What a terrific hiking day we’ve had today. The wind was high - gusts between 25 and 30 mph but the sun came out; the terrain was quite flat and we covered about 9 miles. Quite a change from yesterday!
Today our focus was on the Millersburg area. The town was founded in 1807 and still has an old town centre with market square and monument to the GAR - Grand Army of the Republic from the Civil War. What really capture my attention, however, is the ferry that was in existence from about 1825 to 1879. What I imagine is that ‘the family’ crossed the Susquehanna River here - this could just be poetic imagination because this i
s the only operating ferry still on the Susquehanna. For a time it was replaced in the 1880s by a paddleboat. The current ferry operates only on weekends and in season and I love the sense of humour of the operator. A sign directs you from the main street to the ferry site. There a sign indicates that you should open the door (attached to nothing) to summon the ferry. The ferry is now, and was then, operated by a person poling across the river. I guess what makes it work is that the river is relatively narrow at this point.
The town itself does not look to be overly prosperous. A few shops are closed and there appear to be many pizza shop
s and nail/tanning emporiums. But the town has charm. One cause is that each home has a different style sidewalk. Some are clay brick done in a herringbone style. Others are new cement and thick. Still others are concrete but heaved up by weather and broken. Ron’s favourite spot was the gazebo in the main square built in 1891 for a cost of $164. The gazebo was built to be a centre for culture, probably for bands. Tonight we are staying out of town at a motel on a golf course. The scenery is gorgeous - great high blue hills, beautiful farms and daffodils everywhere. We cooked over our Coleman stove but had to find a sheltered spot to do so. We’re enjoying the sunshine while we can. At the moment the winds are whistling around the door but
the sound is quite pleasant to listen to, maybe getting us ready for what's in store. The weather forecast calls for snow showers on Tuesday. Who hires these guys? Good news! The hike is claiming pounds from both of us. Why is it that men lose weight from the bottom up and women do so from the top down?
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