WOODROW WILSON & WAYNESBORO, VA OCTOBER 18-19, 2014

We were amazed at the change in the power of the RV after the week of repairs.  We were keeping a steady speed of 65 mph going up and along the little hills that had been a challenge the week or two before.  So very happy that things were working better.  We left really early from our camping site at Bill's Transmissions yard and drove further south. I didn't want to miss seeing the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in nearby Staunton, VA. It was only 65 miles south on I-81 and there was a nearby Elks Lodge on the hill in Waynesboro, a few mies east.  Perfect for a two night stay!

We joined the guided tour of President Wilson's birthplace, a beautifully restored Greek Revival mansion where he was born in 1856. It's furnished with Wilson family treasures and period pieces. 

The President's Pierce-Arrow Limousine is the highlight of the museum along with the new World War I trench exhibit with sights and sounds to give the experience of what life was like for soldiers engaged in battle.

 The museum is designed with severn galleries which explore his presidency; suffrage, prohibition and World War I.

 It was a beautiful fall day in the town as we walked all around Staunton.  Not much going on the day we were there, though it looked like a bike event was coming through town, streets were closed off and a sound stage was set up in the middle of town.

 We walked by historic Trinity Church but it was closed that afternoon. I had wanted to see the stained glass windows by Tiffany, next time.

Not far from the Wilson family home is Mary Baldwin College, the oldest institution of higher learning for women in the nation affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. A beautiful campus.

 Saturday had been cold and cloudy but we woke to gorgeous skies on Sunday.  We had a long day of driving ahead of us.  I drove the car for about an hour through the Blue Ridge Mountains before we hooked it up onto the dolly for the rest of the day. We drove 380 miles, I64 to US 29S of Charlottesville.  A great route , beautiful trees with little traffic.
From US 29 to I-73 another beautiful drive. On US 52 we went through the darling town of Cheraw, antebellum houses and birthplace of Dizzy Gillespie.  We didn't stop but I think I sure would next time.  The Cheraw State Park is just south of town.

The afternoon was warm by the time we arrived at the Sumter Elks.  The lodge isn't open on Sunday, the parking lot looked a little too deserted to stay the night so I called the nearby Poinsettia State Park to see if they had a site available.  The ranger was just closing down and assigned us site #23, a pull through. We drove the 25 miles out into the South Carolina woods, a narrow windy road 6 miles off the main highway to get to the park itself.  It was one of the first times we've had a dirt road into a state park, but it was pretty, very wooded and perfect for an over night stay. Long days but almost to Florida before the weather changed. Now that the motorhome was running so well, w were making great time too.

FAMILY TIME in BALTIMORE, MD and CAR REPAIRS IN VA October 9-17, 2014

Leaving Ephrata Elks, PA we had the best of intentions to make an early drive to our next destination,

Frederick Elks Lodge in Maryland.  Packed up early, got on the road, and all was going well the first hour or so then a loud noise.  Couldn't ignore the fact that something had broken.  Being only 10 miles from the good sized town of York, PA, Paul made a few calls and we found a truck mechanic who would look at the engine and see what was wrong. It didn't take long to find a broken exhaust hose. It would take about an hour or two to repair so I took the laundry and found a great Laundromat down the street. By the time I was done so was the RV.  We and a tasty lunch at a burrito place right across the street then off we went once more. But, the hose popped again about 10 miles south so we returned to the shop, this time they ordered a new part, got it on and we were on our way again. Whew!

It was late and rainy when we got to Frederick, Md. a beautiful Elks Lodge with three water and electric site in the parking lot. Perfect for us.  Our plan was to leave the RV for 2 nights and take Foster with us to Baltimore, only 50 miles east, for a weekend with our nephew Wesley and his family.  Little Harvey Marcus had just returned from a cross country trip to California.  At one year old he's chalked up many an air mile visiting family and friends. 

Nothing better than a darling and very happy little one year old Great Nephew!

 

The weather was pleasant and a little cool but perfect for walks around he neighborhood with Wesley.  Alena works the night shift at the hospital so she was out of the house by 6pm that first evening.

Harvey kept us entertained all weekend! Our time spent with them is so precious, we didn't need to do any sightseeing, just hanging out at home was perfect. We did pack up and drive over to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, a great local market with lots of fantastic apples... names of some I've never heard before.  Alena slept till mid day Saturday and then turned her body clock back to a more normal schedule for the rest of the weekend. Wes and Alena went out late Saturday to visit a friend and we got "Harvey Duty", a pretty easy task since they put him down before they left.

Sunday was gorgeous, another walk in the neighborhood then back to the house for some gardening time and a visit from Harvey's nanny.

Foster found his quiet garden spot to watch it all.

My favorite photo...like father, like son

His is the most delightful baby ever.  Happy temperament and always a beautiful smile.

The weekend went quickly and by 4 on Sunday it was time for hugs and good byes.  We returned to the Frederick Elks Lodge for one more night.

By morning the rain had come in. We packed up and were all set to go except the SAAB just wouldn't  start as Paul was ready to put it on the dolly. After trying to problem solve it, he called for a tow truck with AAA. There was a SAAB mechanic nearby so off we went.  It needed a new battery cable and after talking through other options we had the cable replaced, got the car on the dolly and once again, we were ready to move on.  Our destination was about 150 miles south on I-81 but just as we left Frederick we knew something was terribly wrong now with the RV motor.  We were on the 3 lane Interstate 70 and it would only reach a speed of about 30 mph as we headed up a bit of a hill. Crazy, for sure, no place to pull off and no off ramps for almost 20 miles. Paul was so patient and just kept us going slowly up the hill as I did some frantic looking for a truck repair shop we might be able to call.  We FINALLY made it into the town of Hagerstown and a truck repair shop.  The guy there thought it might need an air filter so we tried that but it didn't really do anything for us.  By now it was about 3pm and we decided to keep going a little further south to the Camping World in Winchester, VA., maybe they could help.  We got there about an hour before closing and discovered that they do repairs to the interiors only on RVs and we needed help from the Ford dealership down the road; but we could park for free in their lot, with water and electric hookups.  That was such a blessing! We parked, went to dinner at a nearby steak house and then came back to start making phone calls.  What a day!!!  I guess it's really true; when it rains it pours, and we sure were getting a shower full of engine troubles.

Up early on Tuesday, we headed off to the Ford dealer in town but what a waste of time.  They wouldn't address the main concern we had without checking out everything else they saw needing attention.  After two hours of talking, Paul had had enough.  He called another mechanic in the town who worked on mufflers, a small independent guy. He had just the right part, a catalytic converter, and he had the time to repair it for us.  Ahhhh, fantastic!!! By 2pm we were back on the road and moving at a great speed. But PK was still worried about the transmission and the brakes so our next stop was Woodstock, VA. to a transmission expert, and what an expert!!! Bill's Transmission and Auto Repair. He also thought he could help us so we drove out to his shop. a few miles from town.  He is not only an outstanding mechanic but also a cattle farmer.  With his shop on his ranch he told us we could park in the lot and stay in the RV while he worked us into his schedule. Here's the view of the shop.

The views from our motorhome were just gorgeous. Foster and I walked the dirt roads and I did some errands in Woodstock each afternoon. By Friday afternoon we were all repaired, the transmission was OK after all and he had worked on the brakes, relaxing a couple brake lines. He'd figured out the alternator was sending out a false signal to the speed sensor in the transmission so we replaced the alternator and the main belt. Now we were good to go.  We'd made such a nice friendship while staying on their property, we took Bill and his wife out to dinner Friday night at the wonderful Spring House Tavern in town.

Woodstock is a darling small little town in Shenandoah County, with a population about 5,600. It dates back to 1761 with a courthouse designed by Thomas Jefferson and the oldest courthouse still in use west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The town now has a newer WalMart section with the usual chains for fast food but the little old downtown still had so much character.

So, after a week filled with one mechanic shop after another we finally felt like maybe we'd solved some of the nagging issues we'd been having the last few months. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be repair-free for a while; just when I think we're done with major expenditures along come things like this.  But, we realize our life on the road isn't much different from living in a home with it's constant repair needs and replacement parts. The gift in it all, are the people we meet who help us out along the way.  So many wonderful, caring and talented individuals, often doing more for us than they charge us.

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA October 2014

I'd been really looking forward to visiting Lancaster County to capture a peek into the Amish lifestyle. I learned that it isn't pronounced as Lancaster, CA but instead the accent is on the first syllable; LAN caster.  Hard to get used to saying it that way after so long.

Our home for the the six nights was the Ephrata Elks Lodge.  A quiet and very wooded site, with only one other camper there, also Californians. There are three water and electric sites and it made a great central location for us.  We had moved early so we had a full day to see some of the area and decided to drive to the little town of Intercourse for lunch. Right across the street from the restaurant was this beautiful horse and buggy, one of many we'd see over the next few days. The area has become so commercialized we were both disappointed to see what has happened. It was a Friday and the town and streets were crowded. I can't imagine what it must be like in the summer! We drove on to see the nearby village of Bird-In-Hand with the Farmers Market and Amish quilt store. Such unique names.

Then we wanted to just drive around and see the beautiful countryside, get out of the traffic and do the back roads. So much better!  The Amish farms are much larger than I expected but you can still see the hand held tools and the carriages in the yard and often the long laundry line blowing. 

It was a plowing day for this farmer and his herd of horses.

Little farm stands usually offer fruits and vegetables for sale.  But this one had beautiful floral bouquets most made with pumpkins as the containers, and the most expensive one was only $10. If I lived here, I'd be stopping by every week.

Saturday was cool and cloudy and a good day to visit the city of Lancaster.  Nearby is Wheatland, the home of our 15th US President, James Buchanan.  The only president to never marry, Buchanan purchased the home and 22 acres in 1848. We toured the home learning all about his presidency and his life there.

 Our guide was dressed in period clothing and showed us through the 17 rooms of the house. Very few changes have been made since President Buchanan lived there; his furniture, Presidential dinnerware, library and even the original tin bathtub still remain.

We had a quick lunch and then went into town to visit the Central Market and join a walking history tour of Lancaster. The Market is the oldest continuously operating farmer's market in the country all inside a beautiful 120 year old red brick building. 

It was almost closing time when we got there, hours are 6-2 on Saturdays, but we had just enough time to try a pastry and pick up some veggies. Lively, lots of people and so many different booths offering every kind of food and even souvenirs.

Our tour took us all over town hearing interesting tidbits of history. The weather had turned chilly that day so we were eager to get back to the car and head back to dinner and a drink at the Elks that night.

Sunday we decided it was time to drive west to Chocolate Town, USA, aka Hershey, Pennsylvania.

What an experience, couldn't believe the huge numbers of people!!! We had lunch first outside at the Hershey Hotel, that was wonderful. Then to the factory to see how the chocolates and candies are made.  Absolutely crazy with people crowding everywhere.  The automated factory tour was the only free activity offered.

It was like going on a Disneyland ride as we moved along in a chocolate chip bowl-car hearing all about the process.  Paul enjoyed a fantastic chocolate milkshake, we looked at the oodles of candies and things for sale and then got out of there.  Not sure I'd recommend Hershey's Chocolate World as a must do, I guess it's just such an iconic part of Americana.

We did find an unexpected piece of history on our way back.  I love following what we call "Brown Signs" those historical markers along the road ways. We were taking a back road home and decided to check out the sign and visit the Cornwall Iron Furnace. It shows America's most complete charcoal fueled iron-making complex which operated from 1742- 1883.  It was late in the afternoon and we were the only ones there, this happens often, so we had a fascinating one hour private tour.

It's been beautifully restored and is the only surviving intact charcoal blast furnace in the Western Hemisphere. Around it developed a village with company housing for the furnace workers and miners, still being used today. In addition there were shops, stores, schools and the home of the wealthy iron master/owner. That home has since become a retirement home. It turned out to be such an interesting stop before our drive back to Ephrata.

Monday we needed to do something other than tours and history so I found a great bike path that took us from the little village of Warwick to Lititz. Beautiful, so well maintained and peaceful. Perfect!

After our ride we packed the bikes back on the car and drove over to visit the Sturgis Pretzel House and factory in Lititz, PA.  So much fun and such fantastic warm pretzels.

This is still an operating pretzel factory but on a much smaller scale, and during the tour we learned how to roll and twist a pretzel of our own. That  was too fun! As with so many things and places here in the East, the factory is the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in the US. Built in 1861 by Julius Sturgis and there's quite a story as to how the recipe came to be.

My own hand-twisted pretzel!

Using only a narrow dowel to roll the bread into the rope it's then to twisted into a pretzel 

and dropped into a fryer. Great fun!

The little town of Lititz is also known for the fabulous Wilbur Chocolates so that was next. Its a small operation (nothing at all like the Hershey extravaganza) with a self guided history tour and a chance to watch candy-makers hand dipping chocolates. There is also a little video about chocolates and lots of supplies and molds used besides all the wonderful candies for sale.

 They are known for their Chocolate Buds, absolutely wonderful melt-in-your-mouth chocolates.  Sure wish we'd bought more.

Earlier in the week we had stopped at a small SAAB mechanic's shop to ask about fixing the mechanism on the convertible top so we could enjoy it now that the weather was so mild. We decided to go ahead and get it done since we'd be in the area for a couple of days, all we needed was a rental car to get us around. We picked one up at Enterprise and then took the car to the shop. Interestingly, the mechanic works late hours, he comes in at noon and works till 10 at night. That's a first. It took two days but so nice to have it working again and fixed at a really reasonable price. The evening we picked it up, Paul was in talking to the mechanics and I stayed out in the car.  The streets and nearby houses were dark and every so often I could hear the clip-clop of horses' hooves,  and sure enough, there would be a horse and buggy coming down the road with only a small light or flasher.  But the craziest thing was the way cars zipped around them, hardly slowing down at all! The horses never flinched, just kept trotting along and they'd disappear into the darkness. What a strange experience to look at life a hundred years ago against the present time. 

With Pennsylvania's capitol in Harrisburg only an hour away we decided to spend a day there visiting the town and the buildings. But first Paul wanted to have the RV brakes and transmission checked out so we were up early on Monday.  Guess that's just part of our life...motor repairs! We drove it north to a transmission shop, left it all day, found someone to groom Foster and keep him all day for us and then we were off! The bummer was, when we returned that evening to get it, they hadn't done a darn thing. They said it just wasn't their "thing" to work on RVs, though they never told us that earlier.

But our day in Harrisburg was terrific! Another beautiful capitol with stunning interiors and art on all the walls and dome.

Press conferences were going on at the staircase with lights and cameras so we took the elevator to the second floor joining a tour with about 40 other nurses visiting that day.

Since it was a weekday the chambers were in session and we had a chance to sit in the gallery and observe for a bit. Always interesting.

We had a fantastic lunch across the river at Rockbass Grill. Then back to the city side for a walk across the Susquehana River on the pedestrian only bridge, Walnut Street Bridge. It's one of 9 bridges crossing the river and takes you to City Island, home of the Harrisburg Senators Baseball team.  What a history that bridge has! From its original construction in 1889 to today's walking bridge it has been damaged hurricanes, floods, blizzards, more floods and still gets rebuilt again and again.  It is one of the longest and most popular bridges in the country and fun to see politicians in suits walking across on that beautiful afternoon.

A family weekend was awaiting us in Baltimore, MD so we were moving south the next morning.