Kent and I converged at the Buffalo airport after 12 hours of driving and 10 ½ of air travel respectively.  It was a long day for both but we settled in easily at Four Mile Creek State Campground on the shore of Lake Ontario.  It is a lovely ocean-like view and pretty quiet, for now.

We skirted thunder storms most of the way but managed to avoid the worst of the weather and are safely settled at Krodel Park in Pt. Pleasant West Virginia.  We have a couple days before Kent’s class reunion so we are catching up with family.  The years fly by!

I could NEVER make a living working on boats. The install of a tachometer took a looong time.  You get no wiring diagram with a new Mercury motor so you need to study a lot to understand where certain voltages are and how to get them.  As luck would have it they actually provided a connection for switched power inside of the ignition switch.  That was really nice since many of the functions are now digital.  Power for light in the gauge was obtained from an existing lighting circuit in the boat so it will only be on when needed and not glaring in my eyes all the time the motor is running.  The signal circuit came from one of the feed wires from the alternator to the rectifier.

After using the motor a few times I didn’t like the original location I chose for dealer installation of the ignition switch so I moved it to a more accessible location in the boat and installed the tach. Doing this meant running the 16 wire cable and the 4 wires required for the tach through the boat in an access channel behind the flotation and compartments.  Not an easy or quick task.  Took a lot of time but, now it is done. Everything works and proves the prop calculation was correct.  We are currently running slightly below the max rpm for the motor at full throttle and that will likely move up just a little as the motor breaks in more or we have a lighter load in the boat.

Fuel consumption is much better than the old motor. The 4stroke sounds different than the old 2 stroke, driving the desire for the tach.  Until you get familiar with the sound of a 4-stroke at 5500 rpm it sounds “way too fast”.   All is working fine.

We joined in singing happy birthday and got a piece of delicious cake. A local bakery did itself proud with a traditional yellow cake with white icing and a more out of the ordinary chocolate with peanut icing. Washington Street is lined with booths hawking crafts, antiques and whatnots plus two or three face painting stations.  The chain saw carving guy was on break and the black smith between pieces but we got to see lots of kids limbo-ing and hoola hooping.  It is definitely a small town family thing.

A local dairy represented PA milk producers well. The Peanut butter revel and raspberry cones were very messy on this 85 degree day but tasted marvelous.

The Isett Museum is just up the road.  They have some amazing collections of all kinds of stuff provided by locals.  There are a number of “I never saw one of those before”:  an indoor butchering kettle, a wallpaper trimming machine, a doubled headed crescent wrench, an 8 track tape player with automatic changer, rectangular grand piano… and more I can’t remember.  It is all well displayed and roving docents provide some nice talking points around the collections.  Check it out if you are around.

Re-enactors set up a small civil war era encampment on the museum grounds this weekend. The guys really get into the part and are great to talk to…mostly listen too once they get rolling.

Green heron bait in their prey. At least that’s what the official sign board says.  They perch on a stick just above the water and drop seeds or bugs to entice little fishes to come there way.  Then, bam, the heron strikes out with that big beak and catches himself some lunch.  Pretty crafty.

The Old Loggers Trail in the Raystown recreation area is a classic. Nearly every footfall is either up hill or down with only the occasional respite when the trail follows an old logging road that was carved into the ridge face.  There is loose rock underfoot nearly all the time with the periodic appearance of seeps and streams that share the walking path and all is covered with a thick layer of leaf litter.  Know that this is the trail you will find in these parts but know too that the trail will take you to some beautiful places.

The lush green understory does its magic absorbing all the sounds of civilization around us. Song birds call from high in the treetops.  The sweet smell of primrose and mountain laurel mix with the damp earthy smell of the forest floor.  Springs babble and tinkle beside us as we zigzag across their route down the rocky ravine.

The trail ends at a cliff edge overlooking the lake. The still surface of early morning is now rippled with wind waves and an occasional boat wake.  A solitary loon floats far below us and a cormorant, wings outstretched, suns from his perch on a fallen tree.

It’s been a good walk. Our dogs are barking.  The planned 4.5 mile hike stretched to 7 miles.  We will probably sleep soundly tonight, as long as the leg cramps stay away!

And today we were completely rained out.

A walkway of rich dark stone leads through the slot in the high bare walls to a simple overlook. Your eyes are drawn across the meadow to a row of marble columns, through a gate made of rough hewn timbers, to a solitary boulder.  This row of images leads visitors along the final flight path of flight 93.  Walking paths and roads wind through the huge grounds.  It is a peaceful, contemplative place.

Exhibits in the visitor center chronicle minute by minute the happenings of 9/11. It is a pretty heavy story but all nicely done.  The most wrenching experiences are the first hand calls and accounts of passengers, crew and first responders.  Some can be listened to in the visitor center still many more can only be read in an unadorned room containing rows of tables upon which lie simple binders with transcripts of lots of these communications.      Visitors perched on plain folding chairs thumb through the binders silently.

The memorial project is not done yet. Landscaping continues and there is a plan for a huge wind chime tower with a chime for each of the 40 souls lost that day.

Every element, every color, placement, and texture seem to matter. What story do we want to tell and what emotion do we hope to illicit from those who visit?  Design and construction of a National Monument is pretty amazing.

There is a lot more traffic on the ramp and out on the water over the weekends. We decide to explore some local landmarks and events.  Check it out!

The Aughwick Antique Tractor Ride and Show.  We pull into the parking lot at the Rockhill Trolley Museum.  The place is nearly deserted and there are certainly no antique tractors around.  Just as I find an official looking someone, the first of the tractors rounds the corner.  It really is a tractor ride.  The local antique tractor club has gathered from across the county and drove the last 9 miles on back mountain roads just for the fun of it then they park in a perfect row to show off for any who come to see.  It is a pretty small collection but it includes an odd looking Case tiller/cultivator.  We learned all about it from the fellow who rode it in.

We come upon a regular Kars and Koffee rally of the Raystown Kruisers as we head back to camp.  These fellows get together every week to show off some great looking rides.  Most are “restored” to feel like the original but drive a little easier (automatic transmissions) and ride a little safer (modern brake systems).  A ’57 Chevy painted a gorgeous blue caught my eye.  It was the owner’s first car that he bought for $150.  He certainly has a lot more in it now!  A deep burgundy ‘56 Chevy sat right beside it.  It is awfully nice too and not nearly as gaudy without the fins and all the chrome.  Maybe I like it a little bit better.  I’d take either one.

Today is the day to test out Kent’s new outboard.  It is a fourstroke so there is no icky, stinky smoke and it is a whole lot quieter than the old one so I am pleased with it. Kent is too but it’s all still conditional since he is having to baby it until it gets some hours on it.  In the next day or so we will get to see what it is able to do at full throttle.

This is our first visit to Raystown. The lake is tucked in between deep green mountain ridges and the surface lay glass-still as we headed out this morning.  Hundreds of boats rest in the marina slips but we share the lake with only a few today.  The sun was toasty and the breeze cool.  It was a perfect day to be out.  We didn’t find the hot fishing spots today, maybe tomorrow?