Natural violence

yesterday I made the staging area for the tour de berg stage race out  by Brierly jnct, I parked almost on the starting line. Today’s leg is a time trial. Varying degrees of race seriousness from tight lips to loose lips and slack jaws. The finish was elsewhere. No help was needed. I cheered racers as they left the line. I left shortly after the last racer.

I was told of camping places way up the mtn, on the VA/ WVA divide. I drove the described gravel road off the pavement until the first switch back where my joboxx dragged because the road was so rough.  I turned around and drove back down to a pull out I saw on the way up. I parked a short ways off the road among fire damaged trees. Just b4 dark thirty clouds moved in and lightning flashed. Winds picked up and picked up again. Way heavy velocity. I checked the trees to see if any dead ones would fall on me. Vicious winds, little rain fell.  Storm did big damage over a wide area down here. Hot inside from no widely opened windows  When I drove out of H-burg earlier it was 102 degrees… and humid.

I woke this AM to silence and 60 degrees. After Bfast i drove back down the mountain to head to Gettysburg. No wood fell on me, however the road was littered w/ broken off branches and some tree tops. Once back among civilization I saw more effects of storm. The was no electricity until just outside H-burg. Corn fields were bent over. Numerous trees were in peoples’ yards.

I turned onto I-81 and drove heartless interstate north at less than max speed. 3 lanes until road construction eliminated 1 lane and the traffic backed up. High density to begin w/ stalled to parking lot speed. dead stops. I chose a bailout on rt 11 that parallels the interstate that turned into another massive parking lot. I lost track of the time it took to go just a few miles. Oh, and it was hot… hot.

My plan was to drive to Michaux SF and stay in a SP XG to stage for rides. I called the Gettysburg bike shop and learned that their race courses are in Garmin connect so i can download to my Garmin and let electronics guide me. I still made the XG.

Gotta go attend a Gettysburg battle presentation. Man’s inhumanity to man.

Earlier I visited w/ a forestry volunteer @ the forestry museum. Old codger, 78 yo, been a fire warden in Pa for 60 years. He knows Ray Kresek from Spokane who wrote a book about lookout towers in the country. Mountain bikers and fire fighters.

State Park camping on a weekend. Holiday weekend to boot. Not all spots are filled but it is not the woodsy experience I seek. No alcohol consumption. What is drunk inside my van remains inside. sometimes camping near the host has benefits.

Fridge is getting warmer,the actual temp is surpassing safe maximum.

Mariner baseball home game called by Rick Rizz, his voice connects me to the northwest.

So, tomorrow a 20 mile 3 hour ride in the forest nearby, solar shower, then drive into nearby Gettysburg….. Nah, tomorrow is Sunday off and same date of 1863 battle. Maybe just the first 2 then find a campspot in the state forest and history on Monday, the second day of the battle.

PA beer rules: up to (2) 6 packs from taverns, case lots from distributor. Liquor and wine from state stores. No singles. I bought a 6 in MD during the traffic jam. The state might be bigger than my beer supply.

Just living in upper 80s up during the day and sometimes below 70 degrees. VA @ Douthat was the best comfortable summer weather. 30 percent humidity feels dry.

Traildoc was busted for doing unauthorized trail work by the USFS that was said were looking to bust him. He did build miles of trails that were sustainable and less technical than some of the  more popular illegal trails. He was fined $1000 and booted out of the forest for 6 months.