Quick Visit with Dad

In case you missed my recent post, a brief stint of unemployment — three short days — sent me scurrying to have some fun before the new job started.

First up was a visit to my Dad’s house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I’d bought him a new cell phone, which I needed to deliver so I could activate the thing and switch his old number over.

Dad and Me
Dad and Me

I’d planned on taking the car, but the humidity had finally dropped, which meant it would just be silly not to take the bike.

The main reason I’d wanted to take the car was that I’d decided to finally visit the nearby Stoudts Brewing Company, the source of my favorite “cow beer,” a Bavarian-style hefeweizen, which is very hard to find in Virginia.

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Cow Beer Source

Luckily, Aunt Bertha rode over to the brewery with me, so I was able to get two cases.

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Aunt Bertha

I thought I’d have to leave one of the cases at Dad’s house, but I actually managed to get it all packed into my bike.

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The corn along Dad’s road was VERY tall.

 

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My customary visit to the neighbor’s barn.

 

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Horses in the field beside the dairy cows.

 

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Dad’s neighborhood is awesome.

 

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I fed the horses some carrots (it was Dad and Aunt Bertha’s idea).

 

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Sunset over Lancaster County.

 

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Zoomed in on sunset to capture that Great Blue Heron.

I spent the night at Dad’s then left early on Thursday for the ride home. Temps were in the mid 60s when I set out. It was lovely.

Here are some things I saw and captured during the ride home. I thought you all might like to see some of the pretty landscapes and other stuff I enjoyed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.

Even the gas stations in Pennsylvania are fun. I couldn’t resist filling up at The Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia.

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Me and the giant cow at Turkey Hill.

 

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Moo!

And I just HAD to stop by the Haines’ Shoe House in Hallum, which I needed to drive right past anyway.

Haines Shoe House
Haines Shoe House

I saw quite a few pretty barns along the way, too.

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Pretty Barn

 

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Pretty Barn

 

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Pretty Barn

 

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Pretty Barn

 

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Abandoned bus stop.

 

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Pretty Barn

I really like seeing all the old barns in PA, which look a lot different than the barns I usually see in Virginia.

 

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View near the PA/MD border.

 

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A Ural dealer? I HAD to stop.

I’d never actually seen a Ural in person. So, when I came across More Than Motorcycles (official Ural dealer in Maryland), I couldn’t resist stopping to gawk. John, who was working on the older model pictured below, was kind enough to humor me.

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Ural Dealer

 

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New Retro Ural

 

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Slightly older, limited edition model.

 

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Painted building in downtown Thurmont, Maryland.

 

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Back in Virginia. I just LOVE those stone walls.

 

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Abandoned silo near Marshall, Virginia.

 

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Lovely road near Marshall, Virginia.

And that ends my quick visit to Dad’s in Pennsylvania. It was nice seeing him and his sisters, Pearl and Bertha. Hopefully, I will get back to PA for another visit soon.

Next up, my incredible long-weekend jaunt with Hubby.

9 Replies to “Quick Visit with Dad”

  1. Just think how many more cases of cow beer you could have hauled home with a sidecar rig! 🙂

    Nice shots of the sunset, Haines Shoe.

  2. Such pretty countryside.

    I might I say, “holy crap they had a Ural Yamal in stock”. You can’t find them here. They were sold out before they came in.

    1. The Yamal was being worked on for the owner, it wasn’t for sale. John at the dealership told it was a limited edition.

      I’d love to ride one, just to see what it feels like.

  3. Kathy, I gasped at first glance of your selfie with the giant cow: I was afraid that it might have been stalking you for riding off with two whole cases of cow beer. I about hollered, “Look out! Behind you!”

    “New Retro Ural”? I’m a bit confused… Aren’t all Urals retro? It sounds like I need to get myself a Ural edumacation.

    1. LOL, that picture does sort of look like that, doesn’t it?

      I don’t know much about Urals. I’m not sure what makes the green one retro.

      I had not been aware of the fact that Urals are based on BMW engines, the plans for which Hitler gave to Russia as a was concession.

  4. Looking at your photos makes me feel like I could live in a place like that for a moment… the green, the sunset…
    I can “feel” the breeze waving the corn around.

    Thanks for the nice daydream.

    1. I always imagine it as a peaceful existence, too. And then I start to think about things like distance to the closest restaurants, Target, PetSmart, supermarket, beer store, etc.

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