We had planned to stay a couple of weeks in east central Ohio in an area many people call the Ohio Amish area. Since we had no electrical power at the damaged campground and area around Salt Fork State Park, we decided to leave a day early as soon as the campground road was cleared of trees and debris. Finally about Noon the road was cleared. Tim called the RV park in the Amish area to see if they had a site available early. They said yes and come on over. The RV park owners said they had other people staying there that had planned to go to Salt Fork, but either cancelled or delayed their trip because of the damage.
Driving through the campground roads we dodged fallen limbs and debris, but managed to steer clear. Outside the campground the road leading to I-77 was three fourths blocked because of a fallen tree. The sheriff was directing traffic. We had to partially drive in the ditch through mud to get around.
Despite all the stress of the storm the last couple of days, at least one member of our traveling party on the bus didn't seem to mind at all.
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| Muffin highly relaxed on the passenger seat of the bus |
I guess we should all take a cue from the cat, Muffin. We just need to relax and not stress out. Muffin sure epitomizes that philosophy. Muffin always seems to find a way to chill out regardless of the circumstances.
It was about a 60 minute drive north on I-77 from Salt Fork to near Berlin, OH to Scenic Hills RV Park. Fortunately there was no debris or problems on I-77. We have stayed at Scenic Hills many times in the past. We find it is a great place for us to stay to visit Linda's sister's family in nearby New Philadelphia and explore Amish country and Cleveland to the north.
We have visited Amish Country many times before. There is always something new and different to see and do. Usually we spend 2 weeks in the area and never get bored.
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| Typical Amish farm with multiple relatives living on the homestead |
Since the Amish settled this area, their population had grown. Land it no longer economically available for purchase, so many generations live on one farm. Work horses are the "engines" used in their lives from transportation to working crops on their farms.
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| Young work horses through gate |
We visited a bakery and store in the country which also has a petting zoo for the kids, small and big like Tim.
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| Goat searching Tim's pocket for a handout |
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| Bikes parked behind the bakery used by the Amish workers |
You'll never go hungry in this area. There are so many great places to eat wonderful food. After two weeks in the area, Tim feels like he has to waddle around. The pies and rolls are irresistible.
Linda and her sister, Karen, love Independence Day celebrations. Linda and Tim had already attended a celebration in Millersburg the weekend prior to the 4th, but Karen wanted to go to a celebration on the 4th. Karen works as a medical technician at a hospital in Canton. She heard about the celebration at McKinley (President) Park featuring the U.S. Army Band from Washington, D.C. We made the half hour trip to the park late afternoon to find a shady spot to enjoy the celebration. The park is located where President McKinley and his family are buried.
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| Mall in front of the McKinley Memorial |
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| Stage for the U.S. Army Band concert |
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| Band playing on stage |
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| Karen and Linda (with popcorn) enjoying the concert and fireworks |
Karen, Linda, & Tim has a wonderful time at the July 4th celebration. The U.S. Army Band was great. Not only did they play traditional patriotic songs, but show tunes and other songs that embraced America. Many of the band members sang and danced with lots of enthusiasm on a very hot day. Karen's husband, Kerry, missed a great show. He didn't want to come because of the heat and crowds. His mistake. The show was great and price of admission was terrific.....free!
The next day we visited Cleveland to enjoy two of our favorite things...gambling and The Rays. We knew the Rays would be in town to play the Indians on July 5. Ohio has allowed a few casinos to open around the state. Horseshoe Casino in downtown just opened a few weeks before our visit and is only a few blocks away from Progressive Field, home of the Indians. We arrived early afternoon to hit the slots in the casino. The casino was swamped on the Thursday afternoon. It took 15 minutes just to get our loyalty cards. After elbowing our way through the crowds we managed to find some slots to make a "deposit." Yes, Tim lost and Linda won. That's the way it always works.
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| Horsehoe Casino downtown Cleveland |
Almost next door to the casino is the Cavaliers area (minus LeBron James I took my talents to South Beach). On the sidewalk between the area and Progressive Field was this guitar.
Cleveland is home to the Rock Hall of Fame, which we have never visited, but is on our Bucket List.
After throwing our money away at the casino we walked to Progressive Field. We were hungry, so we headed for some ballpark food. We arrived early and bought bleacher tickets in left field (that's all we could afford after blowing our money at the casino). Actually the bleachers are great seats and the sun is a your back, so you don't get burned up or blinded. By game time most of the bleacher seats we bought, so they are popular. We were hoping to see a Rays win, but it was not to be. We had fun watching the game and interacting with the Cleveland fans including one who called out to Tim and said for the "q-tip" to go back to Florida. Well, Tim has been called worse.
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| View from the left field bleachers |
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| Scoreboard above left field bleachers |
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| Former Ray, Johnny Damon, played left field for the Indians |
One of the activities we enjoy in Amish Country are the auctions. There are about 4 auctions every week within a 30 miles area. These auctions feature hay, livestock, produce, baked goods, and crafts from the area. There are also a few fund-raising auctions throughout the summer. The beneficiaries are disable Amish children or various Amish schools in the area. Amish and locals business donate new and used items for the auctions. Each auction occupies multiple, huge tents or buildings and run most of the day. Amish made quilts and furniture are featured items. The craftsmanship is outstanding. Tens of thousands of dollars are raised at these auctions. We enjoy going to people watch.
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| Amish charity auction |
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| Quilts being sold at auction |
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| Amish boys walking to auction |
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| Amish kids in bleacher at auction |
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| New buggies for sale at the auction |
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| Linda a auction preview looking at kids rocker |
We attended the big charity auction preview on Friday afternoon and evening. Linda has a flight the next morning to return home to check on the house and spend some time with our grandson, Caden. Tim stayed in Ohio to attend the auctions and get some repairs done on the bus. We mentioned in earlier posts that 3 of the 5 air conditioners on the bus weren't working. A new front roof air was installed in Florida just before we left town. It failed on our way to Ohio. Tim found a trailer dealer about 30 miles away from Scenic Hills RV Park that agreed to diagnose the unit. We had an appointment on a Monday morning. We called over and over again on Monday to confirm with no answer. Calls to other businesses in the area also weren't answered. Finally we hoped in the car to see what happened. We discovered a storm passed through Sunday night which knocked out their power and phone lines. These utilities were to be restored on Wednesday. We made a new appointment for Wednesday. The manufacturer of the roof air conditioner requires it to be diagnosed by a dealer before they will supply a replacement. This required two trips to the trailer dealer. The first time it was diagnosed....yep, it is defective...duh! The second trip was needed after the dealer got authorization to replace it and a new unit was shipped. A week later Tim took the bus for the second trip. Turns out the manufacturer sent the wrong version of unit, but we made it work. After some frustration and 4 hours of time, Tim left with a working front air conditioner.
Also the bus dash and over-the-road air conditioners weren't working. Tim found it was challenging to find someone to work on these. On a hunch he called a small shop in New Philadelphia who claimed to have 26 years of mechanics experience along with air conditioning. This shop turned out to be a great find. The owner and main employee turned out to be a great guy. He said bring the bus in and he'd do what he could. Turns out his son-in-law works as a mechanic for a nearby truck dealer. The dash air was diagnosed with a faulty clutch. Tim ordered a new clutch and compression from Prevost and brought the bus in a few days later for the installation. The over-the-road air was very low on "freon", so more was installed along with dye to diagnose a leak in the future. Yeah, we now have 5 working air conditioners.
Tim had some time for sightseeing between bus repairs and auctions. The Amish countryside is beautiful.
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| Highly adjustable solar panel providing power to an Amish store |
Tim along with sister-in-law, Karen, and her husband, Kerry headed to Cambridge to meet their oldest son Robert and his bride, Kim, for a quick lunch. They were returning from attending a wedding in Cincinnati.
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| Kerry, Karen, Kim, & Robert |
Before Linda returned from Florida, Tim had time to attend one more Amish school charity auction.
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| 1 of 4 large tents holding auction items |
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| People looking through auction items |
Tim picked up Linda on the 16th from the Akron/Canton airport and the next day we headed south to Cincinnati. We had more bus repairs to do and some weather to withstand.
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