Day 006 - Bear DE to Perryville MD

Temperatures were in the 30's & 40's with bright sunshine and minimal winds. There were no clouds in the sky until very late in the day when a few high wispy clouds gave advance notice that a storm would be arriving from the Midwest.

The terrain has changed from the dead flat sandy soil in New Jersey to gradually rolling hills. The walk was planned to end in North East, MD but with the weather forecast being what it was I decided to walk an extra 10 miles for a total of 24 miles to make sure I did not fall behind schedule.

I knew I could do it since during training I had walked the Great Saunter around Manhsttan Island for a total of 32 miles (shorewalkers.org - no connection with AVA) and had walked 26 & 20 miles on successive days at the US Freedom Festival in Arlington , VA (imlwalking.org which is AVA compliant). I finished the day 2/3 of a day ahead of schedule.

A short time into the walk I came upon an interesting trio of highway signs. One had the name of the city where I was born and raised. One pointed to the city where I had gone to college and the third had the route that I am traveling west on.

I ended the day at the Thomas J Hatem Bridge which connects Perryville with Havre de Grace crossing the Susquehanna River. This is the second of only three bridges that I will not be able to walk across. When I encounter the next bridge I will be looking across San Francisco Bay at the finish line. I have been in three different states since yesterday.

Joan and I did the Perryville AVA walk in May of 2008. It is a nice walk that goes thru Perryville Community Park with great views of the Chesapeake Bay. The walk goes under the Hatem Bridge. Ellie and I did the walk last December and we could see the results of the complete overhaul of the bridge that is nearing completion.

Shortly after entering Maryland Stephanie Braun the daughter of a 3 year ovarian cancer survivor flagged me down. She was on the way to see her Mom Marion and Dad Richard. We had a discussion of medical terms and procedures that only someone who has experienced ovarian cancer would understand or appreciate. Best of luck to Stephanie and her parents.