HappyTrails

Pennsylvania and New England States Next

We've finished our factory warranty appointment with Newmar and have moved along toward north central Pennsylvania where we'll spend a few days visiting with my Dad before moving on to New England.  Ophelia is threatening the outer banks of North Carolina and we're experiencing a light rain in Angola, IN where we're parked at a Walmart for the night.  Our experience with Walmart parking lots has been generally good but we did have some teenage party animals near our coach last night.  We always do our shopping at the Walmarts we visit and greatly appreciate that the company allows RVers to spend a night or two in their lot while traveling.

We will have a challenge finding an internet connection and will not have cell service as we head through the northern portions of Pennsylvania.  It may be that we have little cell service until we are in more populated areas of New England.  We'll do our best to update and let you know where we are and post photos.

Our planned route appears on the updated map.

Amish Country in Nappannee, IN

Our appointment at the Newmar factory where our motorhome was built is nearly over.  We cannot say enough about the organized approach used by Newmar for warranty service. It is clear that they want their customers to be happy.  For example, we had a list of twenty small items needing attention and on the first day we received a list indicating the many completed items and notes regarding partially complete items.  Because we're having some repainting of the exterior that will require an overnight stay in the paintshop, a room at a motel allowing pets (we have our three) was arranged and it has been terrific. 

The five o'clock wake up call has been a little less than desirable.   The culture at Newmar is one that serves the community as well as the customer.  By that I mean that the workers have a say in their work hours, they prefer to start work early and are at your coach by 6 a.m. These fellows are well awake at that time and expect the customer to be up, slides in, motors running and ready to hand over their home.  After a few days of this schedule all the folks rush into their coaches to take a nap at 2 or 3 p.m. when they regain control of their home. 

During our stay we've enjoyed the country setting in Indiana's Amish communities.  Having grown up in  Pennsylvania I am familiar with the simple lifestyle and the earnest, hardworking nature of the Amish.  Indiana Amish work in the motorhome and modular home industry and may also have their own business for providing cabinetry, furniture, dairy products, etc., to non Amish customers. 

Amish buggies abound in Nappannee! (This photo was taken in Shipshewana, IN near Nappannee by an unknown photographer.  I'll have some of my own photos next week.)

After our work is complete we'll be heading to Pennsylvania which is a change from the original plan.  We've decided that we'll stay on the state side and head East right away. We can go through Canada on our trip to Nova Scotia in a year or so.  For now, we'll continue with the plan to go to Maine and head South down the coast to Georgia. We'll stop in a variety of places to catch up with friends and family along the way. Of course, we're watching the hurricane situation and making our plans subject to possible change.

Postscript

Okay, I said I'd add my own photos from Amish country. Alas, I never really had any good opportunities.  The old order Amish feel that being photographed denotes pridefulness and do not wish to have any graven images taken.  So.....here is an interesting photo taken by someone who posts on Webshots (the photo is owned by Heyworth3).

 

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (National Park Service)

Link: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (National Park Service).

Our stay at Indiana Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan was relaxing and quite a surprise.  The park has huge sites with electric hookups for a very affordable price.  The park is near a number of towns worth checking out.  The closest town, Chesterton, IN, is quite small but offers several good cafe's.  We discovered a small cafe that is family owned where we sat outside on a warm evening and enjoyed an excellent seafood pasta dish.  This area is within an hour's drive to Chicago, Nappannee where the manufacturers of motorhomes mingle in an Amish community.