International Airport is tomorrow!  Her cough is almost gone, and Ron hasn’t itched since 8 PM Sunday night.  This is Reformation Day.  But it is also a meloncholy day since the Smooches will be apart for an entire month starting tomorrow.  Ron is altogether too curious to check out the "Haunted Trail" before the ghouls dismantle it.  Now that the welts on his feet have stopped itching, he can put on shoes and go for it.  Nope, instead he fell asleep early (after staying up until 1 AM last night).

30 Oct, Sunday:  Cynthia flies out to Houston in two more days.  Rain, rain, rain today !  But that is really no problem for us since we haven't ventured outside for a walk since the 21st.

29 Oct:  Tomorrow is no longer another day, it’s today!  It is also the last day of Cynthia’s antibiotics.  Ron’s itching is not quite so pervasive.  We enjoyed a pleasant dinner next door at Los Amigos with nephew Eric and his family.  Erika is enjoying law school and finding it not too difficult.  Kyle is enjoying college and finding it not too difficult.  Eric is looking forward to retirement in April.  And Denise was sitting too far away from Ron for him to hear much of her conversation with Cynthia.

28 Oct:  Thank God that the itching is subsiding, and Ron again gargled warm salt water, so his sore throat isn't insufferable.  Bob's BMW found a GPS to send to Ron since his bike sold quickly for more than they expected.  Now Ron can return the Garmin purchased in Cedar Falls to Walmart.  Next task is to find the mounting hardware or at least a charging cable for the new one.

27 Oct:  Cynthia won’t bet on weller for a few days!  She has two more days of antibiotics, still coughing relentlessly, and she may be facing a month yet of “productive coughing!”  Ron’s hives are fading somewhat.  Good boy, he is taking the Benadryl, but he awoke with a nasty sore throat.  Ron baked a sweet potato in the microwave, mixed up a protein drink, and heated salmon and black beans for a deluxe gourmet dinner.  He then gargled salt water to kill whatever is in his throat.  At bedtime, Cynthia discovered that she too has welts developing apace all over her body.  This is such a mystery to us now.  How can it be?  Neither of us liked what the other had so we changed ailments.

26 Oct:  So who wants to bet whether we will be weller or not?  No bets, and we are only a little bit weller.  Ron rode the motorcycle to Walmart for Benadryl, frozen mango, and hearing aid batteries.  We haven't walked in a week.

25 Oct:  If we had known how miserable we would be after arriving here, we woulda taken our time to enjoy the colder Northern weather longer.  No one would have predicted that our lives would be focused so much on coughing, coughing, and itching.  We look forward to the day, perhaps weeks away, when we are still living but no longer coughing or itching.  Ron has eaten his oatmeal and frozen pineapple and is getting ready for another long, hot soak in the tub.  Cynthia was doing so well last night and this morning until 10 am when she exhausted herself with another coughing "spell."  This is our fifth day of being able to do little more than cough, cough, and itch.  Sistah Carol is worser still, and now Bill is also ailing.- ouch, ouch.

A celebration of Life was held today hosted by Cynthia’s sister Bonnie, for their sister, Merrilee Reid who died a year ago from Covid Pneumonia.  Cynthia and her children will visit the last week of February.  

24 Oct:  Another day another dollar, but looks like we are unlikely to go anywhere to spend that dollar.  Ron has decided to spend a half hour today day soaking in a super hot tub of water to try to drown all his new found "friends."  Cynthia is relieved to be coughing so much less today.  We switched rooms to eliminate that as a source of Ron's continuing "new" bites.  They are finally less irritating after the soaking.  Sistah Carol is worser.

23 Oct, Sunday:  After suffering together through the morning, Ron and Cynthia decided it was time to take Cynthia 10 miles west to the emergency room of St. Joseph Hospital in Breese, where we received prompt attention by their very pleasant staff.  Cynthia's X-ray showed a possible pneumonia in a small corner of one lung, so she is now on a second course of a different antibiotic.  Albuterol inhalation reduced her wheeziness, so we received a prescription for that too.  The result is that Cynthia was more comfortable later in the day and slept well at night.  While at the drug store, Ron bought a ChiggereX cream that seems to be effective to reduce his itch although the count of his red lumps has increased to perhaps a hundred.  Sistah Carol reported a sore throat - ouch.

 22 Oct:  Only 9 fun-filled days left in Illinois for poor sick WeeFee and itchy Ron.  Rubbing alcohol seems to be helping Ron's very itchy bites.  Hot water soaks also seem to help.  Oops, both turn out to be bad ideas.

21 Oct:  We exercised, ate oatmeal, and napped.  Ron snores to the tune of Amazing Grace.  In addition to additional groceries, Ron bought more cough syrup and cough drops.  He then walked 4 miles while talking with friends via cell phone.  Somewhere along the way he suffered thirty insect bites that itch terribly and were swollen large and red by bedtime.  

20 Oct:  We relocated from Litchfield to Lake Carlyle for the duration of our stay together before Cynthia flies back to Texas (and warmer weather) on the 1st of November.  Cynthia’s bronchitis needs to go away!  Poor girlie has had several rough days.  route: IL 16 E to Hillsboro, IL, 127 S through Greenville to Carlyle.

19 Oct:  Carol and Bill picked us up from the hotel to have breakfast at Denney’s followed by a ride to her tree farm.  As this is written, Cynthia and Bill are about asleep.   Carol and Ron rode in the "side by side" out to and halfway down mud slide hill, now nearly completely grass covered.

18 Oct:  The ride from Keokuk, Iowa to Hampton Inn, Litchfield to visit Sistah Dear was very rough.  Illinois needs better roads.  Carol and Bill joined us to enjoy frozen salads at Ruby Tuesday followed by a trip to Urgent Care.  Cynthia has bronchitis and is now treated with a ZPak, Afrin nose spray, Robitussin diabetic cough syrup, Halls sugar free cough drops, and Tylenol.  route US 218 S to US 136 E crossing Mississippi River on "new" bridge to R on IL 96 S, but missed turn for county road 1120 (at 2 miles) and instead turned on County 900 E to R on Illinois 94 S through several turns to L on US 24 E to R on IL 99 S in Mt. Sterling 15 miles to L on IL 104 into Moredosia to R on US 67 S 60 miles to Jerseyville, L on IL 16 E was terrible road surface for 20 miles until crossing IL 159. 

17 Oct:  We continued down US 218 S to turn on Salem Road then IA 16 E to IA 1 S into Keosauqua in even more bitterly cold weather and visited several of Ron's cousins: Rex & Susie, then Marvin & Doris and Ken joined us for lunch at the Riverview Restaurant.  We left before dark and spent the night in a Hampton Inn in Keokuk, Iowa.  Ron exchanged the Garmin Drive 52 GPS for the next more expensive model; the Drive 52 is not satisfactory for adding waypoints or seeing the entire route.  route: S on Iowa 1 to L on IA 2 E to R on US 218 S into Keokuk. 

16 Oct:  We checked out of the hotel in Eagan to visit Greg in Hastings at 10:30 am (no detour today), then on towards Keosauqua on a bitterly cold day.  Cynthia’s foot warmers were burning her feet but withdrawing heat from the jacket, and her gloves did not heat at all.  Compounding these problems, the rain pants caused her to slip and slide all over the new seat cushion.  The good news is the seat cushion is comfy to sit on provided Cynthia can stay seated on the bike instead of sliding off the bike into the ditch.  We stopped for lunch at a Subway just south of Waterloo, Iowa and made it to Cedar Rapids, Iowa before dark - 250 miles.  route: Pleasant Drive S to 160th Street W to Jorgen Ave S, Northfield Blvd S to US 52 S through Rochester, MN to US 63 S to Waterloo, Iowa, L on US 218/ I-380 S to US 218 S.  

Ron, Lance and Shelley

15 Oct:  We packed everything onto the motorcycle and departed at 1 pm to ride to Eagan, Minnesota, where we are staying one night at the Hampton Inn.  Since we were able to check in before 2 pm, Ron was able to continue to Hastings to visit Greg and Donna.  But, since we had dinner reservations for Axels in Mendota, he left after visiting  for about an hour and a half.  Lance & Shelley picked us up at the hotel at 5 pm, and dinner lived up to our expectations.  Sister-in-law Carolyn joined us, participated enthusiastically in the conversations, and contributed to the good times had by all.  Route: Minnesota highway 55 E to I-494 S and E to exit 71, Pilot Knob Road S 1/2 mile to L on Lone Oak Blvd E to Eagandale place and the Hampton Inn.  Then Lone Oak Blvd E to MN 55 E, detour S on US 52 to L on 160th Street E to MN 55 E to General Sieben Drive to 1st avenue to the Benedictine Living Community - Regina.

Baby Charley

14 Oct:  Ron brushed 1/2" of snow off his new motorcycle and rode with certain trepidation in 36 degree temperature over into Minneapolis to visit sister-in-law Carolyn.  The roads were only damp and not slick.  Carolyn's new pet is a whippet, Amy, who is just so very curious and so very energetic that she sniffed Ron thoroughly, played chase excitedly, and needed to go outside every half hour to see if the weather was warmer yet.  None of the three cats came downstairs during Ron's visit.  Route: Minnesota highway 55 E to I-494 S to MN 62 E (Crosstown Highway) to 28th street exit.

Smooch, SmoochSmooch and Hudson waiting

13 Oct:  Today Hudson went to school and the house was bizarrely quiet.  Even Holden slept most of the day.  Cynthia asked for a (motorcycle) ride over to a nail salon for a manicure; Ron shopped at Aldi again and picked up one item at Target.  Cynthia is delighted with her new whoopie cushion !!  At 6 pm, Brett and Jenn drove us in two cars over to the Cov Restaurant (click here) in Wayzata, Minnesota with two great grandsons, where all the adults ate too much excellent food!  The baby is sleeping, but Hudson is wide awake. 

12 Oct:  Happy Birthday Zoe!  We spent this rainy day indoors, although the noise level in a household with an active 4-year-old boy overwhelmed Cynthia.  Lord knows why she didn't remove her hearing aides.  Ron finally finished the PDF for Nimrod Taylor and posted it to therambofamilytree.blogspot.com (click here).

11 Oct:  Ron rode to Aldi for groceries: blueberries, bananas, and grapes.  Besides those staples, he got sourdough bread, sweet potatoes, asparagus, frozen broccoli florets, frozen mango, oatmeal, and pretzels.  Now we are venturing out into the wind for the last 80 degree walk of the year, which was really quite pleasant.

Ron, Holden and Hudson in a pile

Great-grandmother holding Holden

10 Oct:  Ron decided to spare Cynthia the lumps and bumps of old roads and uncharacter-istically chose to ride to Medina on I-35 N to I-494 W (which was bumpy at first), to MN 55 W to Arrowhead Drive, which has changed with a new intersection and two new streets before arriving at Bluebell Trail.  This was supposed to be one of the warmer days this week, but it still wasn't overly warm for motorcycling.  Hudson gave us a suitably warm greeting, and the dogs were also happy to see us.  Great grandmother was estatic to hold baby Holden.

9 Oct, Sunday:  We visited with Dick and Jane after breakfast until noon.  Dick is a former traveler and motorcyclist, so he and Ron always find something to talk about.  Cynthia and Jane have known each other for more than twenty five years, so they also find things to discuss.  At 1 PM we rode into town to pick up healthy cookies to give to Ann and Dale.  The visit there was enhanced by 7-year-old Cole, Bria who is younger, their mother Melissa, and Ann's daughter Tanna.  Cole was riding Dale's oversized three-wheeled bicycle around and around in the parking lot.  Ann looked  surprisingly good for the medical traumas she has experienced recently, and after we left, she went right back into the hospital.  At 3:30 we left them to visit Penny briefly (Hi and Goodbye), then rode to Mason City to visit Ray & Mary and Dick & Fran.  We enjoyed polite conversation with everyone participating until Ray and Ron drove off for a to-go dinner from Applebys.  Then the "boys" sat in the kitchen and the "girls" sat in the dining room and enjoyed more spirited conversations.  A fine, fun time was had by all, with the consequence that Ron and Cynthia rode the motorcycle home in the dark.  Fortunately we did not run into any errant livestock.

Here is Cynthia’s recap of the ride from Ohio to Northwood:  

“Mother Nature is resplendent in her fall finery, dressed in every Color in the Crayola box.  We hiked the sugar maple tree forest near Middletown, Ohio and learned the tree sap spigots are turned on to flow mid Feb.  It takes 50 gals of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup.  Syrup in the stores does not compare to the real syrup taste on blueberry pancakes with walnuts.  Do not add butter!  Lunch at an Amish restaurant worked for us, lots of fresh vegetables.  But check the labels on the decorative goods they sell… all trinkets made in China. 

The ride from Ohio to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana was beautiful.  The trees are amazingly huge.  The library had a fascinating Abraham Lincoln exhibit.

The ride across Indiana and Illinois from Fort Wayne to Dubuque, Iowa was equally lovely.  It is harvest time.  Crossing the Wabash River, crossing the Illinois River on the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge (click here), the Mississippi River Bridge at Savanna, and the ride along the River, through the hills leading to Dubuque, Iowa at dusk. 

Not nice was the confusing signage on US 52 leading to Dubuque, and then discovering the Hampton Inn was full, and Dubuque does not have hotels sprinkled along the highway.  

Today, we took the scenic tour of eastern Iowa criss-crossing the River northwest to Decorah, Iowa, then west to Northwood, my hometown, and site of my class reunion.”

8 Oct:  Northwood, Iowa.  Ron's pacemaker report WAS sent today, thanks to Cynthia reading this blog.  Today's big events were a tour of the new high school with Annie & Dave and a cadre of classmates.  The 4 million dollar new gym is truly magnificent, and it is open to the public (by membership) when the school is not using it.  The class reunion dinner at the Woodfire Grill was great food and a wonderful time visiting with everyone.  Thirteen people attended: Cynthia and I, Annie & Dave, Vic & Nola, Laverne & Shelly, Jerry & Betty, Ray, Sue, Myra.  Unfortunately not everyone was able to hear and not everyone was able to speak clearly.  While this diminished the ability to communicate, everyone felt included and appreciated.  Warm fuzzies all around.

7 Oct:  Our long day yesterday left us a short day today to get to Northwood - - -  except that Iowa route 3 was "closed to through traffic" when we got there.  So we had to backtrack and guess our way back to US route 20 which took us to our intended US route 52.  The positive spin is that the scenery was outstanding all day long, but especially on our intended route and backtrack.  We stopped in Decorah, Iowa for a Subway sandwich and were shocked to see that a lovely blue sky full of patchy white clouds had turned dark and ominous, threatening rain, during that lunch break.  The other shock was that the temperature had become suddenly cold.  Regardless of threat of rain, we arrived in Northwood dry and chilled.  Dave and Pat joined us at the Diamond Jo Worth Casino (click here) near Northwood (actually adjacent to the property that Cynthia's grandparents had owned).  Dave and Pat were positive and upbeat as always, despite telling stories of hospital visits and back pain that have plagued them in the past year.  Thank God we didn't have similarly distressing stories to exchange.  Route: US 20 W to US 52 N (through Guttenberg with a great view of the Mississippi River) to R on IA 51 N to L on IA 9 W through Decorah to R on Walnut (after Riceville, no signage) N to L on 430 (no signage) to L on US 218 W into St. Ansgar to R on IA 105 E to Northwood.  Note to self: avoid Iowa route 105 east of Northwood; it was very lumpy and bumpy.  Iowa 9 was not great either. 

6 Oct:  Our intention was to be on the road leaving Fort Wayne by eight AM to ride 250 miles to someplace for an overnight.  Even though we failed to leave that early, we were pleased to be on the road at 9:30.  US 24 W was bumpy enough that Ron decided to try I-39 N, which might be my favorite interstate highway, smooth and not full of traffic.  After riding over a million pavement joints, especially on US 52 in Illinois, we crossed the Mississippi at Savanna onto smooth Iowa pavement and wound our way through the flooded lowlands towards Debuque.  It is very amusing that we were heading due south passing road signs proclaiming "North on US 52."  And we surprised ourselves by arriving in Dubuque, Iowa at seven PM as daylight dimmed.  Wow!  Mother Nature is resplendent, dressed in fall finery, using every color in the Crayola box.  Peculiar that no signs indicated that Debuque is NOT actually on US 52, but rather a few miles east of it, so again we wandered around looking for any hotel and eventually stopped to hunt for hotels on the GPS and discovered that Debuque was 5 miles east on US 20.  Another peculiarity was that the town of Bellevue, Iowa is on a bluff with great views of the river but no hotels whatsoever.  Someone is missing a great opportunity to make good money.  Route: US 24 W to El Paso, Illinois, then R on I-39 N to L on US 52 W.  And that was close to a 400 mile day.

5 Oct:  Fort Wayne, Indiana.  We spent the day in the Allen County Public Library researching genealogy.  Ron's new camera captured over 200 pages of various books.  Ron bought an el cheapo Garmin GPS as a preferable alternative to the BMW app on Cynthia's phone.  He can return it to Walmart within 14 days if it proves unsatisfactory.

4 Oct:  Ron figured out a good, simple route to Fort Wayne, Indiana, but the chosen road had low posted speed limits and slow drivers on the road this morning at noon.  Route Ohio route 306 South to Streetsboro, R on OH 303 W through Hudson to L on OH 606 S to R on OH 3 S, L on US 42 S to R on US 224 W to Van Wert, R on US 30 W to Fort Wayne - - - where the BMW route guidance failed miserably leaving us wandering all over town until Ron decided to ride by "dead reckoning" towards the sunset in the southwest to find the hotel.  That also failed because he neglected to turn south when he encountered I-69 but we eventually arrived after 20 additional miles of wandering.

3 Oct: Walt drove us past Burton to Middlefield, Ohio for lunch at Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen (click here), then we hiked in the Sugarbush Creek Farm (click here) and learned of Ohio's forest of sugar maple trees.  It takes fifty gallons of sugar tree sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.  Then we went for a nice walk in the Swine Creek Park (much more attractive than it sounds).

2 Oct, Sunday:  Novelty, Ohio visiting Pam and Walt.  Walt drove us to Burton, Ohio for a walking tour of Century Village Museum (click here) and to Punderson, OH for a walk on the boardwalk at the Punderson State Park including the Manor (click here).  Cynthia made wonderfully delicious baked salmon and sweet potatoes for dinner, and Ron again spent the evening watching sports on TV with Walter.

1 Oct:  Wish us luck with the weather.  And we thank everyone who did wish us good luck with the weather.  It rained before dawn, but was dry when we awakened at 5:30 am.  We hustled through our packing and breakfast and left about 7:30 despite the lightest rain, just beginning.  Although we had our doubts for the first twenty miles, our strategy was vindicated by drier and drier conditions.  Contrary to Ron's normal routing, this time, since time was of the essence, so we took Interstate 70 to I-76 to the Ohio Turnpike to I-80 and then wandered around since exit 193 seemed stuck and the exit 187 was closed.  The BMW GPS was worthless.  We stopped in Bainbridge at the Buckeye Chocolate Cafe to call Walt and discovered that the cafe could feed us salads.  While Ron was grocery shopping next door at Grand Union, Walt joined us and then led us to the Arborwear warehouse which is filled with displays and products for sale.  We then went back to Walt and Pam's house, settled in to their guest apartment, and spent the afternoon and evening watching sports on TV with Walter.

1 October,  In Memory of Merrilee, Cynthia’s sister, who passed away from Covid pneumonia a year ago this day. She was a vital force and is missed. 

Septembrrr

Read below for 27 Sep to hear about Miss Bella, a joyful, happy woman.  Love to you, Miss Bella!  

30 Sep:  The initial 600 mile service at Bob's BMW took longer than we hoped.  The service wasn't finished until 1:15, so we didn't get rolling out of Jim's driveway until 2:55, and we did not get as far north as was desirable, although we did get to Harmarville just northeast of Pittsburg.  Contrary to Ron's normal routing, we took Interstate 70 to Interstate 76 and passed the most beautiful fall folliage, with resplendent reds, near Somerset, Pennsylvania (where it was also quite chilly).

29 Sep:  After awakening in Culpeper, VA, we decided to ride ASAP towards Mount Airy instead of waiting an hour for Ruby Tuesday to open for lunch.  (Besides we were quite full of oatmeal with the blueberries and bananas that we had purchased.)  We had lunch at the Mount Airy Inn before returning to Jim’s house.  Because of Ian, Ron will get the six hundred mile service done early tomorrow AM, then return to Mount Airy, pick up Cynthia and the luggage, and take off for Cleveland, Ohio to miss the impending rainfall from Ian due here Saturday.

28 Sep:  At one PM we began the ride towards Mount Airy, Maryland in lovely cool weather on good, smooth roads, with a planned overnight in Culpeper, Virginia.  We opted for a "short" distance because the bike is too tough for the feminine passenger's tush!  Roughly 150 miles to Culpeper, and Cynthia reports that her tush was fine for the first hour and a half.  route: US 501 N into Virginia, US 360/ 58 E to a L on US 15 N.

27 Sep:  The Hampton Inn, Roxboro, NC has a delightful morning dining staff person who is Miss Bella, a joyful, happy woman who calls us Mr. and Mrs. Oatmeal!  Love to you, Miss Bella!  Ron spent most of the day at the library and the Recorder of Deeds photographing several books and deeds from his list of items needed for the book.  The camera worked excellently well and the photos ran through OCR better than previous photos from other cameras.  We dined again at Brookland Eats, this time with Steve and Karen, managers of Caswell County Historical Association.

26 Sep:  We needed to put 600 miles on the bike in order to have the first service done, so Ron's great brainstorm was to travel south on old US Highway 15 to & from Caswell County for genealogy photos.  Ron bought a new tiny camera with image stabilization and low light ability.  The Powershot Elph 360 HS is indeed much smaller than the Canon Powershot SX540 HS.

25 Sep, Sunday: A day of rest!  Jim and Joni took us for a ride in the Maryland countryside that we all enjoyed - even though we drove through a couple of heavy showers.

24 Sep:  We did spend the entire day at Bob's BMW in Jessup, Maryland and left with a brand new, shiny black R1250RT.  Ron was hugely disappointed that he was only offered $500 trade in on that marvelous K1600GTL that he has enjoyed riding for 6 years.  Jim explained that the K1600 is not a popular model because it weighs too much - Ron's exact complaint - so the dealorships cannot sell the used ones either - and his needs a new rear shock at $2500, a new disk rotor at $1000 besides new tires at $800 and no telling what all else.  Bob's has not yet listed it as a project bike for ?? $

23 Sep:  This was the day of missed turns.  Ron had a lovely route planned, but missed an early turn and traveled 20 miles too far on PA route 611.  Once he stopped and consulted the GPS for a better route, it suggested one that we don't like (hard on Cynthia's back), so we forced it to take us further south on 611 which turned out to be a pleasant road, the west on PA 32 a busy highway to West on PA 22 even busier until we arrived in Harrisburg - - -  and mis-remembered that the Ruby Tuesday here seemed closed for good when we were here earlier this summer.  We called, but Ron's eyesight misread the phone number as 581 instead of 561.  We turned south on US 15 to Gettysburg, then MD 97 E to MD 27 S to Jim's house just before dark.

22 Sep:  And the question is: where will we be?  Answer is that we began the day in Troy, NY, waiting for the heavy rains to end and for the bike to be fixed.  Around 1 pm Dustin called to say come and get it, all fixed.  NY 7 W into Troy, L on US 4 S to East Greenwich (except I wandered around looking for Hays Road prematurely.  Eventually we rode through Renssellaer trying to find NY 9J (River Road)).  It was worth the trouble as we enjoyed spectacular views of the Hudson River.  NY 9J continued S to US 9 S to R on NY 199 W crossing the Hudson on a magnificent high bridge (with no wind) and then onto US 209 S to Milford, PA and our Hampton Inn destination.  It was another scenic day as the fall folliage changes are appearing even this far south.

21 Sep:  Our likely departure date is today, a day early.  438 miles to Bob's BMW, avoiding interstate highways.  The weather is better for riding on this day, so Ron is finishing recycling, then we ride.  We had hoped for an early departure, but at 11:30 with a couple more things to do, that is not to be.  We were on the road at 3 pm and the afternoon light made the scenery just wonderful, what with lime green leaves and occasional oranges showing that fall folliage is beginning to appear.  Perhaps we will make it to Delaware Water Gap tonight.  Nope, after 60 miles, when we turned south on NY 22, the bike engine started running on only half of the cylinders, so Ron decided that the "check engine" light might actually be indicating a problem.  Fortunately Max BMW was only 14 miles further down NY 7, we turned around, and the bike resumed running well until we arrived at Max BMW at 5 p.m.  The fault diagnostics indicate that an ignition coil is failing.  Tony Beatty was not at the desk, but Dustin was very sympathetic and coordinated to begin repairs tomorrow.  Salesman Craig was such a nice guy that he gave us a ride to the hotel; his station wagon is more accustomed to carrying dogs than people; he has been showing dogs for more than 20 years.  The trees outside the hotel were among the most colorful we've seen this autumn.

20 Sep:  CYNTHIA HAS A HAIRCUT AT 10:30 AM and Ron was able to get her there on time.  After more bug and tar removal, the rains resumed.

19 Sep:  Forecast was for a rainy day.  But it will be mostly dry until late day.  A good day for packing.  Cynthia is at breakfast while Ron is doing math, adding and subtracting.  He adds Armorall to the bike, and removes bugs and tar.  He actually started packing during the first shower about 11 am, then returned for more bug and tar removing until the storms started in earnest at 3 pm.

18 Sep, Sunday:  Forecast is for rain after 1 pm.  Let's go hiking early - meaning Ron needs to get to bed NOW.  We successfully navigated the trail to the sinkholes again!  3 miles RT, and we finished before the rain arrived.  The bike looks magnificent with a thousand coats of Armorall!  Ron has moved on from ArmorAll to bug and tar remover on the wheels.  It is not working well, and he is getting tired of all this cleaning and polishing. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}

17 Sep:  The distance hiking to the sinkholes hasn’t changed!  Ron carried one large rock 200 yards or more uphill to create a check dam.  Oofta.  This fall day was spectacular.  We are charged up with plans to pack, Armorall the bike, and get on the road next Thursday.  The third or fourth application of ArmorAll is beginning to improve the appearance.  If the rain holds off, Ron will get another coat on tomorrow morning. {GMC: 1 hour with bucket & trowel}

16 Sep:  Life is wonderful.  We had a glorious three-mile hike to the sinkholes; Ron spent most of the afternoon prepping and painting an engine guard on the bike.  And we feel great.  Cynthia accidentally bought a car.  The cost of the car is two thousand less than our rental car for the winter; it will be parked near Jon so he can start it and drive it once a week.  {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}

15 Sep:  After three miles of hiking in Arctic temperatures (according  to Cynthia) without being frozen, we ate lunch and phoned the BMW dealer to hear the joyous news that our new bike should arrive a week from Saturday!  Yaaaay!  And the good (?) news about a bolt that didn't fit is that there isn't a thread to bolt it into.   The bad news is ending the sentence with a preposition.  {GMC: 1 hour w/ bucket & trowel}

Harrison, Cynthiia (in middle), Ron

14 Sep:  First, we hiked three miles.  We rode the spiffier (cleaned) bike to Hanover for an early dinner with Harrison at 4 pm and returned by 7:30 pm.  The ride from Killington to Hanover, NH was lovely on this pleasant fall day with cool temperatures, iconic Vermont red barns, and high church steeples in the distance signaling that a New England village is clustered at the base.  Grand nephew Harrison, a sophomore at Dartmouth, is an engaging and lively conversationalist.  We enjoyed our visit with him immensely.  The return trip was even more fun after Ron turned the wrong direction (north) on U.S. Highway 5.  When we arrived at the intersection with Vermont 17, we took that west and north along some river for miles and eventually came into Woodstock from the north, turned right on U.S. 4 and found our way back to the Inn at Long Trail. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}

13 Sep:  It is supposed to rain all day, but Ron painted a second coat between showers.  Otherwise, we've spent the day indoors "packing."  Ron has been good today (and yesterday), so he can now afford to take time for genealogy.

12 Sep:  We are so thankful for a good night's sleep, the ability to exercise, breakfast, and out the door "early" to go hiking.  (Early means before noon).  It is a glorious Monday.  Life is wonderful.  We hiked three miles to the sinkholes and enjoyed spinach salads.  Ron cleaned the bike with Armor-All and Wheel & Tire cleaner.  How can two retired people be so crazy busy? {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}

11 Sep:  That 4-year-old was yelling continually at breakfast until Ron decided it was time to YELL at her to STOP YELLING, after which her parents left the room with her.  Once that family left the inn, Ron painted a second coat on one engine guard, masked off the other guard and sprayed it first coat, with cleaning of the rims between coats.  Bike is getting spiffier by the day.   We then ate lunch and went hiking and trail maintaining.  Ron actually DID start the packing to leave process, recording his receipts collection. {GMC: 1 hour w/ bucket & trowel moving dirt}

10 Sep:  repeat 10 Sep:  Ron had better begin packing in order to be ready to leave by the 24th. We are exercised, oatmealed, and happy!  Thank God!  Cynthia's forgot to ice after hiking yesterday, so her sleep was disturbed by sciatic pains.  (Our aches and pains, another best seller.)  Ron intended to continue motorcycle appearance improvements this afternoon (but didn't), and Cynthia demands less strenuous hiking today.  We hiked over to the pub for luncheon salads.  Two youngsters screamed during the meal.  Then we discovered they have the room next to us… when they started screaming outside.  We hiked 1.5 miles to escape. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe} 

9 Sep:  We slept much better in part because we got to bed earlier - - speaking of which I'm late already this evening.  goodnight.  Cynthia’s bronchitis is apparently healed.  We hiked three miles to the sink holes.  Ron has the motorcycle looking spiffy!  I hope one of our readers is keeping a log on our sleep habits; it will be a best seller.  {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}

8 Sep:  We are not well motivated this morning.  Cynthia's sleep was disturbed which consequently disturbed Ron's sleep, so we are both tired despite 8 hours in bed.  Ron used steel wool on the motorcycle crash bars, preparing to paint them.  Next is to use cleaner on the rims to improve that appearance.  But we've delayed hiking long enough that it is time for lunch.  We attempted a hike, but Cynthia decided after a quarter mile that she isn't up to it yet, so we returned and Ron returned to James Lea.

7 Sep:  It is still raining this morning, a light rain expected to continue for the next several hours.  Fooey.  The good news is that the computer is responding normally again.  Now if we could only convince our bodies to do the same.  We rode into town to purchase our 4th blood pressure cuff.  I really, really need to remind Cynthia to always pack a blood pressure cuff into any box she is going to ship to us anywhere.  Ron purchased supplies to prettify the motorcycle prior to trade-in/ sale.

6 Sep:  Rainy day again, so we are not likely to venture out onto wet rocks for a hike and a tumble.  There are noticeably fewer leaves obscuring the forest floor.  Most of the undergrowth is preparing for winter and a few brightly colored leaves are now adorning the trails.  Today is a good one for indoor activities, like mending the torn pants leg, preparing recycling, James Lea, etc. etc.  We met a delightful and wet couple of AT hikers dinnertime at the pub, Ashley and Luke.  Their camping site at Cooper Shelter last night turned into a small lake by morning, so everything was soaking wet, including Ashley's down sleeping bag.  They told us about meeting a family of six hikers on the trail, the youngest being a 4-year-old boy, and that this family (and 4-year-old) was hiking 20-mile days.  And then at 1030 pm, this computer stopped responding to a few key combinations and the touchpad.  Fortunately Ron was able to save all open documents and close several applications before shutting it down for the night.

"professional" wound bandaging

5 Sep:  Somewhat invigorated after a good night sleep, Cynthia, the dizzy blonde, was indeed a bit light headed while walking to breakfast and discovered unusually high blood pressure, which has given us lots of hypotheticization but no answers.  Ron is pleased to report that his three or four minor bruises from the fall yesterday are pain free a day later.  The forecast of rain all day is holding true, so there is no worries about the Smooches venturing forth to damage themselves again today.  We took great pictures of Cynthia's artistic bandaging.  Maybe she will post it today.

4 Sep:  Cynthia is feeling better today, but not well enough to hike, so Ron gets to go hiking without adult supervision.  His thought is that he can attempt to hike to Killington and back in 7 hours.  Well, there were trees to saw, and Ron discovered that he is not in adequate physical condition to hike uphill 3 hours, saw trees (about 5), and hike back downhill comfortably - with the unfortunate consequence that he took a tumble into a pile of rocks when his foot caught on something.  The good news is that the worst damage is a torn pants leg that needs mending.  Second worst is that his shirt needed immediate washing to prevent blood stains from the scratch on his right arm.  We slept well. {GMC: 6 hours w/ saw & clippers}

3 Sep:  Today we rode into town immediately after breakfast to take Cynthia to Emergency Health Clinic in an attempt to forestall her cough turning in to bronchitis, but we were too late - already is.  Ron found Fels Naptha (Eureka !!) at Grand Union and picked up Rustoleum at Home Depot while Cynthia was being medically examined.  Then we got bananas, blueberries, grapes, and pretzels at Hannaford before getting frozen mango at Aldi.  We got it all !!  The big surprise came as Ron was unloading the motorcycle.  He turned around to see Cynthia sprawled and rolling on the ground.  She had left her motorcycle helment on while trying to climb the rock wall steps to the yard and apparently stepped onto thin air for her last step. The poor dear is in bed now, where we hope she cannot hurt herself any further.

2 Sep:  Cynthia wants to ride to town for something, and Ron is agreeable since he is out of frozen mango and pretzels.  But first, he is off at 10:30 (alone) to hike and maintain trail.  we never did get to town because Ron decided en route that he wanted to hike past Jungle Junction towards Killington Mountain, since in years past we hiked that far occasionally.  Then he eventually remembered that he hiked for three hours to get to the tree that he cut before his atrial fibrillation.  (He is curious to see if it has been moved at all.)  It was just shy of three hours when he turned around to hike back, but at least he made it as far as a particularly memorable tree before turning around.  So he didn't get back to the Inn until close to 5pm, and with dinner scheduled for 5:30, Cynthia was unwilling to go to town after all. {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}

1 Sep:  We slept well until 5 AM when Cynthia's stomach decided to become upset about who knows what.  Then we slept another couple of hours to arise at 8 AM.  It is much, much chillier today with a forecast high of 60 degrees and a brisk wind to help.  We are in no hurry to hike today.  Ron finished his Bankston thoughts and back to James Lea.  Cynthia's stomach is upset, and neither of us managed to get out the door and hike today.  Ron is pleased with his progress on James Lea.

August in Vermont, where sultry means 85 degrees and 80 % humidity.

31 Aug:  Ron needs to tell Walt and Jim when to expect us.  I guess if the new bike arrives in Jessup, MD, we will go there to see what Bob's BMW actually offers to us for a trade in when they can see our bike in person.  And Ron will just have to change the descriptions of the Bankstons to take into account the puzzling new thoughts about the information in Anson County.  Cynthia is ready to hike, and Ron is still on his computer after checking the weather and marshalling his thoughts.  And we did hike to the sinkholes without stress or distress. {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}

30 Aug:  Exercised, oatmealed, and Cynthia is off to get a manicure, and girlicure!  Ron went for a hike at 3:22 and arrived at the sinkholes at 3:58, but the rumbles of thunder convinced hiw to return instead of hiking to Jungle Junction.  Calls to the BMW dealer were disappointing.  The new bike is not yet arrived in the States, and the dealer is likely to offer only $4,000 to $5,000 for our present, 6-year-old bike for which we paid in excess of $25,000.  Ron is thinking that since our  bike (the BMW K1600GTL) is still perfectly good and well maintained, we might as well continue using it instead of spending so much for a new bike.  Ron also is in a quandry about the various George Leas in Caswell County and elsewhere.  And that spills over into new thoughts about the Bankstons in Anson County, NC.

29 Aug:  We hiked to the sink holes once again… 3 miles, while Ron worked with a hoe.  Icing the feet with real ice this time finally paid off with a good nights sleep.

28 Aug, Sunday:  How did Saturday disappear?  We hiked to the sink holes again today.  Cynthia got up there much more quickly than on previous days (at least Ron didn't catch up as fast as usual).  Today when we arrived at the sink holes, Cynthia felt that she could easily make it to the ski run but decided to be happy with todays hike.  Upon return to the Inn we ate salads, and Cynthia iced her back and feet (with frozen pineapple and frozen mango).  It was fun to meet a couple from Big Pine Key, FL. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}

27 Aug:  I guess DNA sucked up the entire day without Ron noticing the blog at all.  We did hike to the sink holes again, but Cynthia’s sleep last night and tonight was disturbed.  {GMC: 1 hour w/ bucket & trowel}

26 Aug:  Again we awakened, exercised, ate, and are now set to hike uphill again.  Cynthia delayed icing her feet yesterday and had a disrupted sleep.  Ron ain't too well rested either but we are more energetic than last week.  Ron is again distracted by DNA, so James Lea may have to wait until tomorrow. {GMC: 1 hour w/ trowel setting rocks as steps}

25 Aug:  And today the rains finally came.  Fortunately Cynthia and I were only about a quarter of a rocky mile from the Inn and our el cheapo plastic ponchos kept us reasonably dry.  We then spent the day on our computers, quite happy that the Wi-Fi has been fixed after last night's failure.  {GMC: 1 hour with bucket moving dirt}

24 Aug:  Another day with a "comfortable" hike to the sinkholes to help Cynthia's bursitis and arthritis in her feet.  Trail maintenance continues at a subdued rate since Salt counld not commit to leaving my waterbars alone.  Mostly, I now try to bury the waterbars beneath a mound of dirt.  Documentation of James Lea continues to be absorbing.  Ron realized that we haven't met many hikers this year because he is absorbed in sudokus at every meal.  More icing and the feet are feeling better and we are sleeping better.  {GMC: 1/2 hour w/ hoe}

23 Aug:  It showered ever so lightly overnight and was mostly dry by morning.  The forecast is again rain 83% chance at 1 pm, pop up thunderstorms using moisture from the Great Lakes.  We hiked uphill for an hour and returned before 1 pm for lunch and to work on James Lea.  It stayed dry the rest of the day despite the forecast.  Cynthia is beginning to consistantly ice her feet after hiking, especially if Ron reminds her. {GMC: 1/2 hour w/ hoe}

22 Aug:  We slept better except for lying awake for an hour or more about 2:30 pm.  Fortunately it is cooler and breezy today.  We hiked early since there was rain in the forecast, but it didn't show up today.  We did our usual trip to the sinkholes without difficulty, but are a bit puzzled that we haven't felt as strong or hiked as far as in previous years.  {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}

21 Aug, Sunday:  Another day closer to goodbye August.  We didn't sleep all that well last night, and it is hot again today, 82 degrees at 11 AM.  Cynthia's arthritis in her feet has been a problem despite icing them yesterday afternoon.  Now we have new ice and a new bottle of water, so Cynthia is living high.  However, as she ices her feet this morning, she decided not to hike, so Ron will go as soon as his body assimilates the energy from a bowl of frozen mango.  Waterbar maintenance calls.  The newest procedure is to bury the rocks in the waterbars under dirt so that Mr. Salt cannot see them. {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe & bucket}

20 Aug:  A screaming two-year-old is making breakfast a challenge.  The dad finally removed the screaming boy from the dining room.  Whew, thank goodness that removal happened before Ron arrived at the breakfast table.  Now we are set to go a-hiking, and we hiked for a good hour almost to the sinkholes before turning back in order to get to Sugar and Spice for a second breakfast on our way into town for bananas, grapes, jellybeans and frozen mango, staples of our diet. {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}

19 Aug:  We celebrated Cynthia's better feeling iced feet by hiking to the ski run and back today, 2.4 miles each way for this terrific view (above).  Scott, the chef here, continues to outdo himself cooking salmon and potatoes excellently well for us.  James Lea continues to progress slowly.  The ice bag is getting quite low, but frozen mango is a great alternative. {GMC: 4 hours w/ hoe}

18 Aug:  Ron plans to spend the day working on James Lea, but Lo!!, the skies stopped showering by 10:30 AM.  Cynthia slept poorly with more back pain and is icing, so Ron may have to hike solo, and he hiked all the way to jungle junction, about 3 miles each way except that he took a left onto the gravel road uphill towards Pico peak.  Scenery on the gravel road was outstanding with emerald green ski runs down from the top of Killington peak and a more expansive views of the scene above. {GMC: 1 hour w/ clippers}

17 Aug:  We slept the night through!  Ron slept 8 hours uninterrupted.!!  Thank God for life and everything else (especially Cynthia).  3.4 miles to the sinkholes where we met two charming hikers, YeahYeah and Flip and treated them to lunch.  Too amusing that Flip and Anna were classmates at Appalachian State University and completed a semester project together last year.  We whiled away the afternoon in the Inn because it rained.  Cynthia wants to hike to Jungle Junction tomorrow, but it looks like we will have a rainy day. Cynthia thinks we won't see Salt again, that he has made a statement and wants to avoid us.   

16 Aug:  Ron's sleep was interrupted for a couple of hours with ruminations about how to motivate Bankston cousins to get their DNA tested and how to convince Salt to leave the water bars alone.  No good ideas for either task, but we arose early, ate early and hiked about the usual hour after Ron spent yet more time on the jigsaw this morning and then again this afternoon after our hike to the sinkholes and back.  Ron moved into place two big rocks, the last he will do until he has a chance again to talk with Salt to see if we can arrive at an agreement of water bars versus ski run.  We did enjoy treating two hikers, James and Anna to lunch w/ desserts.  {GMC: 1 hour w/ lever}

15 Aug:  The puzzle overtakes all conscious thought!  But, we exercised, oatmealed, hiked 2.5 hours to the sinkholes, and returned.  Ron is upset and disappointed that Salt is moving rocks from the water bars again.  If Salt is determined to destroy the trail, there is no reason to continue trail maintenance.  (Salt professes intentions to snowboard down the trail.)  Today's hiking and trail maintenance is completed; Cynthia showered and did the laundry with great satisfaction, while Ron puzzled away the afternoon!  {GMC: 2.5 hours w/ hoe & lever}

14 Aug, Sunday:  We hiked Kent Pond Trail for 4.5 miles while Ron carried clippers  attacking branches overhanging the trail.  OH NO, Ron is hooked by a puzzle!  In his defense, it was initiated by a thru-hiker.  {GMC: 3 hours w/ hoe & lever}

13 Aug:  Ron was behind in updates; now he needs to sleep.  We hiked the Sherburne Pass Trail to the sinkholes, with Ron doing trail maintenance on water bars.  There is one huge rock he is trying to move into a better place.  {GMC: 2.5 hours w/ hoe}  

12 Aug:  Good Morning to us!  The sun is shining, the high is forecast to be 74 cool degrees.  Yay!  We hiked a good hike, and Cynthia's aches and pains were quiescent.  Ron then returned to the waterbars for another 1.5 hours before dark.  It is time for a shower, shirt wash, toothbrushing, and bed.  {GMC: 4 hours w/ hoe & bucket}

He came, he sawed and he conquered

11 Aug:  Ron awakened at 2:30 am and stayed awake working on James Lea until 5:30 am.  It made for a very tired morning until we began hiking.  3.4 miles hiking.  Ron cleaned out water bars and retrieved one big rock that Salt threw away.  The trail looks good with the hanging tree removed!  Ron intended to get to bed early tonight - but no, he never actually does that. {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}

10 Aug:  Will we cool off as forecasted on Sunday and Monday? Glorious cool day!!!!  3.6 miles hiking to the sinkholes and back.  Cynthia's bursa, back and feet are considerably improved.  She feels like a new woman - or her normal self. {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}

9 Aug:  The forecast is for a warm night but a cooler day.  It’s a little bit cooler but remains too humid to hike.  Ron is still fatigued from yesterday's extreme sauna conditions and hasn't had the energy to go work on water bars.  Instead, he is working on James Lea.  Cynthia is working on Bankston DNA.  We are blessed!  Life is good!  {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}

8 Aug:  Forecast is HOT again, highs in the mid-80s.  Cynthia has an appointment in Rutland for the afternoon, so we can sneak off to Sugar and Spice for a late lunch at 1:30 if we finish hiking early.  And we did finish in two hours and twenty minutes after Ron trekked ahead of Cynthia with the trusty saw and removed the large log blocking the trail (two levers and a counterbalance log helped).  The day was miserably humid, and Ron's shirt would have won any wet shirt contest.  {GMC: 2:20}

7 Aug, Sunday:  Wow !!  The whole month of August stretches out before us.  Interesting to think that we will soon be asking, "Where did that month go?"  For now, today, a-hiking we will go - if the internet ever works well enough to see the forecast.  Not bad, bye.  Woo-Hoo!  We hiked almost to the sinkholes, where Ron finished sawing the huge hanging tree with three branches.  We heard it creaking and cracking until it finally gave way and fell with a resounding thud.  9 PM, and it is still stinking HOT.  Ron had to wash his clean shirt again already and took a shower for good measure.  Thank goodness Wannie found a fan for our bedroom. {GMC: 3 hours sawing} 

6 Aug:  Ron, being filled with ambition and zeal, mended zippers on his hiking pants.  (The only pants he ever wears.)  That kept him busy until 1 pm lunchtime (salads).  Cynthia worked on improving her Sudoku skills and iced her sore feet!  We got to bed "early" after a bedtime sudoku session. {GMC 1.5 hours w/ bucket (for water bars)}

5 Aug:  Let's guess, will we hike or will we not?  Cynthia has sore feet is the first clue!  Well, we did manage five miles to Thundering Falls Road.  {GMC: 3 hours w/ clippers}

4 Aug:  Another great day looms ahead of us.  The plan was to hike Thundering Falls on the AT.  After breakfast, we discovered that we were tired, and the temperatures were already crazy hot, so we decided to take our tired bodies to bed and sleep the day away!  We finally bestirred ourselves at 4 PM to toddle over to the Inn for dinner.  Scott, the chef, is quite talented and used the caramelized juice from baked sweet potatoes to glaze the baked salmon.  Mmmm!  Now we are relaxed and full and happy.  Ron continues to work perfecting Cynthia's James Lea book.

3 Aug:  Ron awakened at 4:30 am, perfect for planned departure at about 5:15 am in dawn's early light.  It was cool at 58 degrees and often quite foggy, but never bad enough to slow down.  The views of the fog over the wetlands when the roadway was clear were wonderfully enchanting.  He arrived in Troy, New York, at 7 AM, washed the bike, shopped at Walmart, and was quite amazed to be invited into Max BMW before 8 AM.  His notion had been to park the bike for a couple of hours to allow it to cool off before the 84,000-mile servicing.  The service manager is Tony Beatty; nice to meet someone with a familiar name.  The estimated six-hour service was completed after 5 pm, but Ron was happy to have so much time to work on Cynthia's James Lea book.  The sun is shining on Cynthia, the temperature is a pleasant 70 degrees in Killington, and it is boring working on DNA.  She was a happy Smooch Smooch when Ron arrived home at 8:15 PM with a whole bag of groceries.

This is the photo from 10 years ago. In the black jacket, Bomber carried a rubber chicken on his hike.

2 Aug:  O What fun!  We met Bomber again, ten years later,  This time, Bomber (Eric) had his lovely bride with him, and we enjoyed a delightful breakfast reminiscing.  After breakfast, Cynthia did a FaceTime with granddaughter Ellanore, and the 15% rains started at 11:30.  About 3 PM Ron decided to hike since it wasn't raining - but those 15%ers kept getting him wet as he sawed at the two large trees still remaining.  Cynthia took another zero day working on DNA projects.  {GMC: 3 hours}

1 Aug: Remember how energy-filled we were yesterday?  But that was last month when Cynthia was younger; her energy dissipated this month; she slept the morning away!  Ron worked on James Lea all morning, then lunched with Cynthia after she awakened before trundling out of the room with a saw in hand.  He exhausted himself in the "heat" today, sawing another large limb from the big broken tree near the sinkholes.  The innkeepers must think we are weird because we eat so many vegetables.  {GMC: 3 hours}

Happy smooch smooch to you! July is Birthday month

 

Happy Smooch Smooch to You, 
Happy Smooch Smooch to You, 
Happy Smooch Smooch Dear Smooch Smooch, 
Happy Smooch Smooch to You 
(sung to the tune of Happy Birthday to You).

The Inn at Long Trail ^ is below the big white rock (named Deer Leap).

8 OCT:  We are expected at Cynthia's class reunion in Northwood, Iowa.  Ron's next pacemaker report can also be sent today.

3 AUG:  Wednesday: BMW motorcycle 84,000-mile service appointment.

1 Aug: Ron needs a title and photo for August in Killington, VT

31 Jul, Sunday:  Yikes, tomorrow is August.  On the last day of the birthday month, we enjoyed a lazy morning and computer work. Finally, at 11:30 AM, we gathered all of our energy, backpack and hoe and headed off to the Sherburne Pass Trail, where we successfully climbed to the ski run, 2.8 miles straight up.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch (of an apple and a carrot) overlooking Deer Leap.  A lovely hiker named Teresa chatted with us at the ski run.  Cynthia did not recognize her at first because the sun was in our eyes.  The hard part was standing up again!  The flies and gnats were surprisingly absent today, even at the Ski Run.  Ron continued to work on water bars going up the mountain and down.  Our successful hike totaled 5.6 miles roundtrip.  The nicest part of our travels is the people we meet while hiking or in McGrath's dining.  Today's hike was successful on all counts.  We are energized, refreshed, and ready to hike tomorrow.  {GMC: 4 hours w/ hoe}

30 Jul:  Today's big adventure is to remove the huge tree from the trail, ax in hand, with help from Salt (guys name).  Cynthia is working on a project at the Inn where she can access wifi.  Ron and Salt used saw and leverage to roll an eight foot section of the tree down the trail.  After a nap and dinner Ron hiked up to the other major obstacle and sawed for 8 minutes.  (GMC: 4. hours with saw & hatchet)

29 Jul:  Only three days left of Cynthia's birthday month.  We hiked 3.4 miles to the sinkholes and back.  Celebrate soon.!! Cynthia did! She celebrated by showering and looking gorgeous.  Life is very good.  It was fun talking to two tables of people at the Inn tonight.  Murray got back from California tonight after 36 hours in airports.  Cynthia iced her bursitis and feet again before bed.  {GMC: 2.5 hours w/ hoe hoe hoe}

28 Jul:  Supposed to rain in the afternoon. The plan was to hike early, and we were successful in beginning our hike right at eleven AM and ending at 1;23 PM, burning up all of our energy very early. It is humid with a trillion gnats in our faces.  Ron suggests we inhale deeply and swallow. Did you know that all of the gnats in the world together weigh more than all of the elephants?  3.4 miles {GMC: 2.5 hours}

27 Jul:  Supposed to be dry again today, but since Cynthia's bursitis is still aching, we hiked our usual therapeutic Kent Pond trail to Thundering Falls, but the leg warmed up and was OK.'we enjoyed meeting a cute couple from Texas, Buckey, and Whoopie!

 Six successful miles! Then it was time for dinner.  Then more James Lea.  Except we laid down and fell asleep. {GMC: 3 hours with clippers (Ron's hand needs a rest.)}

26 Jul:  Up early, well rested, exercised, fed, and ready to hike Kent Pond again.  Cynthia's bursitis did quite well, and we discovered that our get-up-and-go returns after a few days of good rest.  We hiked 4.2 miles and enjoyed seeing a couple of "ghost" flowers (click here).  We've eaten our typical luncheon salads with Irish soda bread for dessert, and Ron went out with a hoe and saw after working on James Lea for an hour.  We met the nicest "adventure" motorcyclists today, Cathy & Ray.  They are riding 2-up on a BMW 1200GS Adventure.  Today was day four of the Northeast "discovery" routes.  Ray had planned to camp at Gifford Woods Park, but a bear visited the nearby dumpster twice, and Cathy insisted they move.  And now it is 11:37 again.  Fooey.  Cynthia slept so nicely that Ron stayed up until 1:30 working on James Lea.  {GMC: 3 hours w/ clippers + 3 hours hoe & saw}

25 Jul:  Only a week left of the birthday month.  We awakened too late to exercise before breakfast !!  Ron rushed through most of his to not be exercising later on a full stomach.  After breakfast, he returned to obsession with James Lea.  Now, nearly noon, it is dry enough and cool enough to hike.  Ron is curious to see how the rain affected his trail maintenance, but we hiked Kent Pond again to be gentle with Cynthia's injured leg and had a good hike. However, it was a disappointment to not go downhill to Thundering Falls to witness it "thundering" because of the night's rain. {GMC: 1.5 hours w/ clippers & saw}

24 Jul, Sunday:  Today, we should be rested and refreshed with get up and go restored.  Wish us luck.  We managed 3.6 miles on the Kent Pond Trail and headed off to Sugar and Spice for egg white veggie omelets and blueberry pancakes.  Have you ever tasted the difference between real and artificial maple syrup?  MMMM!  We rode into Rutland afterward to pick up a prescription for Cynthia, bought groceries, and were lucky to return to the Inn dry (no rain yet).  Good grief !!  How did it get to be 10:50 pm already?  Time to get to bed.  The forecast rain started soon after midnight and continued until after daylight. {GMC: 1.5 hours w/ clippers}

23 Jul:  Another glorious day to be alive.  UFFDA!  Our bodies are telling us to rest today.  After breakfast, we slept for several hours, lunched, and returned to the room on this hot, enervating day.  These cabins in Vermont do not have A/C.  Cynthia is icing her feet and bursa!  Ron was shocked to discover that he get up and go got up and went.  Lying abed and falling asleep until 1 pm was another shocker, so he decided to take a day of rest this hot afternoon (87 degrees) and work on James Lea.  Before dinner, Ron sang the (original) birthday song to Sistah Carol; she was appreciative.  After dinner, he returned to his sawing on the massive tree trunk for an hour. {GMC: 1-hour sawing}

22 Jul:  Ron is committed to working on James Lea again now for several days (between sudokus).  Thank goodness for a relaxing day yesterday and a good, long night's sleep.  And now we are exercised, fed, and ready to hike up the Sherbourne Pass Trail (click here) again.  Unfortunately, Cynthia took a fall and wrenched an ankle.  We arrived at the Inn for dinner later than usual; the Irish band started playing the endless sing-along, O Danny Boy.  (To Cynthia, it sounds like 99 bottles of beer on the wall.)  Ron went out a second time to see a little on his favorite oversized tree trunk nearby. {GMC: 3 hours w/ hoe}

21 Jul:  We have faith that we will survive this long.  Thank God we did and enjoyed another day of rest and relaxation.  Ron sauntered up the trail only a little way, twice, with a bucket and hoe to work on water bars.  (And was chased indoors by rain after being warned by thunder both times.)  Scott, the chef, cooked us a wonderful salmon dinner with veggies and baked potato.  Irish soda bread toasted dry is our favorite "dessert."  We are happy "campers." {GMC: 3 hours streambed maintenance w/ hoe & bucket}

20 Jul:  Will Ron be able to move after yesterday's exertions?  Yes, but Cynthia is all worked out.  Ron took a leisurely morning to catch up on genealogy but plans to hike to Pico with a saw after lunch (whenever Cynthia wakes up - she is now stirring).  Uffda!  She slept until 12:38, and then we headed to the Inn for lunch.  The chef is late, so hunger will be abated at that time.  Ron left at 4 pm and hiked to the AT Junction (Jungle Junction), 3.2 miles up yonder, with a plan to do some sewing on the way back down.  The heat made for an exhausting, sweat-drenched two hours uphill and caused Ron to begin to believe that he was not in the shape he had been in before here, but the downhill return reassured him that his body was doing well. {GMC: 4.5 hours - some sawing}

19 Jul:  Birthday month is half past, and the rain is entirely past.  Hiking ahoy!!  Cynthia is frustrated with the Wifi…!  She has to go to the Inn or access it by holding the Mac up to the window.  So forget communication until September!  We hiked to the sinkholes.  Ron sawed logs fallen across the trail en route.  Today's amazing find on the forest floor was the tiny bolt that fell out of the saw four days ago.  One very large tree remains, but not for long.  Because of the trees shading the trail, it is surprisingly comfortable as long as we have a breeze.  The number of hikers has increased at the Inn and along the trail.  Ron and the trusty saw returned to remove more of a tree at six PM. {GMC 4 hours +2.5 hours sawing & streambed maintenance}

18 Jul:  If we can move, we will hike - unless it rains.  Pray for rain.  Our prayers were successful ALL day, but the total accumulation was not substantial.  Ron spent the day working on the Yocum genealogy claimed by cousin Duncan and then transitioned to typing obituaries from Verla's collection into the Rambo Family Tree.

17 Jul:  The plan is to make today easy with a hike on the AT around Kent Pond to Thundering Falls and back.  It was NOT easy; we could both barely drag ourselves there and back.  Fortunately, the bugs were not bad, and the weather was not hot.  5.7 miles later, we staggered into the Inn for large luncheon salads and tried Magner's Irish cider (click here). {GMC: 4 hours w/ clippers & sawed one tree blocking trail}

16 Jul:  Another day for which to thank God.  Breakfast was a hoot!  The wait staff surprised Cynthia with the birthday song, plus a blueberry pan "cake" and birthday candle!  We hiked six miles round trip to the ski run, but this time we rested a couple of times in each direction.  The trail has lots of rocks and roots, so it is not an easy climb.  We enjoyed salmon and baked sweet potatoes at the Inn, and nearby guests sang Happy Birthday.  We struggled over a Sodoku, and now it is time to sleep!  {GMC: 4 hours clipping}

15 Jul:  We hope to awaken again, God willing. We did awaken on this cool, sunny, gorgeous day in the Green Mountains. Cynthia had a girl's day at the Signature Day Salon.  And we lunched at the Inn.   {GMC: 1 hour with saw}

14 Jul:  is another gorgeous day.  We hiked, and Ron hoed as we walked.  (His hands needed a break from all the sawing and clipping; using a hoe is easier.)  Today Ron is trying to increase his energy with a bowl of "frozen" mango before hiking; it worked only moderately well.  Using the hoe is hard on Ron's back.  If it ain't one thing, it is the other.  Cynthia talked Ron into relinquishing his clothes so that she could wash them.  He showered and pre-washed his clothing.  Can you imagine that Ron is ALL clean?  {GMC: 3 hours with hoe}

13 Jul:  is a gorgeous day.  We hiked, and Ron sawed as we walked uphill to the sinkholes.  An army of people with cross saws is needed to cut through the one large tree that fell across the trail in yesterday's storm.  Ron was tired when we began hiking, and all the sawing did little to rejuvenate him.  We were in bed before 10 pm, but Ron was unable to fall asleep until after he got up to work on the computer for an hour at midnight.  {GMC: 3 hours with saw}

12 Jul:  Anniversary of eleven years and two months!  Rain is anticipated, giving us a break from hiking.  But the rain did not appear by lunchtime, so Ron hiked with the hoe and bucket to do trail maintenance.  Cynthia took a break to catch up on a huge backload of correspondence.  After hearing distant thunder, Ron returned to the Inn moments before the storm arrived with torrential sheets of rain and hail blowing sideways for thirty minutes.  (Timing is everything.)  Ron returned before dark to inspect the trail for damage from the deluge, but there was little evidence of the rain.  It is awfully dry here. {GMC: 4 hours with hoe and bucket}

Surrounded by stinging nettle

11 Jul:  This is the biggest week of the birthday month; the lethargy has to go.  Cynthia decided doing Sudokus is the root cause of lethargy.  It is possible Irish Soda Bread may be a contributing factor, although it is very tasty.  We hiked the Sherburne Pass Trail to the sinkholes and return; Ron removed a lot of stinging nettles and sawed fallen trees. {GMC: 3 hours sawed there trees} 

Mrs. SmoochSmooch in radient glory

10 Jul, Sunday:  One of us is exhausted.  The other one is on his computer doing family group sheets.  This means that it will be lunchtime soon so we can eat and avoid hiking today because it is too warm.  Well, at 12:45, before lunch, we pulled ourselves out of our lethargy and slowly ambled up the Sherburne Pass Trail for a total of 3.8 miles round trip; this doesn't sound like a lot, but the climbing is cumbersome.  Ron used clippers up and downhill.  We met Herb and Cathy from the Green Mountain Club at the sinkholes.  Herb informed us that the trail is slated for rerouting above the sinkhole to avoid imminent collapse.  Upon the return and after eating veggies, Cynthia sank back into familiar lethargy.  Sigh!  Ron heard three good bear stories from Murray to get the adrenalin pumping.  The most exciting was about his son, Conner, who bicycled downhill past a large bear which then woofed at him and took up chase.  To his dismay, as he heard momma bear's claws clattering on the rocks behind him, Conner discovered that two cubs were fleeing downhill ahead of him on the same narrow track.  He avers that he has never peddled faster down that track, and he was desperately hoping that the cubs would vere off the trail, which they eventually did.  After he crossed an open area, he stopped to look back and saw momma displaying her displeasure by snorting and clawing the ground. {GMC 3 hours w/ clippers}

9 Jul:  Happy Birthday Rachel!  We hiked up the Sherburne Pass Trail North to the Deer Leep Junction, then southbound on the AT and Long Trail to Maine Junction. The crazy rock scramble up over bounders was not easy. But, the day was lovely and we continued hiking easy until the downhill that seemed forever down and down and down to Route Four, the highway hill climb to the Inn at Long Trail, our home for the next two months.  The hiking time was three hours and the distance covered was 3.5 miles. Cynthia cleaned up for dinner and listened to one song of the Live Irish Music.  OUCH.  Ron went back up mountain to saw and move two big logs.  A BIG guy named "Salt" came along and helped pry one sawed log off the trail.  {GMC: 4 hours w/ hoe, clippers and sawed two logs}

8 Jul:  More dry weather, suitable for a hike up the Sherbourne Pass Trail with bucket, hoe, and clippers.  (Ron's hand might complain about the overuse of clippers yesterday.) After many delay tactics, including lunch, we hiked 3.8 miles roundtrip to the sinkholes and back.  It was humid, and still. The mosquitoes feasted on Cynthia and she has a nasty blister on her toe, good grief!  The chef prepared a lovely tuna steak and shrimp dinner with baked potato and veggies.  {GMC: 4 hours with hoe} 

7 Jul:  The forecast is for a dry day.  Lets Hike !!  Hiker Camel (Bridget) awakens at 4 AM to begin hiking while it is still dark; Rude and Daddy Long Legs start hiking with the first light.  We sleep in.  We started at noon and hiked from Gifford Woods State Park to Thundering Falls, almost six miles, and returned exhausted; Ron sawed through two logs that had fallen across the trail but was only able to move them aongside the trail.  Granddaughter Corrie and husband Alan had their fourth child last night, a baby boy named James Alan, 10 lbs. 4 ozs. 23 inches long.  Cynthia bluetoothed her cell phone to Ron's pacemaker reader and sent a report to his doctor today.  {GMC: 4 hrs - sawed two logs & clipped a million branches)

6 Jul:  The morning rain kept us indoors, and Rude surprised Ron by presenting him with a very colorful AT-themed Buff neck gaiter.  Ron rode into town for frozen mango, pretzels, and grapes and mailed his storage locker check and an SCS Fellow award.  Late in the day, we hiked to the top of the first hill on the Sherbourne Pass Trail.  Ron did a bit of sawing - wow !! is he out of shape !!  Daddy Long Legs asked if we had been here on July 4th, 2019; he thinks he remembers meeting us then, and the blog bears him out.  We did indeed arrive here on July 4th, 2019.  Goodness, but time is zooming ahead too fast.  (Birthday month is passing apace.) {GMC: 1 hour - sawed a bit.}

5 Jul:  Another happily United day.  But today's forecast of rain is holding true, so this may be a day of rest to help Cynthia's ankle and knee recover.  There was no sufficient break in the rain for Ron to decide to ride to town.  Cynthia is sudoku'ed out.  We had a fun time at dinner with three hikers who arrived early for breakfast after hiking down from Killington starting before daylight, Bridget (Camel), Rude, and Daddy Long Legs.  They will zero tomorrow, so we will enjoy their company again and get a group photo or two.  Ron mended several holes, wrote a check for storage locker rent and submitted a service request to BMW Max near Troy, NY.  He has scattered his mess all over the living room couch and the bed.  Tomorrow he will mail the check in town and call BMW Max.

Stream feeding into Kent Pond

4 Jul:  Happy Independence Day!  United... we slept until 8:30 and returned to sleep at 10:30 AM until 1:30 PM.  After a very late lunch, we hiked 3.2 miles along Kent Pond.  Imagine our delight to encounter Charlie, swinging an axe to clear a tree from the trail.  We reached a big rock that signals to Ron where the trail begins a constant descent to Thundering Falls (click here).  Cynthia turned back five minutes later, whereas Ron, the Speedy Gonzales, continued hiking and pulled a tree off the trail before returning to catch up with Cynthia back at the bike.  God bless the USA!  We have some Wifi in our room this year, but only on the Mac computers, so writing happens sporadically.  {GMC: 2 hours - pulled dead tree from trail.}

3 Jul, Sunday: Exercised, well-fed at our happy hiking place, the sun is shining, and United, we hiked the Sherburne Pass Trail.  A fabulous 2.5 months of glorious hiking stretch out ahead of us.  We love it here!  The 2.9-mile hike to this ski run seemed so easy, that we didn’t stop for rest.  The downhill became torturous for Cynthia’s feet and knee because she didn’t stop and rest on the way up.  You can sorta see the Inn at Long Trail beneath the patch of white rock.  This will give you an idea of our elevation climb.   God bless the USA!  {GMC: 3 hours - waterbars.}

2 Jul:  United we hike!  We enjoyed a wonderfully good night's sleep accentuated by extensive rain, but then we never got started hiking.  Maybe tomorrow.  Ron did wash the motorcycle a bit and rode into Rutland for groceries.  We are delighted to have internet in room 17 now, and there is a new bed and couch, besides a new concrete sidewalk and new yellow lines in the parking lot.  Okie gave Ron a host of new sudokus, which helped to derail productivity.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow again.

1 Jul:  United we ride!  After a good night's sleep together, we packed everything onto the bike and rode to Kimball Farms (click here) to retrieve credit cards.  Of course, this means we both enthusiastically ate ice cream despite our strict and faithful adherence to our diet at all other times!  The ride to Killington was confusing because Ron misread the maps and misremembered the route, causing him to pass under I-495 and continue far too far looking for an entrance before he stopped to consult the GPS for a better way.  Cynthia will post, “Thoughts From the Back of a Bike Staring at a Red Helmet,”  It could be a best seller.  Oke greeted us upon our arrival at the Inn.  It certainly was good to see him looking good.  The route: MA-1A S through the Sumner Tunnel to MA-3 N to cross the Charles past the Museum of Science into Cambridge, immediate L on Commercial Avenue past hotels to Memorial Drive, past MIT & Harvard to MA route 2 (where Ron also missed a turn and wandered a bit before stopping to consult the GPS).   MA-2 W to I-95 N to MA-225 W to Carlisle Kimball Farms to retrieve "wallet" and more ice cream.  MA-225 W to I-495 S (eventually) to MA-2 W to exit 90B, MA-140 N -> MA-12 N into New Hampshire, and NH-12 N to Walpole, NH, L on US-5 cross river into Vermont N on I-91 to VT-103 W much further than expected to VT-100 N past all those beautiful lakes to Killington & US-4 W to the Inn at Long Trail (click here)