On the Way to Goshen, Motorhome Rally, and Transition Time

We thought that posting once a week might be a good idea. Well, that was a thought. Now it has gone beyond that. It seems to be a problem with the number of things happening as opposed to the finite amount of time. At any rate, it's time to pick up where we left off.

After leaving Gettysburg we traveled across country avoiding the toll roads of Pennsylvania on our way to Goshen, Indiana which is in the middle of the RV manufacturing region for the US. We went by Hagerstown, Maryland and spent one night just south of Pittsburgh among the hills and valleys. The campground at which we stayed was in the Appalachian chain. Luckily, the site was level but getting there was a bit of a challenge. The streets were hilly and narrow. In fact, getting into the pull-through site was like riding a roller coaster -- up and then down.

While at the campground the power went out. Fortunately for us and the others so equipped, we had power because of the inverter. Unfortunately, however, Martha had started a load of clothes in the campground laundry. That, and other things about inconvenience, has helped us make up our minds to install a washer/drier in this motorhome as we’ve had in the other two diesel pushers.

From there we traveled on to a state park in Ohio just north of Columbus. Evidence that it was still early in the summer season was the fact that our assigned site (through a reservation system) was half underwater. Also, there were very few in the campground. Cellular access was somewhat limited, too. It was as close to "roughing it" as we had come in some time.

After getting near Goshen, we spent one night in Shipshewana Campground - South Park. Though we had been through this part of Indiana Amish country we had never just stopped to "smell the roses." The campground is situated between two working farms. To our north was open pasture and to our south was a field with several mares with some of their young foals running about.

Situated in a farming community, Shipshewana appears to

be a wonderful place to just sit back and relax.

Our reason for being in the northern part of Indiana was to attend a Family Motor Coach Association regional rally called GLAMARAMA. It was being held at the Elkhart 4-H Fair. It turned out to be one of the better rallies we've attended considering the opportunity for fellowship with other RVers, seminars for learning, and evening entertainment.

We parked in an area with other members of our "local" group, the Tri-State Traveliers (yes, it is spelled correctly). TST is composed of motorhome owners within 100 miles or so of the Cincinnati area. There were a dozen other member coaches present (that's how FMCA measures things, by the coach) which computes to 23 individuals). The following photos give an overview of our experience.

Members of Tri-State Traveliers held a dinner in one of the pavilions at the fairground.

Representatives from Freightliner Custom Chassis, which is

what our motorhome rides on, were present along with a

demonstration unit.

One evening with were entertained by three, amazingly

talented gentleman know at New Odyssey. Their "claim to fame"

is "three guys, 30 instruments.

At one point, the drummer put on a special costume reminiscent

of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The uniform and shoes were

embedded with triggers that played different percussion sounds.

No group gathers without eating. This shows some of those who

showed up for doughnuts that were provided each morning.

Yes, it's a boring diet but you do get to meet a variety of people.

One of the stranger units on display was this renovated unit,

a Winnebago Brave that, originally, was built in the early

1970 but has undergone an intense modernization which

included a totally redone skin, slide-out, and computer-controlled

circuitry to monitor just about anything from an iPad.

Following the rally, we returned to Louisville on Sunday afternoon, June 15. We came through the Indianapolis area and were able to have lunch with two of Byron's friends from his college days, Judy and Stan Jones. Later that evening we had a Father's Day dinner with Jeremy and Jody.

Since that point we jumped back in the process of clearing out items in the house by listing things on eBay and Craig's List. Thus far we've managed to sell a six-piece bedroom suite, barrister bookcase, curio cabinet, washer and drier. We still have Byron's Rodgers organ and our Oldsmobile Silhouette yet to move but trust it'll go this week. After all, we close on June 30 which coincides with our first day of nomadic life, a new chapter in our lives together.

Of course, we feel that God has blessed us all along the way and trust the He will continue to do so in this next phase. We look forward to the opportunity to meet many people, attend a variety of churches, and witness the wonders of His creation.

To those of you who are concerned about a mailing address, it will be 1885 Douglas Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40205. Jeremy will be collecting our mail and forwarding that which is really essential (which won't include the many coupons that come in the mail). Of course, we can still be reached by email and cell phone. Ain't life grand?