From Ohio to Pennsylvania. When plans don’t go as planned….

 

From Ohio to Pennsylvania. When plans don’t go as planned….

Even the best laid out plans can get derailed by seemingly minor things, like needing Diesel.

Yesterday morning we left the Towpath Service Plaza in Ohio, where we got to spend the night among other trucks. We knew we had a 3 hour drive ahead to our next location, a Harvest Host in Pennsylvania.

Now on paper/screen it all looked good. The Harvest Host accepted our request, it stated it was big rig friendly and we would get to tour the Maple Syrup facility plus get to enjoy the beautiful property to hike with the pups. 

We were suppose to arrive at Noon, in time for lunch and a nap. The fact is we did arrive at noon, but the part we did not calculate was that we needed to get diesel for Lucy and neither the interstate or the country side wielded any results. As a matter of fact the drive through the hills depleted her even faster then we liked. So we pulled into the Harvest Host with 1/4 left in the tank. This would be still doable if we didn’t have a need to run the generator at night to work the heat. The build in generator will not run if it’s a quarter or less as it knows we need that to get us to a truckstop. 

So we arrived at noon, took a bit of time to park us, then unhooked Lou had a quick lunch. We then drove off with Lucy to the nearest truck-stop that accepted our TSD Card (diesel discount Card). That meant through a very hilly and beautiful countryside for 30 min one way. The turns and curves added to the flavor as Lucy got so shaken up her drawer came flying out.

We made it to a Sac Shop Gas Station which had diesel but no DEF pumps. Luckily they sold it in a box inside the store. We made it back in time for coffee and cake.

So three hours turned more or less into 5 hours and I was beat. I think if I had mentally prepared for 5 hours it would have been easier but I had so counted on a nap that I was dragging all afternoon and evening.

Indiana - Renegade/Garden Inn And We Are Ready To Get Out Of Here

Indiana - Renegade/Garden Inn And We Are Ready To Get Out Of Here

 We checked into the Garden Inn in Elkhart IN on October 7. We had a room that opened into the Court yard plus close to the exit which was a perfect layout for our two babes, Keetna & Oliver. It is an older Hotel/Motel but it was clean and was perfect for our needs. Centrally located with tons of restaurants and shopping all around us. 

We had Saturday and Sunday to move some things into the room to get us through the week. Most challenging for me was the freezer and refrigerator. I tried to use up food as best as I could prior but still to go from a large residential to a tiny motel fridge is pretty much impossible. So our two big coolers had to pull their weight with the help of the ice machine provided.

Early Monday morning we dropped off Lucy at 7 am with Renegade in Bristol IN. She was with them for 5 days with a pickup scheduled for Friday. The plan was we get her back on Friday and then move our items back in and move back to Shipshewana on Saturday as we booked a whole week at the Garden Inn.

Well, very early on Friday morning I got a call from Renegade that Lucy was ready for pickup. I told Ron and with in 5 min my husband was dressed and ready to go. We got there and had our walk around. Most items were fixed but not all. The large awning needs to be replaced as they could not get it realigned. So it is zip tied down for now. The new one they recommend to replace it with will be $10,000. We also had the leak in the living room side window that we had fixed with duct tape and they replaced the window. Sadly they used a different window then the original and it isn’t quiet to our liking but it works. Anyway, we were beyond thrilled to have her back! 

We drove back to the Garden Inn and instead of taking the day to move things into Lucy for our next day departure, we did it in 1 hour and it took us 30 minutes to get to Shipshewana. We were set up in the campground by Lunch time!

We literally could not envision another night in the Motel if Lucy was ready to go. So I checked us out a day early and called the campground asking them if we can show up a day early.

How can I express how much we embrace this lifestyle? We both get in a depressive mood whenever we are not in our home on wheels and are not on the move. 

Even now, we spend one week in Shipshewana, one week in Elkhart and are now on our week back here in Shipshewana. This puts us at three weeks in one area and we are so very ready to launch and move on. Sadly we faced more curveballs as Safelite that replaced the windshield on Rosalina in week one, broke the wire for the  rain and light sensors. A $700 mess up on their end and we are in battle mode to get it fixed. This is what is holding us here and we are not happy about it. 

So we are in limbo but it feels like purgatory but we will prevail. After all we are happy to be back in Lucy and we did get a new mattress this past week so we are sleeping even better. Even if we are sleeping now 3 feet/ 1 meter high. We did had to get a step stool to get up the bed but then the things one does to be more comfortable- haha

Another reason that might be beneficial for us to move on is that living in this Amish Community one gets spoiled with to much yummy food options. This one Dutch Bakery at the Essenhaus has the best pastries and filled donuts I ever tasted and I am a sugar snob. There is also this Pretzel 🥨 Haus that serves pretzels in any variation and I am in love. Now if the weather was good this would not be an issue as I could be walking or biking but it has been very cool in temps (40’s & 50’s) with rain. Not very comfortable and not our goal of staying in the 60’s, 70’s temp range. Oh and Ron also had a dentist appointment this past week so we were still productive. 

Hopefully next time I write in here we will be on the move towards Virginia Beach, with a quick stop at Harpers Ferry. 

Indiana - Shipshewana ♥️

 

Indiana - Shipshewana ♥️ 

We made it to our sweet Lucy’s Birthplace on the 28th of September, 3 nights before we were suppose to arrive. Luckily a spot was available so our one week stay now is a 9 nights stay here at the Shipshewana Campground South.

What can I say but that I absolutely love being back here. My whole love for certain areas must be a contradiction for many. I love raw nature and wild sceneries. I do crave the water, may it be the ocean, a river or lake. I love to hike, but I also love to Bike.

So when we get into Amish Country and we are surrounded by animals (cows, horses and sheep at the campground), farms and quaint stores I feel a certain peace. Everything here slows down, there are Country stores, creameries, farmers markets, Meat & Cheese Markets, furniture stores, flea markets and just about everything one would like to browse through. The vision I am getting of this area is of it being high on work ethic, clean and very personable as truly everyone we deal with is attentive, kind and just very friendly. From the campground owners and workers, to the stores from coffee shops and restaurants. From an exceptional Animal Clinic who diagnosed Keetna with Arthritis and Nerve issues and worked out a treatment we can continue while on the road. To the Dentist that Ron went to who he said was the smoothest visit he ever had at a dentist. To the Pain Clinic that was very knowledgeable and set up my husband with the treatment he needs in a fast and efficient method.

My brain now wonders if we lived so far removed from how things should be that we are just plain shocked whenever we see everything going so well or is this the exception? I don’t think so because I know other places where we witnessed this as well and that was Maine. Eastport, Maine as well as with our friends at Echo Lake  and the precious Harvest Host we stayed at. I think out here in the East and Midwest we are seeing a behavior in human interactions that reminds one of years gone by. However, all of this comes in pockets within states so we could not label one state as good or bad. It’s the area one seeks out that makes the difference.  We also saw it in Kalona, IA, as well as out west in South Dakota, our home state. We are creating slowly our most loved and most disliked list of regions and we have a lot more ground to cover.

As to right here for me wanting to bike, there is the Pumpkinvine Trail, a bicycle and hiking Trail, 33 miles long going through the countryside from Shipshewana to Middlebury, Goshen and Elkhart. It is just plain beautiful.

But admittedly we did come back here because of Lucy who needs some attention. We exchanged the dinette area from a booth to a table/chairs and office space. Lucy is becoming more and more uniquely us, fit for our needs and highly functioning. We also put the Snap-Pads on that we ordered after a fellow Renegade Family recommended them when we met in Bar Harbor. Then she goes in for some TLC at Renegade next week. So our time here is highly productive and we are staying very busy.  

Next week we get to hang out in a Motel/Hotel, the Garden Inn by Hilton in Elkhart while Lucy is in the shop. So another adventure awaits. Then we are probably coming back to Shipshewana to wait for our new mattress to be delivered as we ordered one from an Amish Furniture store that has it made to fit. We are very much looking forward to getting a new one, well our backs are!