Our Campsite at Indian Rock Campground

Entrance Rock Sign at the Camp......

April 8,2010....Finally this spring day has COME!!! We loaded the airstream for York,Pa. not far,but a gettaway for a few days. This is our unit's first rally of 2010. we are looking forward to seeing friends that were absent over the winter(some went to Florida???). It takes about an hour to arrive at Indian Rock Campground off Rt 83 at exit 14 south of York. It is Hot!! We have shorts on and enjoying the spring(summer 86*) day. Bates and Koreny are already there. We set up in short order, I have to remember the steps again to set up,it's been awhile, 5 months since we were out on the road. Oh how I miss this open road and leisure time, but Carol is feeling better and we are hitting the road once more!!!! Yeah !!!!

Well we are set up and waiting for the rest to arrive on friday. We sit around and enjoy area and just chat. Friday comes and some more arrive around noon, Jacobs,Lights,Buchers,Wibles,Merediths,Sanders, and Richwines arrive after supper.

Jackie Meredith and Sue Bates are in charge of the weekend feasts. Friday nite,Bar-B-Que & Bake Beans, Sat Breakfast,Pancakes & Sausage links, Sunday Hot Dogs and all the fixins' and homemade Macaroni Salad(yum..yum..) We didn't starve this weekend. We even went to Dallastown American Legion on sat nite for 6oz Filet Mignon for $6.50 with 2 sides. 18 of us went and enjoyed the meal. Then back to camp to have a campfire. Bates is the "Master Fire Maker"!!!

Saturday, after breakfast, some went for a local walk on the trail and some road bikes for 10-20 miles several days this weekend. Carol and I went with Lou & Stephanie Jacobs to an Amish Mall Market to browse and snack on lunch and see the amish wood projects...barns,swings,picnic tables, etc. also the amish food inside for sale. Then we went to a flea market in Thomasville. This was lots of permament barns and stalls in the long barns for the regulars. There was a small area in the back hill for day yard sales...mostly JUNK!!! After an hour of this I seen enough, so we went back to camp to relax.

After sunday lunch of hot dogs etc. most hitched up and left. Carol and I decided to stay and also the Korenys did too till monday. Bates even made a ready fire for us to enjoy sunday night. All the kindle wood and paper stacked up ready to strike a match and add fire logs as the fire got hotter. Korenys and son joined us for a while then it was just Carol and I (romantic??) for the rest of the night.

Just a story ...at the beginning of the campfire I saw a young girl(20's) and a 2 year old pass by and I waved to the little child. They came over and talked awhile. The girl told us they lived in the old motorhome across the way for the last 2 years. She said they paid $2,500 for it and her dad,mom,brother and daughter lived in it moving time to time. The little girl was digging in the charcoal grill on a pole and getting blacker and blacker hands,clothes and face as the time went on. The girl lit up another cigarette and told us how they look for jobs along the way. Then Brother and dad stopped by, brother had a cap with a fish hook on the brim just like "Larry the Cable Guy". Dad had a nascar shirt on and just sat down and started talking too about his life. His mom had cancer,he took care of her till the end, then he lost his home, job and ended up in this old motorhome. His wife is disabled. Right now they are finding old scrap metal and collecting it for cash. I felt sorry for them, but they seemed alright with this way of life. They had an old 79 dodge pickup that they used for collecting scrap. The next day I saw them in the storage lot breaking up stoves, etc. for the metal to take to recycle I guess? They waved as we passed them by when leaving. I guess I am Lucky to have what I have ...But....They were just as happy with less. I hope their future has a better ending, what a nice friendly family!!! We arrived home at 4pm on monday.
With that I will just say God Bless......AirstreamHobo and Carol

See Picture Album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/IndianRockCampground

Here are my grandchildren Addy & Mason singing and playing the Banjo for a special tape for their Mom & Dad.

What a Summer!!! Look at Mom Smilin'!!!!


Sept 6,Sunday......100 Days on the Road!!! Yes..Can you believe it is 100 days already?It seems like yesterday that we left town!! We have traveled over 9,000 miles (total will be announced later). We have met alot of friendly nice people all over America. We have seen less than 8 hours of TV since June 7th..Did you know Michael Jackson Died??? America has alot to see and we haven't begun to see it. We tried to travel the backroads whenever possible. The unknown roads have more to see and we can do it without being run over by high speed traffic.

We enjoyed the leisure pace that we covered. We recieved alot of e-mails that we were seeing many of your old travels and Thanked Us for reliving those sights. Somedays were alot of driving to get over the long boring highways but for the most part we had some short mileage days. I was amazed by how many abandoned buildings were along the way. Just thinking about what those people did in the past and why they left their homestead and businesses vacant. I guess $$$$ was the main problem.

I did see alot of hard working Americans trying to provide for their familys and have nice places to live. There was no special place better than the rest. But knowning each area was proud of their neighborhood and glad to live there. I talked to lot of full-timers that live and work all over the place and would not go back to a stick&brick house. They loved the simple life and the less worry of upkeep of their old houses. All seemed very Happy and Healthy and glad to be on the road..north in summer then head south in winter.

What a Life!!! Believe it or not..it was the wife that loved full-timing...No Big House Keeping!! was their answer to Happiness and keep on moving at their pace. As this trip comes to a close in a few days and we will be back home, we are Thankful for the Great Summer we had ..3 days of rain!! Can you believe that..15,000 pictures ..ok maybe a few more..grin... We will see how long we will be at home before we want to go again!! We did manage to survive living in 29 foot Airstream all this time. So Thanks for following along and I hope I (we) brought you some laughs and pictures of our travels along the way. Here is the last Photo album ..enjoy.. http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/MichiganToPennaBackroads#
Any Comments would be appreciated... E-mail us .. obclown@ptd.net
God Bless and Thank-You AirstreamHobo & Carol

Helena Fire Co Tractor Show in Ohio

P&S Refinishing Shop in Helena,Ohio

Airstream Reflection in the pond.............read on Sept 4,Friday, At 7 am I peeked out the back window and saw a foggy covered pond, Up and out of the camper with the camera..What a view..The soft fog over the pond,docks,boats, and just all over the campground. Click..click..300 times.. Check out the photo blog! We packed up and left at 11am for Penna.

We followed Rt 6 thru the back roads of Ohio, I spot a farm with Airstreams all lined up in the back field. Look I said, there is a Rally...WRONG... It was P & S Refinishing Shop. I pulled in to see this place. Airstreams all over the place in several barns in different stages of repair. I met Kevin one of the owners, he showed me around and we talked about Fire Co's. He is the Ass't Chief of Helena Fire Co. He told me about their annual fund raiser "Tractor Show" down the road this weekend. After seeing all the airstreams, we left and went down to the Tractor Show...another awesome display of all kinds of farm tractors. The field had hundreds of them. The outside row along the field was also full of campers near the shade trees. I did see 2 airstreams camped there too.

After spending an hour there, we left down Rt 6 east again, no speeding in Ohio when they say 55 do it! Not 56 I saw lots of police pull over cars all along Rt 6. We stop at CrackerBarrel for supper and to stretch our legs. Then conntinue on into Pa. it was getting dark fast but I still had an hour to go. We arrived at Penn'sWoods an Airstream park at 9pm and set up quickly..water/elec/sewer/and cable too..

Sept 5,saturday, We finish setting up this am. I walk around the park, it is very nice park,log cabin office,pond with fountain, a meeting house with kitchen facilities. I come to find out there is a Rally this weekend, it is their 50th Anniversary and Installation Banquet too! So I signup with a fee for the weekend Rally. Caterered Dinner tonite,full breakfast(sun) Cook-out (sun) and 50th Birthday Cake Party Too!!! Everyone is so friendly(aren't all Airstreamers?)They even have happy hour today at 4pm. We just had supper, Chicken,Ribs,Green bean casserole,potatoes,Spagetti noodles/meatballs, salad,dessert...Yum Yum I didn't have to cook tonight!!!! Installation Meeting at 7 pm.

God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol

Sept 3,Wednesday, Happy Birthday Mason!!! Our Grandson!!! We will see you in about a week!!!

After a restful 2 days at Shipshawanna we hook-up and leave for Auburn,Ind. I heard about the Cord/Duesenberg Museum being there. We find the place easy with all the street signs to get there. It seems this is the Big Weekend for Car Collectors in town. There is a 5,000 car sale at Kruse Auctions and they are expecting 100,000 plus people in town for all the planned activities. We find a spot to park along the street one block from the museum. The street in front of the museum is blocked off with Cords & other Classic Cars(too many to mention). I took a few pictures now and then went inside the Museum to see the Cars.

WOW!!! What a showroom!! The place is Amazing!! The cars are displayed just like in a car dealer showroom. This is World First Class Place. 3 floors of all makes of Classic Cars and the stories behind them and what made Auburn Famous. There are numerous Cords on display. I was just overwelmed by the Class of Cars , I didn't dare touch any of them. But click,click, I did!! Every year on Labor day weekend they have a Car Show and Festival in Auburn, home of the Auburn and Cord Car Manufactures. There are numerous activities planned. I wish I was staying this weekend but time to move on. I walked around the museum for about 3 hours just trying to digest the Era of these Cars, It must have been an awesome time in America. I am glad someone Preserved these Cars for all future generations to enjoy!! I sure did today, even the gift shop was a sight to see. Outside most of the cars have left but a few are in the parking lot now..click..click. What a sight to see!!

We head on down Rt 6 toward Bowling Green, Ohio and arrive at Fire Lake Campground for the night, another PassPort America camp..50% off..$16.00/nite. with a beautiful Sunset across the lake at our backside of the campsite. We drove about 130 miles today and saw a slice of America!!! Why can't we build these classics today?? (answer $$$$$$)
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Need a Canoe?? These were stacked at a Water Float Store....Read on...

Sept. 1, Tuesday, we leave at 9 am for Howe,Ind. Driving down Rt. 31 along the shoreline. We see a sign for a lighthouse and follow the road to it. Point Betsie light house is back this road, however, due to cutbacks it is only open on weekends for tours.

We pass a tubing/canoe/kayaking store , I stop to take pictures and talk to locals. He tells me to go down the side road to see Salmon fish starting to spawn, he says there are about 100 there at the dam now..in a few weeks there will be 10,000 there to cross the dam. We drive back to see these extra large fish..2-3 feet big...no fish story...really..There are kayakers in the water causing the fish to move about so we can see all these big fish..wow..wow. Then back down the highway.

We follow Rt 31 all the way to Holland then catch Rt 40 all along a very scenic drive with no rush of traffic and sometimes I do pull over to let locals go faster!! We pass Grape farms with acres of grape vines on both sides of the road. Into Indiana we turn east on Rt 120 to Howe. We arrive at about 5pm and stop at a Pass Port America Park, believe it or not we were here 13 weeks ago today. The cost was $8.50 in June now it is $14.95 now (rates went up!!) But it is a nice park near Shipshawanna Flea Market..tues & wed's..We will go tomorrow.

Sept 2, Wednesday, Today we go to the flea market and look for bargains and afterwards we stop to do the weekly laundry. Back at the camp, we make spare ribs on the grill. They are a treat!!! Lots of meat and very good!!! Rest and relax..zzz As you can see...no pictures here also...wi-fi won't le me download pictures ...someday soon ???
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

August 31,Monday, We rise and go over to the Boat Museum at Glen Haven, a little village of long ago. The waterfront is wonderful to walk along the shore, there is more stones/rocks than sand along here. We did see the old Coast Guard Station with old boats on display and talked to the volunteer guide host, she was from Florida doing a work camper job here 16 hours a week for free camp site, her husband demo'd at the Blacksmith shop too. They Love IT!!! We did talked to alot of people all summer that have traveled north to volunteer a few days a week and then see the area the other days with free camping all summer. What a retirement life! These people loved to mingle with tourists and share their knowledge. Check-out at noon, we head down the road, to Ludington State Park. These is a lake shore state park, over 300 sites. This is the Most Popular destination for the Michigan Tourists, the place is packed with families enjoying their vacations, not many vacant sites left. You can park along the road way to the park at the Lake Michigan with sand dunes on both sides and go swimming in the lake.