Gone away, First leg of the trip

The computer that once served only this writer is now shared with his wife. So when it came time to run the PCX to Massachusetts, it did not go along. This means that all adventures shall be reported after-the-fact.

It was time to visit Mother again, and the decision between trying the PCX out on a long ride or driving the Jag was difficult, but eventually fell to the scooter. So, on Saturday morning, saddlebags (which were acquired for free!), a tent, a sleepingbag, and a backpack with sketchbooks and a Bible in it, were all ready to go.

The Purple Haze had hit 1000 miles the night before the trip, and was at 1005 miles upon departure. It had rained Friday night, so the scoot was wiped dry and loaded up and off we went.

GPS is an interesting thing. It seems at times to take one places one does not wish to go, and other times to exactly the right place. The "Here Drive+" app for Windows Phone has an option for disabling highway travel, which seems to give it the idea that only the most rural of back roads can be used. This proved problematic on the first leg of the journey as the gas gauge was insistent that fuel was urgently needed but the GPS app was equally insistent that all signs of human habitation be avoided at all cost! Even so, a jaunt through some of the seedier neighborhoods of Easton PA yielded a main thoroughfare with a Wawa! Fuel was acquired and the GPS gave directions to a short tunnel on the outskirts of Easton where it was discoverd that the PCX is decently loud for such a small engined scooter.

After crossing over into New Jersey, the GPS decided to pull another trick out its bag. It said the Bear Creek Campground was on the top of a mountain...three miles from its actual location. After wandering a while, a call was made to the campground and it turned out we were only 200 yards away.

The campground was beautiful. The campsite sat right next to what can only be presumed is Bear Creek, which was also lovely. The only complaint about the accommodations would be that the bed was a little hard (haha!).

It was nice to wander around and enjoy the scenery. Wildlife was abundant including many cottontail rabbits, Turkeys (which refused to hold still for the camera), and deer (which also decided to be uncooperative).

At least the flora held still, though it took several attempts to get this picture since the flower was only a quarter inch in diameter and the camera did not want to focus.

Having not brought any food along, a ride into the closest town produced a nice little Greek/American restaurant. The Layton Country Store and Cafe makes a decent Gyro, and the service was good. They have seating out on the front porch and an air conditioned dinig room inside. It was such a nice day out, it didn't seem right to eat inside.

A large family group had moved in a couple campsites over from my little secluded spot. Of course Rowlf got some laughs, but after that not much was said between the two campsites. After dark, glowing frisbees could be seen flying around the adjacent field accompanied by the laughter of children. It was comforting and the view of the stars was undiminished by light pollution. The screen kept the bugs out and sleep came eventually.

Camping has its own particular set of drawbacks. It's definitely not for everyone, but disconnecting from everything, even for one night, can have a tremendous effect on the soul.