Be aware before buying property next to a farm...

I saw this on a friend's Facebook page:

You've been warned!

Tuesday

On Tuesday, we drove a couple hundred miles further east (and a little south) to the area near Hershey, Pennsylvania.

I only thought to take pictures as we came to the first of several tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The warning sign cautions us about curves ahead, and... there definitely were lots of curves on the highway!

Coming up to the tunnel...

The warning sign at the beginning of the tunnel cautioned us that there was a sharp turn at the exit to the tunnel -- 45MPH recommended. We tend to always comply with any cautionary speeds in Gracie!

We went through 3-4 tunnels on I-76 traveling across the mountains of western Pennsylvania. The last tunnel that we went through before getting off the turnpike brought us out from the mountainous area into a beautiful view of crop fields -- and it was also sunnier for the first time of the day. We arrived at the Thousand Trails campground, found a campsite, and have settled in for a few days.

Things that make you go "hmmmm...."

A friend posted this on Facebook:

Yes! That's me!!!

 

Around Kenisee Lake RV Campground

We've been staying in a lot since we got to Kenisee Lake RV Campground... but Carl took a walk around the area where we're parked and took some pictures on Sunday afternoon:

The Jee-rage and Gracie on our site

The rig across from us -- they put their side patio out on Sunday afternoon. This particular rig has a toy hauler in the back (I'm pretty sure it is model 4270: https://heartlandrvs.com/brand/cyclone/). The floor plan shows that it has a patio out the back too (we haven't noticed/seen if that one is out).

There are a large number of seasonal sites across from us...

... up next to the woods.

Behind us is a big open field.

A fellow a few sites from us was dis-assembling his RC sail boats.

He and his wife had participated in a regatta this weekend...

He had taken the sails off but reattached one so Carl could take a picture.

Remote control - it is a 5 channel remote which is used for airplanes and helicopters, but for the RC sailboats, they only use 2 channels - one controls the rutter, and one controls the sail.

Another view of Gracie and the Jee-rage.

The rig next to us is also a toy-hauler and has a patio - this one out the back.

 

Friday's entertainment

On Friday evening, our neighbors came over to make sure we would be okay if they drove their Smart car over part of our lot as they were loading it for travel. The lady said that it may be "entertaining" so Carl went out to take pictures and videos.

Smart car parked behind their 5th wheel

Getting the ramps into place for putting it onto the tractor.

zoomed in so maybe you can see the wheel chocks/stops on the far side of the tractor bed

Directing her husband backing up to the ramps.

Continuing to direct.

She has it positioned where they want it at the bottom of the ramps, now he just has to go up a little bit.

Once she got it lined up and he backed up a little ways, she attached a winch to something on the back of the car (we didn't get a picture of that) - it would need to be part of the frame.

She has gone around to the other side of the tractor to get a better perspective on the passenger side mirror - I think she said that it had been damaged at one point in their travels.

Almost to the bed of the tractor...

Back wheels are on...

He can continue to steer it a little as the winch is pulling it up (through the window).

It is on! They still need to secured with tire straps to make sure it won't go anywhere.

A couple of videos of the process - above and below.

That is a REALLY big tractor (in our opinions). The fellow said that they don't always take the Smart car off; they only unload it they are going to be at a campground for more than a few days. They were loading it a couple of days before they are checking out because rain was predicted and they don't like loading it if it is raining or the ground is wet - concerns about the ramps being wet or the car's tires being wet. That means, once it is loaded or if they don't unload the car, their "daily driver" is the tractor... not our idea of a good time! The tractor is licensed as an RV (because it has the sleeping compartment, not sure what else is required for that licensing), so no special license (other than what the state may require for RVers) is required to drive it. They were on their way back from South Dakota - they had been in South Carolina for a few months (she had a temp job) -- they got their vehicles re-licensed in South Dakota, having determined for their setup, that was the most economical option. I'm glad they have found what works for them!

Onward eastward

We left our friends' farm near Mt Gilead, Ohio on Thursday and started further east -- though we also headed north - destination Kenisee Lake RV Campground outside Jefferson, Ohio, in the far northeast corner of Ohio. It is a Thousand Trails campground, and a nice one - unlike most Thousand Trails, they assign a site for you that will fit your rig, which prevents small campers from taking large sites and leaving nothing available for later-arriving, larger rigs.

One last picture from Keith and Ruth Ann's - it was cloudy but not raining at the time that we were hooking up.

On the way toward Jefferson, we decided to stop at a Walmart and Sam's Club to stock up on groceries so we wouldn't have to go out from the campground. We parked a ways away from the Sam's Club, but noticed that they had a good price on diesel fuel, so we studied the access to the pumps and exit location, and decided we should be able to make it in and out safely. There was another motorhome fueling (gas rig) when we were checking things out, and a tractor (of a tractor-trailer) filling up too.

Filling up Gracie - we weren't desperate for fuel, it wasn't even down to 1/2, but we had checked prices in Pennsylvania (our next state) and they appeared to be significantly more expensive. You may notice, if you look past Carl, there is a tractor fueling in front of us. We asked him how much he was putting in, and he said that he had a 280 gallon tank (or a total of 280 gallons in his fuel tanks). He was having to restart the pump with additional cards to complete his fueling.

We thought that we were going to have to put our card in twice, but it turned out that the $100 limit appeared to fully fill the tank, so we just went with the one fill.

It was cloudy and a little rainy when we got to Kenisee Lake, but Friday cleared off and it was a lot prettier. I think that when Dwayne and I came to this area back in 2016, it was also rainy (and similar time of the year). You can see in the pictures from the blog post back then that the skies were very cloudy (https://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2016/09/ashtabula-county-ohio.html).

Gathering with some of our Escapee Christian Fellowship friends in Ohio

We left Michigan on Monday, heading to Ohio to join up with some of our Escapee (SKP) Christian Fellowship friends -- Ruth Ann and Keith and Jane and John. We were meeting up on the farm where Ruth Ann and Keith raised their family.

First, some pictures from Wayne County Fairgrounds Campground where we were parked -- it was a good campground - the sites were close at the backs of the rigs, but the "yard" for each space wasn't bad. It was too bad that a previous occupant at our site had left a rug down for too long and so the grass right next to the rig was destroyed.

Carl was unhooking everything (water, sewer, electric)... it is hard to see in this picture, but... there was a Blue Bird in the next row over (you can barely see the front of it between Gracie and the rig backed in to the right of Gracie).

Here is another picture that shows the Blue Bird side view in the middle of the picture -- it is "The Alan Darson Project" -- one of the folks that I had met while we had Miss Doozie and were going to Blue Bird rallies.

On our way south to Ohio, there was a portion of the highway that was closed (I looked up information and found that a railroad bridge had been hit by a truck that was too tall causing damage that needs to be repaired: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/09/15/milan-faces-traffic-issues-after-damage-to-railroad-bridge-closes-part-of-us-23/). We ended up driving through Milan (that article indicates that people like us who choose to follow their GPS devices are causing all sorts of issues in Milan! Sorry, Milan!) - and I took a picture of the pretty storefronts at the corner where we were turning.

Fellowship and conversation in Keith and Ruth Ann's apartment, upstairs in the barn.

Tuesday morning we went out to 8 Sisters Bakery -- these were some of the words of wisdom posted on the wall!

 Information from their website:

Since 2010, 8 Sisters Bakery has been providing delicious, Amish-style baked goods to the residents of Mount Gilead, OH, and the surrounding communities.  8 Sisters Bakery is a dream come true for its founder, Emma (Schwartz) Lister. The bakery is named in honor of the 8 Schwartz sisters, each of whom learned the art of baking as child, under the watchful eye of their mother, an accomplished baker. Emma’s passion for baking and her commitment to excellence through the use of top quality ingredients coupled with traditional baking methods is mirrored in the exceptional popularity of our 8 Sisters Bakery products. (http://www.8sistersbakery.com/)

 

Buffet on Tuesday evening -- Carl smoked the chicken on his smoker.

Keith and Ruth Ann welcomed us to their apartment each evening.

Ruth Ann, John, and Jane at the table, Carl getting his food in the kitchen.

On Wednesday, the day was predicted to be rainy all day, but regardless, we drove to Owl Creek Produce Auction and enjoyed seeing the produce and watching the auction.

We stayed in the area where they sold "small lots" - more practical for us to consider buying. The other area had large pallets full of goods that probably grocery stores or other retailers were purchasing.

As we were leaving -- an Amish trailer with pallets of pumpkins that they are bringing to be sold.

We drove up to Mansfield, Ohio to the Blueberry Patch Cafe (http://www.theblueberrypatch.org/).

Outside of their new building...

Inside the building in the foyer area there are these beautiful tall slab wood column-looking pieces...

Jane and John

Keith and Ruth Ann flanking their daughter, Tara

Carl and me, Ruth Ann and Keith, Jane and John

The fellow who seated us was one of the sons who, with their father, works the farm. If I remember/heard correctly, he told us that they purchased the property with plans to have an apple orchard, but the soil test indicated that the soil was acidic and they were encouraged to grow blueberries, because there are not many places in Ohio that are so well suited for blueberries.

Inside the restaurant... I don't think I heard from him how the restaurant and gift shop came about...

In the gift shop, a tea towel that says: "Mom, I'm sorry for all the dumb stuff I did when I was a kid. If it helps, you only know about half of it."

Blueberry plants -- the owner/son said that being on a hillside was also very good for blueberries.

We've had a wonderful time being together with friends and seeing this area of Ohio!