Exquisite!

The word my 8-year-old daughter says as we drive through Western PA — “exquisite!” I remind her she’s seen the Appalachians before — “wait till you see the Rockies.” But why am I editing her enthusiasm? She’s right. The scenery is exquisite. The way the shadows on the green mountains look blue. You wish you could peel back the PA Turnpike and see what the landscape looked like before it sliced through. We were half way into Day 1 and already I’d learned something. Let her be 8.

Before the mountains, we had stopped in Harrisburg to grab a cup of coffee at Little Amp (catch Jerry’s coffee post here: medium.com/30-cups-across). We’re approaching the shop bleary-eyed from driving and people come up to us. My first thought — friendly or crazy? It was the local Channel 2 news. “We wondered if we could get your thoughts on the election.” Wow. Our first day.

“You know, Pennsylvania is now a battleground state.” Yes, but we just want a cup of coffee. The lady was perfectly pleasant, but seemed to be baiting us, though which way I’m not sure. Is that why everyone is so pissed off? We’re constantly reminded of what divides us and pushed to have an opinion about it? Maybe we need more time to listen and not talk. Just a thought.

The coffee was great, by the way, and so was Harrisburg. Nice people, open and welcoming. And with $3/hr. street parking, they have every right to be pissed off.