63: the invisible helmet, deer, morse code, muddy patches, potomac run, big-lipped trees, shroomy trees, burly trees, warty trees, insect stop, first working lock, more steps, marie's mission, halfway

June 14, 2025

Shepherdstown to Williamsport

When I came back from breakfast my fourth key card didn't work so Sharma, the front desk attendant, had to come open my door.

As I was leaving my hotel room this morning I carefully inspected every area of the room, the bathroom, under the beds, on the nightstands, to make sure I hadn’t left anything, then pulled the door closed and went downstairs.

I was pretty sure I had collected everything until I started to put on my helmet. It's the invisible one, the one still sitting on the desk in my room. Do pixies come out of the forest and into hotels for their pranks? I had to ask Sharma to go upstairs and open it one last time for me. It's the reader, not the card, that has been the problem.

I saw so few cyclists that several deer were out on the trail today.

Dots and dashes.... Morse code? Maybe the Park Service trying to send me a secret message?

this is what the trail looked like most of the day

except when it looked like this, which was surprisingly little considering the recent rain

there were plenty of muddy patches, but I was able to ride around most, but not all, of them

This was a nice section that ran for several miles along the Potomac.

The mosquitoes were maniacal, immediately swarming as soon as I stopped. Grabbing the insect repellent out of my pannier's mesh pocket, I hosed myself down as if I were on fire.

The picardin (which I prefer because it isn't a neurotoxin) helped, but it didn't prevent them from hovering around me. The buzzing around my ears was incessant, and I could see dozens of them looking for any opening, any opportunity. When I stopped again about half an hour later a couple of the little bastards bit me, alerting me that I need to reapply repellent at every stop. It made getting off the bike unpleasant but, even so, I still stopped because there were pictures I wanted to take.

I did, however, start characterizing my pictures. "That was a one-bite picture," or "That was a three-bite picture."

Today is apparently Tree Day, because I saw a lot of interesting ones.

"I borrowed it, bro. I'll get it back to you later."

Why does one tree have so many burls and the other doesn't have any? And are they actually burls?

there are as many kinds of burls as there are trees

and when they look verrucous are they still burls?

When I stopped for a picture of something else I noticed this guy.

As I was about to leave this caught my attention.

As I was taking his picture I felt something tickling my neck. When I reached back there, I found this fellow crawling around.

Climbing back onto my bike, I found Mr. Green on my handlebar bag.

one of the few locks that was closed and damming water

Arriving in Williamsport I found that RideWithGPS routed me up and over the canal via stairs. Ugh. Not again. I didn't see any way around it so I took off the panniers and lugged them over to the other side, followed by the bike.

I stopped at Subway for a late lunch before checking into my hotel. As I was paying, the cashier, a slightly-built woman in her late forties or early fifties, let out a long, deep sigh.

"Long day?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"How many hours do you work?"

She paused, deciding, I suspect, about how much she wanted to share with some random stranger. Her mind made up, she continued, "This is my second job. I work at a factory during the week, and evenings and weekends here."

"Wow. That can't be healthy." My unasked-for opinion, offered gently.

Said with a determined expression: "Yeah, but I'm on a mission. I want to buy a car."

I pictured something really nice, a new luxury car for her birthday, but that's not the case.

As a result of "unfortunate circumstances," she no longer has a car. Nor does she have a place to live, and is staying with a friend. One of her coworkers picks her up on the way to the factory, and she lives close enough to the Subway so that she can walk. I was curious about what her "unfortunate circumstances" are, but didn't want to pry. She got a little teary at one point because I asked about how she's doing, something I don't think anyone has asked in a while.

"Once I get a car, then I can get a different job," a higher-paying one that doesn't require living within walking distance. I asked about biking to work, but the road is too dangerous. She wants to pay cash to avoid interest because that's just "giving your money away." Nor does she want to buy a car from a dealer because having a middleman will add $3,000 to $4,000 to the modest vehicle she's interested in.... "just something that runs." After the car, which is her first priority because it will lead to a better-paying job, she wants to get her own place.

I love meeting people like Marie. Sometimes I hear a person say that I'm an "inspiration" and I just laugh, sometimes out loud. People like Marie here in Williamsport, and Bill in Stafford... they're inspirational. She's down, but not out, and isn't letting her past determine her future as she continues climbing, goal-oriented and positive. I feel fortunate to have met her.

Here in Williamsport, I'm very near Halfway.

No, not that halfway... Halfway, Maryland, population 10,974.

In spite of the inaccurate forecast of imminent rain for the past several days, I finally saw some precipitation for the first time, starting around 7:00 this evening.

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Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 1,660 miles (2,672 km)

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Peter BrownWhere are you? Just joking, these journals are hard work. I can't imagine how hard the vlogs are with all the video editing.
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