(This blog was written before we heard the tragic news of our nephew Danny’s passing. It’s hard to read this now – our hearts are clouded with grief and our easy-going happy blog exists in its own vacuum. But life goes on in spite of pain so we decided to publish this blog today as we planned. )
We haven’t written much about our travel days – maybe because the scenery around Pennsylvania and then Ohio, and Indiana and now Illinois, was familiar – lots of green acres, farms, and two lane highways. We left the rolling hills and softly rounded mountains when we drove west of Pennsylvania and noticed that Ohio and Indiana were flat. It’s not that this part of the country isn’t pretty – the farms seem to be thriving and since it’s September – the crops are near harvest time. But there is nothing remarkable about this scenery to us. It looks just like the middle of New Jersey as you drive on the Turnpike, Parkway or Rt. 295.
But it isn’t boring. We have passed some interesting things on this journey and here’s just a short list of them:
- On Route 70, we drove past Xenia, Ohio, near where some of Doug’s mother’s relatives came from
- In Talmage, PA we saw a sign advertising Lawn Chair Worship – thought that would be better than hard wooden pews at a church service some day
- Saw a sign that said “Smile and give your frown a break”
- I never thought about this, but Frederick the Great was the King in King of Prussia
- Pennsylvania was a busy time for us – we met up with 29 family and friends!
- In East Berlin, PA we sniggered (childishly) at the sign for Peepytown Road
- We passed a sign near Hagerstown, Indiana for Wilbur Wright’s birthplace – causing us to wonder where Orville was born (Dayton, Ohio)
- Loved the billboard on Rt. 70 in Ohio encouraging us to visit Watkins Glen, NY – just 607 miles away and then turn right
So our journey is not just looking at the highway lane in front of us, but also trying to get a feel for the country we are passing at 55 miles per hour. Reading the place names, the billboards, the handmade signs, gives us a flavor and sense of the people who inhabit the area.
It feels like we are really on the move now. We spent our last few days in Pennsylvania in the Madison/Pittsburgh KOA in Ruffs Dale. From there we landed in Nashport, Ohio, our 28th state on this trip. Doug had carefully planned this stop to get me to the BIGGEST BASKET IN THE WORLD! We drove to Newark to what used to be the Longaberger Basket headquarters. Dave Longaberger is the founder of the basket company famous all around the world. The company was known for its great employment practices. The basketeers, mostly local women, were shareholders, had good benefits and enjoyed a compassionate workplace. As the business grew, Dave created the iconic building to house his headquarters. The building is shaped exactly like the company’s famous picnic basket, complete with two huge handles made of poured concrete. Unfortunately, the company took a downward turn after Dave passed away and also because the demand for the baskets diminished. So the giant basket building is now empty. But there it stands still – looking amazing!
It also seems like the factory and The Homestead is taking a downward turn. We drove out to Frazeysburg and saw only a few cars at the factory’s employee parking lot. Nearby is a huge complex of beautiful buildings and landscaping called The Homestead. We parked our car in the enormous parking lot which that day held 5 other cars. We walked through an impressive but empty welcome center and went into the main building which has 2 large floors of shopping. I love baskets. I never thought I would say this, but after wandering through all the rooms on both floors, I felt like I had seen too many baskets. Longaberger baskets are known for their quality – each one has the name of the maker on the bottom. True collectors know every shape and size and use for these baskets and they are willing to pay for the quality. Longaberger baskets are pricey. So, Doug and I headed to the sale floor, where we bought a small basket originally retailing for about $30, on sale for $17. Still pricey.
But while we were on the sale floor, we found a dark corner filled with bins overflowing with the cloth liners that Longaberger sells to decorate the inside of the baskets. This was where the real bargains were. The signs on the table invited us to fill a bag (about 5 by 8”) for $1.00! The liners were in all different sizes and patterns, made of really good quality material. So I filled two bags with lots of sewing projects in mind. We also found 12 x 12” framed canvases for $1.00 each and some little “basket hangers” – little knickknacks for baskets – for $.50 each. By sewing 2 identical liners together I made tote bags, shopping bags, and small Halloween baskets. For $2.00 (including sales tax) I had a lot of fun. So much so, that two days later, Doug and I went back to rummage through those bins again. This time we left with five bags. Doug got carried away with the savings and stuffed those bags way beyond the reasonable limit. I made him go to the cashier alone. But I now have a stash of projects, liners for our very own baskets that I can change with the seasons, and all for a total of $7.00! Plus I got to see the BIGGEST BASKET IN THE WORLD!
We left Nashport, Ohio on Labor Day and stopped for a few days in the KOA in Richmond, Indiana (our 29th state). Indiana was a short stay but we met some friendly people there. Richmond is known for its antiquing but since we don’t have much need for anything else in our RV, we opted to skip the antiques and instead shopped at Fountain Acres, an Amish market. We checked out the aisles of bulk food, a large selection of gluten free products, and some beautiful produce. As I write this I smile at the memory of the delicious ruby red tomatoes I’ve been enjoying for dinner. We also tried the dried kiwi – not too sweet but really tasty. We have been nibbling the excellent cheese we bought – and now wish we had bought more! We took home two blocks of cheese but had fun sampling many more. I couldn’t resist a jar of sweet but spicy pickles – yum!
We drove through Indianapolis on I-70 which gave us a view of its skyline – some new construction amidst the old brick buildings. We saw the Indianapolis Colts Lucas Oil Stadium and got a quick glimpse of the capital dome.
We are now calling this part of the country the Land of the Large because we have passed signs directing us to large things like:
- the largest wind chime
- the largest golf tee
- the largest rocking chair
- the largest catsup bottle
- the largest horseshoe
- the largest giant pink elephant
- the largest covered wagon
- and maybe not “the largest” but still impressively large – Paul Bunyan and other monstrosities
We are not stopping to see these marvels but I still hope to see the largest ball of twine someday. No matter – my life is complete since I saw the BIGGEST BASKET IN THE WORLD!
Now we are in Sullivan, Illinois. We are celebrating in this beautiful Army Corps of Engineer Park* – Forrest W. “Bo” Wood Park surrounding the blue crystal clear waters of Shelby Lake – our 30th state and our 100th campground since we started our journey. We “checked in” with each other this morning and we are still excited about living in our RV, traveling the country and being the Wistful Wanderers. So far, it still feels new and wonderful and we wouldn’t change a thing.
One of the ways we track our journey is with our map – we only put the state sticker on if we stay at least one night in our RV. As you can see from this photo – we are filling our map in and if you read our blog, you know that our adventures fill our hearts as well as this map.
Every day is a journey and the journey itself is home.”
– Matsuo Basho
*Just a note here: We love the Army Corps of Engineer Parks we have been in. They typically are some of the prettiest campsites we stay at. In this park, we have a large, gravel and grass site, 50 amps of electricity – all for $9.00 per night. It would have cost the really reasonable rate of $18 but with my Senior Pass, we live here at half price. Other than a free site, these COE parks are the best deals in the country.