July 2 - Lickdale, PA; I-81 (Day 105 – milepoint 1152.6)

A very smooth five miles in the rain to Interstate-81 picking blackberries all along the way. We made a phone call to family friends, Ed and Bonnie Shafer (parents of one of Dad’s graduate students, Amy) who live nearby, and arranged for a rendezvous later in the day. Great! That gave us more time to pick blackberries and Mom even succeeded in yogi-ing some fresh cherries from an old guy outside an ice cream parlor. I was so proud of her.

We walked along a busy country road for another three miles, picking berries all the way into Lickdale, PA where we hung out at a Shell station for a short while eating sandwiches and ice cream until Ed and Bonnie rescued us and took us back to their home, via the scenic route.

Mom hit the shower almost immediately and I got to join Ed, a homeopathic veterinarian, on some chores around their small farm. Horses mainly, but I learned a thing or ten about organic farming as well. We walked around the yard and talked trees and plants and soil, but I mostly just remember the blueberries.

I eventually caught a shower and we all had dinner together on the way to them getting us to our hotel, where Dad will pick us up tomorrow. I look forward to seeing Ed and Bonnie again. I’ll be leaving the Trail for a few days to attend a childhood friend’s wedding in Pittsburgh on the 4th.

Econo Lodge with remote control – watch out!

Aquaholic