Towncreek campsite

Mom dropped us off around 2 today. We talked her into driving us up to Paw Paw, WV. to start. The Paw Paw tunnel is closed and there really isn’t an acceptable detour. There is a hiking trail that goes over the mountain that cyclist can use but, well its a hiking trail. It is steep and narrow. It’s so steep you still have to walk on the downhill side. I have pushed my bike over it a few times in the past several years and it is no fun. My mom has just retired so she was able to take the time to drive us. That worked well and we sure appreciated it.

All our gear was loaded on our bikes and we were ready to head out on the C&O. I realized with all the hustling around doing last minute things this morning, I hadn’t had anything to eat but a few of my Aunt Lous awesome snickerdoodle cookies and a whole lot of coffee. The Liberty gas station in Paw Paw sells pizza by the slice so we headed there. There is one picnic table outside and we sat down next to an older gentleman to enjoy a quick lunch. The man’s name was Elridge Kerns and the first thing he said was, “how old do you think I am?” I guessed 78 Rose said 82. With a big smile he said no I’m 95. “I was born right here in Paw Paw in 1928 and I have never left. I have lived here my whole life”. I wondered about all the changes and growth he must have seen in the town after living there for 95 years. I stopped short of asking him though when I realized from where I sat I could see both ends of town and all 3 businesses. It was great talking to him and I would of liked to of heard more of his stories. But a ¾ ton Ford truck pulling a very large horse trailer pulled in. This seemed to cause a good bit of excitement. At the sight of that, Elridge hurried over to a wooden bench that ran along the outside wall of the store. There was about 8 other men sitting on it and they slid over to make room for him to sit down. Their conversation had ceased when they noticed the rig. The guy pulling the trailer had stopped to look at a map. There is no cell phone service in Paw Paw. At the sight of the map the old men began a much heated discussions on the driver’s destination. One man seemed adamant that it was Richmond and despite most every one arguing that there was no way that that’s where the driver was headed, he wouldn’t change his choice of cities. His intransigence was impressive! Even when he was told by several people Richmond was the other direction he stuck with it. When asked why in the world Richmond? He replied, “because Bill, if I had a horse, thats where I would go!” I admired his tenacity though I fear his logic may of been a bit been flawed. I got caught up in the mystery too and was very curious as to where the horse was going. It was a huge trailer but only one horse. After trying and failing numerous times to turn the massive rig around the driver gave up and continued up the road in the same direction he was headed before. Finishing our pizza, we too headed out in the same direction we were headed before. I hope that when Im 95 I live in a town small enough that a lost truck and trailer causes quite a stir.

The tempature was a lot cooler today. High of 76. It was a great day for riding. At Mom and Dad’s house, we went through all our gear and cut as much weight as we could. It seemed like whenever I got rid of something there was another item that took its place. I left a telephoto lens for my camera but took a lightweight flannel shirt. I unloaded the beloved Griswold # 3 cast iron frypan but then packed a little sil-nylon tarp to cook under if its raining. Overall our bikes are much more manageable now. We both have around 80 pounds when completely loaded with food and water. That number goes down everyday. Our base load is only around 65 pounds.

After getting set up for the night I went for a swim. The river is amazingly clear this far upstream. In chest deep water I could clearly see my feet and watch all the minnows that were nibbling on them. After my free ichthyotherapy session, I got out to help start dinner. We were hungry and we both went to work. I cut and then simmered collards while Rose diced potatoes.

The collards were our appetizer while the beef and potatoes cooked.

All the leftovers got mixed together and made into wraps for our lunch tomorrow. The best part of dinner was desert…. my Aunt Lou’s Snickerdoodle cookies!