Adventures of Pudge

A BICYCLE TRIP

It was a hot August evening. Pudge was at Dan Williams’ house playing cards with his friends Phil Johnson and Dan

and Dan’s father. They had been talking about some of the bike trips they would like to take when Mr. Williams interrupted.

“Let me tell you about a bike trip some friends and I took when I was about your age.

“As I recall, it took the three of us five days to make the trip. Of course the roads were not as good then as they are now;

neither were the bikes. There weren’t many paved roads in those days. So all the travel was on dirt roads, bumpy rutted

ones at that.”

The boys were amazed to discover that Mr. Williams had taken such a trip. They had all kinds of questions for him

“Where did you go?” “Where did you sleep?” “What did you do for food?”

“Whoa, slow down and I’ll tell you about it.” Mr. Williams went out to the garage and came back with a map which he

spread out on the table. “Let’s see now. I know we started out on the Pemberton Road. Hold on while I look at the map.

Dan, fetch me a pencil, please.”

When Dan returned with the pencil Mr. Williams began drawing a line on themap. He stopped several times to erase

part of what he had drawn and to draw a new line.

“I think this is pretty close to where we went,” he said. “The roads might not be the same now as then but the general

direction is the same. As I said, we started out on the Pemberton Road.” As he was talking Mr. Williams was tracing the

pencil line he had drawn on the map while the boys looked on.

“When we reached Pemberton we took Hawk Hill and went in the general direction of Fallston. That was the toughest

hill I ever climbed on a bike. Then, I think we turned south on another road, whose name I don’t remember, toward Winters.

From there, what’s now highway 32 brought us back to Wayton I wouldn’t want to ride a bike on highway 32 now, there’s

too much traffic on it. But there must be other less traveled roads one could use that parallel highway 32.

“You also asked where we slept and what we did for food. The only answer I can give to that is to say we lived off the

land. We caught fish and once trapped a hare. We also snitched a few eggs and other things. It was easier then than it

would be now, to live in the wild so to speak.”

“Hey, why don’t we try that same trip,” suggested Phil. “I’m sure my mom will say okay.”

The boys discussed the idea for a time and decided they would all talk to their parents about it. Mr. Williams stated it

was okay for Dan to go and agreed to talk to the other boys’ parents.

When Pudge mentioned the trip to his mom and dad they were uncertain at first whether it was a wise thing for the boys

to do.

“Talk to Mr. Williams,” pleaded Pudge. “He says it’s okay for Dan to go. We’ll be very careful and I promise we won’t

do anything that will get us into trouble.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Mr. Hammond replied. “If we can find different places along your route where you can check in every

day I’ll go along with it. Let me get a map and you can show me where you plan to go.”

Pudge showed his dad the route Mr. Williams had discussed with them. When he reached the part that included Hawk

Hill his father interrupted him. “Wait a minute, my cousin lives about six miles from Pemberton on Hawk Hill. Maybe he

would let you camp in his yard for the night. Okay, let’s look at more of the route.”

There was no other section of the route where Mr. Hammond had any friends or relatives he could think of. He

suggested they talk to Dan’s father and Phil’s mother to see if they had any suggestions.

Phil’s mom, who was a widow, said she had an aunt who lived in Fallston. And Mr. Williams had a sister living near

Winters. When Mr. Hammond suggested that each parent contact their relative to see if that relative would be willing to

have the boys spend a night with them, they each agreed to do that.

“It will give the boys a place to check in from each day, which will take some of the worry off our minds,” Mr. Hammond

explained to them.

Each relative, when called, said they would be happy to have the boys stop and spend a night. If nothing else, it would

add a little adventure to their lives. They also insisted that they provide the boys with supper and breakfast. “Where else

are they going to eat?” was one remark.

After many phone calls between parents and relatives, and between the parents and the boys, it was decided that the

boys could go if they agreed to stay each of the three nights with one of the relatives that had been contacted. This decision

the boys enthused over.

“That takes care of our meal problem,” said Pudge.

Also, one of them would have to call home each night after they had arrived at their destination. One last requirement

was suggested by Mrs. Johnson: Each of them would carry a letter from his parents identifying the boy and giving

permission for emergency medical treatment if it became necessary.

“You never know,” said Mrs. Johnson. “We hope nothing like that will happen but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

With all of these safeguards taken care of the boys started to seriously plan the trip. They pored over maps, and

gathered clothes and other personal items they would need, and would e able to carry. Also, each of them dug out a

canteen from their family’s camping gear so they could carry drinking water with them.

Both Pudge and Phil had received a new bicycle the previous Christmas so they had no mechanical problems to

correct. Dan, with an older bike, discovered he needed two new tires and tubes. These would have to be bought with

money he had saved from his allowance.

In three days all the preliminaries were taken care of and the boys were ready to go. During one of those days a heavy

rain fell making them glad they had not left earlier but also causing them to realize the would encounter some muddy roads.

Each boy had a small pack on his back containing a change of clothing, his toothbrush , a hat and a rain jacket. Also,

his lunch for the first day. Dan had a map in his pack that his dad had drawn for him showing each of the roads they would

be taking. Each town and each overnight stop was marked on the map as well as an estimated mileage between points.

The boys figured they had to ride about 35 to 40 miles each day, except for the second day which included Hawk Hill. That

day was only about 25 miles but included many hilly sections.

The road to Pemberton proved to be an easy one, all on pavement. There were many curves but few hills, and these

were short. They left Wayton shortly before 9A.M. and pedalled north and then west on Pemberton Road. The weather was

clear and sunny, a beautiful August morning.

A lunch stop was made at about 11:30 next to a small creek. Here, they sat under a tree and ate the sandwiches their

mothers had made for them, and an apple from a small supply Dan had picked in his orchard. They lay back in the shade of

the tree and had a long rest before continuing their journey.

Toward mid-afternoon, as they entered Pemberton, the temperature had risen into the high eighties and it had become

very humid. When they stopped to check the map and to look over the directions Pudge had been given to his dad’s

cousin’s house they all exclaimed, “Whew!”

“My rump is sore,” said Pudge. “I’m glad we have only a few more miles to go.”

“Not only my rump, my peanut too,” Dan added.

“Your what?” asked Pudge. Then when he understood Dan’s meaning, roared with laughter before making the

comment, “Mine too.”

Pemberton, a large town of about 8000 residents, was the largest town they would encounter on their trip. The road they

entered on became the main street and then continued on through town. Hawk Hill turned to the left off this road about a

mile past town.

It took another hour of steady peddling, mostly uphill, to reach cousin Bob’s house. Here they were greeted by Bob and

his wife Kate, and their two children, Nancy, 10, and Charlie, 8. Also on hand to greet them was their huge dog, Brutus, a

Golden Retriever about four years old.

Bob was a young looking, red-haired man in his early thirties who appeared to be in good physical condition. When he

explained to them later that he was, among other things, the track coach at Pemberton High School they understood why he

was in good condition. He also taught mathematics and general science as part of his teaching assignment.

The boys gathered around the table with the family and had a sumptuous feast. Later they all gathered on the porch so

Pudge and his friends could talk about their day on the road. Pudge, as did Dan an Phil, remained standing during their

time on the porch. When they were invited to sit down Pudge explained that they were a little saddle sore.

“I can understand that,” said Bob.

Before going to bed in the spare bedroom which had been prepared for them Pudge called home and talked to his

mother. He described their day, how easy the riding had been and also how the constant rubbing of the seat had chafed

their skin and made them all a little sore.

Next morning, knowing that they had a long hill to climb, they were on the road early, before 8 A.M. Kate prepared a

breakfast for them that was almost as lavish as their evening meal had been, heaping plates of fresh eggs and bacon along

with stacks of toast and jelly and all the milk they could drink. She also ,added a sack lunch for each of them.

According to cousin Bob, it was about eight miles to the top of Hawk Hill, with many switchbacks and only a few level

stretches.

“It will be more than our peanuts that ache when we get to the top,” had been Dan’s comment. The others snickered.

And indeed it was a long haul. There were several sections where it became necessary for the boys to get off their

bikes and push them up the hill. By the time they reached the top it was past noon. They were all tired and hot and hungry.

After again resting for about an hour they started the downhill side. The pavement had ended about a mile before they

reached the summit so they were now on dirt road and would be for the next three or four miles. According to their map they

still had about 16 or 17 miles to go before they reached Fallston, this night’s destination. Fortunately, most of it was

downhill. Also, fortunately, so far they had not encountered any mud.

This was farm country they were riding through, mostly pastureland and an occasional farmhouse. There were very few

trees at this altitude and those that did exist tended to be small and scrawny. Dan, who knew more about farming than the

others, commented, “The trees are probably small here because they have such a short growing season.”

About a mile from the summit they began following a small stream that was frequently crossed and re-crossed by their

road. As they continued downhill the stream became larger and provided constant views of inviting looking pools to the hot,

dusty travelers.

Finally, Pudge pulled over next to a bridge and remarked, “Why don’t we go for a swim? It looks like that pool just

upstream from us is deep enough, and I’m hot.”

The others agreed willingly to this time out. They pushed their bikes down the embankment and secured them together

with a chain and padlock Pudge had in his pack. After crawling under a barbed wire fence, a short walk brought them to the

pool Pudge had spotted, a crystal clear pool about ten feet across and from 3 to 4 feet deep. They soon divested

themselves of their clothes and jumped in. They each let out a startled yelp when they discovered how cold the water was.

As cold as it was, it was a welcome relief from the hot, grimy task they had undertaken.

As they were playing in the water a pickup truck stopped on the bridge and two teenage girls sitting in the cab began

yelling and whistling and making rude remarks. This so embarrassed the boys that they stayed in the water up to their necks

until the pickup left ten minutes later.

At this point Phil looked at his watch and exclaimed, “Hey, guys, it’s almost three o’clock and we still have a ways to go.

Let’s get out of here.”

Quickly, the boys donned their clothes and began walking back to where they had left their bikes. As they approached

the fence Dan turned his head in response to a noise he hard then yelled, “There’s a bull chasing us.”

At this the others looked and quickly vaulted the fence before the bull could reach them. As the negotiated the fence

Pudge heard a ripping sound. When he looked down he discovered he had left part of one knee from his pants on the

fence.

“It’s a good thing I wasn’t going over the fence backward,” he quipped.

They all made it over the fence without further incident. The bull stopped at the fence, huffing an puffing, a red glare

emanating from his eyes.

Back on their bikes Pudge and his pals continued on down the road. When they crossed the next bridge they noticed

the pickup pulled off to the side of the road and could hear the girls giggling and screaming nearby. “Maybe we went for a

swim too soon,” snorted Dan.

“Yeah,” chorused the others.

As they continued down the road it became less steep and soon became pavement again. The stream was larger and

slower moving than it had been further up hill. They crossed and re-crossed the stream, now a small river, several more

times before the road leveled out as they approached Fallston.

“This river we’ve been following must be Fall River,” commented Pudge. “If so, there should be a waterfall somewhere

nearby to give the river its name. Do we have time to take a look at the falls before we go to your aunt’s house?”

“It’s almost five o’clock,” Phil responded. “I guess it depends on how far the falls is from the house.”

As it turned out, the road ran very close to the falls. By riding into a viewing area the boys were able to look down at a

spectacular series of falls. The river roared over the brink and dropped a distance of about sixty feet into a large pool at the

bottom. From the pool the river cascaded in steps down to an even larger pool before it flattened out and once more

became a tranquil river.

Fifteen minutes later, after biking through the tiny hamlet of Fallston, they arrived at Aunt Mary’s house. She lived alone

in a small cottage surrounded by trees. A large screened porch wrapped itself around the front and one side. Directly

behind the house deep forest began.

Phil’s great aunt came to meet them as they rode up the driveway. Aunt Mary was a tall, heavy woman in her sixties

who greeted Phil with a warm hug and the other boys with a pleasant smile.

Phil did the introductions. “Aunt Mary, this is Dan and this is Paul, better known as Pudge. We’re sure glad we’re here,

that Hawk Hill was something.”

Aunt Mary nodded her head at the introductions and then invited the boys inside for a cold drink. “If you want to take a

bath I can heat some water,” she said.

“Or, if you prefer, you can go out on the lawn and turn on the sprinklers.”

“Let’s do that,” suggested Pudge.

For the next half hour the boys yelled and shrieked at each other as they ran in and out of the sprinklers wearing only

their underclothes. Feeling refreshed they took turns going into the bathroom to dress in their clean set of clothes. The dirty

ones were stuffed into their packs.

Aunt Mary sat them down to another huge meal, chicken and dumplings, and deep dish apple pie.

“If we keep getting meals like this we should do this more often,” Pudge commented.

“I couldn’t afford to feed you like this every day,” was Aunt Mary’s reply. “You three could eat me out of house and home.

But it’s good to have company once in a while; it gets kind of lonely here at times.”

“Is your husband dead?” asked Pudge.

“Never had one, never wanted one. I’m what you would call an old maid,” she responded. “I had enough to do running

my farm and taking care of the town library. No time for a husband. Now, where would you like to sleep? I don’t have a

room or a bed for you but there’s plenty of room in the barn; or you can sleep on the porch if you want. Whatever you decide

is all right with me. I have some old blankets you can use.”

After looking over both places the boys decided they would sleep on the porch as it was almost like sleeping outdoors.

That evening Phil called his mother so she would know they arrived safely and she would call the other parents. By nine

o’clock they had blankets spread out on the side porch and had crawled into their beds. They soon discovered the boards

were hard. Dan was the first to comment.

“Not quite the same as sleeping on a cot, besides my butt was sore to begin with.”

“It’s great being outdoors, though,” Phil responded. “We’re way out in the woods here. I bet there are a lot of

animals around; maybe, if we listen, we might hear some.”

“No bears, I hope,” was Pudge’s contribution.

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