While I wasn't ready to leave the woods, I was quite happy to arrive to a comfortable space in a quiet North End neighborhood of Hagerstown. Following an interesting 5-hour chat with my host, the entire townhouse became mine for the next few days. I easily maneuvered a bike route to pedal about town, but on my second day returned to find the license plates on my car had been stolen. It was a Saturday so that dampened my entire weekend with worry of how I was going to move on Tuesday morning and a dozen other "what ifs".  So, suffice to say that my welcome to Maryland was not what it could have been and my interest in Hagerstown waned. Come Monday morning, the MVA did surpass my expectations -- new plates & registration in less than an hour -- so I could carry on my merry way. Yet, I'm saddened at the loss as my original Maryland plates would have turned 20 next Spring. I was somehow attached to that "Treasure the Chesapeake" tagline. 

As the universe would have it, my next stop was Frederick to the same townhouse I'd enjoyed this past spring.  After the theft stress, this was a comfortable transition, and I hopped on two wheels and picnicked in the neighborhood park before checking in. The greatest surprise was a visit with an Eastern Shore friend, Karen, to reconnect face-to-face. It was a most delightful day to walk, talk, eat, repeat.  I'm both stunned and grateful when people reach out. 

The week began as Summer and now storms are passing through with Fall temps, but I'm now rested and ready to head into northern Virginia for a month with a new spot to explore.    

Location was the basis for booking four nights of camping at Newtown Battlefield State Park near Elmira, New York. It's the site of one of the largest battles of the Revolutionary War so it seemed odd that it was now a campground. Nevertheless, my plan was to push through all of Pennsylvania and into Maryland as my next stop so off I went. 

My first night, a couple from Maryland arrived late to share the Main Park Campground with me, but otherwise there was one other tent camper about two miles north.  Before departing, the woman commented how I was "so brave for being here alone", adding that "there must be many ghosts here". Perhaps, but for the rest of my stay, I was the only living person and six sites were all mine.

The morning temps were quite cool when I stepped out of my tent to make coffee, but the days were sunny, in the low '70s, and spectacular Fall colors surrounded me.  While it was impossible to bike, I enjoyed trail walking in the woods and simply being disconnected.  I could have stayed another few days.