From Fireworks To Fall Colors Part 1

Dogwood Acres Sunset Newville PA

We have had a full summer reconnecting with family, friends and showing our beautiful granddaughters where we grew up. 

Our last blog left off at Sturgis, SD so from there we drove through Rapid City and Sioux Falls, SD to stop 7 hours later at WallyWorld, Worthington, Minn. Seanna read and slept through most of this part of the trip since it was mostly healthy cornfields and flat terrain. Up early the next day to continue onward to Lancaster WI. via NE Iowa. My close friend Carol Dieter and her hubby Mark reside in Lancaster.  Carol tent camped with us at Klondyke, which was a field along a pond. Very rustic but pretty. Seanna enjoyed meeting Carol and her family...she made a friend with Carol's nephew Everett. Seanna and I thoroughly enjoyed attending church to hear Mark preach. We are constantly reminded how small this world really is.  Mike thought one of his co-worker, golfing buddies had retired in WI. When we went to the weekly fish fry with Carol and Mark at the Country Club, lo and behold, sitting at the counter was Dennis Burr. Mike and Dennis had a grand time talking retirement, DOC and then went golfing. Really neat!  We did have an issue with our fresh water holding overflowing which due to the goofy way the overflow hosing is located got things stored in that compartment wet. It's always something with a house on wheels.

                                                                                     

            

 Top Photo: Dennis and Mike; Center Photo: Carol, Seanna and Everett; Bottom Photo: View of  Klondyke Pond

When we left Lancaster WI we had a surprise for Seanna. We zig zagged to Green Bay, home of her Mom and her beloved Packers. After spending the night at the Green Bay Elks Lodge, we toured Lambeau Field, which was fun and exciting! It was neat for me to relive my Green Bay / Dallas game I attended with Emily.

                                                                Seanna and Grump Grump, Classic Rivelry

Heading down through Manitowac, Sheboygan, Milwaukee WI (I just love those names) along Lake Michigan toward heavy traffic in Chicago was fun times. We had planned to leave Green Bay by noon but we were having so much fun we left later than planned and paid for it with driving delays in Chicago. We eventually got around Chicago and headed into Indiana through Gary, South Bend and ultimately stopped in Elkhart RV Park. Elkhart is home to many RV manufacturers and someday we will tour them. Gives us an opening to come back.

The next morning we continued down I-80, the Indiana and Ohio Turnpike. The roads were pretty darn bad. We went around Cleveland connecting to I -77 S to Cambridge/Old Washington, OH. There we stopped for the night in Walmart so we could visit with Susan Hale, another DOC Retiree. After dinner Susan gave us a tour of the area including her cottage in the woods. Very peaceful! We had breakfast with Susan before once again heading East toward PA.  We always know we are getting close to our childhood hometowns when we cross the Wheeling W.VA bridge. Washington PA on I-76 (PA Turnpike- equally bad roads) toward Bedford and I-99 to Altoona/ Hollidaysburg to visit with Cousins Arlene, Richard, Casey and Anthony, was our Fourth of July destination. This did open a discussion with Mike and me on driving to Alaska since just how much worse can the Alcan Hwy be in comparison to some of these East Coast roads. Hahahahha. Seanna enjoyed being with Casey and Anthony- they were very kind to her. A barbecue spread for the Fourth with of course fireworks was the venue of the day. Laughter and more laughter is always what happens when around Arlene and Richard.                              

                                    Cousins Arlene and Mike together again in the Evans' homestead, since 1907.


We stayed at Wright's Orchard RV Park in Duncansville. A small but quaint RV Park in the middle of town.

July 6th, we arrived in Shippensburg, pulling the rig in front of Dad's tree lined street. It was a special moment for Seanna, Dad and Ron who had not seen her since she was a baby.  Our first night in Ship was spent in WEIS parking lot until Dogwood Acres RV Park, Newville, our home for the next 3 months, could accommodate us the next afternoon.

                                                                                Dad and Seanna, special moment


The next couple of weeks for Seanna were a whirlwind of visiting family, friends, seeing Hershey with the McCulloughs,, Gettysburg, showing her Chambersburg Hospital where she was born, the Chamberlin farm where she lived as a baby, swimming in "Pap's" pool with cousin Nathan, helping with projects, being in the gourd float down the Conodoquinet Creek (Meadowbrook Gourds- a charity event for Canine Rescue), making fashion garments with cousin Heather, meeting her newest cousin Mim (Roger's granddaughter) and then picking up her sister Oceana at the BWI airport for a visit also. Late arrivals and then way too early departures. Oceana only had time to visit family and swim in "Pap's pool" and go to the Shippensburg Fair.  We love every second with these girls.

                                                       

Denny and Seanna had fun getting on every roller coaster/ water splash ride.