Day 20: Maryland (14th June)

Was up at 5.30, warm & sticky with flies buzzing around me as I took down the tent. Was on the road for 6.30 and immediately started climing up towards a high pass tht would take me out of the valley. The road followed forestry all the way up the pass & every so often a small deer would saunter across the road before disappearing in to the trees. A log downhill from the top of the pass brought me in to another valley that was shrouded in mist, down to a small hamlet called Doylesburg. Went into a very old country store/ petrol station to get drinks & chatted for a few minutes to the to auld lads who were propping up the counter.
After Doylesburg the road was mostly flat so I made good time into Fort Loudon. Just as I left Doylesburg I started to meet lots of Amish travelling in their standard pony & trap. Where they were going I don't know but, judging by the way the were dressed, probably to mass. After a while I stopped meeting the Amish which was a pity because they were a great distraction on the road. I always made a point of giving them a wave & they always waved back, some smiling, others looked quizically at me & others nodding sagely at me with a "wise old man of the earth" look about them.

Once past the Amish it was a case of counting down the miles to Fort Loudon. I became very tired & then frustrated as I slowed down but reached a welcoming Diner at the town & was resting with a pancake breakfast by 11am. I stayed there for three hrs resting & rehydrating. The girls there were very good to let me stay & brought me large glasses of iced water. It was a busy wee diner so there was plenty of distractions as people came & went but at some point I nodded off to sleep.

I hit the road again and 3 miles down the road I passed through Cove Gap, home of James Buchanan, President of America around 1857-61.
Another 3 miles at Mercersberg dark clouds appeared ad thunder started rattling. I wasn't sure whether to continue but I got on the waterproof runners, & got the jacket ready and pushed on. I made a dash for the next village hoping to get shelter there but thankfully the storm passed away altogether without any rain. I pushed South as hard as I could & got into Maryland (or Maralind as the locals pronounce it.... I said Mary-land to one person & he hadn't a clue what I was saying!!). It was immediately a noticeably different landscape at that point. Aflat plain stretched of Southwards with open farmland filling the views to the horizon. Tall grain silos marked out individual farms. 20 mins later I reached the junction with Route 40 & I turned West again to follow this road for the next 3-400 miles.
Dark clouds were again building up & this time they didn't pass over lightly. 3 mins after leaving a shop with a drink I was running for cover as the heavens opened up. I stood under a tree to put on my jacket & stood for a few minutes wondering what to do. I decided to head back to the shop for shelter. Just as i turned back the road a lad in a pick up truck stopped, leaned out the window & said 'Hey Bud, you wanna lift?. I said no thanks but that if he'd been going the other way to Hancock I'd gladly have taken the lift. He replied 'Oh but I am going that way. I saw you on the roadside & felt sorry for you & decided to come back & see if you wanted a lift.' I couldn't believe it. This lad was going out of his way to be generous. I was a bit wary but deep down he felt genuine & as it turned out he was... A total gent. Another pleasant surprise with the friendliness of people over here. As we got closer to Hancock the flatlands led into some big hills & when I said to the lad I was surprised it wasn't flat he replied. 'No Siree, you're headin for mountain country. I couldn't believe it. All the advice it gotten had told my to go South in to Maryland where it was flat. Anyway we got into Hancock ok, which was a bland, run of the mill town. I settled down for the night, happy after my lucky break.