After the dust settled, and we got cozily settled in our tent, which cooperated nicely last night in my setting it up, the rest of the evening went just fine. In fact, i slept solidly for almost nine hours and did not move once all night. I have no idea how Erde slept, but i am sure she was comfortable, as that is her default mode.
We got on the road by 9:30 for the 435 mile drive to DC, still undecided about whether to stay overnight at the wonderful Savage River Lodge in Frostburg Maryland, which would cut the trip almost in half.
The drive was beginning to get pleasant again, as we hit the fall colors coming out everywhere. The second worst thing about driving at night is that you miss the scenery. The worst thing, of course, is the animals on the road at night. I don't care for myself, but for the animals. In fact, the road kill i saw today was far worse that in any other place on the continent I have driven, and i have driven a lot of it. There was at least one hapless victim every mile. A lot of places have learned how to manage that by building fences, but not so much here. Again, civilization showing its bad side.
At about 2:30, i had to make a quick decision on which highway to take, 70 on to DC or 79 and then 68 to Frostburg MD and the Savage River Lodge. I knew my gut instinct would be the right one so i kept my options open. I opted for the latter and that's where we are now. And what a great decision that was. I was last here with Sonntag in 2001 when it first opened, just weeks before he was put down, and the place is like a good bottle of wine that gets better as it ages, or perhaps I should say, like a good dog who gets better with age. Erde seems to enjoy it too, probably because it is a reminder for her that civilization still exists beyond the boundaries of our tent and the Defender. to top it all off, it is the most dog-friendly place on the planet. In fact, every cabin near us has at least one dog in it.
Time to call it quits for the night. One more posting to go for this trip. How sad that it is ending, but i can already feel the joy of having done this trip with Erde under the circumstances of both our great grief over the loss of her brother, my buddy, Leben. If there was one expression i said out loud to myself over and over on this trip, it was, "Oh, how i miss that dog." Erde knows what my other favorite expression was.
Photos..
Our camp at morning. I find it amazing that i can see much better in daylight. The night was pleasant enough after we settled in the tent, as it always turns out. No other tenters, just RVers, but good RVers since none used their generators.
Erde getting ready to call it quits for this trip...
But then, as soon as we pulled into Savage River, she perked right up. I haven't seen her do this in a very long time.
The Defender, Erde, and my drying tent at our fancy cabin at Savage River Lodge, an absolutely wonderful place. This one night is costing me more than 20 nights of camping, but it certainly is worth it.
Ed and Erde, On The Road
P.S. Sorry for any errors in this message or posting. The iPad spellcheck is not known for its attention to detail.
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