*THU OCT 23* *UMC Parsonage, Breezewood to Alumni Assn Bldg, McConnelsburg, PA* We are through the Alleghenies and now in the Appalachian Mountains. It was either uphill or downhill. There was nothing on the level. I would have walked my bike up the hills and worn out my brakes going downhill. So I confirmed with Doug that I could ride with him again. After Circle-up we stopped at Quality Inn to pick up the baggage of the 4 women that slept at the motel. Kathy was the only one that needed a ride, so she rode in the cab with us. When we reached the Alumni Assn. building we were greeted by another Kathy. She was substitute teaching in the public school across the parking lot and was able to take time from her class to orient us. The building used to be a part of the school system. She told us the history: they planned to demolish it; Lions Club wanted to renovate it and found out it was too expensive; her father got the community together and they bought and maintained it. She had keys to all the important rooms and opened them as we needed them. I put my bedroll up in a corner of the stage. The auditorium was enormous; it was used for 2 basketball courts. There were foam-rubber pads that could be put down on the floor. There was an All-Camp meeting that got started at 5:15pm. The Methodist Church, 5 blocks away, was hosting a potluck dinner for us at 6pm. The March doesn’t get anything settled in 30 minutes so we stopped the meeting to go to the potluck. There were not many locals at the dinner table. Kat’s been joining and leaving the March; she is back. At the end of dinner she ‘took the stage’ and announced that she wanted us to pick a partner and reflect on our March experience(s). I asked John Abbe, who was sitting next to me, if we should be partners. He indicated he was leaving. When Kat gave the focus of our conversation, it was clear that she was denigrating Ed. She directed us to think “From Nope to Hope”. Several days earlier when someone put out an email suggesting that we keep the Gear truck in WDC, Ed’s response started out with “Nope”. So I left and walked back to the Alumni Center with John A and Jeffrey. -- Peace, David