When I left the hotel this morning I was not looking forward to the walking. There was a forecast of rain (indeed, it was raining a little) and I knew I still had a long eight miles to go on 464; the first four had been pretty boring. There was still a pretty stream off to the side from time to time:

However the rain didn’t last long and soon the sun was shining on the hills ahead:

and the road was looking enticing again:

Now I have to introduce you to Carl and Marien:

Last night at the hotel, Ginny, a cousin of Laura, the wife of my best friend Paul called me to say that Dave, the husband of Nina, a friend of hers, had parents close by that perhaps I could stay with. Whew! Carl and Marien are Dave’s parents. (Any of the people in that chain reading this should correct me if they detect an error). I talked to Marien last night and we decided that they were too close to me for it to work, but we did have a good chat about my next stop.

It became clear that after 15 miles I would be close to Iron Kettle Farm on Route 96 and Carl and Marien know the owners Skip and Jeannie quite well. At the very least, Skip and Jeannie might be able to give me advice about where to stay the night.

Well, I’m walking along 464 and who should pull up behind me but Carl and Marien! They had decided to come out on the highway to meet me! We had a delightful conversation right there on the shoulder. I really wish I had been able to stay with them, as they were warm, friendly, and full of stories. Marien promised to call ahead to the Iron Kettle Farm.

So off I went, with a definite goal in mind and the weather improving by the minute.

Before too long Owego was visible across the river:

and I arrived at Route 96, my companion for the rest of the day:

I could see the bridge I would soon be using to cross the Susquehanna for the last time:

Here’s my last view of the river:

and then it was eyes forward to the Owego courthouse:

I stopped beside some rail tracks for a spot of lunch and then continued on up this highway, taking note of some interesting things that caught my eye like this tiny Texaco station:

I mooed at these bovines to get them to smile for the camera, but only a few looked at me:

It must be difficult to see out the lower left window of this house in the summer:

I lovely shapely trees and took a picture of a few:

This is the old, abandoned Catatonk courthouse, built in 1920:

Two silos for my sister-in-law Subi; first the leaning silo of Catatonk:

and then one that must look magnificent in summer, draped with ivy:

OK, so what is this trailer for?

I noticed that the leaf lossage was further along here. I wonder if the Susquehanna has a moderating effect on the climate, leading to a later color peak. Here is a shot of the dreary hills I was seeing:

Well I finally arrived at the Iron Kettle Farm and met Skip and Jeannie:

What a lovely, generous couple. The Iron Kettle Farm is an amazing place. I have a bunch of pictures I would like to share but they are uploading very slowly through the tethered connection to my phone and my hands are freezing by now so I must sign off. Suffice it to say that I was very well treated here and given a cozy place to set up my tent next and fed with chili, hot dogs, hot cider and corn chips. I will share more about this family tomorrow when I hope to have access to a wireless connection.

All for now. Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday. Did I mention that reading comments is my second favorite thing each day, next to the walking itself?