Cows love a walkin' man
There are some creative drainage solutions out here in PA.
As I was walking through Bald Eagle State Forest yesterday, I came upon Nigel filling up what looked like about 50 gallon jugs with water from a natural spring.
Below: Resourcefulness in action!
Most of the road signs in Pennsylvania have a date written on the back, presumably the date of installation. This seems like a good policy in case this information is otherwise lost. But I have a feeling the person who put up this sign would have no problem recalling the exact date it was installed.
A few women stopped their car in front of Millheim Small Engine to take photos with me. The owner of the establishment (Henry?), pictured with his daughter Emily, came over to see if I needed anything to drink or eat. I told him I was all set, and he stuck a $20 bill in my hand.
Emily's response to the amount of walking I'm doing: "I hate that."
Last night I dropped by this church to see if they would let me stay on their property for the evening. Pastor Nathan warmly invited me in for the community dinner they were having, which included a triple-cake dessert! He also asked if I wanted to take a shower, but I said no thanks. Don't want to get spoiled! I pitched my tent beneath a crystal-clear starry firmament and contentedly dozed off.
They really wanted to help support me on my walk, but didn't have any cash. What they did have, however, was a gift certificate to Applebee's. Suffice it to say that soon I'll be eatin' good in the neighborhood.
"Located east of Interstate 79 and west of Interstate 81, Interstate 99 is the bane of many road enthusiasts who treasure an orderly and sequential numbering system for Interstate highways."
Read more!
Wendy saw me pushing my cart earlier in the day and, not knowing that I'm walking across the US, was very concerned for me. When she saw me again sitting on the curb in Pleasant Gap, she gathered up a jacket, a newspaper, and some food, and brought them over to me in the bag you see her holding (she apologized for its pinkness). She was worried about offending me, and wanted to make it clear that she didn't think I was beneath her; she just wanted to make sure I was okay.
She also said she was very touched by the sign on the front of my cart (see below). I haven't addressed the sign yet on this blog, so I think now would be a good time. I can't take credit for it; I stole the idea from my friend Bill Wetzel. It just seems like such a perfect reminder of the ephemerality of life. Make the most of each encounter; you never know if you'll see that person again. I also think it's kind of poignantly funny that the vast majority of people reading my sign are zooming past me in their cars, our one brief encounter in this world over and done in the blink of an eye. (Although there have been a surprising number of people who see me a second time and pull their cars over to talk to me.)
Pushbutton unreachable without climbing over the guardrail
Last night was my first pre-arranged stop since I left New York. Bill and Diane are the parents of my college buddy Matt, and they welcomed me in just like family. In fact, my visit with them reminded me of a trip home during college: I left this morning with clean laundry, a stomach full of home-cooked meals (I consumed a considerable proportion of the food matter in their house), and a big lunch for the road.
I swear that's what those brown dots are. There's also a lighter brown dot that's a donkey on the right side of the picture.
As I was taking this photo, a local fella came up to me and started telling me that one time they made a 100-lb burger and a woman ate it all by herself. "How long did that take?" I asked skeptically. "A couple hours" was his reply.
After I told him about my walk across the US, he paused for a moment in thought, then spoke again. "You ain't gonna catch me doin' that", he said, and then walked off, presumably thinking about cheeseburgers.
including a timestamp and, although it may not be visible in this picture, a smiley face drawn in the big zero in the middle.
Last night as I was setting up my tent, Jackie O. came down to bring me a couple of delicious raisin-filled cookies. "Around these parts they call me the Cookie Lady." You can see she was subtly encouraging me on my journey with her hat selection.
A: The subset of the population with a desire to play bingo for more than one hour
B: The subset of the population that can stay awake past 8 PM
I would have assumed the intersection of A and B was an empty set.
I've seen quite a few of these engraved stone plaques in people's front yards over the past couple of days. It makes good economic sense when you consider they can be reused as headstones a few decades down the road.
But they're still advertising pretty aggressively out here.
Earlier this afternoon I passed through a work zone and met Heather, who was very excited about my trip. Later on, she went out and got me dinner, and she and Jeff found me on the road and brought it to me.
I said "Commonwealth", dammit!
Who can name the other three states that call themselves commonwealths? No cheating!
So I bought a six-pack of pudding
What's that? You want more pictures of the backs of signs? Well, okay...
