Sunday Was NOT A Relaxing Drive

Saturday we left Lancaster for Elkhart, IN.  It was a windy, rainy day.  We thought Sunday would be an easy drive.  It was not.  We stopped about 30 minutes into our drive at a truck stop.  It looked like a really easy place to get propane.  It would have been, but a warning light came on the RV when we arrived.  We parked and tried to find out what the warning light meant.  Dad looked in the manual and Mom looked online.  Mom looked up what Dad thought it was and found something very upsetting on a forum.  It said to turn off the engine because a fire could start.  Dad didn't want to turn off the engine and Mom got scared because we were parked in the middle of tractor trailers.  Mom then called the emergency helpline for Entegra.  Dad told them the problem and we were told to continue on our trip.  There was not a repair place nearby and if we couldn't drive it in, we would need to be towed. We had 297 miles to go.  We went about 30 miles and then our engine light came on.  We stopped at the next available rest area and called the emergency line again.  Again, we were told to keep going.

Very happy to cross the border into Indiana.  We still had a long drive ahead of us though.

 We were told the only reason to stop driving was if the stop engine light came on.  We decided not to stop for lunch. Mom fixed Dad a sandwich and he ate it while driving.  We were starting to get hopeful that we would make it and then 30 miles from the campground, the DEF light starting flashing.  We figured that was a signal that we would start loosing power soon and would be stuck along the road.  We knew that eventually the DEF issue would reduce our speed to about 10 miles an hour.   Finally, we arrived at our campground. Dad decided to leave the engine running while he registered at the campground.  He thought if he turned it off, we would get the stop engine light. We finally arrived at our site.  That was a HUGE relief.

We camped here in April for the Entegra rally.  There is a ton of walking places.

After we got settled in the site. The folks left to see how far the Cummins repair place was because that is where we needed to go for repairs.  It was ten miles away.  They then drove to the body shop to see how far that was and it was 30 miles.

Dad called the tech that had been helping us on the road and let him know we made it.  He said that we should just go on to the body shop on Monday and then as long as the stop engine light was not on, we could take it to Entegra when we go for other repairs in two weeks and they would be able to fix it.

Sunday night, we packed the car with everything we needed for our hotel stay since we would not be staying in the RV while it was at the body shop.  Our big outdoor chairs were brought into the bathroom because they normally ride in the Jeep and there wasn't room for them, me and our luggage. We were all ready to go. Dad started the engine and the stop engine light came on.  Grrrr!   Dad called Entegra who talked to him for a while. They put him on a conference call with the Cummins place, but that guy was on the phone, so he wasn't available.  We waited for him to call us back, but he didn't.  Dad then just drove the Jeep there to try and get things moving along.  Well, the news was not good.  They could not get us in until November 14th!   More phone calls and more waiting. There was talk that maybe we should just drive it to Entegra.  We finally heard that a mobile tech could come out to us, but it would not be until Tuesday. It was possible that he might come Monday afternoon. We had to pay for another day of rent at the campground and change our hotel reservation.  We were hoping it could be fixed and that our body work could still be completed on time.  Lots of stress.  We had to unpack some of the things we had packed in the Jeep.

Monday night ended up being a very cold night. It was 31.  Our main furnace is broke.  We can use our heat pump as long as it is over 42 degrees. We used our fireplace, but it was still quite chilly.  Brrr!!!  Mom was wishing we were in a warm hotel room.

Tuesday morning we were hoping the tech would arrive early.  Dad called around 10 a.m. to see if there was an ETA.  We were told they would check but thought he would be there in the afternoon.  How could we be told it might be Monday afternoon and then pushed back to Tuesday afternoon?  We figured we would be spending another night in the campground and then, THE TECH ARRIVED!  Now the question was if he could actually fix it.  He said we would have ended up on the side of the road if we had driven it.  He said we would have been able to go 5-10 miles an hour.  He hooked up a computer and found a few issues.  Remember back in April when we had an engine light on?  We took it to a place in downtown St. Louis and they said our software just needed to be updated.  Dad never did like that answer. Anyway, our problem was part of that problem.  The tech kept checking things.  He said it could be the pump or a hose.  Mom hoped he had the necessary parts with him.  He drove an hour and a half to reach us. If he had to order parts or pick them up, that was more time we couldn't afford to loose.  Mom and I went for a long walk through the woods so that we were out of the way.  When we returned, it was fixed!  It was the pump!

We were already late checking out of the campsite.  Dad ran to the office to tell them we were leaving and to see if they were going to charge us. They did not answer the door, so we got ready and packed. They are not very friendly there.  They do not like to chit chat at all.

Dad called the body shop to make sure they could still do the work.  They said they could!  We packed up the Jeep again and took off.  I rode with Mom and we followed Dad in the RV.

The RV looks pretty sad without us.

 The body shop guy came out and talked to us.  He talked to me and he even guessed my weight correctly.  He must like to do that.  He just said "What are you? About 74 pounds?"  He seems like a nice guy and said he will have it ready for us by the middle of next week.  We need it by next Friday, so hopefully he is correct.

We then headed for the hotel.  Normally, I enter the Jeep from the rear, but since Buddy is on the Jeep, I had to use the passenger door.  It was super easy.  Mom said I may just start doing that from now on.  She is always worried I will get hurt jumping in and out.

Hotel, here we come.

Somehow I ended up with five toys. I was only supposed to have two. I think that was due to the unpacking and repacking.  

I rode the elevator like a pro and settled in quickly to hotel living.

We went out for Chinese food last night.  We brought it back to the room.  Mom and I took a few long walks around the place. There is a lot of green space.

It is a rainy day today, so I am mainly staying inside. I did get really scared on the elevator today, so I think I will do steps from now on.  The first room they gave us was on the first floor.  It was right next to a door to the outside and Mom was concerned that I might escape if an employee came in the room while I was alone. There are also automatic doors that would let me out.  We moved to the second floor where an escape is harder.  It is not like I try to escape, but you never know.  In some ways Mom wishes we were in the first room, but I know she would have worried about it the whole time.

We have a small kitchen in our room. The kitchen does not have an oven. Mom thought there might be a microwave/convection oven like we have in the RV.  There is a microwave, but she is not used to cooking meals with it.  She is going to go shopping later today and see what meals she can figure out. We will eat out quite a bit.  The microwave and cook top seem to cook faster than ours.

It sounds like I am going to be going with the folks on some adventures, so I will have more to say later.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Slept Good Last Night

Bye-Bye Lancaster

We left Lancaster, PA this morning.  Mom and I really enjoyed our time there.  I think we will write a little more about Lancaster in a few days.  We need to update you on our travels today.

The folks were a little concerned because high winds and rain were in the forecast for today.  The wind howled last night.  We have a deadline though and we had to hit the road today.  The day started out windy and cloudy.  A big wind gust came through right when Mom was trying to close the RV door. She slammed the door and broke some trim.  Dad said it was already on the list of things that needed to be replaced. The wind was high, but we have been through worse.  We could really feel it when we went over bridges.

Scenes from our travel today in PA.

 

The sun came out a few times.

I forgot to mention the temperature.  We went from running our AC yesterday to needing the heater today. The windchill was 38. Brrrr!

Then the rain started.  It rained for the last 200 miles.

 The road we took was a toll road.  It was hilly and curvy.  That is not much fun on a wet and windy day.  Any guesses on what we paid to drive on the toll road?

We paid $81.30.  We get to take another toll road tomorrow.  :-)

We finally arrived at our campground.  It is a KOA, so I wanted to check out the dog park.  I always enjoy their dog parks.

Oh Boy! We have to cross a bridge to get there!

Anticipation!

What?  This can't be the dog park!

Yep, it is.  It is flooded.  I wanted to go in it anyway, but Mom said "No".  What a ripoff!

 It definitely looks like fall here.

We are in Mercer, PA tonight.  Yep, we are still in PA.  Tomorrow, we head to Elkhart, IN.  We will be there for three weeks having work done on the RV.  Remember that hail damage we received in Arlington, TX in March?  We are getting that fixed.  It will take about two weeks.  We are going to be living in a hotel.  It will be my first time in a hotel.  Scout and Jack stayed in one for a few months when the folks sold their house. Scout told me that it wasn't that much fun, but I am excited to see it for myself.  Mom said I might even get to ride the elevator!  I don't know what that is!

After the hail damage is fixed, we are then taking the RV in for service.  We have lots of things that need to be fixed like our furnace. Yes, we would like to have heat again.  We will be staying in the RV there at night, but during the day we have to find a place to go.  Mom is not looking forward to that, but we will get through it.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is On The Road Again

Rocky, Christ Church and Philly Cheesesteaks

Hi Everyone! (Hi Grandma!)

Have you missed me?  I have been hanging out with Mom.  We have been spending a lot of time just enjoying the nice weather.

The park has been packed.  This trailer is in my spot.

We watched the pumpkin harvest.  They used like a conveyor belt to get them in the wagon. At first, they were just throwing them to each other to get them into the wagon.

We heard on the news that there is a pumpkin shortage.  If there is, it is not here.

We watch balloons.

We walk through our campground several times a day.

We watch the cow

and the horses.

Yep, we stay pretty busy.  BOL!

The folks drove into Philadelphia on Saturday.  It is about an hour and fifteen minutes from here.  They planned to stop at the Rocky statue and run (or maybe walk up) the steps like he did.  Well, it was $15 to park and Dad said it wasn't worth it to him, so they drove by like four times.  They were looking for a free spot, but none opened up.

That is as good as Mom could get because her window doesn't open up.

The steps he ran up.

Their next stop was to eat a cheesesteak at either Pat's or Geno's. You see, they are located across the street from each other.  The folks found that getting there was tough.  There were one way streets with people parked on both sides, so it was tight driving through.  It took quite a while to make it there and then there was no parking.  It wasn't like they were being cheap.  There was only street parking and it was full for blocks.  They drove around three times trying to find a spot and then gave up.

They headed to Constitution Center which was another one of their planned stops.  Parking was easy there as there was a garage.  It ended up costing $18.50 but they were there for 3.5 hours.  Mom immediately checked TripAdvisor to see where they could eat.  She saw a place called Sonny's Cheesesteaks that was nearby.  Dad said that he heard it was actually better than Pat's and Geno's, so they walked there.  Mom said it was pretty good.

Dad checked TripAdvisor while they were eating and discovered that they were near Christ Church and he said they should stop by.  This is the church that George Washington, Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross and others who signed the Declaration of Independence attended church.  There was a guide there who made seeing the church very interesting.  He showed them where George, Betsy and Ben sat.  I guess back then, they had assigned seating.  He pointed out a chandelier that holds candles.  He said that same chandelier was used when Ben Franklin's grand daughter got married.  There are still weddings held there and church service is held on Sundays. There are people that are supposedly buried in the floor of the church.  Mom wanted to ask about that.  Was that normal for back then?  She didn't get to ask because Ben Franklin came walking in with a couple of tourists from England and the guide started talking to them.

The chandelier that the guide pointed out.

This is where George and Martha Washington sat.

Mom sat in Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross and George Washington's pews.  Betsy Ross had a small area.  Dad said she didn't have a very good view.  Mom really enjoyed seeing the church.  She thought it was awesome to be in the same place as so many historic figures.

Post office and Franklin Print Shop.  Mom does not know if they are original.  

They then walked to Constitution Center.  It is kind of like a museum in that they do have some items, but mostly it is a lot of reading about the constitution, the Bill of Rights, etc.  Admission price is $14.50, but there was a special on Saturday and it was only $8 a person. Dad had read the reviews and said that the performance of Freedom Rising was supposed to be very emotional.  He told Mom that she might cry. She did not cry. Dad fell asleep. The lady next to Mom fell asleep and the guy across from them snored loudly.  Mom didn't think it was boring, but it didn't move her at all.

There is a room that is full of bronze statues of the founding fathers.  Mom did not take photos. She should have.

A room contains a copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

There is also a section that talks about and has items from Presidential campaigns.  Mom found that somewhat interesting.

This slipper was worn at George Washington's Inaugural Ball.  The heel looks like it is made of cork.  It could be wood.

Mom thought the Ford one was funny.

Playing cards with the Kennedy family.

Abraham Lincoln item.

It was a long day and the folks finally made it back home to me.  They were gone 8 hours and then after they took me out for a walk and tried to make it up to me, they left again for dinner.

Sunday, they stayed home with me except for when they went out to dinner.  Dad washed the other side of the motor home and Mom and I watched.

A view of Lancaster from the car.

That's all for now.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Needs A Nap

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum

Wow!  We haven't posted in a while.  Grandma even contacted us last week to see if we were okay. (Hi Grandma!)   Not much is really going on.  Mom and I have been enjoying the nice weather and sometimes we sit outside for two or three hours.  She reads and I sleep.  Mom and I patrol the campground several times a day.  Doug, who works here, enjoys talking to me, so I make sure I see him as often as possible.  The owner also likes to pet me, so I make sure he sees me. Mom is still working when she wants or rides Buddy aka shopping. Mom has been busy purging things but still has more cabinets to go through. She got out all her winter clothes last week and washed them.  My bed even got washed.  I was not happy.  So, we are not just sitting around watching TV.  BOL!

Here I am in front of the buggy that is at the campground.  I refused to pose for the photo.

Can you believe that people still go out the wrong way.  If the owner sees you doing it, she will yell at you.  BOL!

The chicks from the neighboring farm seem to think the campground is theirs.

People laugh at my boot, but look at this horse we saw on TV!  He wears four boots.  He visits nursing homes.

We had a small Casita rally here last week.  They are really small trailers.

Last Saturday, Dad took his no line bi-focals back.  He just can't adjust.  He said he could only see a small circle on his computer.  The lady at the eye place said that some people just can't wear them.

Last Sunday, the folks visited Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum.  It is a place that is dedicated to the Pennsylvania Germans that settled here.  Some of the buildings are original to the site and others were moved there.  Supposedly, it looks like it did when it was a town in the 1700's.  Two brothers actually started the museum because they were big collectors and they wanted to display their items.  They opened their museum in 1925.

The farm consists of some houses, blacksmith shop, farm and machinery and tool barn, hotel, school house, store, firehouse, tin shop, tavern, gun shop and a log cabin.  The folks have visited many old farms and a few villages like this, but the thing that made this one different was that their were people there showing how things were done.  Mom really enjoyed the tin shop.  The lady there has made the items in the shop such as candle holders, pitchers, etc. She also makes and sells Christmas ornaments.  Her ornaments were on the White House Christmas Tree one year.  The man in the gun shop showed how guns were made from start to finish.  Mom is not all that interested in guns, but it was still interesting to see.  The man in the tavern didn't have too much to say but he was tired because he was doing yard work before the folks arrived. The visitors center was full of weather vanes, but no photos were allowed.

Country store

The hotel

The folks enjoyed the tour more than they thought they would.  The cost was $12 a person, but Mom had a free ticket through her KOA app.  KOA now offers coupons as part of their membership which is pretty neat.  The coupons are for all over the country and the folks have used several at restaurants, attractions and even Great Clips.

This weekend, they did a little shopping.  They went to an ice cream place that is famous here, Lapp Valley Farm. They make their own ice cream and the waffle cones are made fresh.  Mom said it was really good. The cars were lined up because there was not enough parking and that was on a rainy afternoon. The folks ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and ate at a few buffets.  I didn't get to go anywhere because the wind was really high and I don't enjoy walking in high winds.  I don't even like sitting outside in high winds.  It is still windy today, but tomorrow should be better.

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Really Likes Amish Country