 |
| Cynthia enjoys costumes, Ron doesn't |
30 Jun: Mee beloved Weefee returns, and we scurry off to Vermont for hiking. Her flight departs IAH at 9:52 AM, arrives BOS at 2:45 PM to her beloved Smooch! Ron hopes to get moving early in order to visit Maggie in Hingham on the way to Boston Logan by 2:44 PM. Excitement builds in Texas with good flying weather to Boston. Cynthia arried on schedule and called the hotel to send a shuttle. Ahhh! Life is good! Well! Cynthia arrived at the hotel to discover Ron at the front desk, unable to check in because he left his credit cards at Kimball Farm after buying contraband ice cream. (He is caught.) A phone call solved the problem. They found the cards, now he must return and eat another ice cream cone! The route to the airport was MA-225 a few miles to Kimball Farm in Carlisle, then MA-225 to the very busy I-95 circumferential around Boston (formerly Route 128) (but Ron continued south another 4 miles on I-95 instead of switching to I-93 N as was needed) then N on I-93 to exit 7 for MA-3 S to exit 36 Derby St E to MA-53 N to Linden Ponds Way to visit Maggie for an hour. Leaving N on MA-53, Ron turned on Pleasant Street as before and trusted the GPS, but the GPS cannot be trusted to pick a good route. It picked a route through downtown Quincy to get to a point on Quincy Shore Drive instead of the more pleasant route Ron used a week earlier. En route to the airport, Ron used the left exit off I-93 to the airport, a better choice, and this time he was ready for that left exit onto MA-1A N to the Hilton Garden Inn.
29 Jun: Cynthia sawher ENT Dr. at 9:00 to get her old hearing aids recalibrated, then checked out of the condo before one and shipped a box to Killington. Then to a pedicure and manicurist, to the Woodlands to pick up a prescription and to return the rental car before finally spending the night at a hotel by the airport. Mission Accomplished in Texas by 4:45 PM. The beloved weefee is ensconced at the Houston IAH Hampton Inn, with shuttle ordered for 7:30 AM tomorrow, and she is sleeping early. Ron and Margie drove to Nashua for a relaxed afternoon luncheon with Bob & Rachel and Sock. It is wondefully satisfying to visit with friends from college. After returning to Sharon, NH, Ron packed the motorcycle ASAP and returned on the same roads to Carlisle (123, 124, 119 & 225) to sleep out one more night before returning the sleeping bag & tent to Dave.
28 Jun: Ron and Margie hiked in New Hampshire on Ted's Trail up North Pack. Cynthia had Dr. appointments at 10:00 and 4:00 for thyroid tests, and a dental appointment at 2:00 with Dr. Nunn. (This info is for the IRS.) All of the boxes are back in the storage unit with a mental note to Cynthia to get it organized and cleaned in November. And KABOOM, after using the credit card at the doctors office, the card holder with credit cards is missing. She raced back to check, nada there. Credit cards are cancelled, new ones ordered. At least the new drivers license is already coming. Later she discovered the lost wallet and credit cards in a zippered compartment of her very own purse. Isn’t life fun! Oooohh, when available, hubsand Ron usually performs a second search to discover such overlooked items. Ted's Trail was a "good" hike, up over lots of rocks and roots to a several good vistas out over New Hampshire's mountain greenery.
27 Jun: Cynthia successfully renewed her drivers license at 9:30 in Hempstead, Texas, followed by lunch with friends Carol and Sandy. Whew !! Now that anxiety abou eyesight can be put to rest for a few years. In the evening, Jon and Tina took her to see Roxanne’s newly remodeled bathroom, and they all went to dinner at Jason’s Deli. Ron awakened at 5 AM, thought the clock read 6 AM and rode 15 minutes to Peterborough, only to be dismayed that Shaws grocery would not open for another hour at 7 AM. Fooey, so he made the best of the situation by walking into downtown Peterborough to use up that hour. He was pleased to acquire blueberries, bananas, and pretzels before the rain, forecast to arrive at 8 AM. But at 8 AM the forecast was set back an hour - and similarly at 9 AM and 10 AM. Ron was eager to ride north to Concord, NH to see Beanie and Eddie, but scattered rain was falling along the route. At 11 AM, just as Ron was deciding to go despite the forecasts, the rain began in Sharon. It soon stopped, but began again two hours later, again just as Ron was deciding to go. Finally at 3 PM he gave up that notion and waited for Margie and Richard to return. Margie wanted to walk, so Ron got in a second multi mile walk.
26 Jun, Sunday: Ron enjoyed both nights camping out at Rick's over the weekend before returning to Margie’s on those same roads (10, 119, 202, 124, 123). Margie asked Ron to keep her Maine Coon Cat (click here) company by sleeping indoors, or at least on the screened-in back porch. Ron thoroughly enjoyed the back porch, being both closer to the bathroom and free from mosquitoes on those nocturnal forays. Romeo (the cat) seemed to enjoy Ron's presence although he remained cautiously out of reach. In Texas, Cynthia worshipped at Grace Lutheran, followed by brunch at the yacht club with Roxanne, Jon and Tina.
25 Jun: After lots of conversation with Margie and Richard, Ron rode to Gill, Massachusetts to visit Rick & Sherry for the weekend. Ron asked for Rick's help to get the motorcycle onto the center stand in order to measure the oil level. (The engine needs to be on the centerstand, fully warmed up with the fan running for one minute before it is turned off. Then after another minute the oil level is checked.) Immediately after that, Rick suggested that they canoe on the Connecticut River in flat water behind a dam. Ron was very nervous being in a racing profile boat on the river (narrow and shaky). We did not fall in and didn't even get very muddy. Meanwhile in Texas, Cynthia is attending the birthday party for one-year-old great grandson, Noah. 25 toddlers! The noise is a whole lotta loud! Ron's route: New Hampshire highway 123 south to L on NH 124 W to L on US 202 S/W to R on NH 119 W to L on NH 10 S -> MA 10 S 5 miles to Main Street in Gill.
 |
| What are these two doing in an airplane?? |
 |
| Jon's family is getting bigger |
24 Jun: Cynthia had a haircut. Margie invited Ron to make her house his base of operations, so Ron borrowed Dave's camping gear to continue camping at Margie and Richard’s. It was indeed lovely to see Margie and Richard again. They are looking good and taking good care of themselves, and threading their ways through the individual issues associated with aging. Route: MA 225 N to R on Canal Street N -> NH 124 N to a R on NH 123 N to Jarmany Hill Road.
23 Jun: Ron camped at Dave’s, but he has no Verizon signal to call people. Yesterday's visit with Richard convinced Ron that Richard will enjoy postcards much more than visits, so that freed Ron to spend the entire day with Dave & Kris including two multi-mile walks. Cynthia’s ENT removed the Earlens and refunded the purchase price because they are not working for her. She has a busy schedule of appointments, plus getting hiking equipment shipped to Vermont, SCS shirts shipped to Carol and Dean.
22 Jun: Cynthia flew from Boston to Houston, leaving Ron without adult supervision. He rode with her on the shuttle, into the airport and held her hand across the security barrier as she walked to TSA Precheck. Now, that’s an awesome, incredible, amazing Smooch! I love you! Great weather for departure and arrival. Yikes, airline descent air pressure was painful on ear drums. Ron's afternoon began well enough with a stop at Trader Joe's to get chocolate for Richard and a bag of frozen mango for lunch. However the visit with Richard was depressing since Richard is living in his imagination, can no longer converse and seems to consider visitors unwelcome burdens. The ride to Carlisle went well except for the blinding sun, and Dave and Kris were very welcoming - but we stayed up talking far too long into the night. Ron is very happy to be sleeping in a tent. MA 1A S to MA 3 N to L on Sorrow Drive, left lane for MA 28 N/ North Station to cross Charles River Dam, first L to Memorial Drive to L on Western Avenue to Arsenal Street to R on Arlington St and R on Coolidge Hill Road. After visiting Richard, L on Greye -> Arlington St., L on Aberdeen, R on Huron, around rotary to Concord Pike and MA 2 W then R on MA 225 N to Curve Street in Carlisle.
21 Jun: The forecast is for dry weather for our ride across Connecticut to Hingham, Massachusetts to visit Ron's exercise guru Maggie before riding into Boston. Maggie had a terrible accident in her wheelchair. She was crossing a street in the Linden Ponds complex when a 97-year-old driver failed to stop at a stop sign and hit her, breaking her spine in three places and cracking her pelvis entirely. She is now confined to bed without the ablilty to get into a wheelchair and remain independent. After giving up in despair for a month or so, she regrouped and is now interested in writing a book of suggestions to make nursing homes places to live instead of places to go to wait to die. AttaGirl Maggie. Our route was surprisingly pleasant despite Northeastern traffic and interstates. I-84 E past Waterbury, Connecticut to exit 27, I-691 E to Meridan, exit on Connecticut 66 E through Middletown, merging with US 6 E and then with I-295 to exit 2B which merges with US 1 North then left on MA 1A to a Ruby Tuesday at an Outlet Mall in Wrentham. After filling ourselves full of salad, we continued on I-495 S/E to exit 33A for I-95 N to exit 26 and I-93 N to exit 7 for Massachusetts Highway 3 S towards Cape Cod to exit 36, Derby Street and MA 53 N to Linden Ponds Way. After a lovely visit with Maggie, we continued North on MA 53 to a R on Pleasant Street -> Commercial Street -> North Street -> Pearl Street to a L on Evans Street, L on MA 3A to a R on Southern Artery, L on Sea Street, L on Quincy Shore Drive with lovely views of the Bay. Back on MA 3 feeding into I-93 N to exit 16 for Logan staying L to get on I-90 E (toll) to MA 1A to HGI - except that I missed the little sign in the tunnel that pointed to the left exit onto 1A, so we toured the airport looking for a way out.
 |
| Hudson w/ baby brother |
20 Jun: One more overnight in Danbury. We are looking for a different hike today, except we crashed. Cynthia slept all afternoon. Grandson Brett and Jen announced the birth of a second son, eleven pounds! Our granddaughter Zoe and Jack announced their engagement to be married 10 June 2023, right after their college graduation. Zoe will continue higher ed; Jack wants to play pro soccer goalie.
19 Jun, Sunday: Happy Fathers Day to all fathers everywhere! Now that we have eaten breakfast and eaten RX pills, it is time to discover where we can get in a good walk in the vicinity of Danbury. We walked on the road (US 6) a mile west to Farrington Forest and enjoyed a lovely, serene walk in the woods there. Ron enjoyed his dinner of red potatoes and the show by Music of Cream (click here) at Daryl's House (click here) in Pawling, New York. The performance started at 7 PM (after the band checked the sound system at 6 PM - a delightful preview of their ability. The show was very, very good, but still did not measure up to the 2005 concerts by the Cream at Prince Albert Hall.
18 Jun: We left Jim and Becky at 11:15 AM, on schedule, despite a forecast of rain at 9 AM, to ride to Danbury, Connecticut. This route is trivially easy: US 11 N to R on PA 29 S/E to L on I-81 N to exit 182 to Ruby Tuesday first (in Moosic, PA), then back on I-81 N to I-84 E to Danbury, Connecticut later. Ohhh noooo! that Ruby Tuesday has been closed for several months, - - - but we were able ot order great salads at Nonno's Pizza & Family Restaurant next door. Ohhh Nooo #2 - - - The winds and cold were quite trying all day long, especially northbound in the morning. Cold and winds continued all afternoon until we arrived in Danbury at 5 PM, half frozen and worn out. Days like this make Ron question if he really likes riding motorcycles that much. We enjoyed a nice dinner of salmon, veggies and potatoes at the Hilton Garden Inn restaurant, and our waitress was delightful. Then Ron discovered that Trader Joe's is just beyond the neighboring wooded lot and sashayed out for grapes, blueberries and frozen mango.
17 Jun: Jim has recommended another good hike, starting at a Weiser Forest parking area off Pennsylvania route 54 E (via highway 61 S/E and 487 N). The Roaring Creek Trail was a flat gravel road on the ridge overlooking the lake. At first we traversed fishermans trails to the waters edge and enjoyed views of the mountains across the lake, but when those trails faded into obscurity, we climbed to the ridgetop road and continued for two miles to the site of bridge construction. On return we rode through Shamokin, which is an interesting old mining town. Back in Selinsgrove, Perkins again served us egg white omelets, and for dinner, Jim and Becky cooked us very, very tasty grilled salmon and corn on the cob for dinner. (Nevi was eager to finish uneaten corn off the cob.) They are encouraging us to visit again and often.
 |
| Ron and Nevaeh |
16 Jun: We awakened too warm in the middle of the night, which caused us to awaken late. (The comforter is suitable for minus degrees.) After our exercises, we hustled out the door and onto the motorcycle to Perkins for egg white veggie omelets; they did a good job. Then we stopped at Giant for groceries and rode a whole host of tiny PA highways to Ricketts Glen State Park (click here). Since we started hiking at noon, we were justifiably nervous about the prospects of rain at 4 PM, but the hike was everything Jim and Becky said. Waterfalls and more waterfalls despite the miniscule size of the stream. This trail is not for people squeamish about "exposure," and Cynthia hyperventilates when the trailside dropoff becomes significant. We hiked two miles uphill and saw both of the 47-foot high falls before good sense dictated that we save Cynthia's composure by returning. The forecast of significant rain & possible hail at 4 PM was a contributing factor. The same route on southbound return was quicker than the northbound version: US 11 N to L on PA 54 N to R on PA 642 (which had too many big bumps) to L on PA 42 N to R on PA 118 to the parking area. On the return, we turned into Sunbury on PA 147, crossing a different bridge over the big, wide river. Jim and Becky treated us to a lovely dinner (under threat of rain) at the new Midtown Bistro (click here), and Nevaeh, the sweet Old English Sheep Dog, led us all on a pleasant walk around the neighborhood at dusk. She is a quick sniffer. Now, as I finish this blog entry at 10 PM, the thunder has arrived, but apparently no rain.
15 Jun: We left the Doubletree in York on I-83 north to a Ruby Tuesday in Harrisburg, PA where we again found an excellently well run establishment with a great salad bar. It was hot and the bright sun caused Ron to miss a couple of turns and wander through more of Harrisburg than intended before he finally got back on US 322 to a R on US 22 N along the Susquehanna to Duncannon, a town known to all AT hikers. (And only hikers would stay at the Doyle hotel (click here), but nearly everyone likes the food and the bar.) Immediately after crossing the river bridge, we turned R on US 15 N on the opposite side of the river with great views. R on PA 61 S across the river into Sunbury and the GPS guided us to Jim and Becky's house. Jim had great suggestions for a hike tomorrow and informed us that rain is not forecast to begin until 4 PM.
 |
| Momma Bear and the Flower Girls |
14 Jun: We loved our visit in York with Mary Lois and family. We arose, ate breakfast and looked at the color radar, which galvanized us into immediate action as a big storm was due to descend upon us momentarily. In the fifteen minutes it took us to get the motorcycle in motion, a very light rain began to fall, but we arrived at the Shenk Embassy 95% dry. The first big shock was the transformation of the cluttered, decrepit, dirty garage into a clean, comfortable, modern living space, well appointed and nicely decorated with photos of family and inspirational Bible phrases on all walls. It was terrific to see Mamma Bear's video slideshow of her AT hike to complete the Trail in memory of Papa Bear. Youngest Flower Girl, 16-year-old Hannah, is a talented artist; we enjoyed her book and many drawing. The slideshow and video clips of the Boys hike was similarly enthralling. Kevin dropped by for lunch. Kevin now employs two of his sisters in his web design business. Wendy and ?? also came for lunch, as did Keeshon. (Autumn and Keeshon work for the school as mentors for 13 to 16 year olds.) Austin surprised me by giving me a big hug before I saw him; he is no longr the string bean hiker that I met years ago; he is now a married man with two very active youngsters in tow. The girls had prepared salads and baked potatoes, so everyone was able to eat until Ron was full. After lunch we walked over to the new school, so radically different from the previous two times we've been there. They held classes last year and have seven operational classrooms. I shot a couple of baskets in the gymnasium. It is now a Christian school )(click here), and some of the parents prefer a Christian education for their children even though they themselves are not Christian. It is always uplifting to visit the Shenks, and this time was no exception. They fed us dinner and bid us fond farewells until we meet again.
13 Jun: No rush, but we need to check out of Doubletree and ride to York, Pennsylvania to see Ron's hiker friends, the Preacher Boys and their mom. Ron has OD'ed on traffic and decided not to go into Philadelphia. Cynthia shipped her dress back to Texas. It is hot, and we are weary. We backtracked to the Ruby Tuesday for lunch; King Street south to 2nd Street north to L on Delaware 2 west to R on DE 7 to Ruby Tuesday. After a satisfying and filling lunch of salad, we continued on DE 7 N/W to merge with DE 41 N/W to merge with US 30 W around Lancaster to R on I-83 N to the Comfort Inn. We arrived a little too late to visit today, so Ron went out to Weis grocery for bananas, blueberries, and lettuce.
 |
| Anticipating the wedding |
 |
| Cynthia speaking |
 |
| Cynthia speaking with gestures |
 |
| The wedding re-enactment |
12 Jun, Sunday: Because Ron was so late getting to bed, poor Cynthia did not get sufficient sleep. We awakened and breakfasted with several of our Rambo cousins before boarding the tour buses for a ride over to Gov. Printz park (click here) for the farmstead dedication (click here), the primary reason for this event. We are keynote speakers at the Rambo Reunion. Cynthia delivered a beautiful speech on cue about 11 AM. Click here to see a video of her speech (you have to click on the little arrow). Then she motioned Ron to come forward, but he thought the speeches were to be before lunch indoors and was entirely unprepared. Still, he got a hearty laugh and a few comments from his obvious confusion. Rob Rambo then presented a marvelous re-enactment of Peter Gunnarson Rambo recalling his courtship of Brita. This was followed by the reenactment of the wedding ceremony with Rev. Kim-Eric Williams officiating, followed by a lovely song by Emily Tepe, Iva. Thereafter, we all walked across the park and grounds to lunch at the Corinthian Yacht Club. Ron again indulged in several lenghty discussions with genealogy cousins again.
 |
| Cynthia blessing wreath in Peter Rambo's memory |
11 June: We awakened and breakfasted early because Cynthia is always nervous about the schedule - and the clock in our room was an hour early. Our RAMBO Reunion events included a a tour bus ride to the Swedish American Museum (click here), then Gloria Dei Church (click here) (where Cynthia blessed a wreath and we ate lunch), followed by the Kalmar Nyckel Museum (click here), and finally Holy Trinity Church (click here) in Wilmington. Cynthia and Ron spoke about DNA at the Stiddem Society dinner this evening. It was a long, full day followed by a couple of lengthy discussions for Ron about genealogy.
10 Jun: Goal: Check in to Doubletree in Wilmington for reunion. We awakened at a reasonable hour, ate a leisurely breakfast and departed before noon. Intended route is DE 1 (toll) N to DE 7 N to Ruby Tuesday on Limestone Pike, then somehow to the Doubletree as the GPS suggests. Cynthia is ensconced in our room, with dinner in her tummy, ready to sleep. We must arise and try to shine at six AM. Rain is now forecast for Sunday Ohhhh no! - (Cynthia's words, Ron is unconcerned.) The GPS took us a route that Ron had intended to avoid: Delaware 7 S to a L on DE 2 E into the streets of Wilmington, R on 8th Street S to L on King Street to the hotel. Wilmington traffic is really quite light and manageable.
9 Jun: We packed up and checked out by 11 AM to visit Dean & Janina until mid-afternoon, but stayed longer when they decided to feed us a late salad & veggies lunch. We left about 3 PM and stopped at the Ruby Tuesday in Milford for additional salad before continuing north up DelMarVa to the Hilton Garden Inn in Dover. Ron wanted to exit early to avoid the toll into Dover, but got confused by the road signs and ended up entering Dover Air Force Base instead. The gate personnel straightened him out so that he easily found Delaware highway 10 and US 13 through Dover. Route was simply Delaware 1 north to business 1 into Milford, L on Buccaneer to Ruby Tuesday, then US 113 North back onto DE 1 to Dover AFB exit 95, then DE 10 N to US 13 N through Dover to the HGI.
 |
| Dean, Cynthia and Ron (guess which is Cynthia) |
8 Jun: We slept in until 7:30 and drove over about 11 AM to spend the day with brother Dean & Janina. Janina provided us all a tasty luncheon of lots of veggies. The afternoon was spent in pleasant conversation since the weather was really too hot to be comfortable outside. Ron and Cynthia thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Beatty family scrapbook Janina has created with photos from Dean and Carol. Janina again prepared a lovely salmon dinner on her new Foreman Grill although the new grill is apparently inferior to the old one. Ron went for blueberries and gasoline after dropping Cynthia at the hotel and was out past dark. Janina opined that the druggies are the ones out after dark, and that description fits the people Ron saw shopping. And here it is 11 PM again. Goodnight.
7 Jun: We left Jim & Joni's by eleven AM and stopped at Bob’s BMW in Jessup to order a new bike. Jim has convinced Ron that the R1250RT model is due for redesign and replacement in the near future and that model is so popular that it disappears from showroom floors before it arrives. Our new bike is not yet in production but should arrive in six to eight weeks. At that time we will still be in Vermont, so Ron will boogie down to MD and switch out the bikes. When Cynthia dismounted at Bob's and removed her helmet, she realized she was missing a hearing aid. Cynthia checked the floors at Bob's without finding the hearing aid, so we returned to Jim's (40 miles) and scoured the house, walked the same steps, and found nothing. Bummer. The rain that was forecast for 3 PM arrived on schedule while we were searching. We remounted the bike and headed east toward Lewes, Delaware, hoping that the rain had passed us bye. No such luck, we soon ran into light showers that persisted for 50 miles until the merge onto I-97. At times the showers were somewhat heavy, but we kept our speed up and stayed dry. Ron was very relieved that the rain stopped for our ride on I-97 and for the ride across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (click here). The wind was strong enough to create whitecaps on the bay below the bridge and white knuckles on Ron's hands. We were able to enjoy dinner in Easton, Maryland at Ruby Tuesday!! We are very happy that Google can still find Ruby Tuesday Restaurants that are open. When we arrived at our Hampton Inn in Rehoboth, Delaware, we searched our luggage but still found no hearing aid. And this is the aid for Cynthia's "good" ear that hears better. Since it was already dark, we told Dean we'd see him tomorrow. Our route from West Falls Drive was MD 27 South briefly to L on Gillis Falls Road E to R on Woodbine Road S crossing I-70 (in light rain) to L on MD 144 E to R on MD 32 E all the way to L on US 1 N to R on Guilford Road E and Bob's BMW. After our return to Jim's, we skipped Bob's BMW and continued E on MD 32 to merge onto I-97 S to a left exit onto US 50 E (which crosses the Bay Bridge) and enters Easton, Maryland. Then R on MD 322 S a mile to Ruby Tuesday. Return N on MD 322 to a tight right on US 50 S/E to L on MD 328 E to Denton, MD and R on MD 404 E to R on DE 36 which joins DE 16 E to R on DE 1 S to the Rehoboth Hampton Inn. Delaware does not require helmets for experienced motorcyclists, and Ron is looking forward to riding without that uncomfortable nuisance.
6 Jun: Bob's BMW is closed Mondays. Will we wear out our welcome with Jim & Joni? Apparently not; we didn't even awaken until after they went to work this morning. (The pretzels did their job last night.) We walked 4.3 miles round trip to the Buffalo Road, enjoying beautiful weather and a beautiful day in Maryland. After Jim and Joni returned home, we rnjoyed another great dinner with them at the Mount Airy Inn. How fun to see several geese with their goslings waddling to the lake.
5 Jun: Sunday: We spent another day with Jim & Joni by sleeping late, breakfast in Mount Airy, followed by a 2.7 mile walk of the historic community. This is the highest point east to the ocean, started by a need for steam engines to cool after climbing to this high point. The hills were steep walking today, too. Jim showed us the fascinating Mt. Airy railroad tunnel (click here) that was built in 1901 by the B & O RR to bypass the highest elevation with a half-mile tunnel (still in use, now underneath a shopping plaza). Also fascinating to learn that Maryland 144 was formerly US 40, the first National Road (click here) (east to west).
4 Jun: We expected to spend all day with Jim & Joni, always a fun couple to visit. Jim is on top of everything motorcycle, and informed Ron that BMW is preparing to retire the R1250RT in favor of a 1300 CC model that will probably have "bugs" to work out. That news motivated us to get serious about trading our motorcycle for a lighter weight BMW 1250 RT ASAP. Consequently after a hearty breakfast at the Mt. Airy Inn, we rode to District Harley (and BMW) in Gaithersburg to look at one there, but the only one available there was sold before it arrived. The R1250RT models are in demand and scarce. After we returned, Jim loaded us all up into his Jeep and took us to the Potomac River where we hiked on the C&O Canal Trail for 2 miles and saw a huge Great Blue Heron. The Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Frederick, MD had a terrible salad bar, one of the worst we've ever seen at a Ruby Tuesday.
3 Jun: We are packed to leave Waynesboro, VA, after a large salad at Outback Restaurant, and ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, and arrive at Jim & Joni's in Mt. Airy, MD sometime this afternoon. Thank you Outback, Josh Hughes, manager, and Tonja Michelle, waitress for outstanding service We NEVER EVER dreamed an Outback could meet our cardiac dietary restrictions! WOW! Our route was simplicity itself: US 250 East to the Parkway North to US 340 in Front Royal through Harpers Ferry (familiar !!) to I-70 East in Frederick, MD to MD 27 North a few miles to West Falls Road and Jim and Joni's. Jim had warned Ron of new rock on his driveway and met us to provide smoother passage for Cynthia and the luggage, leaving Ron to bounce and bump over the rocks solo. Wonderful to see Jim and Joni looking so healthy and happy again. Jim had cooked us a veggie dinner that was wonderful (especially the small boiled potatoes) and included barbequed chicken. Despite eating a lot of pretzels, Ron awakened several times through the night.
2 Jun: Ron REALLY must get "serious" about packing today. And indeed he did, plus a hiking trip and getting drenched in a severe thunderstorm. Ron looked up Crabtree Falls (click here) (as suggested by a housekeeper) and also found the Blue Ridge Tunnel (click here) in Nelson County, VA, so he knew where the Afton Post Office is located. As he returned from his quick hike up to see the flowers again at Jarmin Gap, he thought that the ten minutes to Afton to mail post cards wouldn't make a bit of difference, despite the thunder that he had heard and the black skies to the north and west. And it didn't matter much until he ran into a smattering of raindrops as he neared the first exit into Waynesboro, so he made the quick decision to get off the interstate onto Delphine Avenue. What he did not remember is that that street heads straight north and has no places to seek shelter for two miles. Ron remembers no worse deluge than the second one to hit him, which immediately drenched him thoroughly. Ron was able to enjoy seeing wind blowing the rainfall at a 60 degree angle. There were a couple of times that he couldn't even see the street in front of him, but he did manage to get to the nearest Speedway station and wait there for 20 minutes until the rain nearly stopped before continuing. Strangely, despite being soaked, he wasn't chilled.)
 |
| Lookie the tall mountain laurel |
1 Jun: Only two more days before packing and riding - it is now time to begin the packing process - after we go hiking. The hike was very, very satisfying but also very, very HOT. We rode to Jarmin Gap and commensed hiking north, down at first to the pleasant little stream, then up and up and up for a long, long way into marvelous clouds of white and pink flowers, mountain laurel (click here). Once we arrived over the crest of the mountain, Cynthia stared briefly at the trail downhill and decided to let Ron go it alone. He did, and we both remembered that in a previous year, on a similar hike, Cynthia had made the same decision and Ron hiked alone that day also. Today was much, much prettier with the blooms even more magnificent than earlier. Oops, Ron spent his day working on genealogy, with satisfying results but zero progress on packing.
