Our Second Post!
We have made it to another post, and man we have continued to cover some ground! A lot has changed in the political landscape of the nation, but we want to share about our adventures through its physical one.
Since we last left y’all on read, we have managed to get to Boston, fly to the Grand Tetons, customize our bikes in Harrisburg, PA, and camped in a Maryland State Park.
While we entered the Boston metropolis, I wondered if the red eye flight we had purchased for Shelly was really a great idea. Turns out, that Logan International Airport is pretty much the definition of traffic congestion. The lack of traffic was the smart decision, even though the 4 AM departure hurt at the time. Here our journeys split. Shelly would reunite with some of her besties in one of her favorite places (Jackson Hole, Wy) , and I would hold down the fort in Cape Cod. After recharging Gravy with some maintenance, I got the urge to adventure. I took the bike to the shore, had a beer, and planned out how I would go see the freedom trail in Boston. This trail ended up taking me from the first public park in America, to the Old South Meeting house, through the intersection of the Boston Massacre, and eventually to the monument of Bunker Hill. On my way back to Gravy and the dogs, I stopped in at the John F. Kennedy presidential library. With out going to deep into the history, it was an amazing reminder of why America was created. Our sincerest thanks for those who have served to protect it.
While Mark got his fix of Freedom, I (Shelly) was in the Tetons “Shell-ebrating” our upcoming marriage. This long weekend get away was a Shelly dream. We started each morning with a coffee shop. We hiked to the BEAUTIFUL Taggert lake in the national park. We stopped by the iconic Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. We shared memories and tons of giggles. We had family meals each night where I was deemed “Chef Bride” - okay did I deem myself that? yes, but that’s not the point here people! In summary it was the most perfect weekend in one of my most favorite places with some of my all time favorite people - besides that lovely fiancé of mine. While I was sad when the fun was over, I was excited to get back to mark, the doggies, and of course Gravy!
After a few flight delays, it was time to face the Logan Airport one last time. Would we make it out alive? Yes. Would we make it out with a fresh insurance claim? Yes. A quick fender bender would later cost us some peace of mind, a level headed and kind strangers headlight, and some new bicycle tires for our daily drivers. This ended up being a bit of a success story because we wound up at a very nice Pennsylvania bike shop. This is the link to their website, and the staff there couldn’t have been nicer. https://www.holmescycling.com/ The town was just as appealing as the shop, and if it weren’t for Pennsylvania ticks, we’d still be there.
The next stop was for some quick backpacking excursions to sere the halfway point of the Appalachian trail. Here, I (Mark) ventured away for a night and chatted it up with a really nice gent named Danny. Danny and I stayed at the same AT shelter and ended up talking about where we’ve each been, and where we are each going. The next day I was able to hike back to Gravy with some of Danny’s wisdom to ponder. After a nice, long lunch break, I headed back onto the trail. This time with Shelly and the dogs! We headed down the trail, caught a heck of a sunset, and eventually made it to “Tom’s Run” where we would be rewarded in our endeavors. We made some taco bowls, caught some sleep, and awoke to the birds chirping. Once back to the van, we got to town to resupply.
Exhausted and tired of the woods, we wanted to still remain active but closer to civilization. We decided to put our tourist hats back on. Gettysburg was only a short drive away and we were able to walk the dogs and pay our respects to the hollowed ground of Gettysburg. This iconic area hosted wonderful walking paths and information detailing the events of the battle.
After wrapping up our time learning about the theatre of Gettysburg, we went further down the road to our landing spot of Cunningham State Park in Maryland. From here we will be seeing Shenandoah National Park, another Virginia State Park, and then onto seeing some family a near Blacksburg VA (Go Hokies!)
