OHIO AND TRAILER TIME

Crossed the huge Ohio River and into Ohio with livestock, soybeans and corn gracing its gentle rolling hills and fertile valleys. Our destination was Batavia near Cincinnati to look at a fifth wheel trailer we had seen on a website. We were offered an amazing deal in part exchange so we decided to "Jim It" - ( I have a brother who has a great attitude to life - just get it if you can - you dont know how long you're here.)
Three hours later we left Holman Motors having bought a 2012 29ft 9in Keystone Laredo fifth wheel. We had talked about getting a fifth wheel and if we were going to change trailers, now was the time to do it while our own trailer was still in good condition.
So three days on and we now own the lovely Laredo, took about 5 hours to transfer all stuff and get everything completed. We were both quite sad to leave our Pilgrim as its been a superb trailer and has taken us hundreds of miles and we have so many memories. We are now in Indiana travelling north to meet some friends in Michigan.

WEST VIRGINIA

We arrived at Front Royal in Virginia and found our trailer surrounded by grass but otherwise fine, no sign of any moulds or mice!
We stayed an extra day to sort out things, hoping we would be able to get a TV channel showing the Olympic closing ceremony - we managed to watch NBC who tried their best but they just don't hold a candle to BBC.
I have been very good and continued my Nordic walking, twice with Roy(without poles) and once on my own when we stopped in a state park with bears! Roy mapped me out a route on open ground rather than the trails in the woods. Not sure what the bear would feel like if poked with a pole! 

 West Virginia, a new state for us, and into the Allegheny Mountains. Forest covered, rolling hills that were once of a scale and majesty to rival the Himalayas (just about 470 million years ago according to Bill Bryson in "A Walk in the Woods")
We spent the day roller-coasting the densely wooded country roads dotted with endless small villages while we crossed east to west of the state.
Onwards into Ohio today.

West Virginia Woods

GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA

Roy with Mr Lincoln

After our delayed start when my ace mechanic Roy fixed our new water pump and fan belt, we arrived at Gettysburg National Military Park. We decided we did not have enough time to visit the museum so plumped for the battlefield auto tour ( I hear you Terry saying Argg!) We enjoyed it very much.
There was a huge number of memorials and lots of information boards about who was attacking who. I personally like the Battle of the Little Bighorn battlesite best but different area, different war.
 We decided to stay in a motel again so hopefully tomorrow we will arrive at our trailer.

playing at soldiers

BACK IN THE USA - JUST!

Hello Family and Friends
We arrived swiftly and incident free yesterday in Philadelphia to continue our travels. I say incident free lightly, we were almost sent back home!

Apparently, as the Customs man explained, we are spending too long in the USA on our visa. He let us through this time but was real helpful in explaining how the system works, well he almost made it clear to us. We have tried to ask before but seems to me they are not crystal clear themselves. But he was a sweetie and let us in. Phew!

Our beautiful Dodge started first time and we sped away into Amish Farmlands area in Lancaster County, Philadelphia and stayed in a motel in Ronks.Today we will have a look around the Amish area and visit a place called Intercourse! On that note I will leave you till next time. 

We tried Shoo Fly Pie in this place - Roy liked it, I was not keen, made of molasses and other fattening stuff!


So Thursday dawned hot and humid and we toured round the Amish area and saw a little of their way of life. Tried to take photos for my daughter in law in an unobtrusive way. I think Roy quite liked the idea of their lifestyle!
In Intercourse we spent a yummy hour in the Kitchen Kettle Village, watching the Amish in the cannin' and jammin' kitchen where they make over 80 different products from jams and jellies to relishes, salsas, salad dressings and grilling sauces. Every item can be sampled and we did our best to test them. It's the first time I've actually see Roy buy something, he was busy selecting 6 little pots of jams and some apple butter.

We moved towards York and the slight leak Roy had found on the Dodge worsened and then the water pump broke, then the fan belt broke, then we couldn't move anywhere. But how lucky were we when it broke - parked in the Dodge garage. So the nice man let us leave it there and because they could not repair it till Wednesday Roy is going to fix it tomorrow morning when the part arrives. Super 8 motel for the night then and fingers crossed my man can fix it. He went back and removed broken pump ready for new one tomorrow then came back on his bike. We have had massive thunderstorm this evening, fortunately we were in Friendlys restaurant!

Amish buggy with girl and boy in back

Life on the Amish farm

Amish barn

Covered bridge

a different type of Amish buggy

WASHINGTON D.C.

Archives of the USA

We left the salubrious site of Greenbelt with its Ticks and Chiggers warnings in abundance and drove 4 miles to the Metro and hopped to downtown Washington D.C.
What a beautiful city, we spent about 7 hours walking the National Mall and Memorial Parks. Starting at the US Capitol, quick trip round the US Botanic Garden and National Gallery of Art (all free), saw Smithsonian Castle, Jefferson Monument, Washington Monument - sadly closed since last year through damage caused by an earthquake,  World War 11 monument which was amazing, Vietnam & Korean War Veterans Memorials, the impressive Lincoln Memorial and the inspirational Martin Luther King Jnr. Memorial, other places and finally the White House. We were going to Arlington Cemetery but as usual ran out of time. We ended our day watching the locals playing baseball, kickball and running in the fabulous open, green spaces along the Mall. A wonderful day!

We left Washington next day and returned to Shenandoah National Park and Big Meadows campground to do our cleaning and packing before we put trailer in storage, spend the night at a lovely couple's house (we met them in Hawaii) and drive to Philadelphia airport for our flight home on Monday.

Arrived home on Tuesday, all flights on time and hassle free. Until our next trip in August!

US Capitol

freedom of speech outside the US Capitol!

Jefferson Memorial

fron of US Capitol - not in session so saw no one1

Side of US Capitol

Smithsonian Castle

Washington Monument

WW 11 Memorial

World War 11 Memorial

World War 11 Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Me and Mr Lincoln

Martin Luther King Jnr Memorial

The White House

They were having a party outside but I couldnt see Obama

COLONIAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK - JAMESTOWN & YORKTOWN

We left the Skyline Drive and headed south-east through rolling English style countryside. We thought we were back home with towns and counties called Chesterfield; Lancaster; Northumberland; Westmoreland; Essex; Kent; Isle of Wight; Chester; Richmond; Gloucester; Portsmouth; Middlesex; Suffolk; Norfolk and Southampton. They must really have been homesick when they all arrived here! 

 
Our journey took us on the Colonial Parkway, visiting Berkeley Plantation - birthplace of a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a United States President. On to the Colonial National Historical Park where we explored the first permanent English settlement in North America at Historic Jamestowne and discovered Yorktown Battlefield, site of the last major battle of the American Revolution. We both learned so much, quite shocking that we have reached the ages of 63 and 64 and knew so little about our own history, it was absolutely fascinating. As usual we ran out of time!

Arriving at a campsite in the dark is no fun! Why are there always big trees in the way?
Next day we went to see the beach on the site then drove over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Tunnel. 17.6 miles shore to shore, with three bridges, two tunnels and a viewpoint and cafe at the 4 mile point - quite an engineering feat! Following the Eastern Shore of Virginia and into Maryland then Delaware - first state to join the Union and the second smallest.
Our next day, we drove across Delaware and over the Bay Bridge towards Washington DC. We had been told about a National Park site called Greenbelt Park - just 12 miles from Washington centre - an oasis in the middle of the urban jungle. 

Berkeley Plaantation

glass blowing at Jamestown

Yorktown

Victory Monument in Yorktown

Moore house where terms of surrender were agreed

Chesapeak Bay Bridge-Tunnel - this bits one of the tunnels from part way across

Chesapeake Bay bridge - tunnel

Surrender Field in Yorktown