Chump Car Races

Yesterday The chump car races were held at Sebring International Raceway. The hotel where Terri works was the host hotel so a lot of them were staying there. The people that put them on gave here 3 armbands so she and I went for a couple of hours. As near as I can tell Chump cars consist of just about anything. There were 3 or 4 VW Bugs, a couple of Lincoln Town cars and everything in between. 90 cars started the race and it was to be a 14 hour race so I have no idea how many finished. The temps were hot around 92 degree's and there was a heavy rain about 6 in the evening so they had all kinds of conditions to race in.
Watching a race like that on a 3 1/3 mile track is about like watching paint dry, you only see them when they come down the home stretch every lap. The most exciting part is watching the pit crews work on them when they are having trouble. Lawn Mower races are much more exciting to watch.

Sebring, FL

We are back in Sebring 3 weeks earlier than planned. Have been here two days and haven't seen the sun yet, so much for sunny Florida. Our 10 days in Lancaster were marked by having the earth quake make the motor home feel like the jacks were retracting and then on Sat being told we had to evacuate because of hurricane Irene. We drove from Lancaster to Sebring in 3 days We should have taken longer but we couldn't see stopping Mon afternoon with only 100 miles to go. We were only gone for 4 months this summer so that makes it the shortest time we have been away from Sebring since we sold the house in NE.

Columbia, SC

Here we are at the Barnyard RV Park near Columbia, SC with temp at 98 degree's when we arrived around 5 PM. We left Verona, Virginia this morning under clear skies & calm winds. Traveling So. on I-81 We continued to see large numbers of utility trucks with boom lifts going north. We also saw numerous semi's loaded with industrial generators and a few that were loaded with power line transformers. Yesterday we also saw the same thing, it makes one wonder if there are any utility trucks or workers left in the south. We talked to a friend that was in Lancaster at their sons place, they said there was 4.5 in. of rain and their motor home rocked quit a bit and they also had tree limbs down. I am certainly glad we were in PA and not the New England States where we had been, as I am sure all of those campgrounds also had to be evacuated too.

Evacuation

About noon today we had a knock on our door, it was one of the people from the campground and he said we had until 4PM to evacuate. With all the trees they were concerned about the forcasted high winds and rain accompanying Hurricane Irene. So by about 1 PM we were on our way west on Rt 30. We had some light rain but not to bad At Chambersburg, PA we turned south on I-81. Driving south on I-81 as we entered WestVirginia after passing through the pan handle of Maryland we had a few periods of very heavy rain. At about 6:30 we stopped at the Shenandoah Valley KOA near Verona, VA for the night. We arrived here in light rain but it seems to have quit now. We have decided our destination now will be Sebring, FL. We should arrive there in about 3 days. Hopefully there won't be any hurricanes come near there this fall.

George's Woodcrafts & Turkey Hill Exp.

This morning we headed west to George's Woodcraft's located near Maytown. They make fine wood furniture no plywood or particle board. During the factory tour we saw 5 craftsmen working on various pieces of furniture. They make this amazing dinning table that will open up to 20 ft and it only takes one person to effortlessly do it. From there it was on westward to near East Berlin location of the Outdoor World Gettysburg Farm Campground. We are trying to check out the campgrounds in our membership for future reference. Yesterday we checked out the Hershey Preserve. Both look like very desirable locations for future stays.
On our way back we stopped at the Turkey Hill experience in Columbia. Turkey Hill is a dairy that was started in the late 1800's. They processed their milk and did home deliveries. In later years they started making ice cream and bottling tea. Today there is a Turkey hill convenience store just about every where you look. It looks like they probably are the number 1 gas station convenience store in this area.

Cornwall Iron Furnace

Today we went to the Cornwall Iron Furnace located near Lebanon, PA This is the only surviving Charcoal Cold Blast furnace in the Western Hemisphere. It operated from 1742 thu 1883. In 1730 Peter Grubb discovered iron ore in the hills just to the south. It used wood for charcoal, iron ore & limestone. Water was used to power the billows located at the bottom of the 3 story furnace.
Iron ore, limestone & charcoal were dumped into the 19 inch mouth of the furnace from the charging floor at the top of the furnace. I believe they produce about 24 ton of pig iron a month with 12 employees mostly slaves. The temps in the casting room at the bottom would reach as high as 150 degree's
By 1978 Peter had died and his sons no longer wanted to run it so it was sold the Robert Coleman who had other furnaces. In the early 1800's it was converted to cheaper more efficient coal and the billows were changed so that the blasting air was supplied by two air pots powered by a steam driven one cylinder engine.
There were communities built around these as it took many people to supply the labor for the mine, the charcoal pots, furnaces etc.

roadside stands

This is the time when fruits and vegetables are ripe and ready for use. There are many roadside stands operated by both Amish and English. This is an example of one of the larger ones just about a mile from the campground. Every morning at 8 AM the have 3 or 4 of the large farm wagons loaded with sweet corn priced at $2.75 for a bakers dozen (13 ears). Buy 10:30 they are completely empty. They have peppers 4 for a dollar, tomatoes 4 or 5 for a dollar, cantaloupe, water melon, peaches, eggplant etc. As we were driving last eve about 4 miles from here we came across a dairy that has a store where they sell milk, orange juice, tea etc that is packaged in a plastic bag. They also have ice cream, home made cookies and msc other groceries. You can set outside and enjoy the smells of a dairy barn as you enjoy your ice cream. You can also watch them milk and the children both young and old can interact with the young dairy calves.

Intercourse & New Holland, PA

Today we went about 15 miles north east to Intercourse, PA Where we spent about 3 hrs looking through shops at quilts, Amish furniture, Amish books and tourist junk.
We then continued another 5 or 6 miles to New Holland Where we spent an hour or two just driving through the country side looking at the Amish & Mennonite farms. Coming over a hill and seeing the large white barns, silos and big houses throughout the valley in front of you is a sight that I think I will never get tired of seeing. We stopped at one Amish farm where we bought nice fresh tomatoes & peppers 4 for a dollar and a good size cantaloupe for a dollar and a seedless watermelon for a buck & one half..
At 4:30 we meet Buttonwood Bay friends Carl & Jackie & Claire & Mary at Yoder's cafeteria where we all proceded to eat to much.

Circlw M Lancaster, PA

This morning after leaving Milford, PA we drove east on I-84 to New Jersey where we filled the MH with diesel fuel. It took 120 gal at $3.79 per gal. just a few short miles east in New York it was $4.20 yesterday. We took the long route today by going west on I-84 through the Pocono Mountains in the Appalachian Mtn range. Wow this was the roughest hi way we have been on this year even worse than the hi way in New Brunswick. At Scranton we turned south on I-81 a much better road. Traveling south for 100 miles or so still in the Appalachians we intersected St Rd 72 where we then traveled SE through the towns of Lebanon & Manheim. At East Petersurg we turned due south on St Rd 741 to the Outdoor World Circle M RV Resort just SW of Lancaster near Millerville. After we left I-81 we traveled out of the mountains into the farming area north & west of Lancaster. It was good to not drive in rain today and also to see farm land instead of trees all the time.

Milford, PA

After driving for 6 1/2 hrs in the rain today we are at River Beach Campsites just off I-84 just after entering PA From NY. It was starting to rain when we left Wareham, MA this morning and it continued either light rain or heavy rain all 285 miles. We have driven in Ma, Conn., NY, the tip of NJ and now in PA today. When we leave in the morning we will back track about 10 miles to NJ to fill with diesel as it is 35 cents per gallon cheaper there and since we will take over 100 gal. that is a savings of $35 or more. We met cousin Barbara Wheeler this evening and ate supper with her and visited for about 2 hrs.

Hyannis, MA

Today we drove to Hyannis, MA on Cape Cod. We toured the JFK Museum in down town Hyannis. Museum consisted of Kennedy family photo's and a film on JFK. We then walked about 6 blocks to the pier where we had lunch at Spankies Clam Shack. I had a delicious bowl of clam chowder and a so-so fried shrimp salad and Nancy had a lobster roll that she said wasn't all that good. We then bought tickets for the 1:45 harbor cruise aboard the 100 year old Maine Coastal steamer Prudence. This took us out into the harbor and around to where we could see the Kennedy's summer homes at Hyannis Port. We saw many large sail boats and many small sail boats about about 10 ft. long that they teach young sailors how to sail in.

Sandwich Glass Museum

Sandwich Glass Museum is located at Sandwich, MA on rte 6A just after entering Cape Cod. We saw a 30 min. glass blowing demonstration.
The young lady glass blower very unusual as most glass blowers are men, made a cup during the demo. She used a solid rod as well as a hollow rod while making it. The hallow rod she blew through to enlarge the hot glass. We also saw many different rooms with exhibits of glass both free blown and blown mold as well as pressed glass. The Boston & Sandwich Glass Co started at Sandwich in 1826. They continued operation for 62 years. I believe they were the ones that pioneered pressed glass. This sped up the production so that glass became more affordable for the less affluent population. After lunch we went to the Pairpoint Glass works were we were able to watch glass blowers in a factory type setting

Nogska Lighthouse

Today we drove down Rte 28 on Cape cod to Woods Hole were we viewed the Nogska Lighthouse. This is the Falmouth area of the cape and it is made up a small towns that are very touristy and crowded.

Plymoth, MA

Today we drove north about 30 min. to the town of Plymoth to see the Plimoth Plantation. This is built on the sight of the original settlement of the 120 people who came on the Mayflower in 1620. The site consists of the recreated Wampanoug Indian village and the recreated English village that was also the site of the Wampanoug village that was wiped out by disease. The recreated village is about 1/3 the size of the original village where the Standishes, Aldens and others first lived. We then drove past Plymoth Rock and the Mayflower 11 but didn't stop as we had seen them before. We stopped at the Harlow Old Fort House but it was closed so we didn't get to see inside. Then we drove about 6 miles north to Duxbury where the Alden House is located. This is still owned by the descendants of John Alden. We had a very interesting tour of the house. We were the only ones there so got a very in depth tour and history of John & Priscella Alden. The inside is still pretty much as it was built as is the outside but it looks like it a more modern house as the windows and doors are not from the 1630's. The original cabin was not at this location but they feel that some of the timbers and lumber from it were used to build the present house which started as a one story house and with 3 additions it became the house it is today. It has the 18 inch wide floor planks and you can see the wooden pegs that hold it together in places. There is on small room that has the original wall paper and you can see where they had used news paper between it and the wood walls. House is bottom photo.

Gateway to Cape Cod RV Park

This morning we left Wilmington headed south east on NY 9N passing through the small mountain towns of Upper Jay and Keene as we wound around the curves and up and down the mountains. Turning south on I-87. we continued up and down the mountains passing Saranac Lake, Warrensburg & Lake George before seeing a the sign that said Adirondack Park ends. Soon after the route became less hilly and the tree's didn't seem as tall. Near Albany we saw a few farms. At Albany we turned east on I-90 as we entered Mass. it became more rocky and hilly again. We noticed that the rock here was much darker and appeared to be layered like shale unlike the large granite boulders in the Adirondacks. As we neared Boston we turned south east on I-495 towards Cape Cod at Wareham we turned off and about 4 miles later we arrived at the Gateway to Cap Cod RV Park. Like many Outdoor World and Thousand Trail Parks it has a lot of trees and very little grass. Oh well I guess it doesn't cast anything to use them if you don't consider the $$$ it cost to join. Todays trip was 33o miles. about 1/2 of which was toll roads about $14 total. Pictures today were taken on NY 9N before we reached I-87.

Harp Concert in Upper Jay

Today was a very laid back day for us. We went to the Red Barn antique's at Upper Jay for a 3 PM harp concert under the apple trees. Martha Gallagher sang and played the Keltic Harp for a very relaxing 2 hour concert. There were 50 or 60 people in attendance mostly locals as it seemed everyone pretty much knew each other.

A beautiful day in the Far North Country

Today we went back to the Olympic Complex to watch more ice skating. We watched the open waltz and open Cha Cha Congelado competition. After yesterdays competition it seemed like it just didn't move along very fast so we decided to leave. We then drove to the town of Upper Jay to an antique store. While there we had a salad at a quaint little bakery located near it. We then returned to the motor home for naps. At 6 we drove east about 6 miles to the town of Jay to listen to the music on the village green. The Back Porch Band played music from the 50's, 60's and 70's. After 2 very enjoyable hrs. we returned home about 9 PM

Today we went to the Olympic Center In Lake Placid to watch the Ice Dance Skating competition. This is where the ice skating rinks are located. One was built for the 1932 Winter Olympics and the other was installed for the 1980 Winter Olympics. At the older rink we watched singles that were probably 8 to 12 years old compete. At the 1980 rink we watched Junior pairs competition.

After 4 hours we needed to either go put more money in the parking meter or leave. Since we weren't really dressed for an ice rink we decided to leave. When we went in we were told that this is the largest event of the year and some of the skaters would probably make the Olympic team.

Lake Placid, NY

Today we started out at the High Falls Gorge about 4 miles from where we are parked. Here the Ausible River drops around 750 ft. through the rocks. A very spectacular sight but couldn't see it from all of the angles due to construction on the cat walks at 2 or 3 locations.


We then dove another 10 miles to the other side of Lake Placid where we went to the John Brown Farm. John Brown was an abolitionist and in 1849 moved his family here to assist the free black settlement at Timbucto. On Oct 16 1859 he and his followers attacked the US Arsenol at Harper's Ferry Virginia in an attempt to incite a slave revolt. He was hanged on Dec. 2 1859 and his body was transported back to the farm for burial. Thus the meaning behind the song John browns Body lies a smoldering in the grave.


We then drove about 2 miles to check out the Adirondack Scenic RR schedule. There was a train ready to depart for Saranac Lake so we purchased tickets and boarded. Along the 10 mile trip we saw numerous small ponds created by Beaver dams, a few very picturesque small lakes, a cemetery on a hill side and many many trees. At Saranac lake we walked a couple of block where we enjoyed a root beer float.then about 30 minutes later we boarded for the return trip to Lake Placid. All in all about a 2.5 hr train ride.
As we returned home stopped at the White Mountain Olympic ski area to take this picture. This is where 2 winter Olympics have been held as well as most all of the annual winter ski events.

Natural Stone Bridge & Caves

This morning we drove about 75 miles south to Warrensberg, NY. When we worked camp there 6 years ago we enjoyed the smoked & uncooked sausages From Oscar's Smokehouse so decided we needed to get some. As we traveled south on rte through the Adirondack mountains we passed a lot of cars parked along the road. This is a prime climbing & hiking area as well as being a very pretty drive. After having lunch and going to Oscar's in Warrensberg we drove back no on rte 9 to the Schroon Lake area. At Pottersville we stopped at the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves Park. At this location the Schroon River enters a series of underground caves and a huge marble bridge as it goes completely under ground before exiting perhaps 1/4 mile later. Here it looks like a like a mirrored pool that you could walk right out on, unlike the the rushing falling river that it is just before entering the caves and bridge. What an awesome and beautiful place. On the way back most of the hikers and climbers had left or were in the process of putting their gear back into their cars.