(38) Sleeping (We Hope) within sight of our goal.

June 30, 2017
A Pleasant Ride in the Country

John, our driver and tour guide shows us a little of  the Pennsylvania countryside

Today we left our campground by 7:30 and headed into town for breakfast.  As we packed and folded up the tent trailer I chuckled to myself that here we had the worst of both worlds. We had the smell of the horses from the Amish farm adjacent to the campground and we had the traffic sound from US Highway 30. I don't mean that to sound as bad as it does, it really was a nice campsite.

Campsite which looked onto a cornfield in Amish Country

But it's amazing how the sound of the traffic travels spoils and otherwise splendid scene. As for the smell of the farm, that's to be expected.

Oh Boy! Shoo Fly Pie.

Bird in Hand, Pa.

We had breakfast and then headed for the town of "Bird in Hand" where we took a wagon ride to an Amish farm and received a tour. John, our guide and teamster gave a nice tour and was very capable and an expert with the horses.

Hardware store, perhaps the oldest in America.

Amish Rules prohibit riding a Bicycle,

but these scooters are fine.

Oh no! Here come more tourists.

When we noticed the alfalfa was harvested wet and in rolls I asked John how that was accomplished without modern machinery. John explained that the Amish have relaxed some of their rules with respect to machinery in order to help keep Amish working on the farm.

Just woke up.

High Tech Amish Solar Powered Clothes Dryer

Contented Cow

The farm was very neat and orderly. The cows looked contented.  All in all, it was a very interesting visit.

1865 Barn showing peg and beam construction.

"The Corn was  as High as an elephant's eye...

NEW JERSEY

Trenton Postcard

Trenton's Lincoln Motel

We then got on the highway and headed for New Jersey. We travelled through Trenton, then stopped at the Edison Museum in Edison Township, New Jersey.

Edison Memorial Tower

Last Night before hitting New York City!

We are within 30 miles of New York City. I guess you could say that we are sleeping within sight of the city, if only I knew which way to look. Actually, our view was obstructed by the thick forest here at the park. Tonight we will sleep with most of our belongings packed so that we can break camp in a hurry. It is our plan to leave the campsite by 6:30 AM. We will then drive into New York City and see Times Square. Then, I want to get the heck out of there!

When we checked in to the campground we were told that if the New Jersey legislature does not pass a budget for the next fiscal year by midnight, that the state will run out of money and that we will be asked to leave the campground regardless of the hour. We were told that we could apply for a refund should this potentiality become a reality. Maybe we will get an even earlier start for the city.

Sleep well!

(37) Highway of History, Part 2

June 29 2017
Highway of History, Part 2

Gettysburg National Battlefield

This morning, we left the Lincoln Court Motel in in Manns Choice Pennsylvania and proceeded east. We quickly found ourselves in some very mountainous country with twisting roads. Though the driving was tough, the scenery was spectacular. As we went through Bedford and Everett I remembered that I had some postcards of this country produced during the early days of motoring.

In some ways the scenery had changed very much, but in other essential ways not so much. The terrain was recognizable even if the roadway and businesses were not.

Along the Juniata River today

We kept driving east through Chambersburg and made a stop in Gettysburg. The country we are passing through is rich in history. I am mindful of the fact that we are not doing it justice. We passed many towns rich in colonial history, Revolutionary War history, Whiskey Rebellion history and, in the case of Gettysburg, Civil War history. At least I know that I will be back here again in the next couple of years and will visit many of the sites in more detail.

Pictures with Abe

I wonder if Lincoln ever tires of this?

In Gettysburg we drove through the battlefield. Last fall my brothers and I did a more extensive tour the battlefield with an audio tour CD to guide us. I would highly recommend buying that audio tour CD to anyone planning to drive through Gettysburg.

A young soldier

From Gettysburg we drove the Lincoln Highway to York and then on to Hallam to see the Haines Shoe House.

Haines Shoe House

The Haines shoe house was the creation of Mahalon Haines  who had a chain of shoe stores on the East Coast and was the self-proclaimed shoe wizard. Haines himself never lived in the house, he reserved it for his guests. Many times he would allow young honeymooning couples to stay in the house and would provide them with a driver and a maid, all at no cost.

Darrel and Carissa who toured the Haines House with us.

Haines, it seems, was a very generous and good man and in his estate provided for the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts and his church. When he left this world he had done much good.

Mahalon Haines, "The

Shoe Wizard."

We are spending the night in a campground in Gordonville Pennsylvania. Tomorrow, we plan to tour the surrounding area and then make our way to New Jersey. We have reservations at a County campground approximately forty-five minutes from New York City. We have the reservation for two nights and if we don't make it by tomorrow night, we will surely make it by Saturday night. We are considering going into the city early Saturday morning or early Sunday morning when there will not be much traffic. If we can't get into the city when the traffic is light, we will abandon that part of our journey.

Amish wife working with her husband.

Amish Farm in Pennsylvania