A Disney Biathlon

When Dorcas and I were traveling out west last summer, we met a couple in Glacier National Park who were also traveling extensively in their motor home. We had some other things in common with them; we hiked together, went to a concert together and shared a meal together. George and Jackie have a home in Florida and invited us to visit them when we came to Florida this winter. It turns out they live very close to Walt Disney World and Jackie actually works in the Magic Kingdom. When we called them, they invited us to visit some Disney parks as their guests. Cool!!! Even though they go to the parks fairly often, George and Jackie were excited too, because they had not seen several of the special Holiday events. On Saturday we made a plan to visit EPCOT. We parked at the Disney Boardwalk, a 40's Atlantic City styled resort, and took a boat from there to EPCOT. We then entered the park at an entrance just for cast members and guests. We did a number of attractions including Soarin', Test Track, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, Living with the Land, Ellen's Energy Adventure and Mission: Space. I think my favorite was Soarin' a simulated hang gliding adventure using an IMAX-like movie. Dorcas liked Mission: Space, an intense training mission and flight to Mars. As it became dark we enjoyed Mickey's Tree Lighting Treat. We had a private party with Mickey and Pluto, and then we all got to test drive some Segway transporters. Later we watched a performance of the Candlelight Processional, a narrated musical presentation of the Christmas story, with guest narrator Edward James Olmos (remember Miami Vice?). Finally we experienced the light and fireworks show IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. Whew! Too much fun!!! We closed the park down and came home to crash.

Today our strategy was to assault both Magic Kingdom and Disney MGM Studios. We parked at Wilderness Lodge a resort reminiscent of the grand National Park lodges of the great American west, and took a boat to Magic Kingdom. Major attractions we experienced included an updated Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion and Mickey's PhilharMagic. After lunch we headed to Disney MGM Studios. We took the monorail, where we rode in the cockpit with the pilot. At MGM we did Muppet-Vision 3-D and Disney MGM Studios Backlot Tour, where the four of us were the featured stars in a WWII movie production (I took 1000 gallons shower from a torpedo attack!) After dinner we watched the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights on the Streets of America and enjoyed real snow falling. Then back to Magic Kingdom for SpectroMagic, a light parade and Holiday Wishes, the best fireworks display I have ever seen. Cinderella's castle was draped with over 200,000 lights, the first time it has been decorated in this manner. We stayed in the park until after midnight. Thanks to our friends George and Jackie for hosting this wonderful experience!

To the Land of the Mouse

This morning we attended a seminar at Lazydays presented by a representative of Cummins Power. Cummins makes our engine, as well as our generator, and we picked up a number of pointers on operation and maintenance. Near the end of the presentation, just before lunch time, we got the call that our coach was ready to roll. After lunch, with heavy hearts and full tummies, we departed Lazydays and the Crown Club. We can still visit the Crown Club at any time until our membership expires at the end of January 2009, so I'm sure we will return many times.

We moved about 60 miles today. We drove east on I-4 and north on US 27 to Thousand Trails Orlando, about 8 miles south of Clermont and 4 miles east (as the crow flies) of Walt Disney World. We visited with our friends Dave and Audrey, who are also staying at TTO. We will stay at TTO until December 26, then we plan to move north to Ocala National Forest and meet some paddling friends.

Quote of the Week

"Many of our members refer to the "Crown Club" as the "Pound Club" and measure the duration of their visit not by the number of days they stay, but by the number of pounds they gain during their stay."

Marcus the omelet chef, Lazydays Crown Club

Dorcas and I managed to escape the Crown Club with no apparent adverse health effects

Visiting Old Friends

We are still camped at Lazydays tonight. Our window replacement was finished this afternoon, but the sealant would not be dry enough to get our complimentary coach wash and detailing today, so we are staying over until tomorrow. We are parked in the Crown Club area at Lazydays, which is the high-rent district here. In addition to free camping, the Crown Club offers complimentary gourmet breakfast and lunch, as well as an evening happy hour with free cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for members. We have been here going on three days now. We need to leave here soon, or else we will become obese alcoholics. Or worse: we will buy a new coach in order to extend our membership.

Today we saw a number of old friends, both by chance and by design. At a Lazydays seminar we ran into a couple that we had met during a Safari TREK rally two years ago. 10 minutes later at the Camping World store we ran into Ted, a fellow we had paddled with during two previous Central Florida Paddlemasters Week of Rivers events. Finally, we visited our friends Joe and Jean Faulk who own and operate a canoe livery only a few miles from Lazydays. If you are every in the Tampa area and want to paddle on the Hillsborough River, visit Canoe Escape and let Joe and Jean set you up. They are really nice folks and will treat you right. When you go, say hello to River Dog and Gus.

If things go as planned, tomorrow we will be camped at the Thousand Trails resort near Orlando, where we will see more old friends.

RV Heaven

Today we lunched with Laura and Dana at Cedar River Seafood in Middleburg. After lunch we departed and had a very pleasant drive of only about 3 1/2 hours. The temperature today peaked at about 65 degrees, and it is forecast to be near 40 degrees the next two nights before warming a bit on Tuesday. We apparently left NC just in time. Back home it will be in the mid 20s the next two nights. We are camped in the parking lot at Lazydays RV SuperCenter, about 10 miles east of downtown Tampa. Lazydays claims to be the largest RV dealership in the US, and I believe it. We bought our motor home here last January, and we have an appointment on Tuesday morning to replace two fogged windows. The windows were fogged when we bought our coach and Lazydays is replacing the windows at no cost to us. Attaboy! Tomorrow we plan to go window shopping for $1,000,000 coaches. I hope we don't have another weak moment and just go for it! Then again, you can't take it with you.

Welcome to Sunny Florida

We had an uneventful drive down I-95 and arrived at the Florida Welcome Center shortly after lunch. The temperature was in the mid eighties, so I changed to short pants and, we had a picnic lunch: leftover fried green tomato sandwich from the Cajun Yard Dog. We then spent about an hour gathering brochures and drinking free orange juice at the welcome center. From the welcome center we proceeded to the home of my cousin Laura and Dana near Middleburg FL, were we would spend Saturday night. At Laura's house we successfully backed into their driveway, only narrowly missing their brand new well and "water treatment facility". We had some cool adult beverages and Dana entertained us with some swell guitar licks and some tunes he had written. Laura is another relative that I don't see often enough, and we had a great time. That night a strong cold front came through and we had some beautiful lightning and some much-needed rain.

Florida Bound

Dorcas and I left this afternoon bound for Florida. This is the first winter since we both retired and our first real snowbird experience. We have gone to Florida for a week or so each winter for many years, but this will be the first time that we can really stay a while. Our plan is to bounce around in Florida until near the end of February and then head to Mississippi to visit my mother before returning home. About 2/3 of our destinations are known; the rest we'll figure out when the time comes. Our first destination is Lazy Days, near Tampa, where we are having some fogged windows replaced. Then we will move to Thousand Trails Orlando, a membership resort which we belong to. Then the day after Christmas we will meet some paddling friends at Alexander Springs in Ocala National Forest. Shortly after New Year we will move south to Thousand Trials Peace River near Wauchula. We have a week planned at Hillsborough River State Park near Tampa. Near the end of January we will be attending an RV rally near Clermont. In February we will meet some friends from home at Blue Spring State Park, which is an excellent manatee viewing area. Near the end of February we are attending another RV rally near Tampa. At some point we hope to get to south Florida and the Everglades area. We did bring some camping gear, so we can do an overnight paddle if we wish. Whew! Life is good!

We left home about 2:00 pm and had made arrangements to meet my Aunt Sarah for dinner in Charlotte at 5:00. We had plenty of time and had allowed for Friday afternoon traffic right? Wrong! Normally it takes about two hours to get to Charlotte from home. We elected to go down US 52 and I-85, rather than I-40 and I-77, since that was closer to our meeting place. Near the Kannapolis exit on I-85 traffic ground to a halt. Chatter on the CB revealed a wreck in our lane about 1 mile ahead and another wreck in our lane about 16 miles ahead. Traffic was stopped the whole way between the two wrecks. Dang. We decided to jump off at exit 63 and took the Old Salisbury Concord Road to the center of downtown Concord and then US 29 to I-485. We finally arrived at the Arboretum on Providence Road, only 15 minutes late. We dined with Aunt Sarah at the Cajun Yard Dog, a small Cajun restaurant recommended by my cousin Steve. We hadn't seen Sarah for several years and had a very nice visit. We were on the road again by about 8:00 pm. We bought 125 gallons of diesel fuel in Rock Hill (ouch!) and spent the night at a rest area on I-26 near Orangeburg SC.

Quote of the Week

"If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."

Will Rogers 1879-1935

Following is a link to a very touching essay by Tampa Tribune writer Michelle Bearden on the loss of her friend Foxy to cancer. "Eulogy for a Big Red Mutt"

Lee State Natural Area and the Lynches River Nov 29-Dec 2

We had decided that we wanted to take the coach out one more time before we left for Florida in mid December. Our first thought was to go to the outer banks for about a week in mid November, but that never happened. Our second thought was to go to Stone Mountain State Park, but that never happened either. Finally we decided to join a group of friends and members of the Lumber River Canoe Club for a four-day weekend at Lee State Natural Area on the Lynches River, near Bishopsville, SC. When we arrived at the campground at Lee State Natural Area and State Park about lunch time, Wayne and Lynda were already there and had a nice fire going. No fire ban for those devil-may-care South Carolinians! Jim and Ann arrived about an hour later. The campground offers large level sites in tall pines and has water and 30A electric. Every day Ranger Lester brought a new load of free firewood. The place was practically deserted. For much of the day we sat around the fire, listened to Christmas music and talked with our friends. Later we walked to the river and onto a boardwalk into the wetlands.

On Friday we decided to paddle a section of the Lynches River. We were not familiar with the river, but we knew the level was low. Ranger Lester suggested putting in on a section well below the park. Being "Dumb But Tough" and not trusting the judgment and opinions of non-paddlers, we elected to paddle the section from US 15 to the park, a distance of about five miles. This section is above the first section described by Able and Horan in "Paddling South Carolina". Ann was feeling poorly with a cold, so Jim and Ann didn't paddle. Jim dropped Wayne, Lynda, Dorcas and me off at the access at US 15, with a promise to pick us up at the state park access. The river was more of a piedmont river than a blackwater river. It was 30-50 feet wide with 4-6 foot banks and a clear sandy bottom. The going was pretty easy. We had about 6 fairly easy pullovers and portages. We arrived at the take-out about three hours after putting in. We called Ann, who was very surprised we were finished so early. She had told Ranger Lester of our route and he had predicted we wouldn't be back until dark. By the time we returned to the campground Mike and Liz had arrived. Don and Sandy arrived shortly thereafter. Later we again enjoyed the campfire, with good Christmas music and good friends.

On Saturday we paddled the section from the park (our previous take-out) to US 401, a distance of about 8 miles. This section was very similar to the upstream section, but a little wider. Consequently we only had about two drag-overs. Ann was feeling better today, so we had ten paddlers in 5 boats. The weather was perfect and a good time was had by all.

On Sunday we took it easy and lounged around the campfire. Everyone began the routine of packing up their campers. We outlasted everyone else and left the camp about 1:00. Before leaving the park we explored the artesian springs, for which the park is known.

Here is a link to Don's report of the same trip.

Quote of the Week

There is a concrete monument at the NC/SC state line on the Lumber River south of Fair Bluff. As we paddled across the line into South Carolina, one silly paddler, who shall remain anonymous, remarked:

"The average IQ of both states just went up 1%."

After-Thanksgiving Weekend Lumber River Canoe Camp

Laziness is habit forming. First I plagiarized (maybe it isn't plagiarizing if you give credit to the author?) Andy's report on the Morrow Mountain hike. Then Wayne wrote an excellent report on our Thanksgiving canoe camping trip on the Lumber River, so I am repeating it here. I will agree with Wayne: it was Almost Perfect!

Almost Perfect! This description is one that I use for our annual after-Thanksgiving canoe camping trip that Lynda and I (Wayne Charles) did, along with Myron & Dorcas Whitley, on 11-23 to 11-25- 07. The 36.1 miles of the Lumber River from Boardman, NC to Rice Cove Landing below Nichols, SC was almost perfect. The river was 50-100' wide and very clear with a good current. There were no portages or pullovers and around every bend there was a beautiful white sandbar that was almost perfect for camping. The weather was cool but not cold, almost perfect for a early winter camping trip. At the put in there was another group of campers starting their trip (they were not carrying gear, and told us that they were camping at the Princess Anne campgrounds). We visited with park superintendent Neil Lee for a few minutes near the Pea Ridge rest area a few miles below the put in. Other than at Princess Anne we would see no one else on the entire trip. Almost Perfect! We made camp at around 4:00 PM on a sand bar a few miles below Princess Anne. We had steaks for supper. There was a full moon and the river was very pretty in the moonlight. Almost Perfect! We arose with the sun and had omelets and grits with bacon and coffee. We went by Fair Bluff at 2:00, and by the marker separating NC and SC at 3:00 and made camp on a large white sandbar a little after 4:00 PM. Since South Carolina doesn't have a fire ban at this time we built a nice campfire. We solved all of the world's problems while roasting marshmallows and catching up on our adventures with the Whitley's. Almost perfect! We all had a good night sleep in the cool weather and again rose with the sun, (O.K. it was cloudy, but still almost perfect). We took out at Rice Cove Landing at 2:30. We saw deer, otter, turkeys and hundreds of ducks. All in all, an ALMOST PERFECT TRIP.

Morrow Mountain State Park Day Hike

Today we hiked in Morrow Mountain State Park. My friend Andy writes a pretty mean trip report so I am taking it easy and repeating his report below.

EIGHT YEARS GONE

A couple of weeks ago, Bob suggested getting together for a hike. It was early November, so I suggested something at a low elevation, so we could catch the last of the fall colors. We settled on the Uwharries, but we still needed a specific destination. I did a bit of research, and remembered that I'd enjoyed a hike at Morrow Mountain State Park a couple years earlier. At the time, I had planned to return in a few months to explore some of the trails I'd missed on that initial visit. Somehow, a few months turned into a few years. How many years? I checked my notes, and was shocked to discover that my previous hike had occurred in 1999. Eight years! How can eight years go by that quickly?

To put this in perspective, I've taken multiple hiking trips to Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Washington in the years since I last visited Morrow Mountain. And Morrow Mountain is only a 1-hour drive away.

So, I decided to correct this little oversight. Bob, Laura, Myron, Dorcas, Ann, Colleen, and two dogs, Saucony and Sunshine, elected to join me. We met at the park's visitor center on Sunday morning, and planned out our route. Our hike would take us to the summit of Morrow Mountain, which at an elevation of 900'+, is part of the Uwharrie Beyond 600' list.

We began our hike on a nature trail behind the park's museum. This path connected with the Morrow Mountain Trail, and after a bit of confusion and nearly a wrong turn, we were on our way. The hike started out easy, as we rolled along through varied terrain. It was a chilly morning, but as usual, most of us overdressed. The first half of the hike looked like some sort of weird burlesque show (featuring far more fleece than silk), as people shed random articles of clothing all along the trail. Even I had to join the fray once we hit the surprisingly steep final climb to the summit. By the time we reached the top, most of us were down to shorts and t-shirts.

The summit of Morrow Mountain features a picnic shelter, a bathroom, a parking lot, and almost everything else you'd expect at a state park. We arrived shortly before noon, so at least we were able to avoid the worst of the crowds. We had a pleasant early lunch in the sun on the viewing platform behind the picnic shelter. From here, there is a nice view of Lake Tillery and the Uwharrie Mountains.

After lunch, we circled the peak on the summit loop trail. This path provided some additional views that were worth seeing. Aside from the lake and the ancient Uwharrie Mountains, we were treated to some pleasant fall colors.

We headed back down by the same route initially, but diverged from that path in search of variety. We followed a series of horse trails down towards Lake Tillery. For the most part, these trails were fine for hiking. The only annoyance was a group of horseback riders that passed by on several occasions. For some reason, they were doing most of their riding off-trail. I can't imagine the park approves of riding off-trail, as it can certainly cause serious erosion.

We avoided the horses by hiking out the Rocks Trail to a viewpoint just above Lake Tillery. Fortunately, the Rocks Trail is designated for hikers only. At the end of the path, we found a minor cliff where a handful of boulders provide a fine view of the lake near the confluence with the Uwharrie River. After a bit of maneuvering, almost everyone was able to find a seat with a view.

While relaxing there, Dorcas offered everyone Giardia Chocolate. I politely declined. The last thing I needed was Giardia Chocolate. Then Dorcas clarified her statement. She had meant to say Ghiradelli Chocolate, which is a very different thing! Congratulations to Dorcas for making the trip report.

We packed up and backtracked to the horse trail. From there, a short hike led to the campground, which is quite attractive. We followed a path through the campground, before cutting over to the visitor's center. Here we found about a dozen deer grazing. Apparently large numbers of deer move into the state park during hunting season.

I enjoyed our hike, and it was nice to get together with other hikers for a change. The weather ended up being ideal, and the wildlife and fall foliage added a lot to the hike. I'll definitely hike at Morrow Mountain again sometime. Hopefully it won't take me 8 more years though!

Where Do Pets Come From?

We still miss Izaak tremendously. Every day I think of him, and it makes me sad. Someone sent us this story. I don't know who the author is, but I found it very amusing and it touched me.

A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to "Where do pets come from?"

Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you any more. We are lonesome here, and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us."

And God said, "I will create a companion for you that will be with you and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve.
And it was a good animal.
And God was pleased.

And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, " I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them.

And they were comforted
And God was pleased.
And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, "I will create for them a companion who will be with them and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.

And Cat would not obey them. And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings.

And Adam and Eve learned humility.

And they were greatly improved.

And God was pleased

And Dog was happy.


................. and Cat didn't give a shit one way or the other.

Home At Last

We arrived home from Mississippi late last night after spending the week with my mother. We are finally home for a month or two.

Mom seems to be doing pretty well after the death of Nelson, her husband of fifteen years. She also seems to be doing pretty well with her lung cancer. Her last PET-CT scan on October 1 indicated some shrinkage (or at least no growth - depending on how one interprets the doctors' doublespeak) of both tumors. Her hair has come back and she looked much better than she did when we saw her in August. She is continuing chemotherapy, but they are no longer giving her radiation. She continues to exhibit an extremely positive attitude.

It is good to be home at last. It has been a busy year we have been home for only about 12 nights since mid May. The lawn has not been mowed since early August, but it's really not too bad. This drought has at least one positive aspect. There are a lot of sticks and acorns on the drive and in the yard, but the homeplace is actually in pretty good shape. We have a lot of house and coach projects to complete before we leave for Florida in mid December. We have no long trips planned before leaving for Florida, but we will probably do some day trips and a few overnighters. We haven't paddled since we left the Adirondacks. I'm looking forward to some canoe time,. If only we could find some water! Next weekend we plan to go on a backpacking trip with our friends Jim and Ann and their family.

A Death in the Family

Within an hour of returning home we received some sad news. My mother's husband, A. Nelson Campany, passed this morning. Dorcas and I will be leaving early Tuesday morning for Shelby, MS. The funeral will be in Shelby on Wednesday afternoon.

Fall on the Blue Ridge Parkway

We left West Virginia on Saturday, but we didn't go straight home. We had received a message from our friend Andy that he would be hiking in the Harper Creek area on Sunday, and would be camping at Julian Price Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday. We had wanted to camp on the BRP once more before they closed the campgrounds for the season, and Andy is always fun to hike with, so off we went. It's nice to be mobile and have no commitments! We drove the BRP about 90 miles from Fancy Gap to Price Park and the fall colors were fantastic. We checked in at the campground just before dark. Andy and Christy joined us later at our campfire. It was a brisk evening. The low that night was 33 degrees.

On Sunday morning we drove south on the parkway headed for the trailhead. The colors on Grandfather Mountain and the views from the Linn Cove Viaduct were prettier than I had seen them for years. We pulled in at the Linn Cove Visitor Center and discussed a change in plan. We decided that we couldn't pass up a hike here when the colors are so gorgeous. Plan B was to hike from the Linn Cove parking area on the Tanawa Trail to Rough Ridge and return. This is a very easy hike of only about 4 miles. We hung out on Rough Ridge for over an hour enjoying the views of Grandfather Mountain and the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Parkway. It seems that I have never hiked to Rough Ridge without seeing someone I know. This time it was Ken, who I had worked with at DAQ. After the hike we drove over to Valle Crucis and visited the original Mast Store. We then drove to Blowing Rock and walked around Bass Lake at the lower end of the Moses Cone Park.

We awoke this morning to fog and rain. We had considered spending the the last night of our trip at one of the Corps of Engineers campgrounds at Kerr Scott Reservoir near Wilkesboro. Need to break up that two hour drive, ya know. Considering the weather however, we decided to come on home. Of course, we found the weather in Wilkesboro and at home was fine. In any case, we are finally at home for the first time in five weeks.

Exploring Pocahontas County, WV

We are still camped at Watoga State Park near Marlinton, WV. Yesterday was a somewhat dreary day with intermittent showers. Rather than bike or hike, we took a drive. We drove north through Marlinton and connected onto the Monongahela National Forest Highlands Scenic Byway. From there we drove across Big Spruce Mountain and Black Mountain at elevations of about 5000'. Up here the fall colors were finally peaking. We stopped in at the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center and then walked the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area. The Cranberry Glades are a 750 acre area with a series of mountain bogs 3400') that contain Arctic plant species that survived here from the last ice age and are now only found in the far northern US and Canada. We then hiked to the Falls of Hills Creek, a series of three waterfalls. There are 382 steps to the lower falls. I counted. The lower falls is 63', the second highest in WV. Don't ask me what the highest falls is. They were nice, but not terribly impressive, due to the very low water flow. These falls probably would not rate honorable mention in NC.

It rained some more last night and is still dreary and spitting some rain today. Ranger Chuck came down and told us the governor of WV just declared a fire ban. It has rained the last two days here and now a fire ban? Chuck is a funny fellow and I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't. I hope lightning doesn't strike our fire pit and accidentally start a fire! Today we are driving around exploring the villages of Pocahontas County. Tomorrow we will pack up and go home. We have been away almost 5 weeks on this trip. We have been home only 14 nights since May 20. I think I am ready to be home for a little while.

Watoga SP and the Greenbrier River Trail

We are camped at Watoga State Park near Marlinton, WV. We arrived Sunday night just after dark. This is a place you just can't get to from central MD and I-81, particularly driving a 33,000 lb motorhome. We apparently didn't make the wisest choices picking our route. We drove across four mountains and entered the park at the north entrance, which is at the other end from where we were meeting our friends. We then drove about ten miles on a single lane road through the park, running only one on-coming vehicle off the road. When we arrived at the Riverside Campground on the banks of the Greenbrier River our friends were there and had saved us a nice pull-though site. We fired up the convection microwave oven and cooked pizza for the crew.

On Monday everyone piddled around camp until "Chuck" a state park service employee showed up at our campsites. Chuck had some issues about our respective campsite registrations. One of our party had claimed a WV senior's discount, but had used a NC address. Another had signed up for five nights but only paid for one. The third party had not yet paid at all. Chuck pegged Wayne as a trouble maker right away. Actually Chuck was very agreeable. He cut us some slack and gave us all the senior's rate ($10.00/night, a great deal). As he was leaving I asked if he had any Greenbrier Trail brochures in his truck. He said no, but there were some in the office. About 10 minutes later he brought a variety of brochures for local points of interest to our campsites. Service above and beyond the call of duty. Attaboy Chuck! After lollygagging the whole day, about 3:00 we rode our bikes north up the Greenbrier River Trail towards Marlinton. There was almost no one on the trail, even though the weather was perfect and the fall colors were approaching their peak. The joys of being retired and able to play on weekdays! It is likely that on the day before there were hundreds of people on the trail. About 3 miles outside Marlinton we came upon a paved section of trail and did see some folks taking their after-work strolls. We stopped in at the visitor center at Marlinton, which is a restored railroad depot. Next door to the depot was an old timey hardware store where we found a glass dome for our coffee percolator. We had been trying to find that part for weeks. C.J. Richardson's Hardware is second oldest on-going business in Pocahontas County. I don't know what the oldest business is.

We had hoped to do some paddling on the Greenbrier while we were here. Everyone brought a canoe. However, the water level was impossibly low. Even the trout had a hard time getting down the river. So, on Tuesday we biked south on the trail instead. There are no services that way, so we had no hope of finding an ice cream cone along the trail. Dang. Our destination was the Droop Mountain tunnel, one of two tunnels on the Greenbrier River trail. We arrived at the tunnel, drove through in the dank and dark and turned around to return. We had a nice picnic lunch at one of the bike-in campsites along the trail. This day we saw only two other bikers during our 35 mile ride.

On Wednesday Wayne and Lynda had to return home for a family commitment. At breakfast we all congregated at their site to watch them pack and break camp. Today we plan to explore some of the towns and attractions in the area.

Chocolate Town USA, Hershey, PA

We are camped tonight at the Thousand Trails preserve near Hershey, PA. This afternoon we toured some attractions at Hershey's Chocolate World. Specifically, we did a free Disney-like ride through a simulated chocolate factory, complete with animated singing cows, and a trolley ride through the town of Hershey. On the factory ride they gave you a pack of Hershey Kissables at the end. We took that ride twice. All during the trolley ride the conductor passed out different varieties of Hershey kisses and mini Reece's cups. Essentially it was all-you-could-eat-and-stuff-in-your-pockets before-you-embarrassed-yourself for the duration of the tour. At the end you got a Hershey bar. Great fun. Our only mistake was to attend on a beautiful Saturday afternoon when what must be the largest antique car show in the world was in progress at the site. It seemed to be a continuation of our bad luck/bad timing from yesterday.

Milton Hershey actually failed during four initial attempts to make a go of candy making. Ironically, his breakthrough came at making caramel, not chocolate. He pioneered a recipe which used milk to make a creamy caramel that was a huge success. He sold the caramel business for a million dollars before he ever made an ounce of chocolate. When he started making chocolate he recycled the milk idea and invented milk chocolate. Another huge success. Hershey never had any heirs; he and his wife Kitty could not have children. Consequently they started an orphanage. That orphanage eventually evolved into a school for under underprivileged children, the Milton Hershey School. Kids that are admitted to the program are provided with a K-12 education, including room and board, at no expense. Currently there are about 1700 students in the program. Each student that goes on to college is granted the first $77,000 of the cost towards their college expenses. Truly a wonderful opportunity for kids who might not otherwise ever finish high school. The foundation that funds and administers the program owns 77% of the Hershey stock, essentially making Hershey a non-profit organization. I had no idea.

Tomorrow we will leave for Watoga State Park near Marlinton, WV. There we will meet some friends and do some biking, hiking and paddling.

The Drive Through Hell

We visited the main LL Bean store this morning for one last round. We could have walked around the store for hours, even if we didn't buy anything. There's just so much interesting stuff. Then we went down the street to the LL Bean outlet to see if we could find some more can't-live-without-that deals. We did.

At about noon we finally left Freeport in a pouring rain. Our plan was to detour through Milford, CT to meet Dorcas' friend Sylvia and her sister Liz for dinner. This took us through some of the more populous corridors in the northeast. After we got into Massachusetts, we experienced a series of unfortunate traffic episodes. You would expect the traffic in the commuting zones around Boston and New York City to be congested on a Friday during rush hour, but I think this was way beyond the norm. We heard truckers using words on the CB that embarrassed even other truckers. First, we had intended to avoid the Mass Turnpike by taking I-290, but there was a flashing message saying that I-290 was blocked by an accident, "SEEK ALT ROUTE". OK, we'll take the turnpike and pay the toll. When entering the Mass Turnpike from I-485, there was a solid wall of cars being funneled down through the toll plaza where you pick up an entry ticket. We were forced through a gate for EasyPass vehicles, and consequently didn't pick up an entry ticket. This caused us to pay a much higher toll when we checked out at the other end. Bummer. I did subsequently learn that a 33,000 pound motorhome driven by an irate driver with an attitude, can basically go anywhere he wants to. Kinda like Dale Sr. back when he went around and around on Sunday afternoons. After clearing that mess, we came to a standstill on I-91 south of Hartford. Some semi-trucks got into it, got sideways and spilled some fuel. All lanes were blocked in both directions. We actually came along just about the time things started moving, but it was 5 mph for about 1.5 hours. We finally arrived in Milford where Sylvia and Liz treated us to dinner at Stonebridge Restaurant. It was an excellent meal and a wonderful end to what had otherwise been a very stressful day. We left Milford about 10:00 and planned to pull off in an hour or two. The shortest route was I-95 through NYC, but the way our day had gone, we had no intention of going any closer to the city. Plan B was to cut cross country to I-84 at Danbury. Back roads, late evening, no problem, right? Wrong. On route 25 about 5 miles before intersecting I-84, we came up on an accident between two cars that had occurred only minutes before. The cars were still steaming and smoking and folks were calling the police. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Unfortunately, the road was totally blocked and we could not back up or turn around. So we turned off the engine and sat. It took almost 2 hours for the police, FD and the tow truck guy to get things cleared up. By this time it was tomorrow. We drove another two hours and pulled off at a rest area on I-84 near Middletown, NY. Surprisingly, we slept rather well. I was just glad this slab of highway was behind us.