Getting started

The Canadian Maritimes!!!, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia..... Sounds great! New England!!!, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts.... Quaint, historic. Fresh air, we couldn't wait. So we left in early May. 'WHO KNEW" this would be the longest, coolest spring in the last ten years. It was still in the 40s in the evening while staying in Virginia. High 30s and low 40s in Pennsylvania, and 40s in western New York. We were in Niagara Falls with daytime highs in the mid 60s, felt OK in the sun, but a little to "fresh" in the shade, and we haven't even reached Canada!



We made stops to see friends and family on the way north. Ocala and Live oak in Florida. Summerville, South Carolina near Charleston, and Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke, Virginia. While in Virginia there were side trips to the National D-Day Memorial, and a u-pick strawberry field. Left Virginia heading for Pa. and stopped to see Antietam battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Our next stop was a visit with friends in Chambersburg, Pa. Ellis and Mamie Martin have plenty of room to park at their dairy farm in central Pa. Our friends, Donny & Jill, who we met in Alaska last summer joined us here and we plan to travel together. We made a side trip over to Gettysburg battlefield for more history. After a few days visit with the Martins, making strawberry jam and planning our trip we had to leave our good hosts and get back on the road. Our first stop was the "Green Dragon". An Amish and Mennonite farm, craft and flea market.



We drove our rigs over to Ephrata, Pa. GPS directed us to a large lot with a few old buildings, the place looked vacant. There were 2-3 campers in the trees so we stopped in the open, flat area at the bottom of the hill. The grass was freshly mowed and Don and I parked awning to awning. A nice afternoon. Bar-B-Qed and ate supper under the awnings, while a few more rigs pulled in. A quiet evening, slept well until the vendors started to come in on Friday about 6:30am. Holy Mackerel, there were hundreds, some in horse drawn wagons. Then the general public showed up, by the thousands. The only buffer between us and them was a row of hay trucks, but we were OK, just dusty in the parking lot. It was great! Had a country breakfast in the building across from us and spent the day making trips back and forth to shop, look, and rest again in the RV. If they didn't have "it", we didn't need "it"! Bought peanuts right from the roaster, meat, cheese, fresh baked breads, and vegetables. Sauerkraut and Kielbasa to put in the crock pot for the road. Exhausted, we stayed Friday night also. Got up on Saturday morning and the place was deserted again! All this just one day a week, on a Friday! Our next stop, the Pocono's and western New York. We went and saw the "dragon" and it was great!

More soon....Skip & Linda