After a wonderful several days with family and friends at Myrtle Beach and Mt. Pleasant, SC in late May and early June, Bill and I returned home for a short time to prepare to go to the Pennsylvania Dutch country of Lancaster, PA to celebrate our upcoming 50^th wedding anniversary.  For the next few blog entries I invite you to journey along with us as I record a portion of our experiences in the wonderful world of the Amish, as well as some side trips to visit dear friends.  For brevity, I will post in several different entries so that you do not become completely exhausted!  (Unless you are really bored and have nothing better to do, read on.  I am recording our times in this blog so that my children and grandchildren can one day read about this special time in our lives.)

50^th Anniversary Trip – Day One – June 12, 2011

We left Lancaster, SC shortly after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning.  Earlier that morning we had a call from Kent Jewell who had just learned that we were traveling to Pennsylvania.  Kent asked if we could deliver a package of missions supplies to the headquarters and warehouse of Global Aid Network (G.A.I.N.),  a Campus Crusade for Christ ministry that Kent and others in our church faithfully support in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, very near Lancaster, PA.  We told him we would be happy to do so, so Kent quickly brought the box of supplies to us before he went to early church; then we were ready to go! 

After making some last minute preparations and checking over our 5^th wheel camper again, we were all set and ready to pull out!   As always, Bill prayed for us, for our truck, the trailer, and everything concerning our trip, that God would protect us.   We had looked forward to this trip for such a long time and were full of joy and gratitude that the Lord had allowed us to reach this milestone in our lives.  Bill had planned for weeks, getting our route just right, what we would see and do, and everything was all set.  June 17, 1961 was only the beginning!  Traveling with us, of course, was our trusted GARMIN, without whom we would have been totally lost on some of the back roads we traveled.  Thank you, Art, for this wonderful gizmo.

The day was bright and sunny, and we were excited and full of great anticipation as we made our way out of Forest Hills subdivision, heading to I-77 in Rock Hill, and the first leg (Natural Bridge, VA) of our ultimate destination: Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

We stopped for lunch in the lovely area of Christiansburg, VA.  Since a Cracker Barrel usually has adequate parking space for RVs we often stop there (not to mention their consistently good food)!   After a nice lunch and stretching a bit, we journeyed on to our first stop - the KOA in Natural Bridge, VA, arriving there around 3:00 p.m.  It was a lovely campground, nestled in a shaded, mountainous area of VA, the town well-known for the historic Natural Bridge, which we did not get to see on this trip, due to navigating the camper in uncertain areas, etc.  Bill did a terrific job driving, and we were happy to stop at this beautiful place for our first night.  The registration area was lovely, with blooming shrubs and an abundance of butterflies flitting here and there on the blooming butterfly bush.  The “tepee” type construction of the office was typical of KOAs, which are generally well-maintained, safe and predictable.  A youth camp - or something - must have been going on because the swimming pool was teeming with little ones!

Our journey there had taken us through majestic mountains standing guard over lush, green valleys.  Patches of brilliant wildflowers provided ample eye candy along our way.  Farms, modest homes and steepled churches punctuated the countryside, showcasing abundant crops and mown, baled hay.  Rows of tree farms were noted here and there, adding beauty to the landscape.  I would say that the interstate was virtually free of any litter.  What scenic beauty all along the way, bringing to mind the thought: How Great Is Our God!  I love the mountains, ear-popping and all!

By the way, maintaining one’s sense of humor is a necessary element when “RV-ing.”  It also helps to have seen the movie “RV”, starring Robin Williams, in which a family experiences the joys and traumas of novice RV-ers, a stage from which we have hopefully graduated!

As background, a few weeks ago the roof of our camper sustained damage – well, actually two burst vent covers which were now sporting large, gaping holes - as a result of a bad hailstorm.  Our close friend, Bud Wilson, while we were away one day, climbed on top of the camper and placed duct tape (the all in one fixer, right?) over the rather large holes.  He’s just that kind of guy.  (Bill had ordered new replacement vent covers, but it required much more time than we had - not a simple fix, in other words.)  Bud’s duct tape had held beautifully, even through a couple of rather violent rainstorms.  Good.  All is well.  So, you can imagine our surprise when several hundred miles later,  we awoke to find “raindrops were falling our heads.”  Somewhere between Lancaster, SC and Natural Bridge, VA, Bud’s duct tape had broken loose and flew away to unknown parts!  No biggie!  After a brief laugh, Bill taped a trash bag over the vents (see photo below), the rain had stopped, and we were on the road again!  Redneck repairs are the best … at least until we find the nearest Camping World!

Our first overnight stop, KOA, Natural Bridge, VA


Lovely blooming butterfly bush at Natural Bridge KOA, VA


Our vent repair!  Still holding!