Ready to Rally!

      On Tuesday morning we set out from Spring Valley Campground in Cambridge, Ohio.  We had stayed here a few years previously and found the roads had deteriorated, with some significant potholes inside the campground.  The inconsiderate campers who had occupied the site beside ours had left a really nasty mess in their fire ring.  And we were somewhat concerned that our MiFi was acting up suddenly with an unfamiliar user listed under "devices."

      Our destination was Fort Wayne, Indiana, with a stop for fuel in Bellefontaine Ohio.  Although Valerie already knew who had been voted off the show, she enjoyed watching the dances she had DVR'd on Monday evening's Dancing with the Stars.  George grew tired, so Valerie took the driver's seat at a rest area.  

      Little did she know that things were about to get stressful.  First, the divided highway divided into two lanes westbound with concrete barriers on either side.  She focused on centering in her lane and was certainly glad to have that stretch of highway behind her.  Soon came metro Columbus with many lane changes and a turn-off onto Highway 33 North.  

      An unexpected rest area was a welcome sight!  George again took the wheel and had planned a stop at Murphy Oil in Bellefontaine.  Although he had checked his resources, there were numerous right and left turns around the main thoroughfare in town and the service station was a couple of miles beyond that.  With our discount we paid $3.72/gallon for diesel, substantially less than what we'd seen since we left Pennsylvania.  

      As we left the service station, George noticed that GPS was telling us it was 396 miles to Fort Wayne.  That surely couldn't be right, since it showed a distance of 93 miles on the first screen.  We finally managed to reconfigure the settings so that it did not attempt to take us all the way back to the interstate.

      Once we turned off of Highway 33, it was a little tricky navigating all the turns and twists in Highway 117 North through Lima, Ohio, but we managed to arrive safely at Walmart in Fort Wayne for the evening.  Parking was not real level, but we made it work.

      Wednesday morning we grabbed coffee and breakfast at the nearby McDonalds and Valerie picked up a few items we needed from the Walmart store.  Our plan was to have the coach washed at the Blue Beacon in Fort Wayne, as we often use our motor home for a driving demonstration at the Boot Camp before the Escapees' Escapade.  We didn't plan on sitting in line behind six or seven rigs, but once we entered the line there was no backing out.  The manager told George the "guys had to take a break."  Seems like they could have continued washing and staggered breaks to keep the line moving, but we spent an unexpected two hours there.

      We arrived at Elkhart County Fairgrounds in Goshen, Indiana, where a Holiday Rambler Rally is in full swing.  Numerous RVs appear to waiting until their reserved time to enter the campground at the local Walmart store in Goshen.

      The staff has us parked in a large lot temporarily with water and electric until we can move to our more permanent site inside the RV Park, probably tomorrow.  The spring blossoms are beautiful along the highways, and Valerie has decided that Ohio and Indiana have their share of beautiful old barns also.

      It was especially enjoyable to spend time with friends and Boot Camp staff! Once we get moved, our days and evenings will be especially busy.  The enthusiasm of new RVers makes it all worthwhile.  We have arrived!  Bring it on!

 

Remembering 9/11 and Flight 93

   


   It was so cold in the night neither of us was willing to get out of bed long enough to locate more blankets.  So we awakened this morning to a chilling 34 degrees at our boon-docking location in the Walmart parking lot in Somerset, Pennsylvania.  We quickly dressed and walked into the store for some warm coffee and breakfast at McDonalds.




      One of Valerie's favorite iPhone applications is Roadside America, where she found information about the elephant statue, a tribute to the county's breeding ranch, we had passed on the way into town, and where she learned that we were only a short distance from the National Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.




      The drive out US Highways 219 and 30 was slow and go with steep hills, many curves and two 10% grades.  The park entrance has apparently been moved, since our Rand McNally GPS wanted us to drive 9 miles on highway 30, and the signs indicated we should enter at around 8.5.





      The park, when completed, will be huge in area, with 40 groves of trees that have been recently planted to represent the 40 souls on board the doomed flight.  You can't help but remember where you were and what you were doing on September 11, 2001 as you begin the long walk toward the wall of names of citizens turned heroes that rises along the flight path toward the stone which marks their graves.

      Valerie was struck by the irony of the many contrails in the sky overhead.

     

      Visitors have left notes and memorials along the walk and the wall which are sure to bring a tear to your eyes.  We had the pleasure of talking with Greg Zaborowski, a National Parks employee, who has made it his passion to talk to as many witnesses, family members and dignitaries and learn as many stories as possible.  He is an excellent story-teller and helped to add character to those names upon the wall, who fought the good fight, and in so doing, saved our country's Capitol and countless lives.





      Valerie's camera captured a few good barns today and, despite lots of construction on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and a long traffic jam (again in the opposite lanes), we arrived safely at Spring Valley Campground in Cambridge, Ohio around 2:30 today. We experienced some light rain and we set up hurriedly as it appeared to be threatening more.  Tomorrow we move closer to Goshen, Indiana, and Escapade!

Pennsylvania Turnpike -- the Appalacians

      






      We left the campground just as it began to sprinkle rain and drove a short distance to Speedco in Harrisburg this morning to get an oil change and routine service on our generator.  They got us right in and George stayed with the rig while Valerie located a FedEx drop box at the truck stop next door.  The dogs got a good walk past some beautiful blooms.  The service technicians had us back on the road in good time.


   
      Our destination was Walmart in Somerset, Pennsylvania, just off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  George began driving but was soon ready for a nap, as we had been up late the previous night.  Valerie took over at the Blue Mountain Service Plaza, unaware that the Appalacian Mountains with long tunnels and road construction were just ahead.

     Valerie drives often, but mountain roads are not a daily occurrence, and she likes a little reassurance from George, who was already snoozing in the passenger seat.  She managed three tunnels, changing glasses and locating the headlights as the rain had given way to sunshine.  She downshifted once as the engine's heat gauge began to rise and let George catch up on his rest, despite missing out on some fabulous barns which she likes to photograph from the passenger seat.  The quality of the photos is not the best, given the glare, dirt and water spots on the windows, but it's a favorite pastime of hers.



      We stopped at the North Midway Service Plaza, where George resumed the drive and Valerie captured a few barns before we paid our $46.10 toll and exited the tollway.  Walmart approved our overnight stay and we stocked up on supplies.



      Valerie discovered that the crash site of Flight 93 and the memorial is only a short distance in nearby Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  Since we have a short drive again tomorrow, weather permitting, we hope to drive out and take a look around.

Harrisburg -- the Capitol, the Cathedral and the Diner

      We had taken a couple of rainy days off sightseeing to catch up on laundry, dog baths and seminar presentations while enjoying full hook-ups at the Harrisburg East RV Park.  But with Saturday being our final day, Valerie drug George away from the computer for a 1:00 p.m. tour of the State Capitol Building.



      Parking was not friendly, but we finally located a spot with an automated parking meter charging $3.00 per hour.  As it turned out there was a gathering hosted by a motorcycle group called the Guardian Knights in support of our troops on the steps of the Capitol with two fire trucks across the street holding up a gigantic American flag.




      Security was also unfriendly, but the tour was phenomenal!  We've visited many capitols and this one, we agreed, was the best we'd seen.  This $13 million structure was dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906 after having been re-located from first Philadelphia and then Lancaster.



      The Capitol dome was designed after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and rises 272 feet above the Moravian tile floor which depict the state's history.




      Our tour guide took us through the Supreme Court, (with its spectacular stained-glass dome), and the Senate and House Chambers as well.  The guilded bronze statue atop the dome is named Commonwealth and represents a female figure.  We only regret we did not have enough time to visit the grounds in more depth, but Valerie caught a shot of the other side of the building from the car mirror on the way out.




















      As we descended the front stairs the spires of cathedrals captured our eye and we added more time to our meter and went for a walk.  The United Methodist Church was gorgeous on the exterior but we found the doors locked.  Next door was the Cathedral of Saint Patrick.  We entered and took some photographs, which we have shared here.


















      The parking meter began to text George's phone, letting us know it was time to move on or pay for more time.  Two cameras captured a few interesting sights (including United Methodist Church) on the way back to the car.









      We decided we couldn't leave Harrisburg without one last visit to the Capitol Diner, just up the street from the campground.  The Capitol Breakfast again proved more than Valerie could eat, which was quite alright with the dogs.  And George had to confess that he was glad we did not miss this opportunity to see these wonderful sights.