For the grand finale of our tour, Lovey joins us in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia from Washington, DC, where she just had a conference. The dog's tail slaps Lovey's midsection in staccato, Jade is so thrilled to have her back. Lovey took the train from Union Station in DC, and we pick her up at the train station.

Harper's Ferry is an outdoorsman's paradise. Conveniently located at the merger of the two rivers Shenandoah and Potomac, Harper's Ferry had always been a historic site to me, first and foremost. John Brown's fort is right where the rivers meet, and it's hard to imagine that something as violent as a bloody uprising could occur in such a gorgeous area. The building itself was dissembled and moved twice before it found its way back to where it belonged in Harper's Ferry. John Brown's legacy, of course, is secure. John Brown knew fully well he would be hanged, and his martyr status ages well with each year, especially in the America of the 21st century. 

Jade, of course, has other plans. In her canine world, abolishing slavery and a bloody civil war all have their place, but it is paramount that she follow her snout and hunt out any living, breathing creature (dogs, in particular) who could possibly stand in her way of obtaining top dog status in the world AKA world domination. Never mind that the dog was returned to several shelters several times, in the end everybody wants to rule the world, and nobody more so than Jade. It has never dawned on her that there is plenty of human love to give for many dogs, that all dogs don't need to be eliminated to guarantee Jade's happiness. Her happiness will only be complete if she is the last dog standing, there's that chip in her head that keeps egging her on. To Jade, Harper's Ferry is just another place for a million dog sniffs.

From our motel to the fort, it's three miles at least, but the three most beautiful miles you will ever walk. Paths...asphalt paths, beaten paths, mud paths all crisscross each other on a race to the crossing of the two rivers, and here any hiker can choose (or blaze) any path and never go wrong. Once you cross the bridge, you are already approaching a portion of the Appalachian Trail, as if this was even needed around here. 

The population of Harper's Ferry is in the triple digits, from what I understand, and the town as a whole looks as peaceful as it looks prosperous. Because of the limitations set forth by the rivers and the woods, an expansion of the town is highly unlikely...what you see is what you get. Somehow this small town has two vegan restaurants. 

We walk into downtown heading downhill and return to the motel going uphill, which, in the end, gives us enough time to have dinner and blissfully conk out after walking at least a dozen miles. A wonderful place indeed, and something the tourists should remember when they are in DC. When do you get the opportunity to ride a train in this country? This might be your best chance right here.