I’ve a buddy who stops in now and then to escape another anchorage and trade it for a few hours touring and conversation.

As we started this most recent hike on wheels, interest in photography was zero, and I almost left the apartment without a camera.

Gasp!

However, when I bought L. L. Bean’s “Sea Washed Guide Bag”, it was to have everything needed — main and spare keys, notebook and calendar, driving glasses, cell phone, pens, spare change, etc. — for going out the door, and that included the very good point-and-shoot Lumix Lx5.

I’d rather walk the streets and try out the diners of unknown small towns than drive all the time . . . and I would rather carry the Nikon D200 if or when casual touring photography is the known thing.

However, the buddy wants to drive.

And drive some more.

And that’s fine too.

Toward dusk, we drove into Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and defying, at last, the GPS’s instructions to turn left at the stop sign, we went through the “No Outlet” signed intersection and stopped at the end of the road.

Good thing.

It was good too stepping out of the car and into the snapping wind.

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