Bubbles - Day 11 (Thursday, April 7th)

Today was our first day sleeping indoors while on the trail.  We made reservations at Mountain House Cabbin in Front Royal, Virginia.  I think we were more excited for food and a HOT shower than were were for sleeping indoors!  Poor Smudgy Cheeks (just so you all know, this is Jeff's new trail name!) didn't read the instructions in the bathroom to know how to turn the hot water on so he took a cold shower instead. Hahahaha, typical Jeffy!

After Smudgy Cheeks took a shower we went to town (Sprout and I didn't have time to shower because the owner of the Cabbin had a window between work to take us to town.)  I didn't want to shower until I washed all my stinky clothes, so this was okay with me.  After Scott drove us around Front Royal, and showed us where the post office was, he dropped us at the laundromat.

The Sprout playing PacMan at the Laudromat

We went in to the laundromat smelling like onions and campfire. We threw our clothes in the washer and then went down the street to look for food.  There was an ice cream joint a little ways down the road (C & C Ice Cream Shop).  Naturally we decided to eat dessert first!  We walked in and the crazy owner gave us a sample of the ice cream.  It was strawberry ginger snap flavor. And let me tell you, it had a little snap, it was spicy!!! He had all kinds of really cool flavors. It was hard to choose.  I decided on a scoop of Pistachio and a scoop of Kettle Corn.  They were delicious.  The owner reminded me of my brother Joey.  He had a lot of character and was pretty funny.  The ice cream was also reasonably priced!  Two scoops of homemade ice cream for only 3 bucks! What a steal!!

Crazy owner at the Ice Cream Shop

We went and threw our clothes in the dryer and washed a second load of laundry; rewashing socks, especially-stinky clothes, and the socks I was wearing (I realized that I forgot to take my socks off for the first load... WHAT A DOPE)!

Next, we went to the Apple House Deli.  They made everything from scratch and it was AMAZINGGGGGG!  I had a chicken sandwich and potato salad. I really wanted to eat a second sandwich but didn't have the room.

We went back to the laundromat, grabbed our trash bag of clean clothes, and walked down to the post office looking like a bunch of bums.  While we were walking I told Sprout that I wanted to get a haircut.  Here’s the backstory:  I decided while hiking through SNP that I was going to chop off all of my hair.  I wanted to cut my hair before we left Ohio, but Sprout likes my hair longer.  A few days ago I was hiking on my own and I got caught in a tree.  I dangled from the tree for what felt like an eternity (but was probably only a couple of minutes).  I was SO ANGRY.  The boys were not there to help me and I COULD NOT get myself out of the tree (the more I tried to free myself the more tangled I got!)  I decided right there and then that this mop had to go!!  I was able to free myself from the tree but it was a painful experience that left all kinds of tree particles in my hair (I’ve been picking tree bark out of my hair for three days now!!) Having short hair has additional benefits (other than not getting caught in trees.)  First, it is MUCH easier to take care of short hair.  It is one less thing for me to worry about.  Second, I am not as worried about ticks.  They are still a main concern of mine but short hair has helped to ease my mind a little.  

Robby decided that he was going to cut his hair too.  We stopped at a few salons and they all turned our stinky butts away with the phrase, “We don't accept walk-ins”.  The last one sent us to the beauty school (located right by the post office).  

Unfortunately, only the 90 year old instructor was there (they didn’t have any other customers all day so she had just sent all of her students home.)  She was NOT happy with my decision to cut off all of my hair.  Robby wanted me to use the largest clipper cutter there was but she would NOT have used a shorter clipper anyway!!!  Did I mention she was a little bit blind?  (Inside family joke, it is a definite “uncle” cut!)

I can't believe my hair is gone!

After we both had our hair cut we walked right over to the post office and I sent my hair to an organization that makes wigs for children with hair loss. :)

Bye bye!

Our new hairdos!

After our adventures at the beauty school we walked down to the grocery store and bought a few things we needed.  Jeff hung out at the BK lounge while we went shopping.  

Scott promptly picked us up and we returned to the Cabbin.  When we got back he offered to give us a tour of the house that he and his wife are renovating.  A gentleman called him right before the tour started and asked if he could stay at the Cabbin.  Scott told Tattoo Joe that there wasn't enough room for another hiker.  When he got off the phone Robby said, “We can make room for another hiker."  Scott called back and minutes later Tattoo Joe showed up for the tour.

The tour was really interesting (I learned a lot about the history of the house.)  By the time we were getting ready to head down to the basement I had to leave the tour early and go hop in the shower. I had hair ALL OVER ME... little annoying itchy hairs and if I didn't get in the shower immediately I would have gone crazy!!

Robby and I shared a twin size bed so that Tattoo Joe would have a place to sleep for the night close to the trail.  He had hiked something like 900 miles in a month!  He is going to hike the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) this year too. Interesting guy.  I wish I would have had my own bed, but it was also nice to snuggle up next to Robby.

There were three other people who were staying at the cabbin:  Shortcake, Silent Bob and Silent Bob's brother (I can't remember his name for the life of me!)   They were all from Baltimore.  I started talking about my cousins who live there (shout out to Betsy, Danny, and Lindsey!) and said that one of my cousins was in a band called Barnyard Sharks.  It’s such a small world because Shortcake has seen them twice!

In the morning, Shortcake’s boyfriend (Silent Bob's brother) left for his thru-hike. Shortcake walked from Harper's Ferry with them and Silent Bob is getting off where we started in Waynesboro.  Shortcake was obviously sad because her boyfriend had just left for a six-month journey.   I just want to say that she is such a strong woman and righteous for watching her man leave with such grace.  She was happy for him even though her own heart was breaking a little.  I hugged her twice and complimented her on her strength.  I would have a difficult time being away from Robby.  We are truly blessed to be together on this journey.

Scott and Lisa from Mountain House Cabbin are awesome!!  Lisa made us a delicious breakfast in the morning, hugged us goodbye, and off we went back out into the woods!

So happy to get that off of my head!

The Three Amigos.  The main house (soon to be a Bed & Breakfast) on the left
and the Cabbin (where we stayed) on the right.