THE BEST IS YET TO COME...: 06/14/12

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Hickory Hollow RV Park, Somerset, PA, to KOA, Coatsville, PA: Left this morning around 9:30 and headed east on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A beautiful drive through the lush hills/mountains of southwestern PA. Lots of long pulls up and long coasts down and around 4 or 5 tunnels. The truck performed really well—only downshifted around 3 or 4 times in all those hills. Dropped down into the Cumberland Valley and stopped at a service area for some lunch. The semi parked next to us was hauling some kind of animals—probably cattle or horses. I could hear them thumping around in there. It was a regular trailer with no ventilation of any kind. I can only imagine how horrible it was for whatever animals were in there. Continued east and got off at our exit for the KOA. However, it’s several miles away in the country somewhere. Unfortunately, shortly after we got off the truck started belching black smoke and we lost power. This has happened before and the mechanic said it was just something in the air filter. We stopped and turned the truck off and then restarted and it was okay. But only for a mile or so and then it started doing it again. So, we happened to be right by a Holiday Inn, and we pulled in there, parked and went inside to see if they knew where there was a GMC or Chevy dealer. They told us there was a Pep Boys right next door, so Mike walked over there and they told him the mechanic that works on diesels had left for the day. So, we pulled the fifth-wheel out in the Holiday Inn back lot and dropped it and Mike took the truck over to Pep Boys so the mechanic could work on it first thing. So, here we are in a Holiday Inn in Exton, PA, only 15 miles from our destination. Could have been a lot worse though. 81 today and mostly sunny.

Honeysuckle or Jasmine--it smelled wonderful.

Nest with four perfect robin's eggs. In the site next to us. Unfortunately, the nest was abandoned for some reason.

Wed, 6/13/12:
Hickory Hollow RV Park, Somerset, PA: Headed out this morning to see the Flight 93 Memorial which is only about 20 miles away. I guess I was very surprised that the plane came down in a high meadow covered with wildflowers and fringed with trees instead of a farmers field down low. The plane came down upside down at a 40 degree angle going 593 miles per hour. It left a 40 foot crater and amazingly 95% of the plane was recovered and everyone on board was identified by some means. The crater was filled in after all the remains and debris were removed and it looks pretty much the way it did before the plane came down. It’s an amazingly tranquil and peaceful place—considering the horrific violence that took place here. Left there and drove up to Johnstown to visit the flood museum there. In 1889 one of the worst floods in our history happened here and 2200 people died. Johnstown is situated along the Little Conemaugh River in a narrow valley. 14 miles upstream is a large earthen dam creating Conemaugh Lake. At that time this lake was home to the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club which was owned by several rich Pittsburgh families. They would come to this pristine, man-made lake in the mountains and fish or hunt or just relax in their “cottages” along the lake shore. Unfortunately, they ignored signs that the dam was weakening and after a period of heavy rain the earthen dam finally gave way. The tower of water that hit Johnstown was over 37 feet high and wiped everything out in its path. One woman was giving birth in the upstairs bedroom of one of the homes that was ripped away by the flood and floated away. Both survived. Bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati as long after as 1906. South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was abandoned since there was no more lake. They left their cottages and everything in them and never came back. Tomorrow we leave for western Philadelphia.