Phase 1 - Pennsylvania Amish Country

Sorry this post is delayed.  I wrote it sitting around the campfire in Hershey but the service when you are tent camping is spotty at best.  A good thing if you are wanting to unplug.  A bad thing if you are trying to keep people posted.  I will try to do better!  Right now I am sitting in a wonderful coffee shop in Burlington VT!!

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Well, the first two days are in the books and I have to say it has been a much nicer start to the trip than we had last year.  No rain, cool weather and a lot of sunshine has been the norm.  And camping in that weather is much nicer than monsoon camping.  

We got a quick start on Saturday, and decided to try and find somewhere to grab some breakfast along the way.  Rhonda and I had tried when we were on this trip a couple years ago and hadn’t had a lot of luck.  But this year we decided to try to find a nice diner in a little town somewhere along the way.  And gas and our stomachs pointed to Emporia, Virginia.  And it was a good stop!

Rhonda and Leanne in Logans - All Smiles!

Emporia was having their annual peanut festival.  So as we pulled onto Main Street in search of Logan's Diner we found rides, booths and streets lined with folks eating on the parade!  So we decided to park a block off the street and grab some breakfast.  The place was exactly what I like to find.  A local place where everyone seemed to know everyone (except us).  We sat at a table close to the door and it was a constant “Good Morning” and “See ya’ later” the entire time we sat there.  Most of the time it was followed with a name since they seemed to know everyone.  So we ordered, grabbed some coffee and watched out the window as a stream of old tractors paraded by headed up the street to the parade starting location.  So the food was ok.  I wouldn’t see it winning any awards, but it was good.  But the people were friendly.  And when a elderly man and his son sat down next to us (he ordered herring) we decided this was our first chance to make an impression.  So when we finished we asked the waitress for his check and paid for their breakfast as well.  Nothing was said.  We just told them to have a good day.  So I don’t know what his reaction was.  But we all felt better for doing it!

Chris and Louis enjoying the weather and food!

We headed on up the road taking the back rods instead of the main drag and were amazed at the amount of country there is so close (an hour outside) to Washington DC.  We stopped for a quick bite at a brewery just south of the PA line called Flying Dog.  The weather was awesome and we all enjoyed some nachos made out of tater tots (only the best will do) in the magnificent weather!  70 and sunny is almost perfect.  We made it to Hershey, sat up the tents in the dry and in the midst of a ton of other campers.  It had never been that crowded when we were here.  It was a nearly perfect day to start the trip.  

Day 2 would not be so perfect.  But it would also not be all bad.  We had planned to head to Philadelphia on Sunday to get a “real cheesesteak” and to see some cool stuff like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  But alas the tour guide had made a major mistake.  Instead of checking the train schedule for the weekend, I just looked at the schedule for the week.  And there were no SEPTA trains running, which means we needed Amtrak into the city.  And… It was sold out.  No way to get into Philly.  Well, actually just no way to get home.  It was a disappointment, but it ended up working out.  Downingtown (where we were going to catch the train was having their Fall Festival and so we just spent the morning walking around the booths, sampling hot sauce, apples and some “fair food”.  Then we drove back through the middle of Amish country and saw some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. 

One of the many Amish buggies we saw while visiting!

We stopped and wandered around a little town called Intercourse, PA.  Yep… And then we drove back, past numerous buggies and yards full of Amish children playing.  It was a great drive, and a great way to spend the afternoon.  

Rhonda's Plate - Hotdogs of course!

Tonight we just decided to cook here and sit around the fire.  In the meantime I started to plan the drive up to Vermont and time the stop at my favorite dive on the trip… The Big Dipper BBQ in NY.  And there came the largest disappointment of the trip.  The Big Dipper is a seasonal dive.  And it seems that Sunday was the last day.  And we were headed there on Monday.  It really is a huge loss.  I love that place.  But hopefully we will find some other cool place we like just as much!

From here, the next stop is Vermont.  Just south of Burlington.  With a trip through the White Mountains and a ferry ride in Ticonderoga.  Let’s see how this leg goes!!