Author: Christine Spoon

Driving across Wyoming and Montana is an entirely different experience than getting here any other way. It’s only by traveling through the miles and miles of wide open spaces occupied only by antelope, livestock and prairie dogs and the occasional small town that you really appreciate the beauty and vastness of the landscape.

I’ve noticed that small towns primarily have gravel roads both in town and neighborhoods. Only the main streets are paved. It’s funny how you tend to think whatever is true for you is true for everybody. It’s easy to take everyday conveniences for granted without appreciating what it would be like to do without them.

After seven days on the road and a long day yesterday, we decided to drive straight through to Three Forks, Montana where we’d camp tonight. We also needed to take care of a few housekeeping chores like laundry, grocery shopping and a quick stop at Target to replace our folding camp chairs after Riley’s collapsed on him last night.

Three Forks KOA is one of the nicest campgrounds we’ve stayed in. The views were incredible, the hosts were great and the bathhouse had been recently renovated so everything was shiny new and beautiful.

Three loads of laundry, including sheets and towels, took a lot longer than I’d like. I’d seen reviews for Iron Horse Cafe and Pie Company and knew that sounded like Riley’s kind of place. “#1 best restaurant in Three Forks! 2023 winner Bozeman’s People’s Choice Award! Made-from-scratch pies!”

It’s just a 3 mile ride from camp and storm clouds were gathering. I checked the hourly forecast and we had just about 20 minutes before rain would start. We left the clothes tumbling in the dryers and started out on our bikes, fully expecting to be soaked when we returned.

The camp host said there was a bike path that we could take into town. After first starting out in the wrong direction, we oriented ourselves with the help of Google Maps and eventually found it. I was glad to get off the 65 mph highway with tractor-trailers whizzing by and safely on the bike path.

We managed to beat the rain with only a few sprinkles on the ride. We briefly considered ordering takeout but in the end decided to take our chances and have a proper sit down meal. The rain started in earnest as we waited for our dinner. I was glad we’d decided to stay, we would’ve surely been soaked otherwise.

The cooked to order tri-tip sandwich and salad was by far the best meal I’ve had on this trip. Of course we had to have pie for dessert. I chose a slice of double cherry pie and Riley had Dutch apple pie with ice cream. Yum!

Miraculously, the storm had blown through and sunshine peeked out from the clouds as we rode back to camp. Perfect timing!

We folded and put away laundry, getting everything ready for another week of adventures.

I thought you might be interested in seeing inside Charlie. It’s perfect for two people with all the things we need to be comfortable and able to live off the grid for 3-4 days at a time.

Riley had one more 2-hour flight in the RV12, this time flying to the airport in Cadillac, MI to get more hands-on practice with takeoffs and landings and other maneuvers before we left Traverse City. He’s really pleased with the experience and his young whipper-snapper instructor. He said he learned a lot and was able to teach junior a new trick with programming the radio. Sounds like a win all around!

The next big destination is Oshkosh, WI for EAA AirVenture 2021, the world’s largest experimental aircraft air show. We’re taking the scenic route through the Upper Peninsula and staying one night at Indian Lake State Park in Manistique, MI before going on to Oshkosh.

Along the way we stopped at a berry farm in Elk Rapids and stocked up on fresh blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. I was disappointed that the pick-your-own blackberries had just ended but it’s probably just as well since we have a couple hours drive ahead of us. Another roadside farmer’s market stop for more produce and a cherry pie, then we were on our way.

The drive up the coast through Charlevoix and Petoskey was beautiful as always. Large, lush baskets of petunias hung from posts all along downtown Charlevoix, making the street just as picturesque as the boats in the harbor. I remember traveling up to Petoskey for work 15 or more years ago and thinking it was one of the prettiest places I’d been. Things have grown up considerably; I think I liked it better then.

Across the Mackinaw Bridge the road followed the northern shore of Lake Michigan, a much less populated area with several restaurants and motels that haven’t been updated for decades and appear to have gone out of business years ago. Not all businesses fit this description of course but generally there are few and far between.

Indian Lake State Park is just a few miles inland on the shores of Indian Lake, the 4th largest inland lake in the Upper Peninsula. We bought a bundle of firewood at the office and set up in a spot right on the lake.

Riley grilled a steak while I baked a potato and made a salad with the produce we’d got earlier. The timing was perfect. A thunderstorm rolled in minutes after we’d cleaned up the dinner dishes. We listened to the sound of rain, cozy in Charlie as we went to sleep.

The air was cool and skies cloudy on Thursday morning as we set out to Oshkosh. The drive along the lake shore was really pretty and not too much traffic until we were within a few miles of Oshkosh.

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 is enormous in every way. It’s an annual event going on for almost 70 years, originally in Milwaukee and moving to Oshkosh in 1969. This is the 4th day of the 8-day event so it’s already going strong when we arrive.

I can’t even describe how huge this event is. There are more than 500,000 attendees from 80 countries. Thousands of people fly in, then camp in tents beside their personal planes tethered in long rows in huge fields alongside the runway. According to a fact sheet I read, Oshkosh (KOSH) is the busiest control tower in the world during EAA AirVenture. 64 controllers come from around the US to work the show. During the event, air traffic controllers have reduced horizontal separation minimums from 3,000 feet between airplanes to 1500 feet, allowing air traffic controllers to land three aircraft at a time on a runway by assigning each to land on a specific colored dot painted on the runway. Up to 10,000 aircraft land at the fly-in every year!

Thousands more people come in RVs and camp in what amounts to a small city on acres and acres of grassy fields on airport property. Camp Scholler is massive, with numerous paved and unpaved streets, buildings outfitted with charging stations for electronics, huge bathhouses with probably 50+ showers and even a small grocery store. There were five grocery stores located on the airport property in all.

There are people moving around everywhere on bicycles, scooters, golf carts, on foot, in trams pulled by John Deere tractors and on school buses appropriated for the event. All of this is outside the gates to the airshow. I was amazed that everyone seemed to navigate this mix of engine powered and human powered locomotion moving in all directions and speeds without any mishaps, at least none to my knowledge.

I don’t have any idea how many thousands more people arrive by car each day but the parking lots I saw on the way in looked like Disney World. Actually, the trams pulled by tractors looked a lot like those in Disney, complete with the driver in front and announcer with a microphone in the back. Transportation on site is essential, given the huge geographic footprint.

We checked in, got our wrist bands for admission and a tag for Charlie and found a nice spot on 15th St between two big RVs that looked like it had been recently vacated. It’s a good thing too, because the campground went on farther than I could see and this was at least a half mile from the entrance gates to the show.

Like a lot of other people, we rode our bikes from the campground to the admission gate and locked them up outside along the fence. The weather was sunny and warm, maybe low 80’s, so not too hot. Small vendors of every kind were set up in the first quarter mile inside the gates leading to the main airport property, selling aviation and non-aviation related stuff. It kind of reminded me of the Labor Day flea market in Hillsville, VA. A whole bunch of stuff you would probably never actually go looking for.

Those were just the little guys. The big boys were set up in elaborate mobile showrooms, some displaying multi-million dollar jets with appointment only tours of the interiors. Beechcraft, Cessna, Cirrus, Piper and Pilatus, a Swiss company that makes luxurious private jets, all had impressive displays. Those are just a few.

Riley was excited to visit companies he’s worked with to build his plane including Van’s Aircraft, Rotax Aircraft Engines, Aircraft Spruce (for parts and tools), Aircraft Specialty, Dynon Avionics, ForeFlight/Boeing (flight planning software) and others that I can’t remember. In some cases these were people he’s spoken to several times on the phone so it was nice to meet in person.

There were literally miles of planes and every possible aviation related endeavor on display. There were vintage planes, experimental planes, jets, gliders, amphibious planes, giant aircraft like a UPS cargo plane and the Goodyear blimp. There were food vendors, forums, demonstrations and workshops. We walked from one end to the other, the equivalent of 5.5 miles based on the number of our steps for the day.

Several universities that offer aviation degrees also had large displays. No doubt this a great place to recruit for a career in aviation. All ages were represented in the crowds, from very young to very old and everything between.

Air Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard planes and helicopters were on display. They put on impressive air shows demonstrating their power, speed and agility. I never get tired of watching the F-16s and F-18s streaking across the sky and the roar of the engines following seconds later. It always amazes me and there were many opportunities to be amazed.

Airshows occurred all day and late into the night with a wide variety of aircraft and maneuvers. There were parachuters, acrobatics and impressive formations accompanied by loud music and informative commentary. The night show was especially impressive with a mix of aeronautical acrobatics and pyrotechnics. It was scheduled for Wednesday night but was postponed until Thursday because of a storm with high winds, so that was fortunate for us. The show was stlll going on at 10 PM and we were too exhausted to stay for the grand finale so we walked the half mile to our bikes and rode back to Charlie.

The weather was cool and sunny when we woke up on Friday and it stayed that way all day never getting warmer than 72 degrees. Perfect for walking around the expo. We biked over after breakfast and wandered around the airplane vendor displays. We saw the Ranger plane Riley had originally planned to purchase before deciding to build his own and he chatted with the sales guy he’d interacted with before.

Later checked out the expo booths set up in four huge exhibit halls. Riley found several things we needed like an adapter cable to connect the audio from the radio headset to a Go Pro camera, a headset for me, a carbon monoxide sensor and a small toolkit. He was hoping to get information on options for painting or wrapping his plane once it’s finished. There were several companies that offer design work that you’d then take to someone else to do the actual painting. Not exactly what he was looking for.

The expo was interesting and Riley had a chance to talk to experts on some of the components he’s using on his plane. We walked all over, trying to find the location for a couple forums but arriving too late because we underestimated the distance. Which, today totaled over 6 miles! It felt so good to sit down in the shade under a tree to watch the airshow.

We’d seen everything we wanted to see by late afternoon so we decided to pack up Charlie and get a start on the drive back home instead of staying one more night in Oshkosh. Dinner at Lou Malnati’s, Riley’s all-time favorite pizza restaurant, was the perfect way to wrap up the day.

Traverse City State Park is perfectly located. On one side is a wide sandy beach stretching around the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay and along the opposite side is the Traverse Area Recreational Trail (TART) bike path that goes downtown and beyond. It’s also just a 5-minute bike ride to Giving Wings Aviation Flight Center where Riley has scheduled several hours of flight time.

The 47-acre campground feels remote with campsites shaded by tall trees and the ground covered with pine needles and mulched leaves but it’s actually located in a pretty urban area surrounded by restaurants and hotels and is just 3 miles from bustling downtown Traverse City.

We stayed here a few nights last fall and fell in love with it. It’s a very different place in the summer months. There are lots more campers, families with young children who love to play in hammocks and argue with their siblings over whose turn it is, bicycles everywhere and lots of dogs. Big dogs, small dogs, barking dogs, lap dogs, you name it.

Access to the beach is a huge bonus. There is a pedestrian bridge over the busy road to a quarter mile beach with swimming, jet skis, kayaks, paddle boards and a nice bathhouse.

An important reason we came here is so that Riley can complete transition training on the airplane he is currently building, a Van’s Aicraft RV-12. The flight school here has an older model of the RV12 and this will be his first opportunity to fly one. He scheduled six sessions over three days to get a feel for the aircraft and to have some time behind the controls before he takes his plane on its virgin test flight.

I think he’s anxious to find out how well his 6’5” frame fits into the cockpit and how comfortable it feels to fly. One big difference in this plane and the Pipistrel he flew while getting his sport pilot’s license is that the wings are below the cockpit rather than over it. This changes the visual aspect significantly as you can imagine.

While he was off flying planes, I waked over to the beach and rented a stand up paddle board for a hour or so. There are people on the beach but it isn’t crowded at all. Trees and picnic tables provide plenty of opportunities to hang out in the shade if you don’t want to soak up the sun. When we were here in October, ducks were our only companions on the beach. The ducks are still here, this time with new broods of ducklings expecting to be fed.

East Bay is beautiful. The water is calm and easy to navigate. There were a few kayaks and other paddle boards on the water and a wide area to explore. I paddled out around the peninsula past beautiful homes with boat docks and watched a boat pulling a parasail over the bay.

The water is cool, but not cold and so clear you can see the bottom. After paddle boarding, I relaxed on the beach and waded in the water while I waited for Riley to return so I could hear all about his first flight.

It wasn’t long before he came riding up on his bike laughing and said “Well, I just took a flying lesson from my grandson!” His instructor, Jordan Hachenski, is just 19 years old. Definitely young enough to be his grandson, haha.

He said the flight was great and he felt comfortable in the plane. They practiced stalls, takeoffs and landings and everything went better than anticipated. I know this was a big relief. It would stink to invest so much time and money in building a plane that wasn’t a good fit, not to mention that it’s a little late to worry about that now.

Cherry Capital Airport is bigger than Smith Reynolds Airport back home where he’s been flying. Commercial flights by the big boys, Delta, America and United, fly in and out. I’m sure the RV12 feels tiny both in size and speed in comparison, like riding a bicycle on an Interstate.

It was lunchtime and we were both hungry so we rode our bikes on the TART to downtown Traverse City to find something good to eat. The bike trail is smooth and level with crosswalk signals at major intersections.

West Bay, the other arm of Grand Traverse Bay, is adjacent to downtown Traverse City. The beach is similar to East Bay but it’s very crowded and busy with boats, snack bars, people, and traffic everywhere. It makes me appreciate East Bay even more.

There are lots of stores downtown like Lululemon, small boutiques and Cherry Republic where you can find anything and everything made with cherries. But sadly there are almost no restaurants open for lunch on Mondays. I think part of this is pandemic-economy related but for whatever reason there are few options to choose from. We ended up at a little ice cream cafe where we had a cherry chicken salad sandwich and shared a cherries jubilee ice cream sundae. I wasn’t disappointed but it wasn’t the meat and potatoes lunch Riley had in mind.

Riley had another flight scheduled in the early evening so I was in charge of starting the campfire for roasting hotdogs later on. A friendly little chipmunk kept me company while he was gone. I fed him peanuts and Cheerios I picked out of trail mix. He stuffed his little cheeks full, ran off and then came back for more. I was startled more than once when I felt tiny cold feet on top of my own. He’s lucky I didn’t jerk my leg up, sending him flying like I once did to a tree frog in PetsMart. But that’s a whole different story.

While Riley was gone, new neighbors moved in to the campsites beside and behind us. There must be 12 people and as just many dogs and bicycles occupying the two previously open spaces. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. They’re not bad neighbors, just a little closer than I’d like. Also, did I mention the dogs really like to bark?

After dinner we walked around the campground and down the bike path to check out potential restaurants for lunch tomorrow. We scouted out a Mexican restaurant, Red Mesa Grill, that looks promising. All in all it’s been a good day.

Tuesday was similar to Monday with flying lessons for Riley and paddle boarding for me. I’ve made up my mind I’m definitely going to get a paddle board of my own. I’ve said this for years but never seriously researched it. The first time I tried it was in St John with Gary and Kim Thomas and I’ve loved it since. I think it’s better than kayaking because you can stand or sit and it’s just more fun. I’d like an inflatable one for traveling and a solid one for closer to home. Also, having two means I have an extra one for someone else to do it with me. So, who’s interested?

The weather has been great! I couldn’t have asked for better with sunny skies, cool mornings and afternoon highs in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. I could get used to this.

The Red Mesa Grill turned out to be a good choice for lunch. It’s just a short walk from the campsite down the bike trail. We both had chicken tacos that were delicious.

Today Riley flew to Antrim County Airport to practice takeoffs and landings on the smaller runways that are more difficult than the wide ones at Cherry Capital Airport. He’s really pleased with the experience flying an RV12 and seems excited about having one of his own.

We rode back downtown for dinner at Mackinaw Brewing and shared a cheeseburger and I had a cherry lager. Have you noticed a theme? This is definitely the place for all you cherry lovers.

Afterward we used the Garmin Edge 1030 to navigate to a grocery store to get a few things for breakfast and a firestarter for tonight’s campfire, and then navigated back to camp. I can’t say enough good things about my Garmin. It’s awesome. Much better than trying to use a phone to navigate on a bike.

I’m going to miss this campground when we leave tomorrow. I hope we can make it back again soon.

After staying in campgrounds and parks for the last several nights, we decided to check out Harvest Hosts for a place to stay on Saturday night on the way to Traverse City, MI. Harvest Hosts is a network of wineries, farms, breweries, museums and other unique attractions that invite RVers to visit and stay overnight in exchange for supporting their business. We had a great time at a small family brewery in Pennsylvania when we traveled to the Erie Canal ride in 2019 and thought we’d like to try it out again. We really need to do this more often.

I browsed the app and found Montrose Orchards in Montrose, MI, operated by Don and Sandra Hill and owned by the Hill family since 1925. They grow over 30 varieties of apples, along with pears, plums, cherries and delicious blueberries that are in season now.

Debbie greeted us and showed us around, giving us a chance to try out the apple donuts in Debbie’s Kitchen, an on-site bakery featuring pies made from fruit grown at the orchard. The donuts were delicious. We were tempted to get a frozen cherry pie for later but our pantry, microwave and fridge are stuffed full of Amish cookies, bread and cake. I really don’t need to add to it. I’ll be rolling out the door when we get home as it is.

We followed Debbie down a dirt road away from the main building toward the blueberry fields. She pointed out several areas and gave us our choice on where to stay for the night. We chose a nice, private spot tucked under a grove of trees.

There are no hookups so the only set up we needed to do was to open the screen doors, extend the awning and set up our chairs. By that time we were hungry for lunch so made sandwiches with the Amish bread and had a picnic under the trees.

The blueberry fields were just a short walk away so we wandered over and chatted with the fellow tending the pick-your-own operation. Harvest Hosts guests are welcome to pick all the berries you want, so I grabbed a couple bowls and we set out to fill them. The berries were fat and sweet and the rows went on and on. I’m not sure how many blueberry bushes they have but it would definitely take a dedicated crew of pickers to harvest all of them.

Later, I hung a hammock between a couple of the trees and read a book while Riley took a nap in Charlie. It’s so quiet compared to the campground yesterday. I enjoyed hearing nothing but the sound of the wind and the birds in the trees.

Around 5 PM, the blueberry pickers left for the day and we had the place to ourselves. A thunderstorm blew in, putting down heavy rain and the wind picked up a bit. We were cozy and dry in Charlie, listening to the rain and then to an emergency siren signaling 70 mph winds, sounding from the Genesee County Fire Department. I remember hearing these as a kid; I had totally forgotten that was a thing. Back in the day before constant connectivity, cable tv and 24-hour weather stations this was how tornado alerts were communicated.

The awning was extended and secured so the winds weren’t a big concern but I noticed it was collecting a lot of rain water, causing it to sag in the middle. I went outside and stood on a little table, making me just tall enough to shed some of the excess water. Riley’s height came in handy as usual, and we were able to adjust it so it was lower on one side and could drain. That was great, except closer inspection showed that a screw popped out a little, causing it to be permanently lower on one side. Well, add that to the list of things we need to take care of when we get home.

The rain left as quickly as it started and the sun came out again, bringing a hungry swarm of mosquitos with it. It was too nice out to stay inside, and a walk before dinner seemed like a good idea except for the hungry mosquitos . We dashed out the door, making a beeline for the open field, hoping they would stay behind under the trees. We were right. Other than avoiding puddles, the field was a nice place to wander around before dinner and I snagged a few more berries to replace the ones I’d already eaten. I hope I don’t regret eating so many before bed.

With the gas stove, solar panels, water tanks and a generator, we can be self-sufficient for 2 or 3 days no problem. Charlie has a full bathroom with a separate walk-in shower so we have everything we need to be comfortable.

We fixed dinner and watched over-the-air TV and a couple episodes of Schitt’s Creek on the DVD player before bed. It was peaceful and quiet as we slept with the doors open and screen doors in place. The only sound we heard were deer close by sometime during the night. I had seen a doe running along the trees on the other side of the blueberry field earlier in the evening.

The next morning we said goodbye to Montrose Orchards and set out to Traverse City State Park where we’ll stay for 3 nights so Riley can do transition training at Giving Wings Aviation Flight Center.

One of the highlights planned for this trip is attending the Isabella County Youth and Farm Fair in Mt. Pleasant, MI. If you are a fan of The Incredible Dr. Pol tv show you will have seen several episodes featuring the fair and kids who raise animals to show there. We enjoy the show and really like county fairs in general so the timing seemed perfect.

A Google search said the dates are July 25-31 and a click of the “get directions” link routed us to our destination. We made good time on the Interstate and zipped along state highways until we were within 5 miles of the fairgrounds when traffic slowed to a crawl. Waze and Google Maps both showed standstill traffic with no alternate routes. It was past lunchtime and someone gets a little grouchy when he’s hungry so traveling 3 miles in 30 minutes wasn’t super fun.

We wondered if this traffic was caused by the fair and worried that it would take too long to get in and out, leaving us no time to enjoy the it. It will take another hour and half to drive from Mt Pleasant to Traverse City. It turned out that the traffic problem was caused by a small pull-behind RV that was split in two, strewn across the highway. I’m sorry for those travelers but I was glad to finally get past it.

At last, the fairgrounds were in sight. I’m sure Riley could taste the Gyros and elephant ears already. As we turned in to the fairgrounds, it became apparent that it wasn’t yet open. In fact, it wasn’t even fully set up. The dates on michigan.org were wrong. It actually starts on Monday, July 26th – TOMORROW.

This is one of those days that I am reminded how fortunate I am that Riley doesn’t get angry or mad when another man would. He was hungry, tired of driving and disappointed but he took it all in stride and never blamed me for the mix-up.

A Mexican restaurant not far away satisfied our hunger and we turned around and headed for Traverse City, arriving in time to enjoy the sunset on the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

Tomorrow is another day.

It’s time to say goodbye to New York and head West for a while. I’m always amazed at the beautiful small towns and communities in New York State and how friendly the people are. I’m already looking forward to a return visit.

Millersburg, Ohio is the next destination, 7+ hours away by Interstate so it’s also time to say hello to boring views and big truck traffic. I used the time to upload photos from the last few days since reliable internet connectivity hasn’t been available and that’s one thing Interstate traveling is good for. My concentration was broken by the sound of the tire pressure sensor alarm, alerting us that one of the four rear tires was dropping dangerously low.

The tire pressure slowly descended as we looked for an exit sign hoping a service station was close by. When it dropped to 40 psi we pulled over to the side of I-90 to take a look. Riley didn’t see anything in the tire and asked me to pull up a foot or two so he could see the other side. As I was getting back in, I realized I must have been standing on an ant hill because a small army of ants were crawling all over my lower legs. I tore off my sandals and frantically brushed ants off as fast as I could. Ugh, from bad to worse!

Still no sign of a nail or other puncture, we decided to try to make it to the closest service station. As luck would have it there was Sunoco station with air just a mile or two ahead. Riley replaced the air in the tire while I googled tire stores. McLaughlin’s Tire Services about 6 miles away in Eldridge, NY was just the thing we needed. The guys there took us in right away and diagnosed the problem as a leaky valve connection. They fixed us up and $35 later we were on our way.

We arrived at Berlin RV Park in Millersburg, OH late in the afternoon, just in time to take a short hike around the property to stretch our legs before making dinner. The countryside is so beautiful and peaceful.

While the surroundings are beautiful, the lots at the RV Park are pretty small and close together. The photo below illustrates this. That truck belongs to our neighbor who’s about 15’ away. A couple is staying there with who I assume is their daughter or maybe granddaughter and her two kids who both look to be under 5. The children’s mother is young too and not well suited to parenting as evidenced by her constant screaming at them. It’s very unnerving and difficult to hear. Poor babies. Thank goodness the older couple seem like good people and dote on the little ones.

After a good night’s sleep, we decided to try an Amish Bakery recommended by the campground host the night before. The RV park is located a few miles from most of the restaurants and shops so we decided against biking and opted to drive Charlie today. That’s the big benefit of having a Sprinter van with no slide outs, it’s no big deal to set up and easy to find places to park like any other vehicle.

Riley got an apple fritter at Kaufman’s Bakery then we sat down for a real breakfast at Berlin Family Restaurant. It was ok, but felt a bit too touristy. We probably should have driven out a bit farther to find a smaller place.

We stocked up on fresh produce from a local farmer who had a stand in his front yard where we bought tomatoes, corn, green pepper and squash just harvested from his garden. I also bought some just baked cookies dropped off by the lady who is leaving in the horse and buggy in the photo below. The little girl with her stared up at Charlie when we pulled in behind them. It must have looked huge compared to the small buggy. She gave me a big smile when she saw me watching her.

We spent the morning shopping at various local businesses. The first was Zinck’s Fabric Outlet, a huge fabric store with every kind of fabric you can imagine. Many of which I have no idea who would actually want or what you’d make from it if you did, but also thousands of bolts of beautiful cottons, denims, flannel, knits, wool and suiting. I browsed every aisle ultimately buying a few yards of pretty wools, flannel and cotton fabric for fall and winter sewing projects. I must have been there a long time because Riley was napping on the bed in Charlie when I came out.

Berlin Creek Gallery in Millersburg is a great place to find local art. They have prints from over 100 local artists and provide amazing custom framing. I bought a print of three little Amish girls in a garden for my Mom. I think she’ll really like it.

Out of curiosity, we wandered around a huge flea market with tons of stuff no one needs but people were buying anyway. The downside of this area is the abundance of touristy stores and restaurants and though the items for sale are not your typical t-shirts and plastic junk, it still gets a little old.

The highlight of the day was touring Yoder’s Amish Home. The house and barn were built in the 1880’s and in 1978 an Amish couple bought the farm and decided to restore it to its original condition and use it as a way to teach others about Amish culture and traditions by giving them an inside look at how they live.

We were greeted by this peacock strutting around the parking lot.

There are different Amish Orders, all sharing basic tenants of living a simple life of discipline, dedication and faith, but differ in how strict they interpret these. Swartzentruber Order is the most conservative living without indoor plumbing, electricity and self-sufficiency. Less conservative orders do allow electricity provided by gasoline generators, solar panels and batteries but there are no electric lines on their property.

All Amish share practices like having children go to school only through 8th grade, they never drive cars, women do not cut their hair and always wear prayer caps on their heads. They make all of their clothing with the more conservative orders wearing only dark colors like black, maroon or dark green. Others wear lighter colors but always one solid color, with no prints or patterns After age 10, buttons are not allowed on girls dresses so women fasten dresses and aprons with straight pins. Boys and men wear long pants fastened with buttons at the waist with no belt but suspenders are allowed. Zippers are not used on any clothing. No jewelry or ornamentation of any kind is allowed.

Amish dolls have blank faces because otherwise it would be considered a graven image and not allowed. Some of the less conservative orders do allow ordinary baby dolls but dress them in Amish clothing.

Pennsylvania Dutch is spoken in the home and children learn English by time they start school. English is the preferred language for school, work and church services. They also learn High German so they can read the German Martin Luther translation of the Bible.

Infants and children are not baptized. Rather, they wait until they are 18-22 yrs old to decide whether to join the church and commit both to the church and to the Amish lifestyle. Church service is held every other Sunday and hosted by a family in the community, usually 20 or so families, each taking a turn. They believe Amish religion should be practiced, not displayed with tangible symbols or complicated religious rituals. Backless benches are transported from farm to farm in a dedicated wagon. The host family prepares for the service by setting up the benches in the large living room with men on one side and women on the other, children sitting with either parent. The service consists of an hour of singing from the Augsburg, the longest-lived songbook in continuous use. These German hymns are hundreds of years old and have lyrics without any musical notes. The tunes are sung without musical accompaniment and passed down to each generation. This is followed by two hours of sermons by two members of the community. The host family provides a sit down meal afterward that’s prepared ahead of time since Sunday is a day of rest.

First we toured the oldest house, set up in the manner of the Swartzentruber Order. The kitchen has a dry sink for washing with water carried in and out by hand. A treadle sewing machine is used to make clothing and a wood stove is used for cooking and providing the only source of heat. There are three bedrooms, one for parents, one for girls and the other for boys.

The second house was set up in the manner of the Old Order of Amish, the most common in the US. The biggest differences included indoor plumbing, natural gas stove, battery powered table lamp and more comfortable furnishings; i.e. upholstered couch and store bought mattresses for the beds.

The aroma of fresh baked bread was the first thing we noticed when we walked in. Two ladies were busy in the kitchen baking bread and cinnamon rolls and mixing up an unusual concoction of peanut butter, marshmallow fluff and pancake syrup in a huge bowl. This is often used to make sandwiches for the after church meal. Jars of this “church spread” were for sale but we passed on it so I can’t say how good or bad it is.

The barn built in 1885 houses lots of animals including adorable 4-day old baby goats. An Amish girl showed us around a patiently answered all of our questions.

This visit was just the antidote we needed to get in the Amish state of mind.

Driving through the area I noticed how often roads take sharp 90 degree turns around planted fields, following property lines rather than straight roads with lots conforming to the roads. Long clotheslines holding the day’s laundry are strung through backyards and massive lawns are neatly mowed with large vegetable and colorful flower gardens near the houses. The Amish people are friendly, smiling when making eye contact and calling out a greeting when passing. This seems like a really hard working but satisfying way of life.

Afterward we drove to the Holmes County Trail, a 23-mile cycling trail that runs from Millersburg to Fredericksburg. We made sandwiches with some of the fresh baked bread from the Yoder Home and veggies from the farmers market for a picnic lunch at the trailhead. The trail is similar to other rails-to-trails like the New River and Virginia Creeper but is unique in other ways. It’s about 16 feet wide and paved with asphalt like a regular road so that it can be used by Amish horse and buggies as well as cyclists and pedestrians.

We cycled along the trail bout 10 miles, occasionally passing buggies going the opposite direction. We stopped at a corner shop for delicious soft-serve ice cream cones on Main St. in downtown Fredericksburg.

It’s been a great day and we’ve enjoyed spending time surrounded by the rural landscape and people living more simple lives.

A few days relaxing and recovering in the Adirondack Mountains is just what we needed after 8 days of cycling and I knew the perfect spot for it from our trip up here in 2019. The North Pole Campground in Wilmington, NY is just outside Lake Placid near Whiteface Mountain. It was just a couple hours drive and the scenery is beautiful.

We found our site and got Charlie all set up, then figured we’d better dry out the tent before mushrooms started to sprout. Riley strung a clothesline and hung the rain fly, tent and miscellaneous damp items up to dry. Naturally, big drops of rain soon made everything even wetter. I’m just glad we don’t have to sleep in it tonight.

A couple loads of laundry later, we rested and enjoyed the cool evening before walking to dinner at Pourman’s Tap House. Either their food is excellent or our appetites haven’t yet diminished because the margherita pizza, wings and Caesar salad were delicious!

We watched tv for a bit and were sound asleep by 8 PM. It felt good to stretch out on a real mattress and to not need to zip the door shut for a change.

We woke up to sunshine and clear skies and the sound of the neighbors beside us packing up to leave. I heard the woman mutter “This is the first time I’ve seen the sun all week.” I know how you feel, lady.

All of the things on the clothesline finally dried out so we could pack up the tent one last time. I don’t think I’ll miss it for awhile.

Wilmington is a bike friendly town with wide bike lanes on all of the main roads making it easy to get around on two wheels. Ironman Lake Placid is coming up this weekend and we’ve seen several cyclists previewing the course. Those are tough cyclists! They’ll ride 112 miles in two laps, culminating with an 11-mile climb “up the notch” from Wilmington to Mirror Lake. And that’s after they swim 2.4 miles in the lake and before running a full marathon (26.2 miles) to finish. I can’t imagine.

We rode our bikes to the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge just a couple miles away and saw some very chill wild animals lounging in their habitats in the late afternoon heat. I guess they’re more active earlier in the day or maybe they’re just bored with nothing to hunt or be hunted by.

Later on we cycled to Rudy’s Scar Bar a few miles in the opposite direction for dinner. The food was great but it took a long time to get. We weren’t in a hurry so it wasn’t a problem. Our server was brand new to the job but what she lacked in experience she made up for with good intentions. I had a “real Maine” lobster roll and Riley had a fried seafood platter. Neither of us finished our dinner so we stuffed a to go container in Riley’s bike bag.

On the way back we stopped and took a short hike down to a waterfall on the Ausable River just off the road. The soft mossy trail wound through the woods down to the river. The water is high from all of the rain and snow melt making cascading waterfalls down the canyon.

Several people were swimming and jumping off boulders into the cold water. It looked like fun but not something I really needed to do myself. I zipped my jacket up and hiked back up to the bikes.

It’s been a great couple days. I’m not sure where we’ll be tomorrow, we’ll figure that out then.

On Tuesday, we decided to drive up to the coast and follow the St Lawrence River. The drive up was beautiful. We drove by Paul Smith’s College where I stopped to text a photo to my friend Paul Smith, of course.

We took Highway 30 North to Malone stopping at a Farmer’s Market where we bought fresh produce for meals for the next few days, then followed Highway 37 West along the St Lawrence Seaway.

Lots of lakes and waterways dotted the very rural, green landscape. At one point the road went under the St Lawrence Seaway near the Dwight D Eisenhower Lock where we stopped to watch a sailboat travel through. It took about 8 minutes for the water to lower 42 feet and the lock gates to open for the boat to continue sailing down river.

We continued to Thousand Islands, a chain of 1,864 islands that straddle the Canada-US border in the St Lawrence River just before it emerges into Lake Ontario, where we found a nice spot at Wellesley Island State Park.

The park is really large and beautiful with several campsite loops, cabins, cottages, camp store and marina. Some of the sites like ours are in open, flat areas and others are tucked into the woods right on the edge of the river. Our site (F-43) is located next to a path through a meadow that leads to the main road, giving us a beautiful view and lots of open space. We definitely lucked up on this one as it was the only spot available for two nights and I think it’s the best around.

A brief thunderstorm blew through right after we set up camp. Once the rain cleared, little children on bicycles streamed from every camper around, smoke rose from campfires and the aroma of grilled meat filled the air. Riley cooked steak over a wood campfire and grilled veggies from a local farmer’s market while I made salad and corn on the cob.

After dinner we walked over to the river and watched the sun set over the water. We saw an osprey swooping down to catch a fish and a few fisherman trying their luck too. Across the water you can see several of the thousand islands the area is named for. This is such a beautiful place.

The temps are nice and cool at night and the daytime high is only 72 degrees. Perfect weather with clearing skies and a cool breeze.

We had a lazy morning on Wednesday. Riley fixed sausage and eggs for breakfast, then we spent a little time exploring the atlas and camping apps on our phones for places to go next. We decided to return to Amish country in Millersburg, Ohio where we’d stayed for one night last fall. The place we’d stayed before was all booked so we made reservations for a couple nights at a place just down the road.

Having figured out the plan for tomorrow, we hopped on our bikes to explore the island. Riley’s leg looks more bruised every day but the swelling is finally going down and he says it’s beginning to feel better. I’m very relieved about that. Yesterday was the first day he’s taken a break from riding since he injured it.

The paved roads are great for biking. Not too much traffic and not too hilly. There are actually 3 state parks on the island, one accessible only by boat, and a smaller one with just 14 campsites. Wellesley is by far the largest with hundreds of campsites. The Minna Anthony Nature Center is located at one end and a large area of privately owned land marks the park boundary. We toured the Nature Center and relaxed in the shade overlooking Eel Bay.

Later on we walked over to the river with our books and a picnic lunch and enjoyed the beautiful view and cool breeze. Osprey chicks looked over the sides of huge nests built on top of telephone poles and peeped loudly when they spotted their parents nearby.

After dinner we listened to the loons call as we sat beside the campfire and watched a small gang of young school aged kids riding their bikes and scooters around and around the campground. Some had strings of lights wrapped around the bike frame, others had illuminated helmets or wheels. All were having the time of their lives. It made me nostalgic for those long, summer days and nights of childhood when staying out with your friends past 9 PM was such a thrill.

Here are a few of the images that were not posted earlier.