Drive On and Smile

I took the van south from the wilds of the Keweenaw down to southeast Virginia.

It was a new route, crossing many old routes, from road trips past. Enough to give me the vague idea “I had been here before..” but no, not quite.

This wasn’t a slow pleasure cruise. I drove hard every day until I earned a day off in West Virginia to ride my bike. After which I out the pedal down again to make my appointments in Virginia.

I caught a few photos along the way. These pictures were the best of the lot.

This is Lake Huron, on the ragged edge of sunrise. There are interesting currents to Lake Huron that cause these little catwalks of sand to protrude into the lake. It’s a new occurance to me.

In the HI part of Ohio, I found a little gem of a park. Mt. Gilead. After two long drive days, I was bursting with energy and took to the trails. I ran like a coyote, and for the first time since February. It felt great! It’s wonderful to be healthy again.

The lake offered some fine color.

Before I left, I picked a dozen apples to make a pie. I opted to make the Dutch Apple Pie with the crumble on top. I figured it would improve my odds for a good pie having only to make one crust.

But, I’m happy to say I figured out good crust. (Use lard). This pie was definitely the best I’ve ever made, and I ranked it top 5 of my life. Even ice cold out of the fridge it was delicious.

And I made it in the van.

As you can see, I eat my pie by the slab.

I went for a fifty mile bike ride on the North Bend Trail in western West Virginia. I was surprised by the amount of cool creepy tunnels I had to pass through. I was very happy I had lights as some of these were very long.

I’d like to pedal this in its entirity some day. Maybe I can make this happen in the Spring.

This was a pleasant passage. I enjoyed the drive and enjoyed the views, though I didn’t take the time to photograph them all. There are times you just need to drive on and smile.