Date: 2005-06-01
From: Pen-Mar Park

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We left this morning from Pen-Mar Park, we got up at 6:30am and on the trail at 7:30am.We got to the next shelter and met 4 women section-hikers. We talked with them a bit and then moved on. They seemed very interested in how our gear could be lighter/less than their gear when they were doing a lot fewer miles.We saw two black snakes today. One was over 5 feet long and the other was about 4 feet long.We had a few snacks and crystal light along the way today. We were hoping the concession stand at the pool at Caledonia State Park would be open, but no such luck. It is actually closed during the week and open only when the pool is open on the weekends.We called Taormina's Italian Restaurant to deliver us some dinner. They informed us that they no longer deliver. Prior to entering the park, Taormina's is .4m to the left. After entering the park and getting to the pool and picnic area, it is about a mile away. So Cubby got us a ride from some picnicers that were just leaving. It was a family of 4. They gave us a ride in their minivan to the restaurant.We had dinner consisting of large portions of food and milkshakes. As we were sitting, Cubby had her eye out the window and on the door for potential rides back to the park. We were in no hurry to leave, since were weren't going to be doing any more miles. It was also nice to just sit for a while and enjoy the radio playing.During the course of the meal, each of us at one point got up to use the bathroom. It is always amazing how stiff you get after sitting for longer than 15 minutes. These trips to the bathroom turned out to play in our favor, as we ended up doing the "hiker shuffle" passed our "soon to be" ride providers. They had seen us shuffling and commented to eachother, "Those girls must have hiked a lot of miles today."We finished dinner and were ready to leave. Two guys came in to pick up a "to go" order. They were standing right next to us, so it was just easy to ask them for a ride, even though they weren't our prime candidates. They declined due to space issues in the vehicle. Cubby then asked the couple seated in the next room who had seen us do the "hiker shuffle".When Cubby asked them for a ride back to the park, their first reaction was a small humerous chuckle and then the guy (Bruce) sat up straight, crossed his arms, and said "Absolutely not." Cubby chuckled with them and replied back, "I have heard a lot of 'no's' before, but never 'absolutely not'." They said they would give us a ride back to the park and drop us anywhere we wanted. Then they both asked where we would be staying tonight. Cubby told them that we would get back on the trail and find a place to tent. Then she (Tammy) asked Cubby, "a ride to the trail is fine, but wouldn't you like to take a shower?" - "And have a place to stay?" Cubby asked, "Are you serious, because if you are, then we would definately accept."Sure enough, the offer was genuine and we loaded into the back seat of their small pickup along with their large, but friendly golden retriever Sampson. We arrived at their house after a short drive. They built their own home and it was gorgeous. There was a lot of stone work around and on the house. Beautiful. The ceilings had tongue and groove boards with exposed beams. VERY NICE HOME!We were given the guest room complete with soft bed, cotton sheets and a warm blanket. Next was the awesome shower including soap, shampoo and conditioner and ended with soft cotton towels. Then, of course we only had our raingear to wear after the shower. We then got to launder our clothes in the washer and dryer. Laundry detergent included, of course.We enjoyed a long conversation with Bruce and Tammy. During which, Tammy got each of us 2 glasses of milk. A little while later, Tammy came back from the kitchen with large bowls of vanilla ice-cream topped with fresh sliced strawberries. WOW! We cannot believe or say enough about the generosity and hospitality of Bruce and Tammy. Amazing people to open their home to us. Thank you very much.We stayed up way passed "hiker midnight" and then enjoyed a nice slumber in a real bed. Positively wonderful.We were told by a previous hiker, "Ol'Man", when we started this hike, "Remember it's the journey, not the destination." We have learned first hand already that it is the people you meet along the way and the shared experiences that make the journey. More than the rocks, dirt, and miles.