Heading West

​What a surprise to step off the Auto Train in late March to peak Cherry Blossom season and temps heading toward 80 degrees. An easy transition for me weather-wise, though driving the Beltway was still quite a scare. 

In just a couple of hours, I landed in Frederick, a small city in Maryland that I’ve day-tripped to in the past. ​With a central-based room, I was able to bike and walk toward mountain views, Baker and Carroll Creek Parks, and Main Street. While the area has grown exponentially in the last decade, people are friendly and there’s plenty of greenspace. Five days didn’t seem like enough.   

Uh-oh.
It was just a 108-mile push west to Frostburg, a small college town at a higher elevation. This was a month-long location of mine during the COVID lockdown when nearly everything was closed, so it seemed like a revisit was a good idea.

Plans were made for two weeks in a cozy studio with Easton friends visiting, biking and walking the GAP Trail, a Historical Museum stop, focused writing time, and much more. Ah, but the universe had other plans for me though mercury moved out of retrograde early and the full moon came late in my stay.

Weather deterred my friends who were coming to play outside, and it reduced my outdoor time drastically, too. Gray skies, along with plenty of rain, wind and even a morning of snow squalls kept me indoors far too much, but it also took my Honda out of its element as well. Yes, car trouble in the hills.

After an unsuccessful mechanic visit, I’d had enough, and pushed out after 10 days holding my breath for 152 mountainous miles to my Pittsburgh family. At this moment, the days are wavering between winter and spring as I await the auto diagnosis.

Time to rethink the northern relocation? Perhaps.