On Wednesday we went for a walk, ok it was more like a marathon. The three of us ready to go, Element in her stroller while Theo and I take turns pushing. We set out on the rail trail in Glen Rock south towards New Freedom. It was so hot and humid out, but we were blessed to find tons of blackberry bushes ripe and ready for eating along the trail! We wondered what other plants we could eat, and which plants and berries we need to stay clear from. I’m always interested in knowing what plant life and vegetation is around and what uses they have.
So we reached Railroad and stopped by the General Store. When we walked up to the door we saw they were closed on Wednesdays and Fridays so we were going to head over to Captain Bobs Crabs. We quickly found out they do not open until 3pm and it was only 1. So we had to decide…did we want to keep going and eat lunch in New Freedom, or turn around. As we were contemplating this major decision, the owner of the General Store opened the door and let us come in to check it out! It was so cool seeing all the old record players and antiques. There were also a lot of old books, and beautiful old photographs. I could just see myself sitting in a house back in the 1800 playing my gramophone. The owner turned on some music while we walked around. It was a wonderful experience, we have to go again and spend a little more time there. They also had hanging flower baskets outside for sale so we purchased a beautiful red one and picked it up on the way back.
Now its about 1:45, and we’re hungry… so that helped in making the decision to walk on to New Freedom. We’ve walked the rail trail before, but never this far. It was nice and shady in spots and the train passed us a few times, which was a nice break in scenery. Element wanted to stop at a big playground in a nice park off the trail, but it was too hot to just sit in the sun. There was a beautiful house on a hill, with an amazing porch, right before a sign that said New Freedom .9 miles. As we arrived, the trees disappeared and it was REALLY HOT for the last quarter mile. The trail was paved and it was wide open for the train station, which made it feel even hotter. We quickly made our way to the train museum building.
We needed to eat lunch, and we saw The Hodle restaurant across the street from the train museum so we decided to go there. The restaurant has a huge staircase up to the door, and an open porch area. The restaurant is really nice on the inside…remodeled and has an awesome loft upstairs. The margarita the bartender made was delicious, and the chick quesadilla was really good. It had fresh vegetables in it, and the chicken was juicy. The place had a nice relaxing atmosphere. Apparently Wednesdays is Crab Night, wish we would’ve decided to go for an evening hike!
After eating lunch, we headed over to the Rail Trail Cafe for desert. A girl needs some good desert after a 5 mile hike! The Rail Trail Cafe came to the rescue with a delicious berry smoothie! It was made from fresh blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Oh and we also got a rice krispy treat…whoa…they sure do know how to make them. I like my rice krispy treats marshmallowy and buttery. Delicious.
So now that we are full and ready for a nap, we have to head back to Glen rock… another 5 miles. Oh my feet were sore and my legs just wanted to rest. But we pushed our way back…it was even more fun carrying the hanging flower basket back. One guy walking past us as we walked home asked if we were taking our flowers for a walk because Theo was carrying Element on his shoulders and the flowers were in the stroller. Seeing us from another persons perspective made me chuckle. We finally got back to Glen Rock around 4, and still have to walk up Church Street. What a hike!
What started out as just taking a walk, turned into a pretty awesome adventure and a great workout!
Its amazing what you’ll find in your world when you do something spontaneous and out of the norm.
~Raine Dawn
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