Magnus Moves! Massachusetts and back, Day 22

 Tuesday, July 30
 

Day off from traveling, hurray!  We went over to the Ozone Falls State Natural area, where a painful little walk (aka scramble over rocks) took us to the bottom of a very tall waterfall. Lovely!

I found it worse going down than returning back up, because I was wearing the cheap sneakers I'd bought for walking Molly on road surfaces and gravel. But this surface was rocks and sometimes slippery rocks, so I really needed my hiking sandals.  After slipping a couple of times, my steps became so tight and uncertain I could barely move and ended up wtih exhausted legs for the climb back up.

Lesson learned, and a rationale for why I have no fewer than 8 pairs of shoes in the motorhome. Waterproof walking shoes (that hurt my feet on a long trek), road walking shoes, hiking sandals, hiking boots for cold weather, swimming shoes, flip-flops (2), and scuff-type sandals for stepping outside when I have socks on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After returning from the Falls, we lounged around for a bit and then did lunch. Lazy day.  There were thunderstorms moving in, predictably, so Molly and I took our afternoon walk early, leaving at about 2:30 I think. We went down the Byrd Creek trail (the yellow trail), jumping on at the spot right beside our neighbor's campsite. It ducked into the woods and then meandered creekside for a mile, joined a short segment of paved road and a bridge over the creek, then meandered back on the other side of the creek to join up with the red trail which went to the historic CCC bridge and the old mill.  Really cool old stuff.

 

Talked to a ranger with a gas-powered weedwhacker across the creek for a minute, then later met a lady walking a young dog. She (the lady, not the dog) wanted to talk and talk, a lot. But we soon got away and went on.

About three-quarters of the way around, I finally decided I needed to go pee really badly. I tied Molly to a tree and squatted, and about that time a lightning bolt struck pretty close and a thunderboom sounded soon after. Maybe a half mile away. Molly was upset, but she handled it okay.  But needless to say, my relief stop was not very effective.

Made it all the way back to the gift shop when Molly decided to drop a turd by the road. No baggies left, so I took her up to the entrance to the campground where a poo station had the supplies we needed, grabbed a couple, and quick-stepped back. Couldn't find the dropping, and the rain was starting to pepper down.

So we gave up looking (the rain would hide the evidence) and ran for Magnus the Mighty. We got rained on pretty well but not critically--plenty of tree cover to deflect the first raindrops. And returned.

Tomorrow is moving day again, so I need to quit now and start planning the route.

Back to our scenic view of the power lines. That's our motorhome way off in the distance.