Where in the world is Bintie from Chicago?
Staunton, VA. I'm hoteling it tonight, not due to weather (which has been lovely) but due to desperate need for a real shower, one in which I don't have to wear shoes or try to get dressed in a 2x3 space without letting my clothes touch any surface. Also need space to press some plants. The cooler is SO full of plants, there is no way I'm getting any more in there until I can offload some.

It's becoming clear to me how rare it is for a person to be traveling alone, at least outside of the world of airports and business-class hotels. Sit-down restaurants and campground hosts give me strange, even sympathetic looks when I arrive. This is why I prefer fast-food and self-registration sites. Their anonymity suits me. I've gone off-grid in a sense, left the human family for a few weeks. Except for the internet access and credit card charges, of course!

Nice places to visit: Patapsco River SP (Maryland), Shenandoah NP (Virginia). Saw my first wild bear! Deer thundered through my campsite this morning but grew wary and sidled away when I poked my head out from the tent. It might have been my hair. Trees have been everywhere I needed them to be so far; hence the superabundance in the cooler, and the already-full plant press. I may have to reconsider my population sizes for purely logistical reasons. There are still a LOT of purple (uncollected) sites on my map, though it feels good to convert them to gray (finished) as I go. GIS is great for instant gratification.

I have pictures but don't feel like uploading them. Instead I have "pressing" business to attend to (ha! ha! botany humor).

4th of July is coming. Where will I be?
- posted by Diane @ 6:37 PM