Relaxing In Lancaster County

We enjoyed our stay in the Boston area.  We stayed at a KOA and had a premium site. That is all that was left when we made our reservation.  It was hard getting into our site due to the sites across from us having cars parked in our way.  We ended up having to move to another site on Tuesday because we extended our stay and our site was already rented out.  It turned out to be a good thing that we moved because we were put in a pull-thru site that was much easier to get out of when we left on Wednesday.

Our premium site. We had a nice patio, a table and chairs and a swing.

Here I am preparing the coach for take-off. The carpet is rolled up so that our walls can move in.

We left Wednesday morning at 6:45 a.m.  We quickly made our way through several states.

 Dad had planned out our trip the night before, but our GPS decided to make some changes overnight and we ended up going a different way.  It turned out that we avoided $70 in toll charges, but we ended up being delayed an hour due to construction. Mom was nervous because she had to read the map and determine if the route was okay for us.

We are going to get a different GPS.  The one we have came with the RV and it is really difficult to alter the routes it gives you.  Dad doesn't like that the GPS screen changes to a camera when he turns his signal on. They saw the one that they want at Escapade and Mom is going to order it.  We will be able to plan our routes on the computer and transfer it to the GPS.

We arrived in Lancaster County after 4 p.m.

This is our view from our windshield.  

This is one of our neighbors.

Amish farms are on three sides of us.

The dog walk has a fire hydrant.

Scenery at the dump station.

Another view from our window.

Hot air balloons are seen daily here.

We have horses, a cow, pigs, chickens and donkeys here.

The campground is really small.  The owners are super nice and always say "HI JOEY!" whenever they see me.  I wish the place was a little bigger for walking.  I am not allowed to "water" the trees.  Mom doesn't understand that because the trees are large, not baby trees.

I think the owners picked out our site just for us since we are going to be here for three months. We have a nice view and we have the morning sun in our windshield and not the afternoon sun.That is a good thing except when it is cold.  We don't have anyone on our door side because there is a well house there. They owners talk to us every day when they see us out on our walks and they check to make sure everything is okay with our site.

This trip really wore me out.

Enjoying my new yard.

Dad is in Chicago for the next few days.  Mom said it is nice being in a place where if she has any problems, she can go to the owners and they will definitely help us.

There is a ton of shopping just a little over a mile away.  This is where Mom and Dad used to come to shop at the outlet mall when we were in Maryland.

Mom will be able to ride Buddy here, but she will have to watch out for horse poo on the roads.  Yep, there is a lot of poo on the roads here.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Can't Water The Trees, But Horses Poo In The Streets

Plymouth, MA

Yesterday, the folks drove to Plymouth, MA to see Plymouth Rock and Mayflower II.  Before they left, Mom took me on a long walk around the campground.

Come on!

We found a small road to explore.

The folks then drove to Plymouth.  There is a lot of street parking along the waterfront and they paid for four hours of parking.  It was only $4. They really only used a little over two hours.

They visited Mayflower II.  No one knows for sure what happened to the original Mayflower, so another Mayflower was built between 1955 and 1957.  It is a reproduction of the original ship and is the same size.  She sailed from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA.

Admission to tour Mayflower II is $12.50.

The Mayflower II

Visitors are allowed to explore the boat.  There are a few workers on board that answer questions.  There was only one in costume when the folks were there and she gave an insight as to what it was like for the passengers.

This is where the passengers actually lived for the 66 days they were on board.  It is below deck .

102 passengers lived here for 66 days.  There were more beds here, of course during that time.

 

The passengers rarely went above this floor because there was not room with the workers. They were basically told to stay below and out of the way.

There was a lot of seasickness during the voyage.  They used "buckets" to relieve themselves and according to the guide, they were not cleaned out often and the smell was really bad.  Can you imagine living there for 66 days with 102 people?

The kitchen which was on the upper deck from the passengers.

This lady showed how to make the bag like the one that is standing.

The Mayflower did not actually reach Plymouth Rock.  The water was not deep enough for that.  Instead, the Mayflower was about two miles from shore.  The pilgrims actually arrived by a small boat.

This is the type of boat they used to get to shore.

After the self-guided tour, the folks walked over to Plymouth Rock.  The folks had read reviews about Plymouth Rock and were prepared for it to be smaller than originally expected.  Mom expected it to be smaller after reading the reviews.

The rock is actually under this area.  It has to be out of  reach because people have chipped away pieces through the years.  It was also split in half at one time and is now cemented back together.

So, the pilgrims did not actually land on Plymouth Rock in the Mayflower and actually, they didn't even land on this rock in the little boat.  Nope, it was a hundred years later that Plymouth Rock was actually named and it is not even known if they stepped on this rock.

The folks then walked to a restaurant for lunch.  It was Dad's birthday, so he chose a seafood platter for lunch.

They ate outside.

Morton Fisherman

 The folks then got the car and tried to find Burial Hill.  They couldn't get in the entrance they planned on because it was closed. They walked a huge hill to get to the top of Burial Hill.  It is said that some of the pilgrims are buried here.  The stones were so old that they had trouble reading them. They didn't stay long because they were worried the car would get a ticket in the place they left it.

The Pilgrims' fort was actually built here and I guess eventually it just became a burial ground. Half of the people died after they arrived here.

Can you see the water in the background?  It is a nice view.

There was a lot more to see and do, but the folks were tired so they came home to me.

Mom said Plymouth probably takes a few days to really explore.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Headed To Pennsylvania

Another Bucket List Item Crossed Off Our List

We have done a lot of re-arranging of our travel plans on this trip.  We weren't supposed to come to Boston and the folks decided to squeeze that into our trip.  We were supposed to visit Grand Rapids, MI and that has been canceled.  We were able to see the JFK Library, but now we are not seeing the President Ford Library.

So, yesterday, the folks visited the JFK Library/Museum.  Mom really never thought she would make it there because it is so far up the coast.

The only downside to visiting the museum was the weather was gloomy.  The view of the bay was terrible due to the rainy day.

The tour starts out with a 20 minute movie about John F. Kennedy's life up until he was elected to senate.  The doors open up to what looks like a little town with store windows showing how life was in the 50's.

This is the Kennedy family Bible.  Kennedy was sworn into office with this Bible.

As you can see, the museum is very elegant.  It is comprised of many rooms.

A dress that Jackie wore to a dinner.

Replica of Kennedy's desk.  The rocker was his.

Kennedy's rocker

Outfit that Jackie wore when she taped a tour of the White House for TV.

Mom felt the museum ended suddenly.  There was a hall with small TV screens and it played the shooting in Dallas, the news bulletin of the shooting and death and parts of the funeral.  It was all in black and white, of course.  There was nothing more.  Mom expected pictures that she has seen elsewhere of Johnson being sworn in and pictures from the funeral.  There was nothing.  Mrs. Kennedy must have wanted it to end suddenly just like his life ended.

The museum has a replica of Robert Kennedy's office.  He was the attorney general while JFK was President.  It is unusual for something like that to be included in a Presidential museum, but again, we think it was Jackie's decision to include it.

The next room is an atrium that probably has a beautiful view on most days.  It was hard to see the harbor due to the rain.

JFK's boat.

The folks were getting ready to leave when they walked into a talk being given about JFK and PT 109.  The folks had never heard about PT 109.  JFK was in charge of a boat during WWII.  It was basically split in half by a Japanese destroyer.  The crew was presumed dead.  A memorial service was even held.  They were all injured and two were killed. Kennedy was a true hero.  He swam for miles trying to get help.  Finally, he came across two native boys who did not speak English.  He wrote a message for them to deliver to an Australian that they worked for on a coconut. They were finally rescued after six days.  You can read about it here.  PT 109

The coconut.

This is what he wrote on the coconut.

The folks thought the museum was nice, but small.  Most museums show what the President has done since he left office, but since Kennedy died in office and only served three years, there really wasn't a lot to show.  That is sad.

The admission is $14 a person.

Today, the folks visited Plymouth, MA.  We will write about that next time.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Preparing To Hit The Road Again