Virginia to Pennsylvania

Leaving North Carolina was with mixed emotions. We really did enjoy ourselves there. But, it was time to move on. We packed up and headed out on 4/30 with a destination of the KOA Campground in Natural Bridge, Va., a trip of approximately 230 miles.

Rest Stop in VA

The trip was interesting, especially the section of I 77 in the vicinity of the VA State line - very foggy and very slow going at times. But, we made it and mid afternoon we pulled in to KOA Natural Bridge Campgrounds.

Our spot for 2 nights

We spent 2 nights there and on each night, we took a short ride to the Pink Cadillac Diner for supper. Food was good and the prices reasonable......

An interesting decor

Notice the Vermont Plate

On monday, May 2, we packed up and headed out with a destination of Gordonville, Pa and Country Acres Campground, a trip of about 296 miles. Gordonville(aka Bird-in-Hand, Paradise) is in the heart of the Amish Country and Country Acres was neat. It is not a huge campground, but it was neat, and well taken care of. Sites were adequate and roomy. No complaints from us on anything!

The Office at Country Acres

Our Spot at Country Acres

Well, almost no complaints about the place. At first I thought at $50 a day it was a little expensive but then I saw some of the things that we got for that $50 like a free 2 hour tour of the Amish Country. Definitely made it worth it......Oh, and I need to mention that our friends Chuck and Anita from back in Brattleboro showed up on our second day here. We spent time together doing tourist things.....

Our Tour Guide on the left

 The tour left from the Bird-In-Hand Restaurant in Bird-in-Hand- one of the 5 or 6 businesses that the owners of Country Acres  own. The tour guide was excellent. She provided a running commentary as we drove through the Amish farm lands, distinguishing the Amish from the Mennonites, pointing out Amish customs like explaining why some kids rode scooters to school and some rode bicycles. She explained the Amish one room schoolhouses and why Amish children only go to school from grades 1-8. Told stories about religious practices, like the big grey wagon and what it was used for. All in all, we came away from this experience more informed than when we had started. Definitely worth it. And besides that, she took us to some real neat shops.

One of the shops we visited on the tour- they had pretzels to die for.

Ironic- power lines in Amish Country

Mary was quick to notice the sign for Fabric

Yes, that is a small bag of fabric in her hand

And then we were in Intercourse, PA

A view of the land

Our tour ended basically in Intercourse, but we decided to go back and spend some more time in the area as it looked like there was a lot going on here. Our first stop was Stoltzfus Meats for lunch and then some shopping.

This place had an excellent selection of meats, cheeses, breads, spices and best of all, they had a deli that served great food at reasonable prices. Mary and I each had soup and a sandwich and the bill was about $11.00. After we finished eating, we stocked up. And then it was time to play tourist.

We visited a number of the Gift and Quilt Shops and then found a local Winery/Brewery.....

The beer was ok. OK enough to buy a growler of it......

The day after the Tour of the Amish Country we headed to Strasburg and the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum.....

Chuck in his glory

Chuck & Anita

Our tour guide from the day before had warned us that the next day might find most Amish business' closed for the Ascension Day holiday. It was pretty obvious that it was indeed a holiday for them. A lot of them going places in their buggies, as well as walking.....

A convoy

Off in the distance as viewed from PA Railroad Museum

Amish Family walking in to Strasburg

One of the last places we visited in the Intercourse / Bird-in-Hand area was Kauffman's. They had quite a selection.........

The signs tell the tale

Done shopping at Kauffmans

Homeward bound......

And then it was our last night at Country Acres. We had Chuck & Anita over for a Happy Hour and then dinner. We did make a dent in the Growlers and then it was time to dig in to some of those Stoltzfus Meats hamburgers and Macaroni salad. And were they ever good!

On friday morning May 6, it was time to pack up (again) and head out. Unfortunately it was all done in the pouring rain. And rain it did for most of the way to NY. At least it wasn't snow. And it wasn't lightning and thunder. And no tornados. Yes, we are thankful for some things. Chuck and Anita headed out too, their destination for the day was to try and get all the way back to Brattleboro, Vt. Ours was a little simpler- 296 miles to the Finger Lakes Region of NY and more specifically, Cayuga Lake and SNED Acres Campground in Ovid, NY, where we would be staying for a month before moving 15 miles or so north  to 2 NYS Campgrounds. More of that to follow...............

Trip Summary: Since leaving AZ on 4/1/2016 and arriving in PA, we have travelled 2885 miles, stayed at 12 RV Parks, and travelled through 9 States(AZ, TX, LA, MS, AL, TN, NC, VA, PA). This is the only way to live. And yes, HOME IS WHERE WE PARK IT.