Finding Bliss...

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

As I type this, sitting at my dining table inside the camper, I’m enjoying the warm morning and the view outside the large dining window.  There’s a cornfield on the other side of the narrow road directly behind my camper.  I think the corn has been harvested but the stalks are still standing and they’ve turned brown.  That there is “Sam’s Farm” and I’m sure Sam will hitch up his team of work horses soon and clear that field.  Every now and then I see motion from the corner of my eye and a horse-drawn buggy is going by on that road.  I’m in Intercourse, Pennsylvania, not far from Lancaster.  It’s all farmland around here and this is home to a large community of the most gentle, simple, and peaceful folk you could ever meet – the Amish.

To backtrack just a bit, our campground last Sunday night (18^th) in North Bay, NY was near Oneida Lake and I had driven along the northern part of that lake [after exiting I-81] to reach the campground.  As we got ready to leave the next morning (Monday 19^th) I decided to return to I-81 via the lake’s southern route.  In no time we were back on I-81 S and crossed into Pennsylvania.

That was not a good drive…not at all a good drive.  That stretch of interstate certainly needs a good overhaul and there was plenty of road construction here and there to testify to that.  Truck, camper, Navidad, and I were jouncing about way too many times.  And, with due respect to the essential role our truck drivers play, it seems NY/PA drivers are a breed all their own!  At one point, going at high speed, a truck hauling a wide load – half of a manufactured home – actually passed me on the left.  And I wasn’t exactly going s-l-o-w either!

That was one rough ride and, after a few miles on I-80 E, I was glad to finally arrive at the Lehigh Gorge Campground in White Haven, NY.  At my site, just as I started to turn off the motor, I felt a strong vibrating sensation at my feet.  Huh?  This is new.  This is different.  I’ve never felt anything like this before.  I then noticed that the floor on the front passenger side was unusually warm and the hood of the truck was quite hot.  My first thought – did something happen, unbeknownst to this Deaf solo woman traveler, on I-81 and I now have another truck problem?  I walked over to the office and asked the lady who handled my registration if, when she led me to my site, she had heard anything unusual emanating from my truck.  She didn’t, but when I inquired further, said that there was a garage just down the road.

Inside the camper, throughout the entire evening, I was upset, worried, frustrated, and feeling very apprehensive about starting up the motor in the morning.  I started to formulate Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan…oh, never mind, you get the picture.

The next morning (Tuesday 20^th), at my request, the nice lady came to my site and listened to the truck when I started it.  Feels perfectly tame and normal to me…I thought.  Watching her, she listened, her face a picture of concentration, and said the truck sounded fine.  Still feeling a tad nervous about getting back on the highway I asked and she agreed to call the garage and tell them I was going to swing by momentarily.  The nice fellow there listened to the truck and said it sounded fine.  At my request, he agreed to check all the fluids and said everything looked good.  At my inquiry, he said no, no charge.  Feeling somewhat better but still wondering what that vibration was, I got going.

We weren’t on I-80 E very long when I took the exit to get on the I-476 toll road.  Things were going OK and I started to relax, feeling very optimistic that the toll road was going to be a heckuva lot smoother.  It was and I eventually reached the exit for Rt. 222, drove south and, as soon as I connected to Rt. 772 E, I was in Amish country.

I loved every moment of this drive through the rural countryside.  There were farms everywhere, painting a landscape of serenity, and many old stone houses stood along the road.  As testament to the history of this area, those houses were built on their precise spots long before local and state municipalities bowed to progress, changing times, and the demand for wider paved roads.  The houses stood that close – a yard or so, maybe – to the edge of the road.

Enroute now to the village of Intercourse, I came to a stop when I saw that the vehicles on my lane ahead of me weren’t moving.  I peered ahead to see what was up and that’s when I saw the horse and buggy approaching on the left lane.  Then there was a second one, and a third, a fourth, and goodness, there must have been 50 of them!  One after another, a chain of horses – all brown or dark brown - were trotting by just feet from where I sat in my truck.  As far as I could tell, there were two people, mostly a bearded man and a woman, in each buggy, although I did glimpse a young couple with a baby in their buggy.  It was quite a procession and when our lane finally moved slowly forward we passed a large structure on the right (a barn?) where I noted this long row of parked buggies and saw a large crowd of Amish people mingling about outside.

My reserved site at the Beacon Hill Campground [in Intercourse] was waiting for me and by 1:00 p.m. my camper was set up and Navidad was tended to.  Then, for the first time since I started this trip, I retrieved my camp chair from the truck and sat outside, directly under the shade of a tree.  Being that there was a narrow [“No Outlet”] road directly behind my camper, going up a slight rise, it wasn’t long before a horse came trotting up, pulling its buggy behind him.  Later in the afternoon, some children, two girls and a boy, walked by, apparently going home from school.  That was an unexpected surprise and those kids, being naturally curious as all kids are, gawked at my camper and the other RVs on my section.  Around late afternoon I walked down that road to the barn at the corner (Sam’s Farm) to take some pictures of the barn, the barnyard animals, and a buggy or two that passed by.

Sam's Farm.

Sam's equipment.

An open buggy going by Sam's Farm.

Sam's barnyard animals.

The family laundry hung out to dry.

And so today, Wednesday 21^st, I’m taking a much-needed driving break and giving Navidad a much-needed chance to sleep to his heart’s content.  Around 10:30 a.m., I locked up the camper and walked the ¾ mile to the “Kitchen Kettle Village” in Intercourse.  There being no sidewalk, I walked against the traffic, all the better to see the vehicles - and buggies - coming my way.

There were a lot of tourists at the Village (yeah, yeah, I was one, too!) but this was an interesting corner spot – at the intersection of Newport Road (Rt. 772) and Old Philadelphia Pike (Rt. 340) - where many of the 40 plus specialty shops featured authentic Dutch baked goods, jams & relishes, crafts, quilts, and other products.  I went inside the Jam & Relish Kitchen where “…the locals cook up homemade Pennsylvania Dutch sweets like jelly, jam and butter, fresh baked goods like pie and cookies, and delicious canned goods like relish, salsa, and pickles…” and was just in time to watch a group of five or six Amish women cook and can the day’s special.  The store itself was quite large and full of all sorts of food products, many of which are made right there.  

Following a bite of lunch at the Kling House Restaurant, and getting a scoop of fresh ice cream from the Lapp’s Farm, I walked back to my camper where I spent the rest of the day writing, gazing at the cornfield, and watching the occasional Amish resident walk or trot by.  The Amish kids appeared again and this time they were accompanied by an older boy who was riding bareback on his pony.  They seemed to take a special interest in my camper, pointing to the truck.  Unlike the more common trailer-type of RV, hitched to and pulled by a truck, my kind of RV, ON my truck, certainly is different. 

Suffice it to say, to be here, amongst the Amish, is bliss indeed!

A young mother and her kids, passing by my camper.

What a beautiful horse and a vision of tranquility!

A parked buggy near the village of Intercourse.

Going home from school.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

Gosh, has it been three weeks today since I left home?  Already?  But for those truck and camper problems, it has been a good trip thus far.  The visit last weekend with Lee-Ann Pugin and her family was, and will continue to be, THE highlight of this trip!  There are three “legs” to this trip and I’m about ready to begin the second leg!

It occurred to me, fairly recently, that I haven’t needed to turn on the heat in the camper for quite awhile now.  The nights were cold in Idaho, Montana, and Upper Michigan, but it has been pleasantly warm, if a tad humid, since I’ve reached this eastern part of the USA.

Today was a beautiful day to drive.  I wished only that I had enough time to drive south, towards Staunton, VA, on the country roads.  Since I don’t have the time, I left Intercourse this beautiful morning, taking Rts. 340 W and 30 W to I-81 S.  My countryside route before reaching the interstate included Gettysburg – both the town and the battlefield – and again I wished I had the time.

This section of I-81 was smooth going, much to my relief!  Navidad (ever patient and waiting in his carrier until we stop again!) and I crossed from Pennsylvania into Maryland and then into West Virginia.  We reached Falling Waters and got a site for the night at the Falling Waters Campsite.  After setting up the camper, my first order of business was to do the laundry!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

Back on I-81 S this morning it took only two hours to arrive at the Shenandoah Valley Campground in Verona, VA, near Staunton.  I picked a nice place to stay for two nights – there’s lots of trees, a Catch-and-Release Fishing Lake, a river and waterfall, and a bunch of friendly rabbits hopping around all over.  But…now that it’s Friday, there’s also a lot of families with kids and dogs.  Unaccustomed to the kind of racket such an assembly brings, Navidad sought refuge under the sleeping bag.  Aw, gee.  It was really too hot today for him to be under there, so I closed all the windows and turned on the AC.  That helped and he seemed content to observe this circus of humanity, canines, and rabbits through the windows.

Aw, gee!  The internet here sucks!  “Mapita, you’re at a campground and there are tall trees all around you.  You want perfect internet, go to Starbucks.”

Navidad's tell-tale bulge.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

The second leg of my trip officially began today when I received my first visitor – Daphne Cox!  Daphne and I have been friends since she joined my [Alumni Office] staff at Gallaudet University in 1995.  A dedicated advocate for Gallaudet, Daphne was an exemplary employee with a keen eye and head for logistics, organization, and coordination.  I relied on her extensively for many of our programs and events – and for teaching me how to properly and more efficiently use the computer!  A Virginia girl with deep roots here in the Staunton area, she has returned home since retiring from Gallaudet.

We met up at the campground registration office at 10:00 a.m. and spent all day together.  She drove me around, showing me Staunton’s charming downtown, a couple of beautiful parks, her sister’s house where she is living until she gets her own, and her school, the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.  We walked around the campus, which I very much enjoyed.  Earlier, we had had a leisurely breakfast and then later in the afternoon, we got some ice cream from Kline’s.  On the return to my camper, we picked up some salad for supper.

Navidad was waiting right there at the screen door when I opened up.  I’d left him alone there from 10:00 am to about 6:00 p.m.  After feeding him, Daphne and I walked over to see the waterfall.  The river there is called the Middle River and I’m guessing there is an Upper River (thus the waterfall) and a Lower River.  We had our salads inside the camper and caught up on more conversation.  It was past 9:00 p.m. when we said our good-nights and she left for home.  Truly a perfect day with Daphne!

Daphne at the entrance to the Virginia School for the Deaf
and the Blind.

Daphne and me.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

Waking up to a rainy/misty morning, I looked outside and noticed that the weekend’s campers were packing up, one by one, and heading out.  I got ready to do the same and was soon on my way, via I-81 S, I-64 E, and Rt. 20 S, to the KOA in Charlottesville, VA for a rendezvous with my next visitor – Chris Krentz.

Chris was a baby-faced 23-year-old deaf Yale graduate when I first met him in my office in “Ole Jim” [at Gallaudet] in 1990.  He had just been hired for a position in the Development Office and his boss told him to go meet with me and learn about our alumni.  That first meeting, even though Chris hadn’t yet learned ASL, led to an extraordinary and fun-filled four-year work experience -- and to a warm friendship as well.  We worked closely together on various projects and traveled extensively to meet with alumni groups around the country.  Our trips weren’t without some funny adventures and those memories I will long cherish!

Chris left Gallaudet in 1994 to pursue his Doctorate Degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.  He found his niche at this most esteemed university and is today Associate Professor of English and ASL.  A long-time bachelor, he is now married and he and Michelle have a three-year-old son, Daniel.  It’s been 11 years since we last saw each other.

As with Daphne yesterday, Chris agreed to meet up with me at the KOA registration office at 2:00 p.m. and as soon as we saw each other through the screen door, we both had nothing but huge grins.  I simply couldn’t stop hugging him!  We went inside my camper and there we sat, catching up on all that’s been going on with our respective lives.  Around 4:00 p.m. we enjoyed a snack of fresh bagels/cream cheese and slices of pear that he had brought with him.  Since he didn’t live far from the KOA, I accepted his invitation to go to his house and meet Michelle and Daniel.  That was such a sweet meeting!  I’m so happy this get-together worked out so well!

Chris.

Chris and me.