The past ten days have been a perfect way to cross the country. We have driven a couple of hours and then spent two or three days sightseeing and visiting friends and family and then another short day of driving and then a few more days of relaxed visits.We left Illinois last Wednesday morning for a short drive the Elkhart area where a couple of minor touch ups were done to our new paint job and the protective film mask we had applied to the front of the motorhome.
We then spent Thursday driving the Heritage Trail through Amish country east and south of Elkhart. The Amish are Americans who have held to their religious beliefs while becoming a vital part of the social and economic fabric of northern Indiana. The drive through miles of well kept farmland maintained by horse drawn machinery to several communties full of examples of the handcraft and artisian work filled a great day.
One of the first stops is at Bonneyville Mill park to see a working example of an early water driven grist mill. The drive through Bristol, Middlebury, and Shipshewana presents a tranquil slice of the Midwest as it must have been earlier in the 20th century.
Lunch at the Essenhaus in Middlebury, a stop at the Old Bag Factory in Goshen, and an hour at the Farmers Market north of Napanee finished the tour for us. We spent the evening having dinner with another RVing couple we have known for three years, Smoky and Sharon Sheppard.
Friday morning saw us back on the road up to Algonac State Park just south of Port Huron, MI to spend the weekend with Jeff's sister Dianne and hubby Larry Breed. Jeff and Larry managed a round of golf Saturday but got rained out on Father's Day when they went back for more. Watching Tiger's amazing round in the US Open finished the afternoon before heading out for dinner on the St Clair River.
Monday we crosssed Canada from Port Huron to Niagara Falls and on to East Aurora NY to visit RVing friends Ken and Marcia Holmes for a few days. We also learned why Buffalo is so obsessed with "Lake Effect" as it has poured here all week. We have seen Lake Effect sandwiches, Lake Effect beer, etc.
While Jeff, Ken, and Marcia were rained out of golf Ken did spend a morning showing Jeff his collection of vintage Hudsons dating back to 1908. The building full of cars, spare engines, parts, and Hudson memorabilia deserves a full day to peruse.
On Thursday the Holmes' hospitality got replaced with a whole 6 mile drive to Elma, NY to visit Mexico Caravan friends Linda and Art Reimer who have a beautiful home on a large, peaceful lot in the country. Linda's wonderful cooking has made Jeff's diet a real challenge! We will spend a couple more days here and then face a 70 mile drive to Palmyra, NY to see Jeff's cousin Ote Davis and his wife Vivian whom we have not seen in for 25 years. We will spend the rest of the week visiting them and working our way across northern NY to Jeff's brother in Burlington, VT.
