24 States in 27 Days - Day 13:

Oct. 22nd, 2012, Monday: Kathy was off to work 8:15ish, so we said good bye with big hugs and much gratitude for our comfortable stay. 

Our cozy bedroom with steps into the room.

Kevin works at home and was happy to show us the best way to drive out of town on the map while I took notes. After hugs 'bye we took off, thinking we were taking every turn he suggested until we suddenly hit a dead end! Oops! Turning around we soon found the road we should have taken, and laughed thinking we might still be going the wrong way if the previous road hadn’t been a dead end! Once on I-68 we cruised past the Coopers Rock exit eventually getting off on hwy. 381, north into Pennsylvania, a fun curving backroad through brown oak forests. 

We stopped at Ohiopyle to see the falls and slick rock creek nearby - I guess it’s quite the hot spot for kayakers. 

We turned east onto hwy. 653 towards Somerset where we then headed onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike I-70/76, picking up a toll slip at the entrance while I sat with a handful of scrounged up change we didn’t need.  Glancing at the toll slip we were shocked to see how expensive the fees were depending on which exit you took. I looked on the map to find a route that didn’t need the turnpike, and we took the 2nd exit which was “just” $5.20, not the $11 to go as far as we’d originally planned. On hwy. 30 we drove through Breezewood, then through Chambersburg which looked tired with buildings pressed up against the sidewalk. Our next stop was Gettysburg, which seemed fancy and clean. 

We considered doing an auto tour of the battle sites, but instead walked through the town square so Brad could shoot sign photos while I took pics of architecture. Quite the touristy area! Back in the truck we looked at the map together and decided to drive to Hanover, then just a bit further to Codorus State Park. 

Once we found a spot to camp we took a long walk, crunching through dry leaves in search of the lake. It was nice to arrive before dark and have a chance to explore while it was still light out. 

Interesting rocks alongside the lake.

When we returned to our site it was almost dark. Time for sandwiches with hummus, Larrupin sauce, sliced hard boiled eggs and homegrown tomatoes while sitting on the tailgate swinging our legs. This campsite had the cleanest bathrooms we’d ever seen in a public venue! Very impressive Pennsylvania! After dinner we sat in the cab of the truck and I worked on my laptop while Brad looked at the map with his flashlight, so when a truck pulled up in front of us, there was no way to see who it might be. I told Brad to lock our doors then we realized it was just the park ranger, a nice friendly young woman, stopping by to say hi. It made Brad laugh at my overly cautious reaction! Best to be safe is my motto - especially when it’s pitch black outside!