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Thursday, 31 July -

Well, my plans didn’t work out. I had thought we had a few more days of nice weather but I was caught in a strong downpour as I drove last night and this morning was foggy and heavily overcast. I stopped in at the marina to check on the boats I was hoping to sail and they needed to be pumped out. Also, there was no wind. Time for a change of plans.
I toured Bald Eagle State Park and looked for birds. This park emphasizes its bird habitat and I did see a few.
On one of my stops I saw a local outfitter was going to hold a kayaking day soon. That led me to ask a ranger where the outfitter is so I could look for other mountain biking areas. As it turns out Tussey Mountain Outfitters is a paddling shop but the guy there was great and offered lots of alternatives but said the best biking trails are the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown. I realized I wasn’t really that far from Raystown so I bought the Purple Lizard map of Raystown Lake and part of the Rothrock State Forest and headed down there.
At Huntingdon I stopped at the Rothrock district forest office for the Public Use map and chatted with the agent.
I made it down to the Allegrippis Trailhead in the early afternoon. After seeing the general layout of the terrain, I suspected the trails might be more difficult than the ratings suggested. I decided I’d better walk a few sections.
I started down the Buck trail (an ‘Easiest’ trail) and it was fine though it did, as I suspected, soon start going down and down.... meaning at some point you have to go up and up! The trail surface was very good with just a few roots here and there.
That trail led me to an intermediate trail and the changeover was signalled by a steeper descent but it soon leveled out. I then headed back to the van and realized I had had a good workout just doing that 45 minute walk. Since I had pushed hard the two days before, I decided I’d be smart to leave the bike riding to another time. I didn’t have a lot of time left before having to head the three hours home. I’ll save it for another time. I sampled another intermediate trail on the other side of the trailhead lot but only long enough to get a feel for the trail. It was a bit narrower and also had a distinct downward trend. Rideable but a lot of work.
I then drove to the visitor’s center and then on to the Seven Points marina area for a brief look about. I was surprised to see so many camp grounds but level ground seems to be at a premium and there’s no easy access to the lake from the campgrounds without jumping in your car.
At 1530 I headed home via 26 south and the turnpike, stopping only for gas and a quick coffee. I pulled in the driveway exactly three hours later. It took me a half hour to clean out the van and settle in.

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Wednesday, 30 July -

Today was day two of my Fowler’s Hollow trip. I had intended only to ride the bike one day and perhaps the next, then return home, but it didn’t turn out that way.

I had decided I wanted to go see what’s on Dead End Road at the eastern end of the state forest. I remembered seeing the gate open there last Fall but the growth along the road came in so far that it would scratch up the sides of the van so I didn’t go. Today I had the right vehicle for that!
I had a slow start getting to the area and that put me there around 1100. I parked in camp site 108 at the Doubling Gap Lookout and had a leisurely lunch before starting out. As I readied the bike, two guys came along--- the first car I had seen all morning-- and we chatted for 20 minutes or so. They are farmers from Perry County and were just out exploring the roads and picking some raspberries today.
I then rode back the Dead End Road for 3.7 miles. The road surface was good and the grades much gentler than yesterday. I did come upon a large black snake blocking the path as he soaked up the heat from the sand in the middle of that section of road. I tapped it’s tail with a long branch and it grudgingly moved on and allowed me to pass.
On the way back, I stopped for a water break and noticed what looked like a larger bee flying close to me. It was a hummingbird.... this one smaller than the rubies I’ve been seeing this summer.
By the time I got back to the van I had biked 7.4 miles. I hadn’t found the dead end, though. The road had started angling down and it was just getting steeper and steeper so I turned back. I still had a hundred yards or so of climbing to get back to road level enough to bike.
Back at the van, I headed out the Bower Mountain Road and pulled off to make a call on the cell phone. After, I decided I should charge the cell phone and in switching plugs around, I managed to hang up my old-faithful GPS. It appears it didn’t like my pullling the plug and putting it back in while it was in the process of shutting down. In any case, it appears I’ve destroyed that GPS.
My call was to Labashi to let her know I’m heading up to Bald Eagle State Park, hopefully to rent a sailboat there. My biking went well but I need a break.
I followed the old GPS to 322 and then on to Hublersburg Inn for supper. Labashi and I had supper there a few weeks ago and really liked it. And as I approached the area, a hard rain started so I thought I’d enjoy the Inn more than watching the rain from the van.
After supper I drove on to Howard and the primitive campsites for Bald Eagle State Park. I was very glad to find a nice, level spot for $10.50, the weekday senior rate.
I spent the evening bring the blog up to date and then reading.

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Tuesday, 29 July -

This morning I packed up Mocha Joe and left for a couple of days of mountain bike riding at Fowler’s Hollow in the Tuscarora State Forest.

After doing my shopping for supplies and ice at Walmart, I drove to the district forest office for my camping permit and that put me at the trailhead by mid-afternoon.

I rode back the Perry Lumber Company trail, stopping at the two lean-to shelters along the way. When I reached the clearing at the far end of the road I was surprised to see the road continue. There’s now a new bridge not far beyond the clearing and then the road makes a sweeping curve to the east. I followed it until it finally came to a log-landing, i.e., a place to load logs in a newly-logged-over area.

I checked the GPS and saw it’s a bit over four miles to the log landing from the trailhead. The road was much hillier than I remembered. The road surface was decent two-track most of the way but the hills were killers. It seemed I was either pushing the bike up the hill after quickly running out of gas trying to climb it or I was smoking the brakes on the downhills.

I learned the bike doubles my overall average compared to walking. I did the nine miles with a 4.4 mph average.

After the ride I was pretty much shot and took a break before making a salad for supper, then spent the evening catching up the blog.

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Monday, 28 July -

This morning I took Mocha Joe to the west York Walmart for an oil change and tire rotation. I then went on from there to the mountain biking trails at Codorus State Park. I rode for about an hour and a half and got in a good workout.
That evening we watched ‘People of the Feather’, a documentary about Inuit people living on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay.

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Sunday, 27 July -

Today we went to Mom and Dad’s apartment to resolve a few little issues with Dad’s new telephone captioning device. I rode the F650GS and Labashi drove her car so I could take care of that issue and she’d work with Mom on several other little items.
I came back home and mowed the grass in the 90-plus heat. I know there’s nicer weather coming but I didn’t mind the heat today since I only had to endure it for about an hour to mow the lower-40. The other part of our lawn has been hit hard by the direct sunlight on it and doesn’t need to be cut.

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Saturday, 26 July-

It rained this morning despite the chances of it being low. The roads were cleared up by 1100, however, so I took the Thruxton in to Home Depot and Lowe’s to look at their T-111 siding. We’re going to need to repair the lower couple of feet on the siding on our barn soon and I wanted to see what’s available. Looks like it won’t be a problem to match the siding and I’ll only need about four pieces and a few 2x4s to do the job.
I then rode in to the central market and bought a six-pack of Wyndridge hard cider, a locally-made favorite of mine.
I had planned to mow the lawn today but it was too hot and still this afternoon and the lawn really doesn’t need it quite yet. Better weather is coming...
That evening we watched the last to episodes of ‘Southland’- Season 3.

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Friday, 25 July-

I drove Mocha Joe to Chambersburg today and spent the day working with Maypo to clean the fishing boat. I thought it might just need a regular car-wash type of wash but it was covered in a thick layer of gunk from the oak trees. We had to use a power-washer to get it off and STILL had to scrub with a brush.
I had anticipated that we’d need to replace the seat stands but they’re actually okay-- they just need some paint. But Maypo pointed out the seats lean back too far so we spent an hour or so fabricating spacers to blocks the back of the seat up about a quarter of an inch. Much better! Now you don’t have the feeling you’re about to fall over backwards at some positions.
We also started the motor and ran it for awhile both in neutral and in the gears. It started up easily but stalled a few times. That cleared up but I went ahead and adjusted the idle up a bit.
We finished up by supper time and I headed home though Maypo invited me to go out with them for margaritas. If we had had some work for tomorrow I would have gone out with them and stayed overnight.
I arrived back home by 1930 and joined Labashi is watching three episodes of Southland Season 3.

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Thursday, 24 July -

Today I gathered supplies and info for a fishing-boat cleaning session with Maypo tomorrow. This is for our shared-ownership fishing boat, a little 17-foot jon boat with a 20 horsepower motor. It has been under a tarp since last Fall though we did start the motor a couple of times.
That afternoon I rode the Thruxton down to Rocky Ridge and walked the five-mile end-to-end loop. I managed to add in about a half-mile of jogging but in the end paid for it with a sore back. I was fine when I finished but by the time I got home my back was stiffening up and I had the old familiar pain about mid-way up my spine at a place I know was damaged when I fell from a ladder years ago.
That evening we finished the ‘Hell on Wheels’ season three DVD series.

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Wednesday, 23 July -

Today Labashi and I took Mom and Dad to Lancaster to have Dad’s hearing aid checked. Fortunately, the audiologist was able to get them working again and also repaired an older model Dad had so he will have a backup should this happen again. Success!
On the way home we had an early supper at the J. Dawson’s Restaurant in the Park City Mall.
That evening, Labashi and I watched three episodes of ‘Hell on Wheels’.

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Tuesday, 22 July -

Today I buzzed up to my dentist’s office in Mechanicsburg on the Concours for a routine checkup. Afterwards, I stopped by Mom and Dad’s apartment to check out their car. Dad had reported it’s making a new sound but I couldn’t find anything wrong. We’ll just have to see if it happens again.
That evening we watched two episodes of the new season of ‘Hell on Wheels’.

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Monday, 21 July -

I spent the day gathering up all the sailboat extras and documents and loading them in the van. We then drove over to the new owner’s home for dinner.
We had a very pleasant evening on the deck eating kabobs and drinking the best home-made wine we’ve had. I’m very happy to report the sailboat has a very nice new home and will be well cared for.

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Sunday, 20 July -

Today Labashi and I had a date. We drove Mocha Joe down to Codorus State Park and checked it out thoroughly and did some trail walking. I was happy to get a chance to walk at the mountain biking trails area and we took photos at an old church nearby.
On the way home, we detoured to Abbottstown and had dinner at the Hofbrauhaus restaurant. I had the jaeger schnitzel and Labashi had the wiener schnitzel and we shared a bottle of Liebfraumilch. Yum!
Back home, we finished season two of ‘Orange Is The New Black’.

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Saturday, 19 July -

Today I cleaned out Mocha Joe and vacuumed. I then took the mountain bike down to Rocky Ridge and rode for an hour. I’ve not ridden the mountain bike for a few months and I was a bit rusty. I enjoyed the interior trails but got into too many rocks on the boundary trail and had to walk some long sections. Still, it’s nice to be out there trying something new!

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Friday, 18 July -

Today I spent all morning and half the afternoon writing up a detailed checklist for the new sailboat owner. It covers EVERYthing and in great detail. I wish someone had given me that info when I was starting out.
That afternoon I walked at Rocky Ridge and tried some new trails. These are informal trails which I believe were made by bow hunters and mountain bikers.
We’re nearing the end of season two on Orange Is The New Black....

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Thursday, 17 July -
Today I went through all our storage areas gathering up sailboat extras and supplies for the new owner. I also started through my files to clean out the junk and turn over the useful stuff to the new guy.
That afternoon I went to the gym and changed up the routine a bit. I added some elliptical time and skipped the strider today.
That evening we watched two Southland season three episodes.

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Wednesday, 16 July -

Today I continued research on a bear-capable pistol and worked out several options for carrying it discreetly.
That afternoon I rode over to Rocky Ridge and walked my five-mile loop, then we watched a few Southland Season Three episodes on Netflix DVD.

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Tuesday, 15 July -

I had recently gotten some tweets about a new restaurant in York and decided I’d take Labashi out for lunch. We parked at the downtown garage and walked the few blocks to Von Schwein, an interesting little restaurant which just graduated from the food-truck business. They serve pork rolls, pork sandwiches, mac-and-cheese, and baked corn. We enjoyed our meal but prices were a bit high. The bar-be-que sauces were good but not exceptional.
We then drove over to the Ford dealer on the east side of town, hoping to find a Transit. And they had one! We spent an hour or so checking it out. The bottom line, though, is I’ll need to see I can get opening windows. I did learn I’ll have to settle for a sliding side door since the option for swinging side doors is available only on the low-roof model. I do think the medium roof model will work out well for us when the time comes.
Going over the layout in the Transit I came to the conclusion that I think we’ll switch to length-wise beds rather than have our bed cross-wise as we do in Mocha Joe. That will give us some storage challenges but I think will work out very nicely.

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Monday, 14 July -

Today the big project was mowing the lawn. I started fairly early--- around 0900 --- but took my good time. I spent an inordinate amount of time mowing in our little wooded area, mostly in trying to push out the mowing boundaries by mowing into the weeds and briars while trying to avoid rocks and roots. I was fine in the woods but once I got out into full sun I was quickly wilted by the sun and humidity. I finished up by about 1300 and was very glad to have the air conditioned house to retreat to.
I spent the rest of the afternoon on the Web, mostly reading about guns for bear country. I’m completely convinced there’s very little chance I’ll be attacked by a bear. We’ve been in quite a lot of bear country and I’ve seen them while hiking a few times. In each case the bear bolted or just kept doing what it was doing. But I’ve also seen a few YouTube clips of bears following humans and exhibiting predatory behavior, i.e., following persistently and failing to respond to the threats that normally cause a bear to retreat or move on.

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Sunday, 13 July-

I spent the morning on the web researching the Camelbak hydration pack and liked what I saw. I jumped on the Thruxton and rode in to Starbucks for a coffee and then on to Gander Mountain and bought the pack.
In the afternoon we went to Mom and Dad’s apartment for a few hours and then took them out to dinner at the What-If Cafe in Camp Hill. Excellent!

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Saturday, 12 July -

Today I rode the Thruxton to Gettysburg to check out Gettysburg Bike Week. In New Oxford I stopped at the motorcycle accessories shop and struck up a conversation with an FJR1300 rider. He says it’s an ideal sport-tourer. I like that it’s somewhat more compact than the much more expensive and somewhat strange looking BMW sport touring line. I’ve been thinking about moving on from the Concours. I like the FJR but probably would sell the Concours and the F650GS and go with an R1200GS.
In Gettysburg I stopped at Battlefield Harley to look around. I was surprised how many riders were there-- it looked a lot like Daytona. My Thruxton got a few looks but nobody said anything. I walked through the store and saw they were doing quite a lot of business.
I then rode on to the Starbucks down the street and had a coffee and bagel for lunch before riding on through town. Traffic was heavy and I was afraid the bike was getting too hot so I went straight through and out the other side. The sidewalks were filled with people and the parking spots had lots of bikes. It looked to me like bike week is quite successful. I can’t imagine where all these people are staying tonight!
I rode on to Chambersburg and visited my old motorcycling and diving buddy. I showed off the Thruxton and he showed off his brand new Yamaha big-iron touring bike. He got a great deal on it and is very happy with it.
I spent a few hours chatting with him and his wife about what they’re doing now and how their grown kids are doing.
I then rode on to the other side of town to see Maypo. I only stayed an hour and then headed home. Rather than fight the traffic in Gettysburg I went home via Shippensburg, Boiling Springs and Dillsburg.
That evening I rode in to Gander Mountain to check out a turkey-hunting pack they have on sale but then found a Camelbak hydration pack I liked. I’ll need to do some research on this one. It appears to be just what I’m looking for.

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Friday, 11 July-

I spent much of the morning on the Web researching some gun topics. After lunch I rode the Thruxton down to Starbucks, then to Rocky Ridge County Park for a walk. I walked my five-mile loop in about two hours.
That evening we watched several ‘Copper’ episodes and an ‘Orange Is the New Black’ episode.

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Thursday, 10 July -

I spent the entire morning writing a recap of our Northern PA trip for my brothers while Labashi edited together video clips into a very nice little movie.
That afternoon I hit the gym for my regular routine but shortened it a bit at the end. I felt I was pushing a bit too hard and was exhausting myself.
That evening we started a new series--- ‘Copper’ about an Irish detective in the Five Points area of New York in the 1860s. Too early to tell whether we’re going to stick with it.

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