Monday, Columbus Day
We spent the night in Bath, N.Y., and it was great to stretch out in a big bed, catch up on emails and phone calls, and take a shower. As Jim says, “We went to Bath to take a shower! Sometime we’ll have to go to a town named Shower and take a bath!” Yuk, yuk, yeah, the hours on the road do get to you a times.
So after a quick breakfast, we’re on the road again, and I’m reminded again, what a beautiful country this is. It’s still early and the fog hasn’t burned off of the hills. Jim and I both love that look as the layers of cloud slowly ease out of the trees and drift away into the fresh cool air. It was one of the best things about hiking in the mountains, and always a delight to see. It’s only 59 degrees out this morning, and fresh and clean.
Sitting up a little higher off the road than usual in this motorhome, we can see the scenery unfold before us very clearly and I’m acutely aware of the big birds that share this space with us. From the busy sanitary engineers of the crows, everywhere cleaning up all bits of food and animal carcasses anywhere along the sides of the road. They look so businesslike, patrolling the edges of the road, and gathering to in a group to discuss the latest roadkill find.
The streams and rivers are different in this part of the country-much shallower and meandering than at home. I’m sure they run faster and deeper in other parts of the year, but for right now, most wouldn’t be deep enough for a canoe at all. We passed the Mad River and it was so small and slow and shallow, it didn’t even look angry, let alone mad.
Each bend of the river seems to have at least one lone great blue heron, standing silently in the water, watching for small fish to swim by so they can snap it up. The bottom and sides of the streams are very rocky, and the water meanders from side to side, exposing shoals of stoney bottom that would be covered during a wetter season.
The best sight today was a bald eagle, standing in the Susquehana River. It was no more than 100 feet from the road as we passed by, and a patch of sunlight opened up just at that time. There was no mistaking that strong body standing in the shallow water, with the dark grey feachers covering the broad shoulders, and that startling, pure white head bent down glaring into the water. There must be a huge number of small fish swimming by, keeping these big birds happy and well fed.
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