Saturday, August 26 – We headed out early this morning for Ephrata, PA, and the Elks campground. There are only three sites here with electric and water. It is a really tight squeeze. When they laid out the campground, they left a huge tree in the middle of the parking area. Paul had to do some very creative driving to get our fifth wheel in the spot. At one point, we were at an angle so severe, that we had to unhook, move the truck and reconnect to finish getting the fifth wheel into the spot. Who would ever leave a huge tree in the middle on the parking area? Crazy. There are tons of trees. We had no satellite or over-the-air TV.
Looking right.
Looking left. The tree on the right side of the photo is the monster we had to navigate around.
There is a little brook running in back of the fifth wheel. Bella enjoyed the taste of the cool running water.
We headed to Lancaster, PA, this morning to visit Amish Country. We stopped at a neat diner for breakfast. Very good but way to much to eat...LOL
We arrived in Lancaster and headed to the Central Market right in the center of town. The country's oldest farmers' market in the heart of Amish country occupies a beautiful 120 year old red brick building. We walked through the very nice indoor market with displays of local fruits, vegetables, and baked goods. Marsha did buy some mustard powder for the homemade mustard she makes and some very nice looking and tasty peaches but that was the extent of our purchases.
With a name like this place, you know it has to be good.
We then walked around downtown looking at some historic buildings and some churches.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
The Visitor's Center.
Upon returning to the truck, we noticed a gift from the Lancaster Police Department….a parking ticket. We couldn't believe we failed to see that we had to pay for parking on Saturday. It was the type where we entered our license plate number at a central location that we didn't see. $20.00.....dang!
We then headed to Lititz, but the traffic was so bad due to an air show that we turned around and headed for home. We are actually disappointed with the Lancaster area. Compared to the Amish area in Ohio, this area is over-commercialized and not in the country/farm environment we were expecting. Maybe we didn't find the right area but nevertheless, we decided to move on down the road in the morning.
Since our campground site was so difficult to get into and not wanting to wake the neighbor early tomorrow morning, we decided to move to Site #1 which was vacated this morning. It is a straight shot out the campground road, and we won't need to have neighbors move their trucks in order to get out. Site #1 is the best site in the campground.
That's all for this trip. We are back in Canton, Ohio. We will head to Houston come October.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!
We were a little disappointed in that area also. Give me Ohio Amish country.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there were not any monster fifth wheels and monster dually trucks when they decided to leave that monster tree in the middle of the parking area 30 or 40 years ago...? :-)
ReplyDeleteThe rest of Lancaster may have been a disappointment, but the farmer's market looked really good. I also thought you had a really good campsite and very clean.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels...
Nice looking campground despite the tree.
ReplyDeleteBella looks like she was having fun!
Nice looking campground despite the tree.
ReplyDeleteBella looks like she was having fun!
Nice Campground and we are sure there are better ways of spending $20.00 in any area.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
I love Bella's very girlie leash:) So cute:) That was a lot of work for that spot. I can't believe you didn't get over the air TV. Channel 8 NBC is right around the corner. Glad you had a good trip back to Canton.
ReplyDeleteAt least you git to check out the area, no need to return. Now to get all organized before you head south to Houston again.
ReplyDeleteUnless you decided to hide a part of your visit to Lancaster, you are disappointed because you never set foot in the real Amish country! The real Lancaster is east and south of the city. I live in Strasburg, where the famous steam railroad and Sight and Sound Theater are located. We get at least eight million visitors a year in my neighborhood, and most leave happy and return again. We just hosted our snowbird buddies from rural IL. we kept them going, full blast, for five days of touring. They had a great time and left exhausted. Lancaster county is a fantastic place to visit, but being downtown, or stuck in the Lititz traffic mess, isn't where you find the memorable stuff. Sorry you are disappointed, but it's been nothing but a great experience living in the middle of 35k+ Plain Folk, and there is something interesting to see and do, every day.
ReplyDeleteWe visited Lancaster quite a few years ago. It was our first visit to Amish country anywhere. We've often talked about going back. We didn't have as much time as we would have liked to have. It seems we're always in a hurry to get someplace or even no place at all.
ReplyDeleteAs Kerry above said.... you missed a lot. The Strasburg RR is a nice ride in the country. The small shops in that area are worth the trip. You especially should have gone to the town of Intercourse to visit Kitchen Kettle Village. Never miss it when in the area. Salsa, jams, pickled beets, etc. can't be beat. Oh, the Sweet fire pickle chips are the best. Since giving some to the son and family here in Alabama, we are not allowed back in the state without a supply. Like a lot of places in the area, closed on Sundays. And great family style Amish restaurants. Yup, you were simply in the wrong part of town.
ReplyDeleteWe stayed on the opposite side of Lancaster from everything we wanted to see, and went through the main downtown area several times. . .not appealing in the least.
ReplyDeleteToo bad you missed the Mennonite Information Center there. . .you guys would have loved it.
Hi Marsha,
DeleteMost people don't even realize there is an actual city of Lancaster, where you were. Even Pennsylvanians only picture the Amish farms and buggies, or the Route 30 strip with outlets and tourist attractions.
The city itself is very multi-cultural. Even though small, it has all of the problems of a larger city. One of the first gospel rescue missions for homelessness is located there, the Water St. Rescue Mission. But the city has had quite the renaissance in the past few years. There are now blocks and blocks of cool shops, boutiques and restored buildings all very close to the central market where you were.
So you saw "Lancaster", just not the Lancaster of the movie Witness that everyone hopes to see. (the actual farm where they shot the movie has been open for tours from time to time). Check out James Warner's book "The Gentle People" if you want to see some incredible photos of the PA Dutch. He befriended them and allowed him to take their photos.
Laura
Good job on that parking. Lititz was way too crowded. New Holland was more rural. That market looks great
ReplyDeleteYou didn't stop at the Lodge in Lancaster?
ReplyDelete