2 November 2015, Monday

This morning we are in birders’ paradise. We eat our breakfast as
chickadees, titmice, juncos, bluejays, and cardinals flitter in the
trees around us. We also see a red-bellied woodpecker, golden crowned
kinglets, hairy woodpeckers, a yellow-rumped warbler and, in the tree
right behind our tent, a pileated woodpecker. Great surroundings for
eating our cherry pie breakfast!

We chat awhile with our neighbors who are camping in a 20 year old VW
van that is still going strong after more than 200,000 miles. They
are from Wisconsin. The man of the van recommends we try backpacking
Coyote Gulch in Escalante, Utah next time we are out that way.

After breakfast we obtain a park map at the visitor center and drive to
Conkle’s Hollow for a morning hike before returning to the road. We
depart in the early afternoon. Late lunch-early dinner is at Wheeling
Brewing Company. We try their porter (excellent!!) and their PSRT
Saison, flavored with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Unique! Then
O drives another 60 miles to New Stanton, PA. Only 5 more hours of
driving left for tomorrow and we will be home!