May 9, 1997 (Day 51 – milepoint 570.5 – Bland, VA)

Nice weather and mild terrain in the AM that became cold and rainy by noon. Easy Chair and I made it to the road together and found cover in front of a church. That’s when I put my rain coat on. Why I didn’t wear it while I was IN the rain, is beyond me.

We both needed to get to the Bland, VA post office to get our mail and resupply packages. Before we even made the attempt to hitch a ride, a woman walked out of the building across the street and offered to take us in her bus. The building and the bus belong to the Bland County Senior Citizens Association and we loaded onto the bus with 10 seniors, all in their 80’s and 90’s. Red Top and Fruitcake showed up just before we pulled away and they hopped in as well. The windows fogged up immediately and for the next ten minutes, the whole world shrunk and became the inside of that bus.

At the front of the bus, a 96-year-old woman talked the ears off of Easy Chair (22) and Red Top (64), rendering them both speechless. She had their complete attention and they were in a constant fit of laughter for the entire ride. Conversation in the back of the bus, where Fruitcake (24) and I (26) sat, was random and confusing, but it was fun and very entertaining.

They dropped us off at a Dairy Queen/Shell station just off a major exit from Interstate 77. We got a few weird looks from some highway travelers as I’m sure we appeared a little out of place, but I thought it was ironic how we were all there for the same reasons: fuel and ice cream. My fuel tasted better, though.

Still cold and very wet, we all pitched in and got a room at a cheap motel. Being only about an hour from the New River Gorge where I used to live and work, I had given a heads up to a couple of friends, Kathy and Brenda, that I would be here. To my pleasant surprise, they made the trip down and joined us for dinner at the Log Cabin Restaurant. Kathy brought cookies and other assorted goodies, and Brenda played her guitar and sang some of her original tunes that I love so much. And if that wasn’t enough, I got a foot and back massage.

We were up so late catching up on our lives that space was made and Kathy and Brenda are here for the slumber party. Times like this make me think that I suffered severely in a past life and the karma is coming back my way.

Aquaholic

May 9, 2009

The world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it. –Helen Keller