Day 75 - Friday, August 26

Linda

Of course, my body clock woke me up at 6:15 this morning even though I could have slept much later. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I finally got up and dressed at 7:00, then wrote cards until 7:45. Woke Ronald up then so we were both ready to go when Mom and Dad came around at 8:15 to go to breakfast. After breakfast we had some grocery shopping to do and I also wanted to take advantage of the sewing machine Mom had brought with her at my request. My shorts had gotten so baggy they would hardly stay up, but I didn't want to just get another regular pair. These were my specially designed women's hiking shorts with the Velcro crotch for ease of relieving oneself in the woods on those many occasions when there are no facilities at hand. They have proved to be an important asset and it was worth the trouble of altering them to fit. I was glad Mom agreed to bring along the sewing machine. Was also able to take in my shirts and mend a couple things to last for a bit longer. Mom had also brought along a selection of bras in much smaller sizes for me to choose from. I hadn't said anything to her beforehand, but she anticipated the potential need, and I'm glad she had. I had abandoned my old one quite a ways back, and had been going "au naturale" since, but admit it's more comfortable having a little support and padding to prevent chafing. Moms understand things like that.

Mom and Dad hadn't ever toured the historic area of town before, so the plan was to drop them off there and drive to Charles Town to take care of some errands. On the way, we stopped by the ATC Headquarters again, and Dad ended up buying a membership. That made the day for the receptionist who seemed a bit bored with her job. We mentioned to her that we'd like to be able to by one of the metal AT markers that are posted on trees all along the trail. We'd been tempted to take one as a lot of other hikers had done, but had resisted the temptation, because we liked seeing them up there, and didn't want to add to the problem. When we explained this to the receptionist, she gave us one. I'm glad we asked - that will make a wonderful addition to our souvenirs.

We dropped off Mom and Dad as planned, then went to take care of our errands. We met up again at 1:00 for lunch at the ice cream place. We thought they might want to spend more time touring the buildings and soaking up history, but they said they had seen enough for the day. We drove back to the motel to make plans for the rest of the day. Before even getting out of the parking lot, Mom and Dad's 1969 LTD turned over 100,000 miles. Dad wanted to have a party - Mom thought a wake would be more appropriate, but both were surprised it's still running. That car was Dad's last company car when he was with Sew-Fro Fabrics, and even though it's a gas-guzzling boat, it's held up remarkably well.

Back at the motel, Dad suggested we drive to Frederick, Maryland about 30 miles away for dinner at the Peter Pan Restaurant. He's raved about it to us before, so we agreed it sounded like fun. Since it was still early when we got to Frederick, we spent some time at a shopping mall until time to go to dinner. Didn't buy anything, but it was fun looking at all the fall clothes with a new "thin" perspective. The Peter Pan is a huge gaudy place with a maze of dining rooms and gardens. You order your entree, then everything else is served family style. The food was great, and there was sure plenty of it. We started out with several relishes and juice, then muffins with apple butter. We ordered Smithfield ham as our entree, and this was served with peas, beets, potatoes and fritters. Once again, we ate too much, but not so much that we couldn't fit in ice cream for dessert. After dinner we had to get back to the motel so Mom and Dad could get ready to go back to Richmond. Sorry they had to leave tonight, but we really enjoyed the time we had together. If all goes as planned, we will see them again next weekend at Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we hope to camp with both families over Labor Day. We bid them good-bye about 7:30 and we spent the rest of our evening packing the food, waterproofing our boots and watching TV. Showered for the third time - just because I could - and went to bed at 11:30.

Ron

We got up at 7:30 this morning, much too early. But that's how it is when you have lots to do. Rest days aren't even rest days anymore. After breakfast with Wally and Carol at the motel coffee shop, we put together a schedule for the day. We would drop them off down in the restored section of town and go into Charles Town to buy supplies. Before heading to Charles Town, we took them down to the ATC Headquarters to look around. We arranged to meet again at lunch, then Linda and I headed to the store. We picked up enough supplies to make it to our next major resupply point at Waynesboro, Virginia. Back at the motel, Linda worked on getting her clothes back in shape while I finished up my first log book prior to shipping it home. We both finished up just in time to make it to lunch.

Wally's car (and old Ford LTD) was about to turn over 100,000 miles. We were being careful as we drove around not to push it over the limit. We wanted Wally to have that privilege. After lunch at the ice cream shop we went back to the car and watched the odometer flip over to 000000 as Wally drove around the parking lot. Back at the motel we decide to go to the Peter Pan Restaurant near Frederick, Maryland for supper. It is located between Harper's Ferry and Washington, DC. To kill time we stopped in Frederick to walk around a mall. It was the first mall that Linda or I had been in since leaving home. I don't know why, but for some reason I haven't missed them.

At the restaurant we had a delicious meal that stuffed us to the gills. Wally had to get back to open his Radio Shack store the next day, so they couldn't spend the night. Back at the motel, we said good-bye after making them promise to give serious thought to coming up to Peaks of Otter next weekend.

Next weekend we are planning to take a couple of days off in celebration of my 25th birthday. We are going to meet my parents in Waynesboro and drive down to Peaks of Otter. It has always been a special place to Linda and me. We stayed there on our honeymoon. My sister Becky and her husband Len, and Linda's brother Randy are also planning to be there. We finished our last minute chores while watching some TV. With luck we'll get an early start in the morning.