Lancaster, PA

Lancaster is a very unique area and we like it enough that this is our third visit here this year. Because as much fun as we had on our two GrandCamp week’s here, there was no time to see what we wanted to see.

On Sunday, as I mentioned yesterday, we drove here from South Jersey. On the way, can you guess what happened? Our “check engine” light came on, 18 miles from our destination. Fortunately the engine temperature did not rise so we made it to our destination without problems. Bob ran a diagnostic on the coach and the code that popped up indicated an issue with the DEF system. He found a Cummins repair only 25 miles away so that’s where we’ll be bright and early Wednesday morning.

In the meantime we had two whole days to enjoy the area. Our campground is located where many Amish buggies pass. We fell asleep to the clip clop sound of the horses as they drive home.

On Monday we drove to Kitchen Kettle Village in the town of Bird-in-Hand and walked around the area. There are lots of little shops to explore and places to eat here. While most of them are about as far from whole-food-plant-based as they can be, we found a pretzel place that made whole wheat pretzels and would hold the butter. Yum!

This town has an abundance of yarn shops and fabric stores. Every town should be this well-stocked.

On Tuesday Bob and I drove over to Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster. I was hoping to see some of their collection of tape looms that they are famous for. When we checked in, however, we were told that the Textile Building was only open on Thursday this week. Major disappointment! I told the man at the ticket counter that we were from Texas and had to leave tomorrow, and wasn’t there someone who could show us some tape looms? The fellow was so nice; he found a docent to take us over there and let us in. She explained what she knew about the equipment and it was fascinating.

Afterwards, Bob got into a good discussion with the museum’s gunsmith and I learned some things about muskets and early American rifles. Very interesting! We loved walking around and seeing the historic buildings in the village.

At the gift shop we found several tape looms for sale, made by a local woodcrafter.

None of them were as nice as the one Bob made me several years ago.

We stopped for Chinese food on our way back, and also visited a local weaving shop where I found some old issues of the Prairie Wool Companion, a great magazine published in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Tomorrow I’ll have news on our visit to the Cummins repair shop.