Hershey Heaven!

The Sweetest Place on Earth! Amen! :)



There is no way I can be in the area and not go smell the aroma of chocolate, no less indulge in some! lol

I took a side trip to Chocolate World! The tour is still free, and you ride through a demonstration of how the candy is made from the bean to the bar. All the while, the scent of chocolate wafts through the air! :)



From the cocoa beans...



to the chocolate liquor...



to the bar...



and the kisses!



And at the end, you get a free sample! :)

There is another area where you can make your own candy bar. You choose your bar chocolate from milk, dark or white, and then choose up to 3 ingredients to add into it.




After the tour, I found the bakery! With all things chocolate!



And if that weren't enough, look what else I found. My favorite. Fudge!



Needless to say, I ate my fill and got some to go! lol

RV Sister Visit, Gettysburg, PA

There was another RV sister nearby that I needed to go visit. Lori and her husband Ernie are fulltimers workamping just outside Gettysburg, PA. I met them 4 years ago here in PA.

Enroute to Gettysburg, I had to stop at the Kitchen Kettle in Intercourse, PA. You can't come to this area and not get a homemade soft pretzel! Beth and I were too full yesterday when we drove by.

So, I stopped in at the Pretzel Haus!



You can get them with all kinds of toppings, from traditional, garlic butter, sour cream and onion and my favorite...cinnamon sugar! And they are warm and good! Sorry, I had to take a bite before I could take a picture ;)



And I met another friend along the way. He was just hangin out :)



It was a beautiful ride to Gettysburg. And it was so good to see them again. We had a nice visit catching up and talking over future travels. I even got a personal tour of their brand new fifth wheel! And it is just gorgeous inside and out. The color schemes are unique and tasteful.



I really loved the graphic of the horse.



And look who else I got to meet. Spinner!



Thank you both Lori and Ernie for a great visit! It was so nice to see you again :) Looking forward to seeing you in TX this winter!

RV Sister Visit in Lancaster, PA

I've been having a awesome time visiting family and friends here in PA. Currently, I'm back down in the Lancaster area. I met up with my dear friend Beth, who is a fulltimer and is workamping in the area. She was my mentor when I first got my rig four years ago.

And guess where we went? ;) You got it! Shady Maple :) Here's some shots of our first plates! lol

Beth and her chosen favorites :)



Here's mine...full of veal, potatoe cakes and corn fritters! :)



and my second with all the sweet and sour flavors of the area.



and then...dessert!



Needless to say, we got our fill. Sadly, this will be my last visit to Shady Maple for a while.

Following lunch, Beth took us for a ride through the beautiful Amish country past gorgeous farms, fresh produce, Amish buggies, gravel lanes, and covered bridges.

We stopped at an old Iron Forge restored in a beautiful park setting where the covered bridge was located.



The limestone buildings standing today. Loved the main house with candles in each window. A common practice here in the northeast. It symbolizes a warm welcome.



Beth in front of another of beautifully landscaped buildings



The sign leading to the covered bridge



And the old covered bridge over the Conestoga Creek



Beth can give you a much greater explanation of the history here than I can. Here is a link to her blog.

I also got to meet her precious pup peaches :) We all took a walk when got back after eating all that great food!



Thank you so much for a wonderful visit Beth! It was so great to see you again :)

Old Stompin Grounds

This weekend, I'm hangin out in my old stompin grounds. My parents joined me in their rig and we are at a campground halfway between Myerstown and East Earl, PA for two reasons. One, I have a storage to empty out and two, my favorite restaurant in the nation is here!

Southcentral PA is gorgeous farmlands as far as the eye can see. There are also a lot of Amish and Mennonite here, which means wonderful good food! ;)



Buggies are a common site here.



There are even special parking places for them out of the sun.







And it's all well and good, until you get behind one.



Saturday, Steve and Michelle came down with their truck and trailer to help me disseminate my storage contents. But first things first. Lunch at Shady Maple! ;)



The decor is beautiful right from the entrance.



Adorning the walls are 3D artwork depicting amish life, such as a common barn raising



and harvesting



and Amish quilts grace the walls



Now for the food! There are four grills for meat made to order



and buffets as far as the eye can see! Just full of the flavors of the area :)



Homemade breads and rolls abound



And then...there are the deserts!



I filled my plate full with all of my favorites :)Pork roast and sauerkraut, bread filling, baked corn, pickled eggs and beats, chow chow and a potatoe roll! And that was just the first plate ;)



And for desert...a wonderful piece of wet bottom shoofly pie!



Had to wear my eatin shirt today, and every bite was wonderful!



Afterwards, we went to the onsite gift shop. They have a little bit of everything, from Amish woodworking



to quilts




and funny T shirts ;) Loved this one especially :)



Thought this one was cute too ;)



And these really are names of towns here ;)



We all ate our fill and somehow managed to stroll through the grocery store there with all the fresh produce and the old fashioned dept store, which is kind of like Gibsons back in Kerrville. It's like stepping back in time.

Then off we went to empty out that storage shed. Thanks again Steve, Michelle, Mom and Pop for all your help :)

Plush Pennsylvania

I arrived in PA on Friday. As soon as I crossed the MD/PA border, the heavens opened and I had to pull over twice due to lack of visibility from the rain. But that's Ok. That's exactly why PA is so plush and green :)

I finally arrived home at the Souter homestead RV Park :)





The gardens are gorgeous and sweet corn is in season!





Sunday was family day. It's hard to get us all together, but we managed to do it. It was also my neices 20th Birthday. I am so blessed with such an amazing family :) I haven't seen them in two years, with the exception of my parents. But we just pick up where we left off :)

From left to right, my Grammy, (she also has a birthday coming up and will be 88), my Mom, Dad, Michelle (my sister-in-law), Steve (Baby brother #2), Chelsea Morgan, (my one and only niece), Cheryl, (my little brother #1 Mark's girl) and Mark :)



And look at that spread of Mom's great cooking! Had to wear my eatin shirt today ;)



My Mom and Pop



Grammy and Mom



Cheryl and Mark



Our birthday girl Chelsea. I am perplexed as to how my little cherub got to be 20 years old. She is a junior at Penn State in Animal Science, and I am so proud of her :)



Chelsea and her Daddy Steve



We had an awesome day together visiting, catching up on each others lives and having some fun and laughter!

Steve and I switching up toys! LOL