TT Hershey Update #1

Just another good day in the Hershey area where there are so many things to do. Friday is the day to head to the Green Dragon Farmers/Flea Market in Ephrata, PA. It's a place where you can buy fresh meats and vegetables along with things run from socks to furniture. We spent about 2 hours wondering around the place and buying essential meats (fresh turkey sausage) and vegetables. Audrey is a nut about bird houses and when she found one for sale at a good price, it was hers. We had Phara with us so we were limited by how much time we could be away from the auto because the temperature was going near 80.

See the right panel for pictures taken at the Green Dragon.

From the Green Dragon it was off to Shirk's bike shop to have an adjustment made to Audrey's new bike. The chain ring was dumping the chain and needed to be adjusted. Shirk's is an amazing place. They took Audrey's bike made the adjustment and took it on a test ride to be sure it was adjusted properly. Not many shops would have taken the bike to work on it immediately to say nothing about actually road testing the thing. While there I purchased a new pair of bike gloves and a set of brake pads for my bike that I put on my bike later in the day.

Speaking of biking. Before dinner I rode my bike from the campground to the Colebrook rails/trails trail head and headed off toward Elizabethtown. Audrey decided to walk rather than ride so she drove the Jeep to the trail head and walked while I rode. I was out for about an hour on the bike and road part of the ride with a rider from Hershey. He came by as I was adjusting my rear wheel. The guy was a strong rider and I had to work harder than I wanted to ride to ride with him. It was like a training ride from my days of road racing. It was a good ride.

After getting back to the coach and having some liquid refreshment, it was time for dinner -- fresh turkey sausage done on the grill by chef Audrey. Great meal.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

Back at Thousand Trails - Hershey

After a week's stay in Intercourse, PA, we're back at the TT Hershey campground with a great site. We knew in advance the site was going to open the day we were scheduled to arrive. To get it we left the Beacon Hill Campground at 5:30 for the 36 mile trip. This put us first in line to enter the campground when it opened at 8:00. Immediately after registering, Audrey drove the Jeep to a spot across from the site and waited until it opened. She moved quickly to get into the site as there were 2 others (campers wanting a better site) heading toward the site.

After getting settled in and chatting with our new neighbors, off we went to ride our road bikes. Audrey really loves her new bike. Check it out in the picture. We intended to ride the rails/trails from Colebrook to Cornwall - a ride we've made with the mountain bikes. However, we found that the road bikes were not easily ridden on the trail. The surface is too uneven for a safe and comfortable ride. In the end I got off the trail and rode for about an hour on the roads while Audrey cut short her trail ride and headed back to the start point.

Today we'll be off to the Green Dragon (A huge farmers/flea market in Ephrata, PA. Later we'll head to Shirk's Bike Shop in East Earl to have some minor adjustments made on Audrey's bike.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

Intercourse, PA -- Update #4

Just another great day. Our daughter and 2 of grandkids visited arriving at the coach around 9:00 a.m. We chatted for a short while and then off we went to visit the many shops in Intercourse. Yes, there was money spent to help the economy.

In the picture from the left: Connor, Samantha & Denise

We were not sure where to head for lunch. Eventually we decided to drive to East Earl and have lunch at the Shady Maple. http://www.shady-maple.com/ We did not eat the lunch smörgåsbord but ate in the cafeteria. Good food and a nice time chatting made for a fun time. After lunch, we took the gang on a tour of the gift shop, the upstairs dining area and the farmers market. Since Connor had a baseball game, the gang had to head back to Mechanicsburg, PA by 2:00 p.m.

After the gang left, off we went to Shirk's Bike Shop to check on the service work on my road bike and to make some decisions about changes to Audrey's new road bike and my bike. Issues centering on pedals and saddles needed to be made. Audrey's new bike has clipless pedals that she wants to replace and her saddle is not what she wants. I need to replace the pedals on the road bike with clipless ones and replace the old saddle with a new one. In the end we did not finalize what we want but will today when we pickup the bikes. I had a phone call last evening that my bike is ready so later today off we go to get our new toys.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

Intercourse, PA -- Update #3

What a day yesterday. I rode my road bike to Shirk's Bike Shop in East Earl, PA to have it serviced. A great ride through the Amish Country - about 15 miles. Shirk's is one of the best bike shops I've ever seen -- great inventory and a friendly and knowledgeable staff. As soon as I get the bike back, I'll post a picture. It is a classic - A Schwinn chromium plated Paramount. It is the bike I used in my first road race.

While I rode to East Earl, Audrey arrived at the shop, parked the car and walked along the safe road leading to the bike shop -- beautiful farms along the road.

After getting the service ticket completed, we spent about an hour or more looking a biking equipment including new and used bikes. Audrey was remembering the days in PA when we rode road bikes in the Carlisle and Harrisburg area - great fun. She realized that the road bike was better suited for riding in this area and many of the other areas we visit. She found a new Raleigh bike that seemed suitable and took it for a test ride. She like it but was not ready to say yes. We left for the coach and discussed the purchase on the way home. Guess what, we made a second trip to the shop, she road a another bike and in the end made the purchase. She'll get the bike in a day or so -- when my repair work is done. We're both excited about doing more riding in this area.

Busy day ahead. Our daughter Denise and two of our grandkids (Samantha & Connor) coming for a visit. Will be taking in the many shops in Intercourse and elsewhere.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

Intercourse, PA -- Another Update

MEMORIAL DAY - A day to remember and give thanks! Sunday was another great day in Lancaster County, PA. An early day trip to Panera Bread in Lancaster got us started - did not get to church. Audrey spent time e-mailing friends and family while I did the same using PB's free WiFi. A short stop at PetSmart for treats for Phara and a quick jaunt into WalMart got us on our way back to the coach.

Soon Audrey was off for her walk into downtown Intercourse and I got on the rejuvenated road bike and rode off into Amish Country. Audrey ended up finding a few shops and browsed the wares. As for me, I had ridden about 4 miles when I had to stop and adjust a toe strap. I looked down the road and saw a group of cyclists heading my way. As they approached I was back on the bike and joined the group. After riding with them for a few miles, I they told me they were riding to the Farmers Market in Bird in Hand. I asked to join them for the rest of the ride and off we went. In the end I rode about 20 miles. I found out that the group was a part of the International Christian Cycling Club. In fact one of the riders gave me a nice water bottle with the club's logo on it.

After getting back to the coach, it was time to chill out and enjoy a little golf on TV as Audrey worked on a crossword puzzle. Later Audrey did some fresh chicken thighs on the grill along with some fresh asparagus. Great meal.

The day was not fully perfect however. About 2:00 a.m. our electric management system shut down power to the coach. The voltage rose above 132 volts. So that the system didn't kick on and off the rest of the night, I went to the power pedestal, and turn off the power. After an early morning run and shower, the power is back on and a little high but OK.

Not sure what today will bring. Stay tuned.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

Intercourse, PA -- Update

We continue to enjoy the stay at the Beacon Hill Campground in Intercourse, PA Yesterday we drove around the area and had a piece of barbecued chicken at an Amish yard sale. Later I took my Schwinn Paramount wheel set to Shirks Bike Shop in East Earl, PA to have new tires put on the wheels. During the week I plan to take the bike to the shop to have a general checkup including replacing the brake cables. What a great shop run by an Amish family.

Later in the day we visited a food market in Intercourse and got a great break on meat purchases. At 4:00 p.m. all fresh meats went on sale at half price. Amazing sale. We were # 3 in line so some of the really good steaks, etc were sold, but there were still some great buys. Needless to say, the freezer is full.

We continue to be amazed by this area of the country.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

Our Stay in Intercourse, PA - May 23, 2008

We are located in the Beacon Hill Campground in Intercourse, PA . http://www.800padutch.com/beacon.html
It is a very small campground but nice. An Amish farm is immediately behind our motor home. You can see the Amish farmer tilling the soil getting it ready for planting. The campground is within walking distance of all the tourist places in Intercourse. We will be spending lots of time browsing the shops, etc. while we are here. Our departure date is Thursday, May 29. That day we head back to the Thousand Trails Campground for 3 weeks. Adjacent to this post is a slide show of pictures taken so far. Some of the pictures were taken from our campsite. Others were taken as I toured the area on my bike.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

The Start of Our Travels

We began our trip on April 30 and drove to Mechanicsburg, PA with 3 stops for fuel on the 460 miles. At that time the price of fuel ranged from $4.01 to $4.23.00. We made a short stop at our daughter's house before heading to TT Hershey where we stayed in the over flow area for the night. By doing this we could assure us of getting into the campground early and finding a decent site. It all worked out as planned and settled in for our 3 week stay. A few days later Jim and Janice Fisher arrived from NC and were with us for almost a week. We made some fun trip together - one of them to the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA. It's the oldest Brewery in the country. Needless to say we had a good time particularly in the pub where we sampled the beers.

Also during our initial stay we made a trip to Frackville, PA to visit with my 2 aunts -- 91 & 93 - and my sister-in-law. These are amazing ladies. Both are very active - one still drives safely everyday.

After the Fishers departed, in came the Dions and Johnstons. They are former Trekkers who are now SOBs Once again we had fun visiting various places in the area. They were here for 5 days before heading back to their home bases -- DE and RI.

After our 3 week stay at TT Hershey, off we went to Intercourse, PA and the Beacon Hill Campground.