Sun - 26 Apr/15

We departed on our final stage of the trip home about 10:00 a.m. It is always good to be home; however, since we both have bad colds, it will be even more welcome.

We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Cicero, NY (a few miles east of Syracuse) for lunch. It was packed. There was a half hour wait to be seated.

We stopped at Harbor Freight Tools in Watertown to pick up a few needed items for Nick: Solar security lights (on sale) for the RV storage area he is developing for his Mobile RV repair business.

Stopped at our usual fill-up place before crossing back into Canada in Morristown, NY. Who doesn't like to save $1 a gallon on fuel? Bonus: Gas was also more than $1 US cheaper then when we returned home last year.

The "Duty Free" store was our last stop before going over the bridge to Prescott, ON Canada. Here we picked up a bottle of Gibson's Whiskey (aged 12 yrs) as a gift.

We stopped to fill the propane tank for our upcoming dry camping sessions at the Ultramar in Morrisburg, ON. Finally, we made it to (daughter) Liz, Nick and Marty's home. Our other daughter (Kat) joined us for the traditional "back home" meal: pizza.

After unhooking the car and bringing the RV to Nick's RV storage area, we made it home. We had fun exploring our way home and managed to avoid all the bad weather, especially through Texas. We left just ahead of the tornadoes and flooding. It was good, if not always sunny, weather all the way home.

This blog was started 10 years ago as a solution for trying to play "email tag". Wi-Fi is bad enough now, internet was horrible then. Doing the blog kept all at home up to date on how we were surviving. We hope it was also a source of helpful info for other RVers, giving them ideas into things to do in the areas we visited. We also tried to throw in a little humour (sometimes, very little) along the way. We hope it has been fun for those of you who have followed our adventures.

We will start the blog up again if we do a major trip before returning south next year. Otherwise, this is it for this winter season. Thanks for following!

Sat - 25 Apr/15

Departed the campground and took a "Roller Coaster" ride for the first hour before connecting to a major road.

Charlotte had to have "one more kick at the can"; so we stopped at Smuckers again.

Travelling was fine in the sunshine. I made a stop at the Camping World near Buffalo (Hamburg, NY). No luck - the item I wanted is only available at all stores by special order.

The NY Thruway (I-90) is a pain. It is also costly; however, it is the "only game in town". It would take much longer and probably cost more in fuel than the toll charge going on the jumble of roads needed to get us across this section.

Our stop at the Flying J (Corfu, NY) for fuel was a disaster. They were having trouble with vapour lock and the gas pumps wouldn't operate properly. I think there was still to much "Winterizer" in the fuel. I could only fill 10 cents at a time before the foam would cause the pump to shut off. By my calculation it took 1500 "clicks" of the pump handle to fill the RV. We then had lunch at the Denny's.

We stopped at the KOA in Farmington, NY (Canandaigua/Buffalo KOA) for the night. This is one of the nicest KOS's I have seen. Super friendly, they guided us to our spot. Their information sheet it top notch and the site even had a "Glider Swing Loveseat". This is a sure stop next time we are in this area.

A nice touch is that Saturday and Sunday they have a pancake breakfast from 8-10 am. The cost: a donation to KOA Care Camps. The  Care Camp mission is to allow these children with cancer to enjoy the joy, healing and freedom that comes from attending specialized summer camps where they can just be themselves. Surrounded by other kids just like them, they swim, go on hikes, sing songs and create memories that help get them through the tough times helping the both physically and emotionally, during the healing process.

One more day and we're home.

Fri - 24 Apr/15

A below freezing night; however, today will be warmer with sunshine before rain returns on Saturday.

They are busy working around the park getting it ready for spring.

I brought the car battery up to full charge overnight and placed the portable jump starter in the Del Sol. I cancelled our plans to do the "Shawshank Tour Trail" and the "Wally Road Scenic Byway" because I did not know if the battery charge would last for that distance.

The "Shawshank Tour Trail" covers 14 filming sites for the Shawshank Redemption movie based on Stephen King's book of the same name. It is a drive-it-yourself tour, not a walking tour and some locations are 45 minutes from one another. 95% of the movie was filmed on locations in and around Mansfield, Ohio. There is a self-guided tour (Sundays, in season, a guided tour) of the now closed Ohio State Reformatory. Malabar Farm State Park can also be visited. The tour trail allows for movie fans to visit sites where Andy, Red and Warden Norton once walked.

The "Wally Road Scenic Byway" is Ohio's largest outdoor recreation area. The byway is 10.41 miles encompassing 3 counties on the county roads that parellel the Mohican State Scenic River allowing glimpses at the scenic wonders that were created by the last great glacier in this river valley. It follows the a portion of the Walhonding Valley Railroad route which was considered one of the most scenic train rides in Ohio during its operation. We passed it on the way here; however, I did not want to drive it with the Motorhome with the car in tow in case there were narrow sections.

Perhaps we can do both next time we are in this area.

Our first stop today was at the Walnut Creek Foods. This place is huge. The large selection of local items, great products and good prices motivates 10,000 to 20,000 people to shop in here every week in a store in the town of Walnut Creek which has only 600 people.

Shopping here is an experience with plenty of everything and great displays

...and the samples!

The store seemed to go on and on forever. A few purchases, most notable of which was a full size raspberry cream cheese pie w/crumble topping for what would be the price of a slice in a fancy restaurant.

Our next stop, also in Walnut Creek, was the Amish Flea Market. With 55,000 sq. ft. of floorspace it was larger than the Homes County Flea Market we visited yesterday. They even had a parking lot shuttle for those that had to park far away. We were lucky, the handicapped parking was available right next to the entrance.

One booth had a really large selection of  T-Shirts. I found one that looked a great deal like my '31 Ford Model "A" Hot Rod. Just had to get two!

The  helpful and friendly staff made them up right there in a matter of a few minutes.

I also found  a metal sign to add to my Lucinda Lewis collection. My daughter Kat, bought me her book: "Roadside America: The Automobile and the American Dream".

Lucinda Lewis chronicles America's fascination with the automobile; from hard-tops to convertibles, headlights to tail fins, and hood ornaments to bucket seats, every remarkable feature of the American car is shown in 200 dazzling color photographs. It's a great book!

I bought the "Route 66 Park-In Theatre" sign. I already have the other two.

I also added a Route 66 Pick-up in Monument Valley Flickering Light Canvas to my Route 66 collection. Small LED lights show through the canvas. The headlights and taillights stay on, the sunset flickers.

Next on our tour loop was the Baltic Mill Winery in Baltic, OH (where else?). Originally a flour mill, it transitioned to a bulk food and gift shop and finally to a winery.

Dan and Judy Garver purchased the Baltic Mill building in autumn of 2013. In the time between then and the winery opening in October 2014, the new owners renovated the building for business. Shelving was removed to expose the walls and floor of the original mill. The chutes and machinery that have been preserved from the early 20th Century are a prominent part of the decor. If you walk upstairs, you’ll be transported to the past. The mill machinery remains the focal point of the second and third floors. The Flour Mill’s steam engine still rests in the cellar where it was once used to power the milling process all those years ago. To often the past is lost during remodeling. They wisely preserved the heritage of the bygone era.

The cozy atmosphere was as welcoming as the hosts. Charlotte's preference was for the sweeter wines. She liked "Little Daisy", a sweet, but not too sweet, white wine made from the Moscato grape. Much of the CO2 that is produced in the fermentation process is preserved to provide a little extra "bubbly" sensation to the palate. They suggested enjoying it with Chinese Food. I'm sure as a compliment to food or by itself, Charlotte will enjoy her purchase.

Little Daisy is named after the brand name of flour milled in this very building over 100 years ago.

For those of you who are planning a visit, they are currently open: Th 1-7 pm, Fr-Sa 11am-9pm.

Time to eat. We headed for the Chalet in the Valley Restaurant in Doughty Valley.

Reminiscent of the Swiss heritage of it's founder the Chalet offered a wonderful view of the valley below.

We chose the Classic Fondue which was so tasty.

Linda, our server, was excellent. A friendly and informative server makes a good meal even more enjoyable.

I asked about the sign. If my name was Robert I would have been given a free sandwich. Unfortunately, being Bill, I did not qualify today.

After a most enjoyable meal we crossed the road to the Guggisberg Cheese Factory and Store. We have been to one of their three factories (Middlebury, IN) so we couldn't miss stopping here.

They produced the 2015 Ohio, US and World Grand Champion Swiss Cheese here. They are best known for being the home of "Baby Swiss" Cheese. After purchasing a few cheese choices we returned to the RV. I am glad we came at this time of year as the traffic was continuous, making it difficult to pull out onto the main road. In a few more weeks it gets "crazy busy". We had figured out many years ago that, in areas like this, we visit the attractions only on one side of the road (until the end) and do the other side on the way back, making it easier to getting back into the line of traffic. Otherwise, trying to "Cross the Line" takes forever.

I am surprised that we made it back without having to "Boost" the battery. I hooked the Del Sol up for travelling tomorrow and did a "Dump" of the holding tanks.

Tomorrow will be our last stop for the night on the way home: The KOA in Farmington, NY, west of Syracuse.

Thu - 23 Apr/15

Sunshine this morning; however, tonight will be below freezing....brrrr!

Our neighbours from Ontario, (two on each side) were gone by early morning before we got up. Due to our late arrival we went to the office this morning to pay for our stay. This is the second "Cash or Cheque" only park on our trip. The other was in Tupelo.

Miriam was in the office today. She was a great help sharing useful information for today's adventure.

Breakfast today, courtesy of Miriam's guidance, is where the "Locals" eat. The Boyd and Wurthmann Restaurant is a local institution. Berlin’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, where Coffee is still 75 cents (w/unlimited refills), remains a destination for both locals and tourists in search of a good meal.

Originally a grocery store, Boyd and Wurthmann opened in 1938. In 1940, the green counter that still exists today, was built to serve lunches and homemade pie. As the demand continued to grow for seating, tables were added and the grocery store got smaller, until the entire establishment became a restaurant. The priorities remain the same for the dedicated staff that begins serving breakfast at 5:30 am-8 pm. Naturally, like most local businesses in "Amish Country", it is closed Sunday.

We ordered the standard BW Breakfast. We both chose scrambled eggs, sausage and gravy on the home fries. As usual, Charlotte had the brown and I the white bread. Look closely: the thick cut fresh made bread makes "Texas Toast" look skinny!

Next stop, across the road, at the Helping Hands Quilt Shop.

Quilt shops for Charlotte are akin to me visiting a Home Depot. I bought a ticket on a charity quilt and Charlotte found a nice wall hanging quilt kit that had everything needed (except the hard work) included.

Next door Charlotte did some exploring while I flattened a few pennies to add to our collection.

We then got in the car and travelled back a bit through town (Berlin) to Zincks Outlet. Despite a huge selection Charlotte found nothing of interest.

Behind Zincks is the Holmes County Flea Market. We had a free (one use) pass for parking compliments of Scenic Hills RV Park (and Miriam). A large, mostly indoors (this time of year), flea market it had a variety of booths. I found a neat Route 66 item. I also bought a mat for kneeling on when doing the RV hook-ups. Soft, foam like most mats, this had the bonus of a hard rubber bottom making it more durable. My knees thank me! (grin).

Then we were off exploring on the country roads. To say the area had rolling hills would be an understatement. It had roller coaster hills! At 55 mph, as you crested a hill which you couldn't see over, then dropped suddenly, it almost required gravol. The drops were really steep as where the following hills. Then there were the sharp curves!

We made our next stop, along with a tour bus load of folks, at the Wendell August Forge.

Forge (v.) – to shape (as metal) by heating and hammering; one of the oldest working techniques of mankind.
Forge (n.) – a place where objects are made by heating and shaping metal.
Wendell August Forge (proper n.) – America’s oldest and largest forge, where hand-wrought, functional art is created. The marks of both the artist and the craftsman can be found on each piece – the artist’s mark is ‘hidden’ in the design, and the craftsman’s mark can be found on the back of every piece.

For a small fee I got to experience making a keepsake out of a thin aluminum sheet that I hammered over a template. Neat! It was all for a very reasonable price which include a frame.

Charlotte looked around the displays and found a small item she liked. We also picked up a nice gift courtesy of a coupon given to us by Miriam.

They had the World's Largest Amish Buggy on display. Bonus: I finally learned how to drive the Amish Buggy - - tickle their toes (grin).

Our next venture was to visit the only J.M. Smucker Company Store and Café anywhere!

In the early 19th century, John Chapman, or “Johnny Appleseed,” wandered the Ohio countryside, sowing apple seeds and securing a place in American history. It was from the fruit of Johnny Appleseed's trees that Orrville, Ohio, resident J.M. (Jerome Monroe) Smucker first pressed cider at a mill he opened in 1897. Later, he also prepared apple butter, which he sold from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. Each crock bore a hand-signed seal as his personal guarantee of quality.

Before long, J.M. Smucker’s name became well known in its own right, as residents throughout the region — and eventually the nation — came to associate the Smucker’s® brand name with wholesome, high-quality fruit products. Much like Johnny Appleseed's trees, The J.M. Smucker Company has strong roots that started here, in Orrville, over 115 years ago. Today, their products can be found in households throughout the world.

We enjoyed our visit, tasting samples, viewing displays and eventually making several purchases. We would have liked to have indulged in a "Make it yourself" Sundae; however, we were still full from breakfast.

We were about 7 miles from our RV park when everything "went south", again. Being 7 miles from our RV park seems to be a bad omen. The Del Sol just "died". The radio died first then everything shut off. All that bumping around last week on top of the levee might have loosened something, somewhere? Since there was no power I could not turn on the 4 -way flashers, so I raised the hood.
Charlotte steered as I pushed the car a few feet more off the edge of the road.

I called my roadside service provider. They indicated that the closest towing operator would not be to us for 3 hours as all their trucks were out on calls. As we waited a State Highway Patrol car passed, found a spot to turn around, and came back to check on our well-being. Trooper Bryan was helpful and concerned for our safety. He was called away to an accident; however, he indicated he would check back later in case we needed more assistance. Thank You, Bryan.

Not long after Bryan went on to assist others Lori noticed we were in distress and stopped to ask if we needed assistance. I explained the situation and she offered to give us "a boost".  I gratefully accepted. I took out my "Jumper" cables and was soon connected and started. I was quite impressed with this young woman's automotive knowledge - she even knew the proper cable hook-up sequence. This beats a 3 hour wait for a tow.

After it started I offered to pay for her time and help. Lori would have none of that, instead she gave me her phone number with  instructions to call her if we didn't make it back to the RV park. If needed, she would pick us up. We made it back to the park and I phoned Lori to thank her for the much appreciated help. She really did give us "a boost", literally!

Three nice folks helped make our day a little brighter!

As we were returning to the RV the towing service called to check on our status. We indicated we had been given a "Jump Start" and hoped to make it back to the park. We would call back if we didn't make it. We didn't need to make that call.

Back at the RV I put the battery on my 10 amp charger. Wow! No wonder it quit! It was showing only 13% of a total charge. My guess is that the alternator is not working. Things took quite a shake last week on the levee. Might just be a loose or broken wire? That's a job for when we get home.

After the battery was partially charged (up to 70%) we headed for the closest Walmart (Millersburg, 10 miles away) to pick up a (Top Rated) "Schumacher 6-in-1 Jump Starter". This unit has 1200 peak Amps for jump starting vehicles in emergencies,  two 12 Volt (cigarette lighter) outlets, a 12 volt USB outlet, two inverter powered 120 volt electric outlets, a work light and a 120 PSI inflator. I checked on-line and indications were they had what I wanted in stock. We drove there with our fingers crossed.

Charlotte remained in the car so I could leave it running. I went as quickly as I could and soon returned to the car with a unit. I will bring it up to full charge overnight. I will carry it with us so I can start the car if it "Dies"again.

I will also bring the car battery up to full charge overnight. On return the battery was down to 50% after a 20 mile trip. Seems to be 1% per mile discharge.

I have a 50 amp "Car Starter" to get it going in the morning. We can then decide if we will "take a chance" and venture out.

Well, that was an interesting day!