Well, the weather in Vermont and Maine never did really change for the better, so when I left Connecticut, I decided to head south. In Pennsylvania I stopped at the Old Dutch Mill campground near Kutztown. The campground was a disaster, but Kutztown is a gem. I consists of a wonderful main street right out of the 1940's, although the candy store owner was complaining that the people seem to be going to the mall more and more lately and, as a result, her business is dropping. It is a great candystore too. Fresh fudge, Hershey's ice cream, and every kind of penny candy you can think of. Of course, I bought nothing (forgive me, Lord).
Then I went to Gettysburg where I stayed in the Caledonia State Park one night, and the Capcotin State Park another. Capcotin is where Camp David is located, but it is not accessible to the public, and, in fact, for security reasons, is not even represented on the park map. I hiked about five miles on the Appalachian Trail which passes through the park there.
In Gettysburg I spent some time at the battlefield and some in town. Met some nice folks and learned a little about the Civil War.
As I moved south accross the Mason/Dixon line, the countryside changed dramatically. Suddenly there was no longer any congestion. There were only rolling hills and winding roads. There were, of course, Interstate Highways, but I avoided them and found myself feeling as though I were back in an earlier time when the kind of road I was traveling was the superhighway of the day. Through Maryland, West Virginia, and into Virginia it got warmer, sunnier, and more beautiful. I stopped in Harper's Ferry (see photos), and by the time I reached Front Royal, VA, I had decided to spend a little more time in the area.
That afternoon I entered Shenandoah National Park and followed the "Skyline Drive". It is amazing!! The views of the Shenandoah Valley are beyond description (see photos) and the air is brisk and clean. So far, as I have traveled to and from Front Royal (22 miles each way to the campground) I have seen approximately 20 deer (does and fawns), and five black bears (a single bear and then a mother and her three cubs). All of these were seen from the car and I was unable to get my camera set in time to get a picture. DRAT!! The bears were a sight I will never forget. One of the cubs was more curious than the others. He or she waited by the side of the road until I got quite close and then the mother reared behind it (and probably roared - yelled - at it) until the cub charged off into the woods behind her. The look I got from the cub was, "What's behind those bright eyes?"
Today I bought a book just written by a local author that outlines backroad trips throughout the Shenandoah Valley. I guess I'm going to be here for a few days more.
I'm going to try to get some pictures up in the next couple of days. Please be patient. It's a bit complicated to get the pictures in the right size and configuration to work.
Keep coming by. I think it's going to get more interesting from here.
