121: Almost heaven?

I hate to be a downer. But facts are facts - and you only get one chance to make a first impression. So on this day, I have to declare no great love for West Virginia.  But let me get there first . . .

The good people who bought our meal!

We rode in three states again today:  Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.  It rained on us in all three of them. But that was okay - the rain actually cooled us off a bit and, for the most part, was not heavy.

Our trip through Pennsylvania was marked by a wondrous event: the guests at the next table over took care of our bill at our second breakfast!  We had climbed up to Blue Ridge Summit, and were pleased to find a diner open. The place was crazy busy, but it was absolutely the only place in town, and the waitress was attentive even though stretched to the max, so we settled in to wait.  We chatted some with the group at the next table, who were friends from church.  When we asked for our check after breakfast, the waitress said that it had been taken care of.  And so here is a big "Thank you" for the kind folks who paid it forward on Sunday morning. I should have gotten the name of their church - so if any of them check in on this blog, please leave a comment and let me know!

We continued to wind right along the southern edge of Pennsylvania, and then finally crossed into Maryland. No surprise - they are also growing soybeans and corn in Maryland! Lots of fabulous old houses in Hagerstown, as well as through the countryside on both sides of the border. Many are from the late eighteenth century, and many show signs of having been built in one generation, then added on to and updated over time.

A great barn - maybe Pennsylvania or maybe Maryland

Three generations on this house

These great stone fences are everywhere

We were not in Maryland for long, since we were crossing the long panhandle. I was excited to hit the next border and add another state to our journey.  We crossed the Potomac River, entered West Virginia, and immediately had to climb a pretty steep hill up from the river.

Well, the shoulder on our road evaporated the minute we got off the bridge. Several cars did that "zoom and go" passing maneuver (that is totally unnecessary, by the way.) One car leaned on the horn for good measure, and not three miles into the state, someone shouted an obscenity out the car window. All right then - if that's how you want it, then that's the way it's gonna be!

The day's report:  Gettysburg to Martinsburg, 59.3 miles/5782 to date

Our route is here

Crossing the Potomac River