42 Trips Around the Sun

Leaving Marlinton, WV this afternoon hoping to make it to Warm Springs, Va and a B and B for my birthday. 56 miles of the Greenbriar River trail was an adventure. We camped in the most serene place alongside the river last night, but I lied awake most of the night thinking that every noise I heard was a bear trying to eat us. I was ready to do my famous duckunder on the bear in case I had to, but now am tired as we enjoy this small old logging town. We're getting close to my cousin Bill in Harrisonburg, Va and then onto Washington DC.
Along the trail, we saw remnants of old logging towns gone bust. One had the old bank and its safe still sitting in the middle of the woods.........an echo to the dollar-mad culture of that era. One still had a dozen or so houses. The stores were all gone, as was the post office, and the old bank sat like a brick coffin. We found a half a dozen people drinking beer and playing horseshoes and we stayed with them for a couple of hours. I lost in horseshoes and we learned from Jason how his great grandfather used to own "every watershed in the region" before selling it during the Depression for $3800. His friends had a squirrel as a pet, and we somehow knew that we needed to move on.
We have met some bicycle tourists in this town riding the trail. They can't believe that we started in Knoxville. I'm 42 today, reflecting on my good fortune to be as active as I am with the partner that I have, breathing in this country and its hidden treasures like oxygen.