Let the Good Times Roll!: Schaefferstown, PA

Let the Good Times ROLL!

NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
______________________________

July 2, 09 - we drove to see Schaefferstown, PA, founded in 1763. Along the road towards our destination, there were plenty of dairy farms, sheep, cattle, and rolling hills filled with corn crops. Sometimes we saw potato crops as well, and a myriad of flowers everywhere. We stopped to see the noted Fountain Park on South Market Street, the oldest documented public works system and oldest Chartered Waterworks in the United States. It is spring fed fountain. Not much to look at but the water is still used by the townspeople for portable household water.

We saw an historic tavern The Franklin House Tavern and Inn on Market Street and after taking pictures of the

town square, we decided to eat lunch there. The food was excellent and much too much to eat so took some home. Loved the sweet potato fries.

It was a real treat to speak to the owner who took us upstairs to an outside patio he had built for patrons to enjoy the outdoors. I asked the owner if the tavern was noted for being haunted and found out it is. Several paranormal groups have visited and found odd things, especially in Room #3 where there is a lot of energy felt. The owner two years ago purchased the run-down dilapidated building and proceeded to make it look like it did in its hay-day. When he had changed out all the light bulbs the bulbs blew all at one time, although they were on separate circuits. When he had started to paint a room, leaving late one night with three cans of yellow paint, lids on tight, he arrived in the morning to find the lids off and the paint had been tossed up onto the ceiling and walls. Once the three new stoves were installed, they all stopped working every Friday for a month. Each Saturday, they would start working again.

The tavern was established in 1746 and was a stopping place for travelers where they could rest in the rooms upstairs and also stable their horses. The owner told us there are underground tunnels to this day and were used to hide from the Indians. There were two known Indian raids in Schaefferstown. Schaefferstown is one of the only surviving Baroque-planned Germanic towns in America, and is a rare example of the culturally-distinct German building typology.

We took another route to return home and passed through small communities like Newsmanstown.

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

FULL TIMING

FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.

It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!