After 3 fun weeks at the TT Hershey campground, we've moved on to Intercourse and the Beacon Hill Campground. http://www.800padutch.com/beacon.html We were here last year and had so much fun, we decided to return. It's a small campground about a half mile from the center of 
Intercourse.
Prior to leaving TTH, I received the Hawking WiFi antenna for the iMac, 
and I am happy to report that it improved the WiFi signal reception. A number of folks at TTH were interested in the antenna. Such being the case, I demoed the unit for them at their coaches, and the unit worked for them. Maybe I should go into the business of selling the units while we travel. The gent from whom I purchased the original antenna for the PC is no longer on the road and selling Hawking units.
Our site here at Beacon Hill is unique. It's at the entrance to the campground and along the road that passes by the entrance. It gives us a great view of all the Amish horses and buggies passing by as well as the kids on their bikes and scooters. We also have a view of an Amis
h farm where we can witness the hard working Amish till the fields and work with their milk cows. (see the pictures)
While here we've had another series of rainy days. It's been rare that we've seen the sun for a full day since we arrived in PA. Nonetheless we've had many things to do. We've visited one of our favorite bike shops, Shirks, in East Earl, 
PA. The shop is near the Shady Maple so we had to make a stop. See the picture of the menu listing.
Between showers I've been able to ride the bike near the 
campground. Audrey had hers out but only for a short ride as the clouds darkened and she had to head back to the coach. Near the campground while riding I found an Amish farm that had a petting zoo. (see the pictures)
Did you know there is a railroad museum here in central PA? Yes, and it's something. It's located about 10 miles from Beacon Hill in Strasburg. Go here to learn about the museum. 
http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/
We have been able to ride the bikes in the last couple of days as the weather has improved. . We made a second trip to Shirk's Bike Shop. I rode the bike to the shop and Audrey met me there. Yes, a few purchases were made. Audrey found a nice helmet light and I purchased a folding tire for the Corsa. After returning to the coach, we took the bikes and rode 16 miles around the Amish farm country. The beauty of the Amish farms is stunning. On the way home, we stopped at the entrance to an Amish farm where children were selling bird houses. Audrey could not miss the opportunity to get another bird house and at the same time help the family. The picture shows all the kids at the roadside stand along with their pony.
On Monday we return to Thousand Trails Hershey for 3 weeks. Our schedule during that stay will be busy. We'll give you an update so check back for the exciting news.
In addition to the pictures included in this posting, if you are interested you can find others pictures using this link. http://gallery.me.com/watkinsdl#100125
Monday, May 11:We continue our stay at Thousand Trails Hershey. Yesterday was a special day for Audrey - Mother's Day. She had very nice phone calls from Cindy (in AZ) and Dawn in NC) and had a light lunch with Denise in Mechanicsburg, PA. Later we took our bikes and rode the rails/trails beginning at the Colebrook Trailhead. Audrey rode most of the trail while I rode on the road to Cornwall Furnace.
The picture on the right shows our grandson, Connor (on left) holding a handful of money. He entered a Guitar Hero contest at the car show in Carlisle, PA on Satu
rday and won first prize. He is really good with Guitar Hero. The winnings put $800 dollars in his pocket. Second prize was $200. Needless to say, we are seeking a loan from Connor.
Earlier I spent time updating the WY&CC website - a site I maintain to keep me busy. Board of Director elections are coming soon and the membership can get details of the election via the website. Beyond that who knows what today will bring. We hope to ride the bikes later after a trip to Palmyra if the weather cooperates.
Tuesday/Wednesday, May 12-13
Tuesday was Root's Market day - a place that's just a fun trip. Lots of great Lancaster & Lebanon county produce and meats. Yes, the flea market is a fun experience too. After the trip to the market, it was time to get the bikes on the road and trail. Audrey hit the trail and I rode the roads near the campground. The pictures of the goats were taken as I rode the recumbent past a local farm. Audrey says she'd like to adopt the white-faced one.
Thursday/Friday/Saturday, May 14, 15, & 17
Thursday was a fun day as we met our daughter Denise and headed to Frackville to have lunch with my two 90+ year old aunts at Cracker Barrel . Joining us was my cousin, my sister-in-law and her mother who is also 90+. Needless to say we had a wonderful visit and hope to make another visit with them before we leave for home in mid-June. On the way we stopped at Cabela's in Hamburg where I took a lot of video of the animals on display. One of these days I'll post a movie for all to view. On the way home, we learned of a new casino in PA located at the Penn National Race Track in Grantville - the Hollywood Casino. Since this is only 30 minutes from TTH, we decided to make a quick stop to check out the place. Here again I took some video (illegally) and have converted it to a movie. The bad news is the network at TTH is so awful, it's difficult to upload the file. However, the video was finally uploaded and can be viewed using the below link. You'll see Audrey at the nickel slot machine where she made 50 cents on a $2.00 budget.
http://gallery.me.com/watkinsdl/100108
Friday and Saturday were uneventful days as we had rain and most of the time we chilled out around the coach. We were able to get in a short bike ride on Friday on the rails/trails path. Yesterday, Saturday, I got out for a ride before the rains came.
Sunday, May 17
We made it to church this morning where the sermon focused on the topic of sexuality in the Episcopal Church. Interesting comments by the rector. Now we're at Panera Bread in Hummelstown where we do have a good Wifi connection. Unfortunately I do not have any of the movies I want to post on this MacBook. The day began with rain but now the skies are clearing so there is a chance that we can ride the bikes or do something else out-of-doors.
All from here in central PA. Stay tuned for the next update.
We are now back on the road after about 6 weeks in Washington. It's nice to be away from the house and yard work - at least for now. We'll miss playing golf everyday and the neighbors, but we do enjoy traveling in the coach.
Audrey took the above photos. The one shows the technology that has commandeered her dining table. The second picture she took as we uncovered the coach for our PA trip.
Sunday, May 3: We left for the Thousand Trails Hershey preserve with a scheduled reservation arrival date of Monday, May 4. We rolled the coach out of the driveway about 5:30 am and soon found rain falling from the sky. It rained the entire trip to PA. The usual stops were made for fuel at every Flying J on the way. Diesel fuel prices ranged from $2.05 in VA to $2.35 in PA. Our overnight stay was at the Walmart in Palmyra, PA. 
Monday, May 4: We left Walmart for TTH at 7:30 am arriving at TTH before the
gate opened at 8:00. For those of you who have been to TTH, you know if you want 50 amp service, you need to find a spot in H section. After checking in, we headed for H and found only one site available - at the very bottom of the hilly area where water accumulates whenever it rains. Yes, it was raining and raining so there was pond in the site. Nonetheless we decided to take the spot at least for one day and then move. Just as we were getting ready to hook up the power cord, a much better site was opening up near the bathhouse - a prime site. Audrey quickly made contact with the folks and indicated we'd like the site when they were ready to leave. About 30 minutes later, we were in the site and ready for our 3 week stay. After washing the coach in the rain (it was a mess after traveling from NC), I installed the external WiFi antenna hoping to pick up the WiFi signal from the clubhouse. Hurray, success - the antenna is working allowing for Internet access from the coach (PC computer). Later in the day we made a quick trip to Palmyra to get some Seltzer Lebanon bologna - the Seltzer factory is in Palmyra.
Tuesday, May 5: More rain. Yes, for the 3rd consecutive day it rained. No matter. We headed off to the famous Roots Market. http://www.rootsmarket.com/ We wondered around Roots for a couple of hours and bought very little other than some produce and meats. After returning home, I set up the new iMac with the hope that I could pick up the WiFi signal from the clubhouse - no such luck. Nonetheless, I used the new beauty to learn more about iMovie. Stay tuned for a coming movies.
Wednesday, May 6: Guess what? More rain. However, there is a chance that the skies will brighten later today. That means there is a slim chance that we'll be able to get Audrey's Catrike and my Corsa out of the auto and do some bike riding. We'd like to give the bike/trike a test on the local rails-to-trails. An update: No bike riding. The skies did brighten by mid-afternoon but quickly turned gray and again the rain returned. In fact there was a flood watch for this area. Nothing exciting or unique to report for today except a trip to Walmart.
Thursday, May 7: Yes, there is more rain in the forecast. At the moment the sun is shining, but it's only a temporary reprieve. We'll not see the sunshine and real warmth until Sunday - so says the weatherman. The last couple of days, I've been learning more about the new iMac and am loving it. I did some videoing using the Flip camera before heading to PA. This morning I uploaded the movies for viewing. One is a short golf outing with our son-in-law and 2 of my friends. The other two are of the grandkids - one while visiting Washington and the other with Audrey on the golf course. Check them out if you are interested.
Golf outing: http://gallery.me.com/watkinsdl#100062
Kids visit Washington: http://gallery.me.com/watkinsdl#100071
Kids golfing: http://gallery.me.com/watkinsdl#100072
Guess that's it for now. Nuff stuff that boring. Stayed tuned for later updates.
Intercourse.
and I am happy to report that it improved the WiFi signal reception. A number of folks at TTH were interested in the antenna. Such being the case, I demoed the unit for them at their coaches, and the unit worked for them. Maybe I should go into the business of selling the units while we travel. The gent from whom I purchased the original antenna for the PC is no longer on the road and selling Hawking units.
h farm where we can witness the hard working Amish till the fields and work with their milk cows. (see the pictures)
PA. The shop is near the Shady Maple so we had to make a stop. See the picture of the menu listing.
campground. Audrey had hers out but only for a short ride as the clouds darkened and she had to head back to the coach. Near the campground while riding I found an Amish farm that had a petting zoo. (see the pictures)
http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/
On Monday we return to Thousand Trails Hershey for 3 weeks. Our schedule during that stay will be busy. We'll give you an update so check back for the exciting news.
