lots of big numbers!

May 24th--I am leaving State College by way of bus route 320 which I thought might be busy-but there was a bike trail so I walked away from traffic. That way a truck didn't run me over like a snake or groundhog or possum like I have seen along the roadways.

The night before I left I took in a stage show of kids singing the show "13." It was very good-one line stuck-IF IT IS WHAT IT IS THEN IS WHAT IT IS unless Disney changes the ending. I made my first town of Boalsburg, PA around 10:00 am. A older fella was working on the graveyard for this weekend. Does anybody know why-Yes it Memorial Day BUT it was invented in Boalsburg in the 1880's.

I stopped and had a chat with the graveyard lawn jockey. I told him about walking Hawaii and talking with grave diggers there. Their big problem is high tide coming into the grave sites. This local fella says the same thing happens with ground water in this valley of Boalsburg. Sometimes after lowering the casket in the hole it looks like it's floating. They have to take a backhoe and hold down the pine box and throw dirt in real quick. I ask him which way he wanted to go, cremated or buried. He was too scared to talk about it-and this man wasn't a spring chicken. It could use Bob Hope's line," just surprise me after I die! "

I walked into the Colbyn Lakes area and saw 6 beautiful Purchion hores in a large green field. They would all take off running with their tails in the air. Then they would come up to the fence and then off they would go again. At the lake a older Amish father was fishing with his 6 kids and 3 of his sisters. The kids were catching blue gils left and right. The father was just sitting there watching the whole affair. He ran a pallet building company for Johnston and Johnston. I sat by the lake side and ate my lunch as we talked about the area.

After lunch I worked my way through a small village. A fellow contractor was standing outside of his detached garage. As we talked he showed me his restored muscle cars-they were beauts.

He gave me direstions to Poe Paddy State park but I missed the first turn off. I ended up at Penn Woods state park-which was better. Very clean with great sites and real bathrooms and toilets.

I got set up and then 2 cars pulled up. These 4 people started to unloaded this and that like they had plans for staying there for weeks. They walked way back in the woods and I could hear chopping and the sawing of wood. I thought I was going to see a log cabin appear.

After dinner I walked down to have a chat. These 4 young kids were from State College on a short break from work and one who had just graduated. They worked at a smoked rib joint. It just happens to be the closest restaurant to the second biggest football stadium in the USA. The football crowd can get to be 100,500 on the day of the game. This restaurant will serve 30,000 meals in one day. They have pre ordered racks of ribs and the football crowd just drives up and takes the meals over to the field for some major tail gateing.

They live in a 3 story house near campus. On each floor are 7 people-with me so far?-each person pays $600. plus electricity. So that is $12,600 per month!!. As I was talking with the four campers they were all sharping sticks and then sticking them in the fire to make them

harder. I thought maybe it was boredom. Oh no! It was for the occasional bear attack during the night.

One girl had camped here before and heard a noise during the night and drove all the way home. I talked to them about the slim chance of seeing bears. During the night -no make that early morning they must of heard the noise. I heard car doors slamming and tires kicking up gravel at 2:00 AM.

May 25--

I had a long walk because of my little bobo mania. This time I watched the street signs--or the lack of them. After 3 hours of walking I wasn't quite sure which road I was still on. Then a van came driving up. The repair man along with his helper and myself using 3 maps tried to figure the puzzle out. We were all on the right page and road-yipee!

The forest walk was through fields of ferns and mountain laurel in bloom. I made it into the next valley of totally green rolling hills. I came to a huge barn with clothes on a line drying in the wind. As I was taking a picture an Amish lady came to the side window and said, "Hello, would you like some water and fresh radishes from the garden?"

We sat and talked for 10 minutes, they had moved in 10 years ago from Lancaster. A cousin of hers was going to take over the place and make it into a dairy. The barn I thought looked giant. Come to find out, it's the 3rd biggest in the state. Big enough so that you can turn a horse team around inside. I met a fella in the town of Willheim that used to play hide and seek in the barn with 50 classmates.

I found a Minonite grocery store that made food and sold goods. I had a salad and fried chicken to die for. Then I walked on through the country side and noticed a B&B sign posted that just happened to be on my way. A German woman named Maria runs the 26 acres B&B. The house was built in the 1700's and the back of the house over looks a trout stream. I hear Amish buggies going up and down the street with a clippy clop in the front. Tomorrow more walking north towards Jersey Shore PA and then Grand Canyon of PA but that's later. Thanks for listening!