This morning Pye and I woke to early sun and deer. I hated leaving New Jersey because it meant I would drive on Pennsylvania roads. They are the worst, and again this trip they had me screaming. I have a mortal fear of Jersey barriers, and this trip I was forced to drive with them on both sides of the two southbound lanes, leaving not an inch for a shoulder. This would go on for a couple of miles, break for a bit, then cross back into lanes defined by the concrete slabs. Mile after mile of sharing the road with big trucks gave me a headache from my clenched jaw. Other roads were begged for repaving, making me vow to get new shock absorbers and to avoid the state in all future travels.

The view of the valley and mountains from the rolling hills of Sycamore Spring Orchard in Jonestown calmed me right down. The store is a danger for carbaholics like me. I got the first of the greenhouse tomatoes, and the last Shoofly Pie. The pie came with a lesson in what makes a wet bottom Shoofly pie so special and how to tell if you’re getting the real thing. I will be eating a goodly amount of it trying to discern what besides molasses and brown sugar flavor the filling. (Wikipedia told me the pie’s name is taken from a brand of molasses popular in parts of the US in the late 19th century.) Thick slices of the tomato completely covered slices of my keto bread, making for the best tomato sandwiches of the year. 

For some reason, my solar batteries did not recharge to 100% despite being in the sun pretty much all day, so the shower I took was cold, with the water pump being the only luxury allowed tonight, and for limited minutes. Power was cut to all but the three plugs that were affected by the blown fuse. I may even try skip the heater until temps get down to the low 40s. 

Tomorrow I have a drive of about 100 miles to meet up with a sister witch who is volunteering at a dog rescue in Hagerstown. We’ll spend two nights together before I continue south by way of Spotsylvania, VA to stay at a winery. 

Hoping the weather continues to be sunny and in the 60s.