…Or should I phrase that as Washington D.C…

Leaving family is always bittersweet. Skip, Carol and Shekka (the Black GoldenDoodle) were wonderful hosts. If there was one reason to migrate to Canuck-ville it would be to be with them and their friends. John, the snooker group, beers at the dam on Friday evenings (Yes Pat, even you) and *Wings* it is an amazing lifestyle my brother & sister-in-law have built. A cohesive integration into their community, difficult to achieve and to be envied by all.

So we loaded up the RV and said our goodbyes and headed south. One of the principal complaints on the trip was we were always on a *freeway*. So with the help of HAL I made sure we weren’t.

The route took us through Amish country. The locals all take the notion of horse drawn carts on the roads as a nominal circumstance. For us it was *really*?

We learned that in their interpretation of their religious text…taking pictures of them was an affront to their belief. Couldn’t help being reminded of the Africans I grew up with who thought pictures stole their soul. To each their-own.

The first night was just outside of Randolph, NY.

Once we settled in, I was amused that *Trump* had made inroads into this insular community. We drove out to several of the Amish homes/stores around the area in the hamster ball. It was a source of amusement for the locals. Something about being from Oregon and driving a SmartCar…Ended up getting some local crafts, quilting and a wrought iron fire poker that no sentient RV’r should be without.

In the morning, we continued further south on the route to D.C. using the back roads of New York state…with forethought and malice…

Not before hitting Randolph and picking up some groceries in a developing snowstorm. It was not the most prosperous locale in the region…Tho, Barb fell in love with this converted church on our way out of town…we could have had it for $199,000.

Next stop was Altoona, PA.

A city whose existence is due in large part to the railroad. Their claim to fame is the Horseshoe Curve. It is this 220 degree curve that made train travel over the Allegheny Mountains far more efficient. Google Earth captures it in a way much better than I did.

Its hard to believe it was a German sabotage target during WWII. There are some interesting articles …And sadly that is the sum total of Altoona…

On to D.C…Not on the </AHEM> Back Roads….