Home Is Where We Park It:  Shawnee State Park, Schellsburg, Pennsylvania 

July 11, 2019

Temperature 72 Degrees

Maintenance Week

What a difference a day makes.  Actually, a couple of weeks.  Up until now the AC has been on almost day and night.  Now, the temperature has already dropped into the 60’s and the rain is coming non-stop.   Thankfully, it’s supposed to clear up by tomorrow.

Watching the news is heartbreaking when you see what is going on in New Orleans.  We both sit watching the TV and recognize place after place that we had visited that is now flooded.  And the worse they say is yet to come.  Our prayers are with everyone down there.

We had but one objective while here, well, maybe two.  The first was to spend some time with our daughter Amanda.  The second was to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial.  Hopefully, we’ll accomplish both tomorrow.

Amanda will be coming up tomorrow to spend a couple of days with us.  It is just over an hour to her place in Hagerstown.  She plans on taking Marti back home with her.  This is sort of a trial separation.  The last time we left him with her the poor guy literally sat at the front door and just howled for hours.  Eventually, we had to bring him home.  Time will tell if this time will be different.

Last year we were sort of in this area but did not have the time to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial.    We were both disappointed that we were unable to change our plans.  Hence, here we are again and this time it is a go.

From here we are going up to Ives Run a COE campground in Tioga, PA.  We plan on spending a couple of weeks with family and friends.  After that we turn westward and begin making our way out west to Arizona for the winter.

This week is going to be basically a maintenance week.  I’ve got pages and pages on my punch list to tend to.  Everything is on the list from checking all cabinets for water leaks to walking the roof to check for any loose sealant to lubing the steps to cleaning and treating the tires with 303.  At the end of August I’m going to have both windshields pulled in order to repair the rusted mounting channel and eliminate the leaks in each upper corner.  Maintenance is never ending, no different really than a sticks and brick house.

I’m also continuing to reorganize all the pictures I’ve taken and I’m working on a master list of all my blogs.  I believe I have enough to keep me busy for the next couple of weeks.  I’ve missed so many blogs already that I really need to get myself in gear and get to work on catching up.

So it goes on The Road of Retirement.  We’re both in good spirits and enjoying every minute of every day that the good Lord blesses us with.  Hope you’re doing the same no matter the challenges you might be facing at this point in your life.

Thanks again for being part of our journey.  We always enjoy having you along.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

Home Is Where We Park It:  Shawnee State Park, Schellsburg, Pennsylvania 

July 9, 2019

Temperature 88 Degrees

Travel Day

President Warren Harding Museum

Once again we were reaching for the covers last night.  What a change from previous weeks in which the AC ran all night.  We like it but we don’t believe it is going to stay this way.

We were up early this morning and ready to roll by 8:30 am.  We were heading into Pennsylvania today, a state we didn’t believe we would see again until probably December.  However, the first rule of full time RV life is always remain flexible.

Remember I said yesterday we were running up hill and down?  Silly me, yesterday was nothing like today.  I never really knew what the Ford V10 could do.  Today I found out.  It’s no speed burner but it gets you there.  A couple of really, really long mountains that seemed to go up and up and up for miles.  I was in second gear, tach at around 4500 rpm, yet we made it to the top.  Sometimes only doing 50 mph when we got there.  But, we made it.  Thankfully, the temperature gauge on both the engine and the transmission never went up above where they normally sit.  And to top it all off we’re still getting 6 mpg.  No laughing all you who have diesel pushers.

Where are we?  Before we get to that let me go back a day to Marion, Ohio.  In the same building as the Popcorn Museum there was an exhibit in another part of the hall about Warren Harding the 29th President of the United States.  A secret service agent stood watch at the entrance to the room.

This is a general view of the room.  All of this and much more will be moved to the museum at his home in Marion when it is completed in 2020.

Warren Gamaliel Harding was born on November 2, 1865, on a farm in the small Ohio community of  Blooming Grove). He was the oldest of eight children of George Harding (1843-1928), a farmer who later became a doctor and part owner of a local newspaper.

At the age of 19 along with two partners he purchased the bankrupt Marion Daily Star.  After buying out his partners he steadily improved the paper and in time it became extremely profitable.   He owned the paper for over forty years.

 He served in the Ohio state Senate and as Lieutenant Governor, and unsuccessfully ran for Governor. He delivered the nominating address for President Taft at the 1912 Republican Convention. In 1914 he was elected to the Senate, which he found “a very pleasant place.”  At the 1920 Republican National Convention he won the nomination for president on the 10th ballot.  Coolidge was chosen as his running mate.  In the summer of 1920 he launched his Presidential campaign from the front porch of his home.  He was the fourth president – all from Ohio – to do so. 

He gave more than 100 formal speeches from his front porch and more than 600,000 people traveled to Marion, Ohio to hear him speak.  Due to the high volume of visitors, Harding’s front lawn had to be replaced with gravel.

 

In the general election, the Harding-Coolidge ticket defeated the Democrats in the largest landslide up to that time, capturing some 60 percent of the popular vote and an electoral margin of 404-127.

When he entered office he faced the task of of leading the nation through the transition from WW I to peacetime.  In a post-war recession, America faced rising unemployment, a high national deficit and the fear of Communism.  During his years in office he was able to realize many of his goals.

In the summer of 1923, Warren Harding embarked on a cross-country tour of the United States to promote his policies. During the trip, the 57-year-old president became sick, and on August 2 he died of what was likely a heart attack (no autopsy was conducted) at a San Francisco hotel.

The funeral train left California on August 2, 1923.  It slowly traveled east stopping only for fuel and provisions.  An estimated 3 million people lined the tracks to honor the President.  In Chicago the crowds were so large police had to clear the tracks in front of the train.

On August 8, 1923 his funeral was held in the Capitol Rotunda.  His body was then moved back to his hometown of Marion, Ohio.  On August 10, 1923 his body was moved from his father’s home to the Marion cemetery.

A permanent resting place for the president and his wife in Marion was undertaken.

The total cost of the tomb, the landscaping, and grounds was $738,108.  The money was privately amassed in a national fundraising event, including pennies contributed by more than 200,000 children.

Here it is today.

OK, moving from there to where we are today.  We are at Shawnee State Park.  Shawnee State Park is a 3,983-acre Pennsylvania state park.  Shawnee Lake, a 451-acre warm water reservoir, is at the center of the park as its main attraction.  The 290 campsites at Shawnee State Park have picnic tables and fire rings, and accommodate tents or trailers. In addition to some full-service campsites that have sewer, water, and electric, 98 sites have electric hookups.  The park was authorized by the Pennsylvania legislature during 1947. During 1951, construction of the dam began, and during the same year, the park opened to the public.

 

Here is our new home until this Sunday.  It is a pull through site with FHU.  Unfortunately, this site is far from level and took some work to get there.  Take a look at high we are in the front – have to be careful not to get a nose bleed!  Gertrude is out in the back with a clear shot of the Southern sky so we are good all the way around.  Our daughter Amanda is going to be joining us here at the end of the week for a couple of days.  She will also be taking Marti home with her.

We are now at the end of our day on The Road of Retirement.  We had a decent travel day, no traffic, no slow downs, and we were here within 4 hours.  My kind of day.  Time now to get some shut eye.

Thanks for joining us today, we always enjoy your company.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

Home Is Where We Park It:  Spring Valley Campground, Cambridge, Ohio

July 8, 2019

Temperature 86 Degrees

Travel Day

Halfway through last night both of us were reaching for the covers.  The temperature had dropped into the low 60’s which is a bit cool for us.  Neither of us is complaining just saying it is a bit different than what we’ve become accustomed to.

Travel day today.  Not much to do to get ready.  Really, all we had to do is bring in the slides, bring up the jacks and disconnected the electric from the mother ship.  Just like that we were done and ready to roll.

Out stay in Marion had been a good one.  Visiting the Popcorn Museum meant we could cross another one off our bucket list.  It never continues to amaze me as to what we find and where we find it.  I’ve always said, interesting things are always just waiting around the next corner.

Right on schedule, that being 10 am we were on the road again.  We needed to do some backtracking to get to where we were headed for the night.  Once again, traffic was light, the roads for the most part were in good shape.  We’re now climbing mountain after mountain heading east but Graybeard as always is handling all of them without even breaking a sweat.

A few hours after we started we saw the sign for our evening home, Spring Valley Campground.  It sits right off the interstate.  A right at the exit, then another right, a mile down a county road and there you are.  It’s one of the few with a decent rating that is this easy to get to.  Others are far afield and their ratings are 5 or under.

We’re home and settled in for the evening.  It’s obvious that the campground is in need of some TLC.  Don’t get me wrong, it is neat, there is no trash lying around but it is obvious that putting fresh gravel down on the sites, repairing the moon size potholes in the inner roads, and sprucing up the place is not a high priority.  Our site is a pull-through, reasonably level, and long enough that we can leave little Graybeard attached.

Barbara’s comment was we’ve been in parks like this before, for a night it is perfectly fine.  I do agree.  I will say it is not a place I would pick to spend a week or more.  My favorite place to call home more and more are the various state parks.  We haven’t found a one that we would not return to.  So be it in the morning we will be gone.   We’re halfway to PA and will be there tomorrow.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Time now to get back to our game of Mexican Train.  Why, we’ve even dug out the radio and have it on tonight.  Shades of many, many months ago!  We’ve gone basic for sure!  But only for one more night.

Thanks for joining us as we travel along.  We always appreciate your company.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

Home Is Where We Park It:  Edwards Funeral Home, Marion, Ohio

July 7 2019

Temperature 78 Degrees

Pre DISH Days

Wyandot Popcorn Museum

After the storm moved through yesterday the temperature just sunk.  Thankfully, it stayed that way through the night and even today.  It is really comfortable as of now, low temperature and no humidity.  Another storm also rumbled through today and that also helped to keep the temperature and humidity on the low side.  Ohio is definitely the wettest state we’ve been in to date.

What do you do when you have no DISH?  Yes, no DISH!  We just didn’t want to be bothered with putting it out.  Who knows also how safe and secure this area is.  I must say I don’t feel like it would be an issue to leave it out.  This is a very quiet and peaceful neighbor.  Hey, when most of your neighbors are a bunch of stiffs what does one have to worry about!

What do you do then for entertainment?  Mexican train of course.  We played for hours, just like we used to way back when.  We had a lot of fun and the hours just disappeared.

We also got out and about.  Our reason for stopping here was to visit a very special museum we had discovered while reading another blog.  It was the Wyandot Popcorn Museum located in Marion’s Heritage Hall.  I know what you’re probably thinking, you went to visit a what?  You know the old saying Never judge a book by its cover the same goes for a museum Never judge a museum by its name.  This turned out to be an absolutely fascinating museum.  Come on, we’ll show you.

The entrance into the Museum itself.

Everything is coming up popcorn!

This is a general view of the Museum looking left and right.

 

 

 

Now for some of the special exhibits.  The first is what I call the Paul Newman Popcorn Wagon.

Look at the attention to detail, the pin-striping is simply breathtaking.

Touring the Museum I discovered that the name commonly associated with popcorn, popcorn machines and wagons, and popcorn trucks is Charles Cretor.

This is the 1899 Cretor’s #1 Popcorn and Peanut wagon.  This rare antique is the third oldest Cretor Wagon in existence.  It was the first professionally restored antique and set the bar for future restorations.  This is what it looked like before it was restored

This is what it looks like today.  The difference is like night and day.  The attention to detail, the paint, the lettering, the molding around the top, just beautiful.

The Cretor’s Number 2 wagon was a great favorite among business owners and street vendors.  It was inexpensive and reliable.  It was advertised as a sure fire money making machine.  The pitch was just set it up in front of your place of business and the smell of fresh popcorn will bring customers to your doors.  Cretor’s promoted it as the most successful and best money getter of any machine on the market at an equal price.  This got me to thinking, could this be a new way of raising money for gas for the RV?  Roll into an RV park, set up, bring out the wagon and being selling bags of peanuts and popcorn!

The next is a rather unusual Cretor wagon.

The wagons of the late 1800’s were nearly all small, hand pulled carts for use on street corners or at fairs, or public events. After 1900, larger horse drawn wagons began to appear. By 1900, Cretors introduced the Special – the first large horse drawn popcorn wagon. It was an immediate success. Three variations of this wagon were created and for the first time in 15 years, C. Cretors and Company showed a nice profit. The machines were, for the most part, still nearly custom made, holding to the Cretors tradition – meeting the specific needs of specific customers. This was also the time period that electricity was becoming the wave of the future. Charles Cretors created the first popcorn machine with an electric motor. Charles did what he knew best – to give his customers the best he had to offer and the best they could buy anywhere.

Then there was this.  The first driven popcorn wagon, the forerunner to the modern day concession trailer.  It is one of only seven remaining Cretor’s Popcorn trucks of the Model T style.

 

The above are just some – some – of the many wagons on display.  Each either painstakingly restored or in the process of.  It was absolutely fascinating to see the many variants of popcorn machines and carts and wagons.  There’s more, though, for instance I learned that popcorn is an actual planted corp.  I also learned that the majority of commercial popcorn is what is called the pearl type.

Ever wonder how popcorn became part of the movie theater experience?

An early popcorn theater machine – catch the last three sentences starting with assured trouble-free operation. . .

There was also an entire exhibit on the Wyandot family, from how they first got into the popcorn business, when their sons came into the business, global expansion, the devastating fire in Marion, the rebirth of the plant, and their continues success today.  Go to their web site, go to history, you will find it absolutely remarkable what a family can do when they put their mind to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving away from popcorn, there was an entire exhibit on Cracker Jack.

A display of all items once offered in a box of Cracker Jack.

That was where and how we spent our day today.  It was an absolutely fascinating place to visit and I’m so glad we went out of our way to do so.  If you are ever in this area take the time to do so yourself – you’ll absolutely enjoy it.

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to a close.  Time to get things in order, pack up and get ready to roll again.  I’ll say goodnight for now and I’ll catch up with you again tomorrow.

Thanks again for joining us on our journey, we’ll see you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!