the Roam

Yet another day of mountainous terrain. Is it the last? I hope so. I woke in a dense fog and didn’t know what was ahead of me until I was upon it. Another mountain to cross, but it came and went and then another came. I think Mount Laurel, which I just crossed to get to the town of Mt. Pleasant, is the last of my Appalachian trials.

I hope so… I know there are many many rolling hills ahead of me, but those huge rises and falls take their tolls on my feet, my knees, my thighs, my core, and one pair of my shoes which have started to come apart! I’ve had daymares of the united states laid out ahead of me and every time I come to the crest of a hill, just before I can see over it the land ahead wrinkles and scrunches to create new hills before me as the land behind me turns back into plains forever tormenting me.

At least I did find this along the way though…

a strawberry shake and onion rings. The onion rings were so greasy though I couldn’t finish them. Even when using the large number of calories I do each day I still can’t bring myself to stomach some things.

On my way down from Mount Laurel on a four lane 8% grade highway that went down for over a mile I did find these

which creeped me out a bit. It has to be a  deer, right?

Then I found this victim, possibly of some sort of an Office Space-style technocide.


I wish I could take out my feelings on the hills and mountains of Pennsylvania this way… but soon they will be far behind me. I hope to hit Columbus Ohio by the end of next week and I will have left this hill hell behind me.

I must admit, I am enjoying the skinnier stomach and tighter abdomen gained from all the hill climbs, but I’d like to enjoy some cruising on flatish roads that don’t wind north, south, and only occasionally west.