June 27, 2008 - Back Home in NC

Well, all good things must come to an end. So it is with our big trip. We have arrived back home in NC and this is my final entry for the "Trip of Our Dreams" blog.

I last wrote when we were in Shipshewana, IN. When we left Shipshewana, we drove to Hagerstown, IN where Mike's sister lives. We visited with her for a few days and got to see all her family. It was nice catching up on their lives. We actually parked our RV on the street beside her house which made it real convenient for us. Sue works as the minister for the UMC in Hagerstown and we stayed through Sunday and went to services at her church. We both enjoyed the service and the people there could not have been nicer to us. It is obvious that they love Sue.

Hagerstown is a small community just a short drive west from Richmond, IN. Sue took us on a tour of the town as well as the surrounding area. I was surprised to learn that there is an Amish population here. We actually saw some buggies during our stay. Sue lives right downtown in Hagerstown and it was nice to be able to get out and walk all around the downtown area. There are several antique shops and gift shops as well as a well known restaurant - Welliver's Smorgasbord. I don't know how long Welliver's has been in business, but I know it has been there for at least 28 years because Mike and I ate there back in the late 70's when we lived in IN. Of course, we had to try it again and it was still a great place to eat (or overeat, as is the case for most everyone who goes to Welliver's).

We left Sue's house on Monday morning and drove to Hillsboro, OH and stayed at Rocky Fork state park just outside of Hillsboro. Mike was in Hillsboro earlier this year when he was helping his brother by taking some of his brother's cattle to Hillsboro to sell. Mike was impressed with this small town and suggested we stay there. Rocky Fork turned out to be a very nice state park. There is a large lake there with a small marina. They have camping along the lake shore as well as up on top of a hill overlooking the lake. The camping sites along the lake were all taken, so we went up to one on the hill. I actually liked the ones up on the hill better because there was plenty of shade up there unlike down by the water. It was pretty hot while we were there and the shade was nice.

Another reason that being up on the hill was nice was the park was hosting a camp for children with physical and mental disabilities. There site was down near the lake and there were a ton of kids there making it pretty noisy. This camp is an annual event and I guess it is quite popular based on the number of kids present. It was a really nice event and the sponsors made sure that the kids were able to go swimming or boating or horseback riding or participate in any of the events. We met a volunteer and he said they have one person assigned to each child to make sure that child can participate in the events. So, if you know anyone in the area who has a child with a disability who might want to go to this camp, let them know.

Also, if you ever go to Rocky Fork, go to the office and get some ice cream - but only order one scoop. I ordered two scoops and I think I got a pint of ice cream. Thank goodness, Mike was with me and ate half of it. I never expected them to give me so much. The lady helping me said they like to give customers their money's worth. What an understatement!!

We left Hillsboro on the 19th of June and drove to South Shore, KY and parked our RV in Mike's cousin's drive. We were in South Shore to attend the family reunion for Mike's mothers side of the family. The reunion was on Saturday afternoon and we spent the days prior to the reunion just visiting with family. Mike has such a close family and they have such a fun time when they all get together. I am so blessed that they have claimed me as part of their family.

On Sunday, the 22nd, we left South Shore and drove to Carter Caves State Park in KY. We have stayed at this state park many times over the years. It is a great place for Mike's family to get together because it is pretty centrally located for all of us and it has both cabins, a lodge and a campground so everyone can find accomodations suitable. We also like that there is a shelter house in the cabin area where we can gather for meals. Plus, there are lots of activities for kids here at this park. They have a lake for fishing, a big swimming pool, playgrounds, horseback riding, a golf course, putt putt golf, and caving. In the evenings, we all head to the campground for a campfire. All of us love to have a campfire and sit around and drink wine while the kids make smores. It is a great time to unwind and catch up on family happenings.

On the 26th, we left Carter Caves and drove home. We made a stop in Mt. Airy to see our daughter and her family and finally got home around 7pm. We had no sooner gotten stopped when one of our neighbors came out to greet us and then another and another. It was great to have them welcome us back home.

Last night, we went to a party in our little neighborhood. Most of our neighbors were there and many asked what was my favorite place on our trip. It is really not possible for me to pick one place that is my favorite. There were just so many wonderful and beautiful places that we were so priviledged to see on this amazing trip. I think every place we went had it's own special beauty. So, I can't really pick one place. But, I can tell you that NC is looking really good to me right now and I think I will stay here for a bit and just enjoy being home again.

June 7, 2008- Update on Final Days of Our Trip

We are now in Shipshewana, IN. The past few days we have been traveling in Michigan. We traveled down the coast of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. We stopped at both and I put my foot in the water to test the temperature. I wanted to see if they were about as cold as Lake Superior. They were. We saw people out in the water up in Ashland, MI I(Lake Superior). I say “burrrrrrr”. Maybe since they have such cold, long winters, they don’t mind the cold water. I think I’ll hold out for the pool in my neighborhood. I like my swimming water a bit warmer.

I have heard it said that the MI state bird is the mosquito, now I know why. Mike and I stopped along Lake Huron and got out and walked down to the water. As we got closer to the water, the mosquitoes started to swam around us - and I mean swarm! There were thousands of them and they are big. I don’t know why, but I did not get a bite. Maybe they were not hungry or my smell was not appealing to them. Whatever it was, I am thankful. I could have been covered with bites within a few minutes.

Like I said, we are in Shipshewana, IN. Shipshewana is a small town just a few miles south of the MI state line in IN. You probably wonder what in the world made us decide to come to Shipshewana. Well, about 8 or 9 years ago, we were in IN for our nephew’s wedding. He got married in a state park in IN not too far from Indianapolis. We had our travel trailer with us for that wedding and after it was over, we decided to tour a bit of IN . We lived in IN for 13 years when we were first married, but we did not travel into northern IN during that time. We had heard of Shipshewana because it is an area with a large Amish population. Anyway, we traveled up here that year and had such a good time that we said that we would like to come back someday. That someday is today.

This little town has a huge flea market that is open every Tue and Wed. We went to it last time we were here and it was so much fun. They had tons of stuff - some old and some new. They had a plant section with some of the most beautiful planters I have ever seen. I want to visit the flea market again this time. I don’t remember buying anything the last time we were here. Maybe I’ll find something that I just can’t live without on this trip.

I also want to go back to Yoder’s store. The Amish are famous for their quilts. Naturally, if they quilt, they have to have places that sell fabric. Last time I was here, I had just started to get into quilting. If my memory serves me correctly, they sell the fabric a few dollars a yard less than I can buy it at home. You know what that means - I MUST BUY. I cannot pass up a good price.
Yoder’s is more than a fabric store. They are like a Wal-Mart for the Amish. They have everything an Amish man or woman could want under one roof. It is fun to check out the hardware section. They have items that the Amish use every day that most of us have only seen. The tools are ones that our grandparents or great-grandparents used to work their gardens or farm. They have canning supplies because the Amish can a lot of their vegetables they grow in their gardens.

So what else is there to do in Shipshewana? This is a tourist town and there are lots of other shops that cater to the tourists. There are also some good golf courses in the area that Mike is hoping to check out. And, this is the area where many of the RV’s sold all over the country are made. I think they have factory tours. If they do, we may go to see how the Jayco’s are made.
There is also REST. Mike and I need a rest stop and we have decided to stay in Shipshewana for a week. We’re going to take it easy and do some reading and just enjoy being outside in the beautiful warm weather.

June 1, 2008 - Bayfield, Ashland and Washburn, WI

I can’t believe it is June 1st. Where has the time gone. It does not seem like we can have been gone for 3 whole months already. The time has flown by and we have enjoyed each day. I now realize that I don’t need a large home. I have gotten quite good at living in a very small space. The best thing is that I can clean the whole place in about 30 minutes.

We have spent the past two days in Washburn, WI. Washburn is a tiny town up on Lake Superior between Bayfield and Ashland. We are in a nice city park right on the lake. It is a small campground and not very busy yet. There are probably 10 campers here. Some of the people spend the whole season here and have permanent places. There is not a place to put a boat in the water at this park, but you don’t have to go far up or down the road to find a place to put in.

Yesterday, we drove back to Bayfield. Bayfield is about five miles west of here. It is an old town, but the area has seen the addition of newer homes and some condos on the water. The downtown area has been converted into little, touristy shops. There are several nice restaurants and lots of bed and breakfast places. We parked downtown and got out and walked around the marina and visited some of the shops. Then we took a drive into the older sections and saw some beautiful old homes. One, in particular, is a large old Victorian home that has a fabulous view of the lake. Like Duluth, this city is build on the hillside and the homes are stacked up the hillside so that they all have a view of the lake.

Today, Sunday, we took it easy. We decided to drive into Ashland and got in the truck only to have the truck not start. Mike said he had planned to buy new batteries before we left home, but just did not get around to doing so. He tinkered with the truck and finally got it started. While he was doing this, I checked Marge (GPS System) to see if I could find a place to get batteries on Sunday. Fortunately, there is a Wal-Mart in Ashland. I called and they had what we needed. So, we took off for Ashland.

Ashland is a small town too, but larger than Bayfield by several thousand people. They have a nice downtown area that appears to be active. Since this was Sunday, all the shops were closed. But, I saw a lot of stores with merchandise in them, so it must be where people shop. The Wal-Mart is on the eastern edge of the town. It appears to be a new store.

Mike went into the auto section and I did a bit of grocery shopping while the truck was being serviced. Once we were done, we started back toward Washburn. The sky out over the lake was dark and threatening. The wind had picked up and Mike was anxious to get back because we had left the canopy out on the camper. We both were crossing our fingers that the wind had not caught the canopy and blown it up over the camper. We had that happen once years ago and it is not a good thing to happen. We got back and, thankfully, the canopy was ok.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Michigan. We hope to find a nice place to spend a few days.