Sabbatical

Camping

dent — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:47:26 +0000

One of the things that Elaine and I did in preparation for this time away was to purchase a travel trailer and a truck to pull it. It’s one of the most extravagant things we’ve done, but it has given us a reasonable place to spend two months. I wasn’t at all sure that I would like RV style camping. When I was younger, I did a lot of backpacking, but got away from that when we moved to Pennsylvania for my new and demanding responsibilities at Messiah. I think that may have been ill advised as I look back and realize that camping was one of the activities that I could have done together with my son Jon. Anyway, RV camping always seemed a little like cheating the “authentic” ways I used to camp. Actually, RV’ing is a way to get many of the benefits of the tougher forms of camping for people who would struggle to get out in nature otherwise. I think it serves other purposes too, some of which are not necessarily helpful, but on the whole I’ve decided I like RV camping. We’ve been at a variety of campgrounds from ones that supply only electricity, to ones that are in remote locations, to the KOA’s. I like anything that is as close to a natural camping experience as possible (whatever that means). The KOA’s are my least favorite setting because, I think, they are furthest from my sense of ideal. As of this writing we are in our fifth campground. It’s middle of the road with respect to a natural ideal, but we were lucky in the location of the site we’re in and we are enjoying it.

…Campsite in wooded setting overlooking a pond

Walking in the Rain

dent — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:22:12 +0000

It has to rain some. I mentioned before that heavy rain had already caused Elaine to skip a scheduled day of walking and make it up with one of her days scheduled to be off. But we knew that it would happen eventually. The next time rain occurred on a day that was scheduled for work, Elaine walked. She had a raincoat, both for her and Chester. Chester didn’t like it, but Elaine put it on him anyway. They looked so cute, the two of them toddling off down the path in bright rain gear! This might be the time to mention Elaine’s backpack. I picked it up one day and couldn’t believe how heavy it was! She carries items for every contingency: water, several items of clothing, reading materials, first aid stuff, camera, etc. I’ve never gone through it, and don’t want to, but I’m sure there is something heavier than the above in there to make it weigh so much. Including, of course, rain gear for her and Chester. Anyway, they were under weigh that day, just like every day, with ample preparation; like a ship loaded with treasure leaving the harbor on a rainy day. And, they were not very adversely affected by the rain. It was a little colder than was quite comfortable, but everyone came through in good health.
…Elaine and Chester walking in the rain.

(Footnote: I purposely used the analogy of a ship because of the earlier idiom “under weigh.” It’s a pet peeve of mine when we (Americans) take a perfectly good phrase and corrupt it; in this case to “under way,” which makes little sense. It took C.S. Lewis many years ago to make me aware of this tendency, and I’ve never quite shaken it off. Can you think of other examples? Share them in a comment if you can.) (Postscript: Elaine did not like the word “toddling.” I guess we have another example of an americanized word or phrase, since I was using the verb “toddle off” not “toddle.” You can substitute saunter, amble, perambulate, mosey, drift, wander, meander, or sashay if you feel it’s important. As far as I understand them, however, the unique connotations associated with “toddle off” are what I intended.)

The Maryland Heights ‘Wilderness’

dent — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:06:01 +0000

Harper’s Ferry was a little disappointing in the sense that it was on the wrong side of the river for those doing the C&O. I didn’t even see it, and Elaine only saw it from the vantage point of the tow path. There is a foot bridge across the river, but we were focused on getting from Brunswick to… wait! Where was that anyway? North of HF was a section that was not very well described. The roads were not labeled consistently, and neither were the access points to the tow path. Elaine told me where her goal was to be picked up, and I half listened. I was just about done congratulating myself on finding the road that goes up the east side of the river when I started to realize that the location of parking areas for the path were not all that clear. I realized that the names of the places on the signs I was finding did not match my vague memory of where Elaine said she wanted to be retrieved. No matter! I’ll find it. It doesn’t matter that there is no cell coverage in this area. Hmm… I’ll sit here and wait for her at one of the first places. That way we’ll connect even if she is going to walk further. No Elaine. It must be the next one up (a couple of miles). I’ll go there and wait some more. Nope. Maybe there was a place that she had identified, but that did not occur in the material I was using. I’ll drive around a bit and see if I can find anywhere else. Hmm… all the way to Antietam and I’m SURE she’s not going to walk that far. Let’s go back. Wow… there they are near the SECOND place I waited for them, standing at the intersection of Limekiln and Mount Lock Canal Rd, or was it Dargan and Harper’s Ferry Rd, looking pretty forlorn. (It was at three of the four roads.) It turns out that the right place was the FIRST place I waited. I guess I just missed them. Elaine waited there and then walked to the second point after I had moved on. She continued walking toward Antietam and decided to come back and start walking on the road, whichever one that may be. They were just deciding which direction to go when I arrived. (Footnote: the Antietam in this narrative IS the town after which the battle field was named. I’m sorry to say that we saw many signs with the name – of the battle field not the town – and were mispronouncing it until we heard some other Yankee say it correctly.)
…Here is as close as either one of us got to Harper’s Ferry.

Coffee House

dent — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:42:01 +0000

One of the highlights of our adventure for me was a coffee house in Brunswick MD called Beans in the Belfry. It was documented as an internet hot spot. I have been handling my lack of connectivity with a variety of coping mechanisms, and this seemed like a good opportunity to have a veritable digital banquet. It is in an old church building, which has essentially not been renovated. Furnished with a wide variety of Salvation Army style tables and chairs, there may not have been two things alike. The themes and ambiance made It feel to me like the 60’s, including the music. Brunswick was an end/beginning point for Elaine, so I dropped her off at Point Of Rocks and went up to BITB to spend the day. I couldn’t help having the sense that this place was a scene right out of Alice’s Restaurant, with the church, food, 60’s stuff, and a waitress who could have been Alice herself. I half expected Woody to walk through the door. He didn’t show up, and there was nearly nobody in all day. I was getting to the point where I didn’t want to here one more Beatle’s piece when parents, grandparents and kids, etc., arrived for the 2pm entertainment. There was a place set up for occasional live performers. Today’s gig was the once-per-month kids sing and stamp along. I think the performance was done by someone a little down on his luck, and the parents paid him a nominal fee and, of course, purchased food from BITB, so it was a win-win. I’d have to say that my productivity fell off of what was already a less-than-banquet sized effort. I really like to observe human behavior, however, and this was a sociological repast of very satisfying proportions. The kids weren’t singing, but they were stomping furiously and banging things while the entertainer sung songs at the top of his lungs. I was glad that Elaine arrived just in time to see the tail end of the event. A couple of days later (on my birthday) I was able to arrange another session at BITB, which went much more quietly except for an incident that seemed very 60’s-like even though it could not have happened for a couple of decades. The fan in the proprietor’s laptop had given up the ghost, and it was very quickly overheating. She had to back up her files before sending it out for repairs but it would not stay on long enough, and she didn’t know how to back it up anyway. “Alice” got a table fan, and they were trying to use it to blow air on the BOTTOM of the laptop, but neither it nor the laptop were cooperating. I couldn’t stand it any longer, and suggested that they get a basin full of ice (of which they had plenty) and sit it on a plastic bag on top of the ice. That worked like a champ and all that was left was to actually figure out how to do the backup. What a fine setting in which to enjoy a triumph over the nasty machinations of the technological establishment!

Alas, I did not take any pictures of BITB. However, I took about 10 minutes worth of clandestine video of the dance along. I’ve downloaded about 45 seconds: one clip pans the space and gives an idea of its appearance, and the other clip shows a little more clearly the general chaos of the event. I was trying to be unobstrusive, and I’m not a great cameraman in the first place, so take it for what it’s worth. My apologies in advance to the gentleman who performed, whose name I did not record, and whose permission I did not obtain. I believe he was offering CD’s of his work, and I’m sure you could get his contact information if you contact Beans in the Belfry, Brunswick MD. Here’s the link (warning it’s BIG, 10Meg.): Beans in the Belfry Kids Sing and Dance Along

Great Falls Redux

dent — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:02:14 +0000

It has rained a lot. A couple of days after the visit to GF it rained hard enough to affect Elaine’s walking schedule, and she skipped a day, and made some of it back up in part by walking on the next day scheduled to be off. It looked to me like the Potomac rose several feet. On a whim, a few days after the rain, we decided to go back down to GF, on the VA side, to check it out. Per the subject of this post, the river was certainly experiencing a form of revitalization to the point of being positively raucous.

…GF pictures taken on the VA side after some significant rain. Top: flood pole. Notice GF in the background. Bottom: taken at the barrier turned slightly to the left. Compare with post dated 2008-04-20 to pics taken from approximately the same perspectives.

Fishin’

dent — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:52:24 +0000

One of the things we’ve seen repeatedly is people with fishing equipment. Sometimes they are actually fishing. At any of the landings we’ve visited, there are always a fishermen putting their boats in the water. One day (it might have been at Edward’s Ferry) I watched someone backing his boat trailer almost off the side of the ramp. When it was in straight I got a lesson in how slickly a boat could be unloaded from a trailer. When he got out I was regaled with a half hour’s worth of fishin’ talk.

Then another boat showed up to be backed into the river, and the fishin’ talk REALLY began. …One of the many landings frequented by water lovin’ folk

Elaine ended one day at lock 22, also called Pennyfield lock after Mrs. Pennyfield whose house is still partially standing. Apparently Grover Cleveland liked to come here to fish… bass as the story goes. I hope GC caught a lot of whatever it was he needed.

JD showed up at the Pennyfield house before we left. I wonder if Jesus loved Grover Cleveland. Do you think he would have fished with him?

Great Falls Revisited

dent — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:36:00 +0000

After we had moved on past the section of trail containing GF, Elaine mentioned that she had wanted to get some post cards. …Chester and Elaine enjoying lunch at GF.

It was not until we got past the next section until I felt I had a chance to go back to GF and get her some. She’s doing about ten miles per day, so we were getting pretty far away for a quick round trip. Anyway, I dawdled around long enough that doing the swing down to GF and picking Elaine up on time were not necessarily both possible. I took off, hit nearly every light green, and had almost no traffic all during rush hour in an area just outside of DC. When I was going in to get the post cards, I saw JD sitting in exactly the same spot where Elaine and Chester had rested a couple of days before. What a coincidence! I had to take his picture.…JD shows up shortly after Elaine and Chester had moved on to other objectives. I wonder if Jesus ever shows up without being expected.

Going back to Dickerson Conservation Park, I arrived about 20 minutes before Elaine. (I won’t say I didn’t break the speed limit, but it would be better not to get too specific.)

Lest you think that I got away with something, when I proudly handed the cards over to Elaine, it was evident that I had not gotten enough of them.

The Dog

dent — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:09:06 +0000

A critical feature of this time in our lives is our dog Chester. He is Elaine’s companion during all of her walks. I see to the logistics and travel trailer, and I am working on a number of projects in my “spare” time. As we were thinking about the sabbatical, and the possibility that I would not be walking, an issue was to make sure she had adequate companionship. We found Chester at a rescue hostel in search for a labrador. It was love at first sight (for one of us) and we took him home. He’s not a lab of course, but a mix which changes from time to time, of something like a herd dog and springer spaniel. He’s white with brown markings and pretty much the opposite of a lab: somewhat nervous around new people, independent, stubborn, etc. I like ornery critters (both the animal and human kind) so I will admit that I like Chester. I have allowed him, for example, to inhabit the same couch that I use as my primary parking spot, in both homes. He responds to treats (kind of) and we coax him into doing things with them. A few months after we got him, the neighbors black “alpha” dog attacked Chester. Ever since, he barks furiously and becomes aggressive whenever he sees a black dog. He gets along with most other dogs, however, particularly if they don’t exhibit much “alpha” behavior; except, of course, for a notable exception at the campground where we are located at the time of this writing. There is evidently a dog show of papillons nearby and there were several families in the camp with them. Papillon is French for butterfly, and this dog breed has the name because of their ears, which look like butterfly wings. They bark like a miniature poodle or maltese, with both of which I have had hours of listening pleasure at parent’s or sibling’s houses. Papillons have the added distinction of thinking they are guard dogs, making them even more obnoxious. Chester has ruled out the possibility that this scrawny quadruped with antenna ears is a dog. He got so aggressive with the neighbor’s dog (which was being washed so that it looked even more like a drowned rat) that he broke his lead, and was prevented from what I suspect would have been dog murder had its owner not snatched it out of the way. He loves chasing rabbits and squirrels. I’m sure he thinks it’s something like a strange cross between a rabbit and squirrel. So we went to Pet Smart and got a heavy duty leash and a lead called “the beast.”…Chester on the couch (in my spot) after a hike.

To be fair, Chester is a great walker, actually runner. On days when I ride my bike from Elaine’s ending point, in order to meet them on the trail, I will often take Chester’s leash and he will run a mile or two along side the bike. And, he provides more than adequate protection for Elaine on the trail.

Great Falls

dent — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:38:05 +0000

Great Falls is one of the better known spots on the Potomac. It is a series of very nice cascades that you can get to on the MD side by way of a trail from the C&O. A more noteworthy fact , in my opinion, is the pole on the VA side that shows the height of the biggest floods. The VA side is a cliff that I would guess it is a hundred feet high or so. (If anyone is reading this blog, I would be happy for you to report in a comment the exact height.) Heights are deceiving, so I really have no idea except that it is HIGH. The pole is on the TOP of the cliff, meaning that the river, which normally runs very far below, crests at a very prodigious height. We only got as far as the C&O this trip, and did not see GF from the MD or VA side.
…GF pictures taken on the VA side on a previous trip. Top: flood pole. Notice GF in the background. Bottom: taken at the barrier turned slightly to the left. For some perspective, notice the two men at the bottom, about two fifths from the right.

Lock 6 Epilogue and Carderock at Last.

dent — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:16:00 +0000

Without my regular camera, I was able to catch this photograph with the camera in my phone. It’s a little ragged, but encouraging that JD was present, even during a day with logistical challenges.…JD at Lock 6. Where is Jesus in the midst of hectic events?

I made it to Carderock after another missed turn. The exit sign read as if it was a military establishment (which was there), with no mention of a park or lock or canal. Given that it was a nice place but rather unremarkable, I’ll move on…