A Week in Branson, Missouri- August 14-24, 2014

Years ago, when Tom and I were working we bought a week of timeshare. Since retiring and traveling in our motorhome that week was no longer something we looked forward to doing. We had attempted to sell by several means but that proved impossible. Finally, this year our home resort, Marriott Royal Palms in Florida, offered to buy it back. So we are to receive back about 1/10th of what we paid to be rid of this, not a good deal but the only deal, and we will be free of the yearly ever-increasing maintenance fees and the need to go travel in this fashion. We still had 2 weeks of timeshare on the books to be used, one that had to be used before October. Hurriedly, we were able to book a week in Branson, Mo. for August 16 through 23. We had hoped to take our granddaughter, Maddi, along but she had made the field hockey team so was unable to go.

On Thursday, the 14th of August, we left home in our Jeep with suitcases packed heading west toward Branson. We spent 2 nights on the road- on the west side of Columbus, Ohio on Thursday (Hampton Inn) and then the west side of St. Louis, Missouri on Friday (Drury Inn). This was our first time to stay at a Drury Inn. Included in the room was a dinner buffet (soup, salad, pasta entree, salsa and chips) as well as a hot breakfast buffet ( omelets, sausage, fruit,etc.). The room cost was less than the Hampton Inn and the bed was more comfortable.

We arrived in Branson about noontime and were able to check into Spinnaker Palace View but we could not get our room keys until 4pm. So we went out for lunch and the spent time at the Shepard of the Hills fish hatchery and Lake Taneycomo until 4pm. During the week we went to several shows. Pierce Arrow show had been recommended to us by a group we encountered at the hotel on Friday evening. The Duttons show was a well rated show as well as the Haygood show. These shows were about 2 hours long and all proved to be very entertaining. Tom and I agreed that the Dutton's was the best of the 3 shows. The Dutton's are a family of talented musicians and entertainers. The Haygood's are another talented family group with louder music. Pierce Arrow is a group of musicians that perform a lot of gospel songs.

One afternoon we went on the Showboat Branson Belle. This paddle boat cruises Lake Taneycomo for 2 1/2 hours while the passengers enjoy a dinner and show. We were pleased with the meals that we had- Tom had prime rib and I had Mahi-mahi. The show was enjoyable.

For lunch one day we went to the College of the Ozarks. This college made quite an impression on us. The 1500 or 1600 students work 15 hours a week in order to pay their tuition. There is a restaurant, an inn, craft shops (weaving, furniture making, mills making corn meal and flours, jelly/jam kitchens) and farming. This is a liberal arts college. All the students we encountered were well groomed and very proud of their college. Since the college was not in session at this time students are allowed to work 40 hours a week to pay for their room and board. Most students (65-75%) come from the Ozark area. A great program and the students expressed their appreciation for being able to take advantage of this educational experience.

For whatever reason, this particular week is a down time for Branson. We wanted to go to Silver Dollar City and to the Shepard of the Hills outdoor play. Both of these activities were only open on Friday of this week. Silver Dollar City is an amusement park that also has stages throughout with entertainment. Presently, the entertainment is gospel groups. We sat through a couple groups of entertainers and rode a few rides. This weather this week was dry but hot. Temperature were in the 90's all week increasing to 100 degrees on Friday. Needless to say,the day would have been better in cooler weather. Later in the evening, we attended the Shepard of the Hills play which is performed in an outdoor amphitheater. Again this would have been more enjoyable in cooler weather.

Saturday morning we packed up and started our trek to home. We spent Saturday night at a Fairfield Inn in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. We ate dinner at a Ruby Tuesday's restaurant. While eating,there was a thunderstorm with sharp lightning and heavy down pouring of rain. Drawing out the dinner with coffee, we finally made a break for the parking lot and back to the hotel when there was a let up of the rain. Sunday we continued on and got home about 7pm.

Home, Monday, July 14, 2014

There was a storm last evening at the campground but from the news I believe that other areas south of Gettysburg were hit harder. We just experienced a downpour of rain with a few claps of thunder. This morning it was very humid and the temperature was building up. After dumping the black tank and rinsing it well we were headed for Taneytown about 10:30am. The short 13 mile trip was made easily in 20 minutes. Getting the motorhome in the driveway and then moving things into the house was a hot chore. We were hoping to hear some good news about our house but that wasn't to be. We will have to continue to wait and hope for the right persons to come along.

Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival, July 10-13, 2014 Thursday- Sunday

Thursday, July 10, we left the Manheim area and traveled 108 miles to the west to Centre Hall, Pa.  We were rallying with an Escapee group at the Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival at the Grange Park.  Luckily, the area that we were parked in was not crowded and we were able to hook into 50 amp power along with water, no sewer (although, honey wagon service was available for a fee).  It was a busy weekend.  Bluegrass groups performed for about 45 minutes beginning at 12 noon on Thursday, 11am on Friday and Saturday and last performance schedule for 9pm.  Most groups performed twice on the day they were scheduled – once during the day and then again in the evening.  There were 6 groups on Thursday and then 8 groups on Friday and Saturday.  Tom and I attended most of the performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Remington Ryde, the festival name, is a bluegrass group that the promoter, Ryan Frankhouser, belongs to.  Rhonda Vincent & The Rage was the highlight of the festival performing on Saturday with a great show.  Other groups that performed that we liked were: “Little Roy and Lizzie Show”,  “Gentlemen of Bluegrass”, “Idletymes”, “Nothin Fancy”, “Goldwing Express” and “Hillbilly Gypsies”.  An outside stage was used and spectators brought their chairs to sit outside or under a tent.  It was a warm bright sunny couple of days and fortunately we secured an area under one of the tents to place our chairs.  Workshops were also conducted throughout the days.  Tom attended 2 workshops lead by RB Powell, Bluegrass theory and Music Theory.  He also went for a workshop on Guitars but the instructor did not show up.  It was a very busy weekend.  There were numerous food vendors on the grounds as well as sales of CD’s and such and festival souvenirs.

Sunday, July 13, church services were planned followed by some performances until mid afternoon.  We did not attend the Sunday activities.  We were about bluegrassed out and had planned to leave on this day.  So we packed up and were on the road about 9:30am heading for Gettysburg.  A little past 12 noon we were at Artillery Ridge Campground after 128 miles.  We wanted to stay here tonight to be able to dump our waste tanks before going home.  An open house was also being planned for this afternoon by our realtor for our house so we could not go home during this time.

Roots and Last Day, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 8&9, 2014

Tuesday morning we drove just a little south of Manheim, Pa. to Roots Country Market.  This market is only open on Tuesdays and is well attended.  On this day the parking lots were nearly full but we finally found a spot to park.  The market has stalls indoors and outdoors.  We moved about the market as well as we were able purchasing some fresh vegetables and fruits and then some chipped beef and Lebanon bologna and made our departure.   After bringing our purchases back to the motorhome we went to a restaurant nearby, Rino’s, for Taco Tuesday- this really was an Italian restaurant but had tacos for the special.  We did spy a Mexican cook in the kitchen, though.  The skies became a little threatening in the evening and we did have a brief thunderstorm.

Today, Wednesday, is our final day at this campground as we will be going to Centre Hall, Pa. tomorrow to camp with an Escapee group at a Bluegrass Festival.  This morning we ran to a grocery store for a few things and then back to the campground.  I made a cake in preparation for the weekend and made dinner.  Midafternoon the electric went out in the entire campground for about an hour as I was trying to get some clothes washed.  Shortly after the electric returned the skies darkened and we had a bump of thunder with rain.  It has been hot and humid the past several days but it is predicted to be a little cooler and dryer tomorrow.

Reading, Pa. and Water Heater, Monday, July 7, 2014

Today we decided to go to Reading, Pa. for some outlet shopping. I wanted to go to the Easy Spirit store to look for shoes. I found the shoes that I would have liked to buy but not in my size so I struck out there. We then went into some of the other clothing stores and both of us ended up buying a couple shirts/blouses. The day was hot and the humidity was rising so we soon called it a day for shopping. We did stop for lunch on our way back to the campground.

About 10 days ago we experienced our tankless hot water heater not producing hot water. Tom called a technician that diagnosed the problem with a faulty thermister. The tech talked Tom through a procedure of bypassing the problem and giving us hot water until a replacement part could be gotten. Last Monday, a week ago from today, Tom called and got the replacement thermister ordered to be sent to this campground by priority mail. It was to arrive here by Wednesday or Thursday last week. When we checked in on Wednesday Tom informed the staff that we were expecting a priority mail package. Checks were made in the office on Thursday (Friday was a holiday) and then again on Saturday. We were told that nothing had arrived. We even suggested looking in the D and B boxes as well as the V, our name often confuses people where the last name starts. This morning Tom called the sender to let him know that we had not received the part. The sender did some checking and said that the package had been delivered here on July 3rd at 10 something in the morning. Tom had called the campground while we were in Reading with this information but they still insisted it was not here. When we returned to the campground this afternoon we went to the office again looking for this package. One gal, Stacey, in the office that I took to be the manager insisted that we needed to get them the name of whoever signed for the package and didn't seem to have any sense of being responsible for where this package could be. Another gal, Susan, immediately, began making phone calls to a neighboring business, as well as, tracking the package with the tracking number. And still no package was found. Tom returned to the motorhome and called the local post office and then called the office to inform them of this. Well, lo and behold, the package had been found and would be delivered to us. The gal delivering the package said that it had been found in the B box so much for the one that supposedly checked on Thursday. Within 15 minutes Tom had the part installed and the water heater working as it should.

Shopping and Dining, Saturday, July 5, 2014

Our ventures on this day took us first to the little town of Bird-in-Hand where we went to a small Farmer’s Market.  This market is unlike most markets in this area.  There are few Amish merchants and fewer fresh vegetables, fruits and meats.  Moving on, we came to the bustling community of Intercourse.   The Intercourse Canning Company store as the name implies has canned goods, many pickled items and jellies and jams.  Samples of the products are out so one can easily eat their way through this store.  On this day the salsa products (and there were quite a variety) were being promoted and offered at a dollar off per jar.   Kitchen Kettle is a touristy shopping area that emphasizes “strumming and jamming”.  In a shady central location on this day there was a group of four elderly musicians entertaining with their instruments and singing voices. 

From Pa 2014

 There are all kinds of shops many selling goods that is from this area as quilts and fabrics, jellies and jams and candy as well as a Christmas shop and home decorating shops.  While in the Christmas shop  was celebrating “Christmas in July” prize drawings were being done and Tom won a box of Christmas cards.
Venturing on, we drove to the town of Lititz.  We were at this time more than ready for a late lunch.  We ate at the Bull Head Public House in the outside patio.  It was such a beautiful day with bright blue skies and comfortable temperatures that dining outside was a real pleasure.  We both had burgers with sweet potato fries, good food.  We walked along the street stopping at the Chocolate Café, a place designated as a must see and specializes in sweet treats and chocolate drinks.  We each had a piece of salty caramel covered in dark chocolate ($3.89 for the 2 pieces, pricey).  We walked through a couple other shops before returning to the car and going back to the campground.  It was a nice day but there were many other folks out enjoying the day also.

Thursday and Friday, July 3&4,2014, Mt. Joy and Hershey

Thursday, the third of July, was a hot humid day.  At lunchtime we took off in toward Manheim looking for someplace to eat.  Manheim had gotten hit pretty bad on Wednesday with a storm that cause branches and trees to be blown down.  We could only go part way through town on Rte. 72 as the road was blocked off for a crane doing some clean-up work.  So we continued out of the town and drove to Mt. Joy where we found a little Mexican restaurant where we ate lunch.  On the way back toward the campground we stopped at a country market.  (It was surprising how the storm on Wednesday skirted around the campground.  We were in Cornwall, north of campground, and saw winds blowing strongly and then we saw the destruction in Manheim which is south of the campground).  We did have some showers Thursday evening and rain continued most of the night.

Today, Friday, the 4th of July, started out cloudy but gradually became clearer by afternoon although there was a good wind until evening.  The temperature remained in the 70’s all day and is to be a cool night (50’s).  Windows are opened and the air conditioning is turned off.  We started out this morning going to Green Dragon Farmer’s Market in Ephrata but when we got there it was so crowded and parking was almost impossible that we just continued on.  We then stopped at Sharp Shoppers super market and purchased a few items.  After returning to the motorhome to put away our grocery purchases we decided to go into Lebanon to see the town and maybe find someplace for lunch.  Many places were closed today due to being a holiday so we continued on.  The GPS showed a barbeque restaurant in Palmyra so we continued to that town but the restaurant was not at the location the GPS took us.  Continuing on we found Funck’s restaurant with a parking lot full of cars so we stopped there and had really nice fried chicken dinners.  A few miles further and we were in Hershey where we visited “The Hershey Story, the museum on Chocolate Avenue’’.  The admission was $9.00 for seniors.  A very nice museum about Milton Hershey and Hershey Chocolate. 

This evening at the campground a local band was performing and we sat through the first set of their music.

PA Dutch Country Campground, Manheim, Pa. Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Today, Wednesday, we left the Gettysburg Farm Campground and drove 53 miles to Manheim, Pa. to PA Dutch Campground.  We arrived here about 11am but did not get set up until 1pm.  The campsites here are not level, the sites have a slope that makes leveling the motorhome very difficult.  We tried one site and then moved to a second site where with help of boards under the front tires and jacks we are level.  And it was a hot, humid day for this aggravation.  We then drove into Cornwall and had lunch at "Quinten Haus" restaurant.  The skies had become dark as we got to the restaurant and as we sitting inside the rain began with wind but it didn't last too long.  The rain did not offer much relief from the heat.  We stopped at an RV store located next to the campground to get a folding step- with the front of the motorhome elevated we needed an additional step to get into the motorhome.  Both of us took naps after returning - those grandkids took their toll on us.  We plan to be here until July 10.

"Good-Bye Kiddos, Hello Rest", Monday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Monday morning we had to get up earlier than usual as Tom and I had dentist appointments in Taneytown starting at 9:30am.  The kids were not too excited about the early start but we also would be returning them back to their dad later in the day.  (We opted not to change the appointments when we had made plans to be out at this time knowing we would be less than an hour away.)  After the appointments and checking on the house we then drove to Frederick, Md. where we got Gabi and Parker some lunch at McDonald's.  And then their dad, Todd, arrived to take them home.  We had a nice time with these kids but was looking forward to a slower pace.  As Todd and the kids took off for Virginia we took off for our favorite restaurant in Frederick, La Paz, for our lunch before heading back to the campground in East Berlin, Pa.

Tuesday morning started out as an early morning again.  Tom was found to need a filling done on a tooth on Monday and he was able to be worked in on this morning (or he would have had to wait for several months).  So a little before 8am he left and I remained at the campground.  While he was gone I did some cleaning and cabinet reorganizing.  When Tom returned we drove to Hanover for lunch at Famous Hot Wiener and then to the movies to see "Jersey Boys".  In the evening we took a walk around the campground and noticed a storm headed our way.  We quickly put away chairs, picnic table covering and the grill before a couple drops fell and the storm circled around us.

Steam into History, New Freedom, Pa. Sunday, June 29, 2014

Sunday morning we all took the hayride that went through the campground and the out along the corn fields.  Parker said that he had never been on a hayride before.  After lunch we drove to New Freedom, Pa. to take a 2.5 hour train ride, "Steam into History" to Hanover Junction.  Parker has always been infatuated with trains so this was exciting for him and Gabi got caught up in Parker's excitement.  The steam engine is a replica of the locomotive that Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg to deliver his famous Gettysburg Address and the tracks that Lincoln's funeral train traveled.  The train traveled at 10mph taking about an hour to make the 10 mile trip to Hanover Junction from New Freedom.  At Hanover Junction we got off the train for about 40 minutes.  Conveniently, an Italian gelato truck was there selling ice cream treats which we had to have as we waited for the return trip.  Driving back to the campground we stopped in York at a Cheddar's restaurant for dinner.
The train ride was real nice.  Folks in period dress were on the train and at  Hanover Junction.  Narration  told of the history of the train and the sights along the way.  It was a warm day but with opened windows on the train a nice breeze made the trip a comfortable ride.

Friday and Saturday, June 27 & 28, 2014 Campground days

On Friday and Saturday we stayed around the campground.  Spent a few hours in the pool.  Took some walks about the park.  And played on the the playgrounds  Grandpa made a campfire Friday evening and hot dogs, campfire pies and marshmallows were cooked over the fire.  When lightning bugs made their appearance in the evening the kids had fun catching lighting bugs.  Saturday evening both kids had mishaps on the playground- Gabi had some scratches on her chin from falling into the sand and Parker hurt his knee on the sliding board.

Hershey Park, June 26, 2014, Thursday

We were at Hershey Park about 10:30 am and the kids rode the rides all day.  It was a hot day but we all had fun.  Parker got to ride on the train twice.  Gabi, a 2 year old, walked holding onto our hands all day.  We walked through the zoo which the kids got excited at seeing the animals. We made our last stop at Chocolate World and rode through the Chocolate tour.  The kids each got a teddy bear with candy.   Gabi fell asleep before we got off the parking lot but then we stopped at a Fuddruckers a short distance away for supper.  We were all ready for bed when we got back to the campground.

June 24 & 25, 2014 Tuesday and Wednesday

On Tuesday the 24th we stayed at the campground and spent some time in the pool.  On Wednesday we went to Columbia, Pa to the Turkey Hill Experience.  Turkey Hill ice cream is a well known brand in this area.  This “experience” was displays and activities about the making of ice cream.  We were given a scoop of ice cream and a small cup of tea which is also produced by this company.  The kids enjoyed playing in a room of plastic balls and a sliding board and, of course, the ice cream and tea.

Dutch Wonderland, Monday, June 23, 2014

We plan to be at Gettysburg Farm campground until July 2.  On this day we took Parker and Gabi to Lancaster area to an amusement park called “Dutch Wonderland”.  We bought tickets that were a combination of Dutch Wonderland and Hershey Park.  This is a nice park for younger kids.  We had a fun day getting the kids on the rides.  Parker being a great train boy enjoyed the train rides.  Gabi also enjoyed riding the different rides. 

Gettysburg Farm, June 22, 2014, Sunday

We met Todd as planned and picked up Parker and Gabi.  We then drove to Dover, Pa to Gettysburg Farm Campground.  As the name implies this campground is a farm themed park.  There are a variety of farm animals here- donkeys, llamas, alpacas, goats, chickens,cows, pigs and ducks.  After getting in and setting up our campsite we walk around looking at the animals and letting the kids play on the playgrounds.

Mid Atlantic Samboree- June 19-22, 2014

Thursday, June 19th, we left Taneytown and drove to Lincoln, Delaware- 143 miles.  We parked in the driveway of friends, Dave and Libby Hagan, for the night.  We had an enjoyable evening visiting with Dave and Libby and meeting their new puppy, Mac.  We all went out for dinner at the Pizza Palace in Milford, De., a very nice Italian restaurant that had much more than pizza.

Friday morning we said good-by to Libby and Mac, Dave had gone to work, and then drove a short 16 miles to Harrington, De. for the Mid Atlantic Samboree.  This Samboree included the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey and was just for the weekend.  We were really disappointed in the rally.  There were only 2 seminars, one on Friday morning about Pilot/Flying J and then one Saturday morning by Pampered Chef.   Friday evening was opening ceremony and an ice cream social.  Saturday evening we had a catered dinner and then entertainment by a group called the “Honeycombs” which performed music of the 50’s, 60’s and some 70’s.  Very entertaining!

Sunday morning we left before 9am and before closing ceremonies.  We had made plans with Todd to meet in Annaplois about 10 am to pick up our 2 little grandkids, Parker and Gabi.

Spring has Arrived and We are Home, May 20, 2014, Tuesday

Finally the weather is beginning to feel like spring.  I believe last night was the first night that the heat did not come on during the night in these couple of weeks of being on the road.  Yesterday was a bright sunny day and this morning started out that way but then the clouds started to move in and rain is predicted for tomorrow.

We were going to be home today but before pulling out we drove to Manheim,Pa.to Root' Farmers in the Jeep.  Seeing the parking lots so full we expected the inside market to be crowded but in this warmer weather there were outside vendors that help to disperse the crowds.  We made a loop around the market purchasing fresh produce and then returned to the campground.  Tom dumped the black and gray tanks and soon we were on out way toward home about 12 noon.  Seventy-two miles and 2 hours later we were home.

Obviously, there was some activity with the house as we found a couple lights left on and the fliers in the box on the real estate sign had been depleted.  But, unfortunately, there must not have been anything noteworthy for our realtor to contact us.

Lebanon, Pa. May 18 & 19, 2014, Sunday and Monday

Sunday morning about 10am we were on the road again heading east.  We weren’t sure where we were going to go at first, just didn’t feel ready to go home.  So finally decided to go to the Thousand Trails Hershey Preserve at Lebanon for a couple days before going home.  It was a pretty day for traveling- sunshine, green grass and trees with leaves.  After 351 miles we arrived at the T.T. Hershey Preserve about 4:30pm.   We got into a site had dinner, took a walk and then relax the rest of the evening.  We had never been to this campground before but it seems to be a nice place.  There are some hills here and our site is on the biggest hill giving a nice view.

Today, Monday, we decided to drive into Ephrata to the Ephrata Cloister, a place we had passed numerous times but never toured.  The Cloister was a creation of Conrad Beissel in the mid 1700’s at which time there were about 80 celibate Brothers and Sisters.  There were also families(Householders) in the community(about 200) that chose Beissel as their spiritual leader that contributed with funds, products and assistance to the Cloister.  Life in the Cloister was regimented and disciplined.  Diet was one meal a day of mainly vegetables and bread, rest was limited to 6 hours, long hours of work and periods of meditation were required.  A printing press was operated for 50 years and is known for printing the largest book in colonial America when they translated and printed the 1500 page “Martyrs Mirror” for the Mennonites.  Beissel died in 1768 and along with a decline in this monastic lifestyle lead to the demise of this community.  The last celibate member died in 1813 leaving the Householders to maintain the property and the faith as the German Seventh-Day Baptist Church.  Some Householders lived at the Cloister until 1934.  In 1941 Pennsylvania acquired the property and undertook a program to restore and interpret this historic site. An interesting day.  We grabbed lunch and made a couple stops at some of the unique stores in this area before returning to the campground.

Hurrah, We’re Out of the Mud!!, May 17,2014, Saturday

Last evening Tom and I went to the Farewell Party.  Had a nice time talking with others above the loud music that was being played.  We had heard at the party that a couple RVs had left the infield Friday and it was felt that we should be able to get out in the morning.  Unfortunately, after returning to the motorhome it began raining again.  Now we weren’t sure if we would be able to get out without hanging-up.

We had an 8:45am appointment this morning to get the motorhome weighed but with empty black and gray tanks.  Some RVs were leaving the area without problems.  So we got up and immediately started preparing to leave without breakfast.  I drove the Jeep out and then Tom followed in the motorhome without any problems.  A big sigh of relief!  Tom drove to a site that had a sewer outlet, backed in and dumped the tanks.  And then to the parking lot where the weighing was being done.  There was no wait so immediately the weighing was done and then we hooked up the car to the motorhome and were on our way.

We finally found a place to eat breakfast about an hour after being on the road at Churubusco, Indiana.  Tennis’ Ramblin’ Inn was a small local diner next to a CVS and an IGA grocery store that had room for us to park the motorhome and also we were able to get some needed orange juice and bananas.  The breakfast food was very good.

Continuing on we had a mix up in the directions from the GPS around Fort Wayne that we eventually worked our way out.  When we finally got to Columbus, Ohio area we met up with I-70 east that we would be traveling on to Wheeling, West Virginia.  Before reaching Wheeling, we stopped in Zanesville, Ohio for the night at Wolfies Campground.  There have been dark clouds much of the day with occasional periods of sun.  And it continues to be chilly with temperatures in the mid 40’s. 

Tonight I made dinner and have been washing clothes.  And we watched the Preakness to see California Chrome win.  Sure hope he is successful at the Belmont to become a Triple Crown Winner.

Last Day at Escapade, May 16,2014, Friday

This is the last full day of the Escapade and everything is slowing down.  Just a few seminars in the morning but we opted to skip that.  We took off for Nappanee.  Tom had received a call from Newmar parts department that the propane cap he had ordered last week was in and we could pick it up if we were still in the area or it could be shipped.  So we were going to pick that up.  From there we drove to Shipshewana, a touristy Amish area. 

From 2014-05-17 Elkhart

From 2014-05-17 Elkhart

There are numerous shops for buying Amish foods as cheeses, meats and baked goods as well as craft shops selling furniture and household goods.  We stopped at several shops mostly looking, not much buying.  Returning back to Goshen we stopped at Das Dutchman Essenhaus for lunch.  This restaurant has a noon buffet lunch of Amish type food- fried chicken, roast beef, noodles, gravies, mashed potatoes and assortment of vegetables along with a soup and salad bar.  And for dessert we had a piece of strawberry/rhubarb pie a la mode.  Good food- pie especially good.   (Almost as good as our daughter-in-laws, Beth)

Returning to the fairgrounds we went to the closing ceremonies and still came out not winning any door prizes. 

From 2014/05/16

Tonight we will be going to the Farewell Party.

After yesterday ended with beautiful sunshine we awoke this morning to clouds again and cold (34 degrees).  The clouds have remained all day with periods of misty rain.  Now at 5:15pm it is raining.  We are not sure when we are going to be able to get out of here.  The ground has dried up some but now with more rain, who knows.