Trying to shake off winter!

Indiana is my birth state! I was born in Wabash Indiana but moved to Tacoma Washington when I was 4 years old. So, I don't remember much of Indiana except I do remember my maternal grandfather. I remember he was really tall (maybe just in the eyes of a 4 year old) and he bought me those wax things filled with sweet liquid. He also had a big black car. I remember he was kind.

Well, I'm back in Indiana. It's much like Kansas... flat and lots of farmland. In fact, after researching flat states, Kansas is NUMBER 7!! Not #1 as everyone thinks! Indiana is NUMBER 10.

TEN FLATTEST STATES IN ORDER:
1. Florida
2. Illinois
3. North Dakota
4. Louisiana
5. Minnesota
6. Delaware
7. Kansas
8. Texas
9. Nevada
10. Indiana

So, everyone needs to stop making jokes about Kansas being flat as a pancake! Tom has ridden his bicycle across Kansas, from Colorado to Missouri, many times. He has informed me that Kansas has a total elevation gain of 3,360 feet!

We stopped in Lafayette Indiana for two nights. I wish we had time to stay longer! We stayed at Prophetstown State Park just north of Lafayette. What a beautiful State Park! It has full hookups (water, 50amp electric and sewer) and lots of big trees. The State Park is huge but the campground is so very private and away from everything else. The sites are spacious and there are trees between each site which makes for private camping. The State Park also has a large water park, basketball courts, large picnic area, bikes paths and hiking paths. There is also a small farm with animals that kids can interact with. It's a great place to come and Lafayette is luck to have it so nearby.

Rain and wind kept us here for a couple days but we enjoyed every minute of it! 

On a rainy day we drove to downtown Lafayette to hang out in a coffee shop. It was located on the town square, right across from the really large and very beautiful courthouse! We were told that the dome was recently renovated. Wow! Even on a dark and rainy day, it was a beautiful sight! It has 4 clocks and they all work (which seems rare for courthouse clocks)!! It has several beautiful detailed carvings too.

We were headed to Goshen Indiana to have some Warranty work completed in Shipshewana Indiana. I contacted a cousin that lives near our route and we were able to meet up with her in the parking lot of the Walmart in Rochester Indiana. We had a brief but wonderful visit with her! Thank you for meeting up with us Karen!

Because it was so early in the season, most campgrounds were not open yet. We found one place to stay in Goshen. We stayed at the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds. Wow! It's a huge place! It is almost the size of the Kansas STATE Fairgrounds in Hutchinson Kansas and this is only a COUNTY fairground! There were buildings for each type of animal (rabbits, poultry, sheep, pigs etc.) along with buildings for food, project displays and farming. It was well maintained and up to date. The campground had full hookups. We stayed two nights and then moved to Shipshewana.

The Goshen/Shipshewana/Elkart area has a very large Amish community (and Mennonite) so once in this area we had to always be on the lookout for horse and buggy's on the road. Once in Shipshewana, there were even more buggy's... lots! 

On a cold, rainy, overcast with the occasional snow day, we took our beloved Honalee to the Shipshewana RV Service Center. We had tried to get warranty work completed when we were in Wichita KS but the RV shop was less than desirable so we didn't get it done. Our RV Factory said they would honor all warranty issues, even after the warranty ran out! So, for two days, lots of little things and a couple bigger things were completed! This service center is new, clean and they know what they are doing. Making us feel even better was the fact that JOE is doing all of the work! He used to run the entire shop where our RV was built. He helped design this rig in the very beginning! He knows this rig inside and out! And, he's a perfectionist! A trait we like very much!!

That's Tom and see those legs under the rig? That's Joe.

The heater venting in the attic was fixed. Some jell-coat was repaired. The sewer hose storage was replaced (remember we lost it back in Tennessee somewhere). One slide was adjusted so it didn't scratch the floor. Four tiles were replaced where the slide scratched them. An LED light in the bedroom was replaced due to it flashing on and off. A door stop/holder was added to the front door. The water pressure valve was replaced. They replaced a piece of the outside molding due to water pressure valve leak. They re-stapled some wood. They replaced some wood. They fixed our cap-light (it never worked). So, some little things but also some important things. 

While Honalee was getting an overhaul, we had to stay in a nearby hotel. We ended up staying at Farmstead Inn. Shipshewana has a very large group of Amish living here. In addition, Northern Indiana is the RV capital of the USA! Shipshewana is a town that wants to lure tourists to the area for these two reasons. Farmstead Inn is owned by a company called Trading Place. Trading Place owns a lot of the land and the businesses in the area. They also own the RV service center where Honalee had work done. They also own a restaurant, auction and flea market. Here is the Farmstead Inn. It's huge. See the red barn on the left? They have many events there such as weddings and reunions. 

Farmstead Inn
Also a destination for weddings, reunions and other events.

For being a huge tourist mecca, Shipshewana is a very clean and well maintained little town. There are no run-down areas or trash laying around. The whole town and surrounding areas are painted, with up to date buildings and manicured landscaping. 

I am very familiar with the Amish/Mennonite community having worked in a Mennonite community for 11 years in Kansas. However, this area of northern Indiana has a much larger and much more prosperous community.

The Amish financially benefit a great deal from the commercial businesses that promote "Amish made", "Amish Chicken and Noodles", "Amish owned" "Amish Meat" etc. The Amish farms and homes are huge and modern and spectacular. Most of the Amish still use only horse powered farming techniques and most still do not have electricity in their homes. Most homes do have small telephone booths in their front yards so they do have telephone service. I tried very hard to take photos when no one was looking. I think I succeeded. 

Even in freezing temperatures and rain, the laundry is hanging outside every Amish home.

This plow has only three horses. We actually saw some plows pulled by 8 horses!

Beautiful horses!

Telephone booth.

Nice antique tractor!

This is my favorite photo! A guy had just gone by on a surrey and this horse went crazy! 
He was running and galloping and trying to get out! 
Also, notice the laundry on a pulley system, up to the barn and back!
Beautiful example of a large farm and how clean and maintained they are.

What else do we do on rainy days? We relax and do what everyone does in their homes on rainy days. We read, watch TV, do puzzles, sew, make crafts etc. In addition, we do have to make sure we have propane for these very cold nights! 

Here is a puzzle we put together one evening.

 While out shopping in the many gift shops around here, we found this store that has thousands of puzzles!! So many puzzles that I didn't buy even one... just too many to choose from!

This is just one of 4 isles just like this!

I called my cousin Marilyn who lives in Michigan and we were able to make arrangements to meet her 3 sisters in Lake Winona Indiana. Marilyn drove to Elkart and then the three of us drove down to Lake Winona Indiana, about an hour away, to meet the others. It was so good to see them all again! Of course we just saw Karen a few days before but here we were, all together! They are so blessed to live so close to each other. Yes, we are all pretty short! After-all, our mutual grandmother was only 4' 11".

Left to Right: Karen (the one we met up with a few days ago) is the next to youngest.
Janie is the next to oldest, me, Marilyn is the older sister, Rosie is the baby.

We spent one afternoon touring the factory that made our Honalee! It's now called RV Factory and is located in Elkhart. We were met at the door by Deb! She was with us at the very beginning. She is who we met when we flew up to Bristle Indiana the very first time. She is who we went over every detail of the order with. She is why we have the rig we have. She took us on a tour of the new factory. We were again, very impressed with the quality work being done.

I was so excited to go to the RV and Motor-home Museum and Library in Elkhart. They had over 50 RV's on display from the 1920's to today. Then, the entire 2nd floor is an extensive research library with back issues of all RV related magazines, including zoning regulations for campgrounds and other things related to RV's. 

First there was model of how RV's are made in the factory. It was really neat to see too!

A model of the production of an RV. This shows the beginning stages.

There were over 50 RV's and trailers, photos, and memorabilia reaching back to the 1920's and 1930's. The museum presents chronological and technological advancements in the industry from before WW I to the present. It was fascinating to see how they evolved through the years.

1937 Hunt housecar, one of several very unique early housecars built by
Hollywood cinematographer Roy Hunt between 1935 and 1945. 

This Spartan is 42 feet long! 

The Spartan - Very long! Tom is waaaaaaay down there. No slide outs.

An early drivers seat!! 

An early toilet.

It sits atop a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado chassis and is powered by a 455 cubic inch Oldsmobile Toronado V-8 and front wheel drive train. At 84 inches high, the outrageously styled RV was designed to fit in a standard garage yet contain all the creature comforts of a larger, more cumbersome motor home.

The inside of a very early RV

Looking down on the museum from the second floor.

Airstream made this very small unit but decided it was too small
so they only made this one.

We remained in northern Indiana for 3 weeks! We were waiting on a part to come in and then, the weather did not cooperate. More rainy, stormy and snowy days so we decided to wait it out. We want to be following winter, not smack dab in the middle of winter! 

While here, we like to periodically turn on the generator just to keep it in working order. Well, it wouldn't turn on. It's a battery cable that wasn't made correctly and fell apart. Tom spends his days chasing down parts and fixes for various things. Yesterday he came up with a epiphany on how to raise the backup camera antenna on the back of the trailer. When we are driving, we don't always get connection and the screen goes black, just when we need it. By raising the antenna, we think that will make for a more stable connection. So, he got that done!  

I re-caulked the sink in the bathroom. After only a year, it was beginning to "yellow". It looks great! I also sewed a cute skirt for Parker. I had made a stuffed elephant for her when she was a baby and had leftover fabric. So now she has a skirt that matches her elephant!

Interesting things around here.... There is a store called Yoder Meats and Cheeses in Shipshewana. We are familiar with a store in Yoder Kansas with the same name. However, the Yoder Meats here in Shipshewana is, in my humble opinion, much better! The meats are the best we have ever had. We bought several 1pound packages of ground beef and Italian Sausage. We also bought a lot of Baby Creamy Swiss cheese and Sharp Cheddar Cheese, along with several packages of Beef Jerky. The meats are tender and have a wonderful flavor. I just can't get enough of it! We stocked up the freezer before leaving town!!

Just when we thought we could sneak out of Indiana between rain days... we couldn't. Look at the snow coming down, on the day we were supposed to leave! As usual, we are the only ones in the campground again. 

We were supposed to be leaving today! Not happening.

Finally, on a cold but clear and sunny morning we left northern Indiana, after 2 1/2 weeks! This is the longest I have lived in Indiana since I was 4 years old!! I'll miss this Amish town and all the picturesque buggies, horses and farms. It's a beautiful area of our country. 

On to Ohio! We joined another group called "Boondockers Welcome". Remember, Boondocking means off the grid camping, or no hookups (electric, water, sewer). There are people who live all over Canada (it's based in Canada) and the USA who have property that they allow RV'ers to park and camp on for 1 to 3 nights. We plan to start using these sites as we travel. We'll get to meet new people and it's free!

Here we are in Ohio at our first Boondocking site! It's a farm on 140 acres and has been in the family for over 100 years. It used to be a dairy farm but now they have draft ponies and they exhibit them at county fairs. Inside the Pole Barn is our hosts trailer along with a replica of a covered wagon and an Amish wagon. Apparently they use them in parades and shows along with their horses. In addition, they also grow hay, corn and soy beans. They have 3 dogs who are so sweet and friendly. They offered us electric and water!! Oh happy day! 

We reserved this location on Boondockers Welcome for two nights. Although it is free, we will be offering to pay them for the water and electric, plus a small gift we bought for them in Shipshewana.

On to Pennsylvania!
I didn't realize we would be going through 3 states in about 15 minutes! West Virginia has a small piece that goes north between Ohio and Pennsylvania! Fun!

We arrived at our campsite, Shawnee State Park, to find that it is another beautiful state park!!! Few people, beautiful large lake and full hookups. And even if all the campsites are full, they are spaced very far apart and there are tons of trees. Now if Spring would get here and the trees had leaves, even better. As the sun was going down I snapped a photo. Beautiful!

Oilcloth table cloth that I bought in Fredricksburg Texas

Beautiful weather = relax outside!

Grilling, a beer and a campfire for S'mores! Life is Good!

Using his new ax! 

There is a lot to see and do around here. We drove 1 hour west to Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater. On the way we were thrilled to drive the Lincoln Highway, the first coast to coast highway. Then we drive the beautiful Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway. A beautiful drive full of rolling hillsides and picturesque farmlands.

Fallingwater is a beautiful house built by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kauffman's of Pittsburgh. The Kauffman's owned the Kauffman Department Store. The waterfall was undisturbed by the build and the home was built into the boulders and side of the hill. Any boulders that were there, were consumed inside and outside the house. Some of my photos show how that was done. The home was supposed to cost $35,000 but ended up costing $145,000. The structure was not perfect and in 2001, it had to be reinforced.

The Kauffman's have a strange history... The Kauffman's were first cousins... and had to go to New York to legally marry. Mr. Kauffman had a huge wandering eye and the Kauffman's did not have a really happy marriage. Mrs. Kauffman loved this home and was a free spirit. She often went overseas to buy the best products and clothing for their store. She often swam naked in the pool which was naturally fed from a stream. She killed herself at Falligwater, in her bedroom. Mr. Kauffman married his current mistress at the time. However, he died only 6 months after his marriage.

They had one son who never married but had a lifetime partner.  Their son became well known in the architecture world. He gifted the house to the Pennsylvania Conservancy but stayed in control of the board until his death.

Fallingwater near Mill Run, PA

The design was meant to be "one" with the waterfall and the mountain side. Here, these stairs
step right down to the water and is completely open to the living room.

A good example of a boulder that was here and the house was built around it.
It is both inside and outside the house.

There are several cantilevers that extend out from the hillside. These were reinforced when built,
but in 2001, they were exposed and reinforced with better material. The home was in jeopardy of
falling into the waterfall.

Beautiful spot for a photo. The waterfall was not disturbed by the building of the house.

I did not take this photo because photography was not allowed inside the house.
See the rocks sticking up out of the floor in front of the fireplace?
That is one of the large boulders that was not removed, just simply built around and is both inside and outside the house.
This is my favorite room!! It's huge and open and has lots of little nooks to read or sit and listen to the waterfall.
All of the furniture is original to the house and most of it is built in.

Here is the natural spring pool on the second level, just off the bedroom area.

Another place we visited was the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was a somber experience. The walkway is the exact flight path that the plane flew before crashing on September 11, 2001. The memorial is not complete since they have plans to add a large bell tower. Inside the visitors center is a nice museum of what happened that day and especially about Flight 93. At one point, you can pick up a phone and listen to some of the passengers as they left messages on their loved ones answering machines. I had tears running down my face.

This black walkway is the flight path. At the end of the walkway you can look over the large field and see where the wreckage was. 

Here is a photo looking over the field and that large rock is where the plane hit. The entire area was filled in with dirt because there was nothing left for the coroner to examine. They found no bodies which continues to be something very
strange and confusing. Some local people report that there was a large explosion before the plane hit and some say that
the passengers may have been sucked out at that time and did not die in the actual crash. It remains a mystery. 

We ate one day at a place called Jean Bonnet Tavern that has a rich history! Built in 1760, the walls are over 2 feet thick.

Tom likes his beer!

On to our Covered Bridge of Bedford County self-guided tour! All of these covered bridges were within a few miles of our campsite at Shawnee State Park. There were so many but we only went to some of them.

BOWSER COVERED BRIDGE

Built in 1890, this bridge was in use until 1973 when a modern bridge was built beside it.

Beautifully maintained.

 KNISELEY COVERED BRIDGE

Built in 1880 but no longer in use.

 CUPPETT COVERED BRIDGE

Built in 1882 but is no longer in use.

COLVIN COVERED BRIDGE

There is a beautiful flowing stream below this bridge and it's so pretty!

This was my favorite bridge. It is still in use. While we were taking photos, several
cars came across and we had run to get off the bridge.

Peaceful and beautiful.

Oh, and while we were off on these adventures, our girls had a "sister's weekend" in Washington DC recently. With beautiful weather they enjoyed the Cherry Blossom Parade in DC.

We are seeing signs of SPRING everywhere!!!! We left Pennsylvania and drive to Winchester Virginia, to the Candy Hill Campground. It rained the entire way but only a steady rain and no storms were in the area. Very strange campsite arrangement. We had to back in about 80 feet over grass, onto a cement pad. The ground was very soft and saturated with water so our truck tires spun. Our rig is over 18,000 pounds so it is very heavy compared to other rigs our size. The campground guy didn't seem at all concerned that we were making a huge mess in the mud. Tom had to put the truck into 4-wheel drive to get it in. Here is the mess we made!

On a beautiful spring day we decided to drive into Reston Virginia, park the truck and take the Metro into Washington DC to see Karis. Parking the truck in the parking garage for the Metro was very scary. There were many areas in the garage that we had only one inch of clearance on the top of the truck. We drove slowly but at the entrance and exit, we had only about 1/2 inch on each side. It was so tense. We managed to park, taking up two parking spaces. We took the Metro in with no problems.

Beautiful spring day in Washington DC. The Newseum, on the left, is where Karis works.

I love this building and what it stands for! 

There is a section in the Newseum for traveling exhibits. Right now it is:
A groundbreaking photography show featuring seven decades of award-winning images from the archives of Pictures of the Year International, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious photojournalism competitions.

Many of the photographs were familiar to us. Photos we had seen throughout the years. There were photos from around the world and many were very disturbing. Here are a few that speak volumes.

Here we are at the Newseum.

We went to lunch and then Karis went back to work. Tom and I walked to the Portrait Gallery to see the portraits of the Obama's. This is a great museum with all the portraits of past presidents in the gallery. It's a must see in DC!

And this is my favorite portrait in the gallery. A painting that is over 6 feet tall, of strong women in our highest court.

Karis came for a weekend of spring fun! We started out with brick oven pizza outside on a beautiful evening.

It was the beginning of the Annual Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester! So we attended the Bloomin' Wine Fest in the old town area of Winchester.

Our campground has a restored antique trolley that we rode to and from the event with 50 of our  fellow campers. Good thing too, because many of them had way too much to drink!!

Then it came time to say goodbye. We always love visiting with Karis!! She loves our lifestyle and jumps right in to 5th wheel living!

And finally a couple photos of grand kids... couldn't resist!

Drew at his baseball tournament!

Cute little Parker, loves the camera! She's at a K-State game in Manhattan Kansas!

Well, this concludes this blog entry. This blog covered one month as we passed through 5 states, staying awhile in some and just passing through others. Like everyone else, we have had winter and spring in a few short weeks. Everyplace we go, we see things we haven't seen before and we meet  people we never would have met. We are really enjoying this life of ours!