Shake down cruise

What a wonderful weekend. Our friends recently purchased their first motorhome and asked us to join them on their first outing. Who are we to resist a camping trip. Sure we'd be happy to oblige. We didn't want to travel too far being this was their first trip out and they wanted to get the hang of things. We made reservations for Mahlon Dickerson Reservation in Jefferson Township, NJ. What a beautiful county park and only $20 per night. They have about 18 RV paved sites. About half of them were in a staggered row with no one in front of you and no one behind you. All you saw was the beauty of the forest. Their tenting area is just as nice with platforms and fire rings with grill tops. As nice as they were though, I DON'T DO DIRT! I condo camp. The park encompasses 3,200 acres of near wilderness and recreational areas, with over 20 miles of multi-use trails. Friday night we enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. It got pretty chilly so we had to turn our ceramic heater on. Saturday the weather was just perfect. We just chilled out all day. That evening, Lenny grilled some chicken, I made mac 'n cheese. Yes, I cooked. Saturday night the weather turned and we listened to the rain on the roof. For those of you who think it's romantic...it's NOT. I told the guys it would start raining overnight, so they both decided to put the awnings back and bring in what was outside. Hey, they finally listened and I was so right. Sunday morning was cold and wet. There wasn't much else to stow before we left, but once Lenny gets in "let's go home" mode, there is no stopping him. He was ready to leave by 9:30am even though we didn't have to leave until noon. We enjoyed one last cup of coffee with our friends before we all left the campground and went out seperate ways. Their dog Casey was so worn out, she's still sleeping. Or so I've heard. We plan on going back in the fall when the leaves are at their peak. Thanks for travelling along with us on The Thomas Trails.

BOOKS, MORE BOOKS AND BUGGIES

Grab a cup of coffee, it's time to sit back and catch up on a good read. First, let me give you our itinerary so you can keep up with us. 1.Leave Clifton to Lancaster to drop off car at in-laws hotel. Lenny drove the RV, Chrissy and me drove the car. 2. After we dropped off the car in Lancaster, PA, drive to Mt. Crawford, VA., 3. drive back to Lancaster, pick up our car and spend time with Len's family, 4. Len drives RV home, me and Chrissy drive car home. We left on Wednesday headed down to Mt. Crawford, Virginia to the Green Valley Book Fair http://www.gvbookfair.com/. We had heard of this book fair from friends of ours who full-time in their RV. This place is only open for two weeks every two months. They buy back overstocks, damaged books, etc. and then sell them for 60% - 90% off cover price. All of us being avid readers, we decided to take some time off work and travel south. Our first night, we stopped and stayed in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel, off I-81 in West Virginia. It's great travelling in a motorhome. You stop when you get tired and spend the night. The following morning we had a hearty breakfast. I thoroughly enjoyed the grits and the biscuits and gravy, while my daughter chose a much healthier option. Doesn't it look inviting. It's good to know that wherever you are you can eat healthy. About an hour into our trip, Len noticed the battery level decreasing. If it's not one thing it's another. Well, we pulled off and went to the truck stop. They were able to charge our battery but said it looked like the alternator was bad and they don't work on RV's. They sent us off to a Ford dealership off the next exit. The people at Muhlenberg Ford were great. A.J. took good care of us and got us back on the road the same day, but not wanting to sit at the dealership all day, we opted to rent a car from Enterprise. They were the closest and on the same property. Shawn took good care of us and got us in a car in no time. We continued in our rental car south to the book fair where we shopped till we dropped. Talk about books. If was huge. We walked and we shopped, cookbooks, mystery's, childrens books, you name it they had it. Even best sellers. We were all in our glory. Chrissy purchased 28 hardcover books and only spent just over $100. I didn't count how many we bought, but we spent about the same and I can now say that Christmas shopping has begun. While we were still there, AJ called to say our coach was ready for pickup. We finished our shopping and drove back to pick up our "home". It was still pretty early so we drove north and back into PA before stopping for the night at a Wal- Mart. Our first night in "Wally World". It's great to be able to just pull of the road for the night, but boy was it noisy. The garbage men were by around 4:30 AM banging away with those dumpsters. Needless to say, we got an early start that day to Lancaster, PA. We were at my in-laws hotel by lunchtime to pick up our car and headed to our campground to set up. My sister-in-law and her family were joining us, but decided to stay at the same hotel as her mom and dad because everyone had colds and it was bad weather to be sleeping in a tent. That afternoon we all met at the Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster to see "In the Beginning". It was a wonderful show. We all enjoyed it. The next day was devoted to more shopping and swimming. We met at the Rockvale outlets on Rt 340 in Lancaster and walked the entire place, at least it seemed that way. Then it was off to the Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market. Wow, can these people cook and bake. We had the most amazing caramel popcorn, the sweetest whoopi pies, and some hot chocolate. (Please don't tell my doctor). The quilts we saw were beautiful. I have always wanted an Amish quilt. This time my dream came true when Lenny insisted on buying me one. I love the wedding ring pattern and the colors in this one would match the interior of our RV. Tired of shopping, we all went back to the campground for dinner and a swim. Circle M is located on the other side of Lancaster so we took back roads to get there and saw an Amish schoolhouse on the way. Lots of horse and buggies too. The kids all went to the indoor waterpark at the campground while us adults stayed at the coach and chilled out. Our nephew signed up with the National Guard, so this is probably one of the last camping trips we'll be able to take with him before he goes off to boot camp next year after he finishes high school. It was a great time finding bargains and spending time with family. Cherish the time with your loved ones. You never know when those days will end. Thanks for going along for the ride with us. Stayed tuned, you never know where we'll end up next in our RV. We love you, but more important, God loves you.