October 10, 2009, Artemas, Pa. A Drive.

We have been driving the back roads of Pennsylvania since 1973, but today we drove on a road we had never been on before.  Having not much food at home, we decided to drive up to Mike's Place in Clearville for lunch.  The day was bright even though overcast so the familiar look of Highway 26 seemed especially lovely with the Autumn colors.  The fields were green again after a bit of rain and the yellows and orange of the trees together with the farms looked just wonderful.  In the country a lunch out is not merely a dining experience.  It is also a time of talking.  Helen and Erin were just leaving the restaurant, so we had to find out their goings on, and then Mike and Maria always like you to stay and chat.  It is interesting that Maria whose Father is French and who lived in Silver Spring and worked at NIH for thirty years met Mike when Maria's family retired to a town just north of Artemas and married Mike who was born and raised in Artemas.  It is an interesting combination.

After our hearty lunch we decided to drive home another way so we drove west toward Everitt, then south on a new road.  It was a wonderful road, right along the Juliana River, finally ending up outside Bedford before driving south on 326, a small country road we know well.  I suspect that new road was really the old road before Highway 30 was built.  A very old Mill complete with huge house was still intact but not open.  The trees along the river were bright and shining.  This new road was a thoroughly lovely trip and well worth the extra time and money.  Both Ken and I like to find new roads and today we found a good one.  The problem is whether we will ever be able to find it again.  I would like to explore that old mill.