Friday, Aug. 14

I went to a tech roundtable discussion at 9:30 this morning. This is where we all sit around and ask a panel of experts (from Roadtrek, Onan generators, Dometic Refrigerators, etc) questions about our rigs. I ducked out for an hour in the middle to get on the internet and post the last 2 posts. When the discussion section was over, I followed the Roadtrek repair guy who was there to fix small problems until he was able to come to my unit. I have had a small leak in the city water connection to my fresh water tank ever since the repair guy who fixed my sewer system used it to fill the tank to flush out the system (I don't use this connection to fill my tanks). It wasn't a very big leak, but it was in the outside storage compartment where I store my chairs, electrical connections, and other stuff, and every morning I had to mop out a few cups of water. It turned out to be a decayed washer in the connection

valve which was easy for him to replace. I was really happy to get this fixed (and for free!) and it put me in a good mood for the rest of the day :).

The solos got together for a picnic lunch under the trees (some people got to park in the shade of big trees; I was out in the hot, sunny field with most of the others) and each told a little about themselves. In the afternoon there was a skit put on by 2 guys who acted out a bit of the history of Fergus (where we were) and the next little town over, Elora. They also sang, played a banjo, and recited some poetry.

At dinner tonight we were entertained by a 13-piece Scottish Bagpipe and Drum band, plus 4 dancing girls. Fergus, if you hadn't guessed by the name, is a

predominantly Scottish town. Also, last week it hosted the Scottish

Highland Games which were held in the field where we were camped. This group was pretty good I'm told (personally, I can't tell a "good" bagpipe sound from a "bad" bagpipe sound, but

others could). One of the pipers was an 8-year-old boy; the rest were adults. The girls who danced were fun to watch too.

Following that, we had a BIG campfire with an accordion player and a flutist

(Roadtrekkers). The night was warm and balmy, which was good, because we were sitting quite a ways away from the fire. I insisted that Maggie and Juliet both come to the campfire, but I couldn't carry their chair as well as my own so they both wanted to sit on my lap. This picture

shows how they worked that out: Juliet laid entirely on top of Maggie (who didn't seem to mind).

Wed, Thursday, Aug. 12-13

Wednesday, Aug. 12

It took about 10 minutes to get from the campground where I was to the Sports Complex where the Rally was being held. They were very organized there and it didn’t take long to go through registration, receive my bag of “goodies,” and be escorted by the

parking volunteers to a spot on the big grass field amongst the 138 other Roadtreks. All we have is 15 amps electric each---enough to run the fans and refrigerators but not the air conditioners. I took the dogs out and we got very hot during our walk. When we returned, I turned on all our fans and we all took a nap until the 6:00 orientation meeting and dessert. There are 264 people attending this rally, in 139 Roadtreks (15 solos). We got all the solos together after the meeting, introduced ourselves and decided to sit together at

2 tables for all the rest of the dinners. The one picture taken at the table is of all 15 of us and the other small group shot is of most of us at a “photo op” place in the hallway where they often take group shots. The stone wall is supposed to

represent the way some of the houses in Fergus were made from stone. Unfortunately the solos are not parked together so it makes visiting together a little more difficult. We made it an early night a

nd all went back to our individual units about 8:30. I watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” which Dave had put

on the iTouch I inherited from him

(when he got an iPhone).

Thursday, Aug. 13

The “WiFi” we were supposed to have here turned out to be a plug-in type modem that we can use only from 9:00 am to noon --- if you have your own Ethernet cord. I thought I did, but it turned out to be a telephone cord L. I opted to miss the 7:00 am breakfast and get a few hours more sleep. When I got out and about (that’s “ah-boat” for all you Americans), I signed up to have my generator serviced at 4:00, a service they were offering here and something I really wanted to have done. Then I took my laptop over to the administration building and was able to borrow an Ethernet cord and post Aug. 10-11 (which I had pre-written) to this blog and also e-mail Dave and let him know I was alive and well in Canada. I’ll try to do the same tomorrow.

At 12:30 “my” group left by bus for Kitchener, about an hour’s drive away, where the Roadtreks are made. We had an hour-long tour which was very interesting but, unfortunately, they wouldn’t allow any picture-taking in the factory. In the last year, they reorganized how they are made from an assembly-line method to one where each unit stays in one place and the various modification groups (frame, electric, plumbing, cabinetry, etc.) come to it and do their thing in a specific order. It takes 10 days from start to finish to make each one.

When I got back from the tour, it was time to get my generator serviced. Hopefully, with a new air filter, gas filter, oil change, and new spark plug, I won’t have trouble anymore when I am at higher altitudes. Will have to wait and see on that one. After that was done, I put up my awning and the girls and I relaxed in the shade it provided. Maggie is still acting a little weird and insists on being ON my lap whenever we are outside. If we’re walking and I stop to talk to someone, she scratches at my leg until I pick her up. Juliet continues to stalk most of the other dogs she sees, snapping if they get too close, unless she is too hot and tired in which case she ignores them.

At 6:00 we went over to the main building for the catered dinner. It was vegetable or beef lasagna with a Caesar salad and garlic bread. Cake & ice cream for dessert. Not too great, but okay. All the solos sat together and it was fun to get to know some more of them. Jeff Hannemayer, the CEO of Roadtrek, and some of his staff were there and ate at the various tables and answered as many questions as they could. They will be back tomorrow for a real Q&A session. It was another early night.

Sunday-Monday, Aug. 10 & 11

It is Thursday now and I am in Fergus, Ontario, Canada, with very little access to internet to post so you may not hear from me for a few days.

Monday, Aug. 10

I filled my water tank before leaving today and then went to a nearby WalMart to get some things. They had a good price ($9) for the clip-on 12V fans I have become dependent on (and that keep breaking). I got 2 and when setting them up in the Roadtrek, I read the directions which indicated that there is a fuse in the part that plugs into the

cigarette lighter. To bad I hadn’t checked that before tossing the two dead fans this morning. It was a 3-hour drive through Detroit

and up to St. Claire where I had located a Thousand Trails campground I could stay at. I did make an hour-long lunch/nap stop at a very nice “Welcome to Michigan” rest stop that had a wonderful playground for kids (was it my imagination, or was everything in it made by Rubbermaid?)

Right after I pulled into my spot at the St. Claire Preserve, another Roadtrek pulled in next to me. I was sure they must be on their way to the Fergus Rally, but no, they were not members of Roadtrek International and knew nothing about the rally. They were from British Columbia and just pulled into the campground to dump their holding tanks before continuing on their way to Detroit. We talked

for a while; I told them about FMCA and Roadtrek International and they told me some things about Canada and crossing the border.

I don’t have an very interesting pictures for today so I will show you the campgrounds I was in last night and tonight. And my cute puppies, one in their usual position next to the front seat while I’m driving and one in their nighttime sleeping position under the table (that is, when they’re not on top of me J).

Tuesday, Aug. 11

This morning I dumped my holding tanks before leaving the campground---much easier and neater to do when all the liquid hasn’t leaked out of the black tank! I took the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron over the St. Claire River into Canada and didn’t have to do anything more than show my passport and answer a few questions. I’ve been told that the return back into the US is more troublesome. It was a 3-hour drive to Fergus where I was planning to spend the night at a campground fairly near where the rally will be tomorrow. Again, I got sleepy after driving 2 hours and stopped for lunch and a nap. It rained while I was napping, apparently, because everything was wet when I woke up. When I got to the Highland Pines campground (after stopping at a Macdonalds in Fergus to get directions), I pulled into a spot next to two other Roadtreks. This time

they WERE going to the rally across town tomorrow. One was a new (to Roadtrek International) couple from British Columbia who were going to their first Rally, and the other was Marion & Andrew Tillman from Murietta, CA. I talked with both couples for a bit, then leveled and got connected to electricity and took the dogs for a walk. We have a forest on one side and a big green field on the other. Too bad I can’t run with the dogs through

the field! I’m going to have to take the computer up to the

Lodge to get WiFi and try to post this. My AT&T AirCard won’t work in Canada (can’t phone home either without paying 79 cents a minute). This picture is the campground I’m at tonight. And one of a weird growth or infestation of something on a maple (?) leaf; anyone have any idea what it is?

Sunday, Aug. 8

Sunday, Aug. 8

This will be a brief one. I decided to take a catch-up day, stay put at Sandusky, sleep late, go no-where, and get caught up on blogging. It is amazing when I leave the nice, air-conditioned Roadtrek to take the dogs out, how hot and muggy it is outside even though it is cloudy. All 3 of us were glad to get back inside our little home.

And with this post, I am now, finally, caught up on my blog! Hurray! (and it's only 10:30 pm instead of 2:30 am!)

Saturday, Aug. 8

Saturday, Aug. 8

I slept in today (till 1:00) to try to catch up on some sleep. After almost a week at Evergreen RV Park, it was time to leave and continue on my trip. I had one more stop to make in the area and that was at the "Everything Rubbermaid" building in Wooster, about 20 miles away. This is a 4-story building and, as the name implies,

everything in it is made by Rubbermaid. Apparently there used to be a Rubbermaid factory here but it closed many years ago, leaving just the big distribution point. Not only did they have every conceivable size and shape of container (many at very discounted prices), but also a large

assortment of beds, indoor and outdoor playsets, and other things I didn't even know they made. I bought a few small unique things. It was starting to rain when I left the store, but not very hard. Back in the Roadtrek, I had some lunch, rested a little, walked the dogs, and then left the Amish area of Ohio. I will miss seeing the buggy crossing signs and the Amish children walking barefoot along the road.

It was about a 2-hr drive to Sandusky where I had located a nice KOA campground along the shores of Lake Erie called Sandusky Bayfront Estates and Campground. It is a HUGE campground, over a mile in diameter I would guess, with WiFi for free and cable TV if you want to pay extra for it (I didn't). I am just happy to have cell phone service, WiFi, and electricity. After arriving I took the dogs on a loooong walk to the other side of the campground where you could see Lake Erie (or at least a little bay of it).

Friday, Aug. 7

Friday, Aug. 7

Today, being the last day of the rally, we had a pancake breakfast and then a good-bye "speech" from the rally masters (5 couples) which turned into an impromptu, hilarious comedy skit as the "Red Dogs" made the lone "Gold Dog" an honorary member (you had to have been there to understand this.) Anyway, it was very funny and everyone left feeling it had been a very successful rally. I had decided to stay at Evergreen (the campground) for one more day and set out to see some sights I missed yesterday due to the repair work on my Roadtrek.

First on my agenda was Lehman's Hardware Store, which sells everything from books, to kitchenware, gardening supplies (large and small), appliances for both the Amish (which means they are non-electric) and the "English" (that's what they call us) --- they even sell hardware. It is a huge store and it was great fun looking at all the stuff. In the kitchenware part, they had one long wall just of cookie-cutters (see picture) in every imaginable shape (letters, every state, every animal, holidays, etc.). The appliance section was especially interesting. They had stoves that used gas, coal, or wood for fuel and some I think made to run off generators. One of my favorites was an "ice box" type refrigerator---or so it looked on the outside---but when you opened the doors, inside it was a modern refrigerator and freezer; the old-fashioned look was just on the facade! They had several rooms of lamps, mostly oil- or kerosene- burning, and a whole section of square "buggy lamps" that the Amish light and hang on the outside of their buggies if they are driving after dark.

After leaving Lehman's, I went to a store called the

Ashery, mostly to get the free ice cream cone

I had a coupon for, and

spent some time looking at all the bulk

packaged grains, nuts, dried fruits, baking supplies, and spices they sold there. I bought a bag of graham cracker pretzels which had been recommended. After the Ashery I stopped at Homestead Furniture but no one was working

in the factory at that time but I enjoyed looking at all the handmade, gorgeous, expensive furniture.

Next was a place called "Sol's Emporium"

which was an outlet store for P. Grahm Dunn

inspirational items, many laser-etched

in wood and most decidely Christian in nature, but I was able to find a few things I really liked and bought (for gifts).

When I got back to the campground, I talked with Sarah Hershberger (the Amish woman with 9 kids selling baskets that I'd met yesterday). She showed me how she made the baskets using a special wooden form, or mold, for the various shapes of baskets. I showed her the inside of the Roadtrek which she thought was very interesting. I considered trading the Roadtrek

for a smaller buggy, but decided not to; the dogs would keep barking at the horse pulling it I figured. Speaking of dogs, have I mentioned that Maggie has been spending most of her time hiding under the back table and won't even come out for walks with Juliet unless I drag her out? Well, this was where I found her when Juliet and I got back from a walk today ---

at least she came out from UNDER the table!

I did laundry tonight, soaked in the hot tub, and cooked fresh sweet corn-on-the-cob for dinner tonight. Yummy!

Thursday, Aug.6

Thursday, Aug. 6

I missed breakfast(didn't hear the alarm) but got an early start to go see the sights.  The first place I went was the Warther Carving museum in Dover.  It was absolutely fascinating.  Ernest "Mooney" Warther (1885-1973) was a self-taught (2nd grade education only) brilliant man and has been called the "World's Master Carver" and I can see why.  As a young child, he found a penknife in the road and spent a lot of time whittling, becoming quite expert at it.  He made caged balls with chains, carved from one piece of wood, canes, and wooden pliers.  His calling card became these wooden pliers, made by strategically placing 10 cuts in a rectangular piece of wood (nothing removed) and they would actually open and close flawlessly.  He could make one in 9 seconds and did so for free to give any children he met.  He even appeared on the Johnny Carson show once to show this skill.  He soon discovered that he could put 10 more cuts in each of the handles of the pliers and make 3 interconnected pliers.  He continued this process, knowing just the size and shape of the initial piece of wood that was needed.  The picture shows one of these and the shape and size of the original block it was cut from underneath it.  When he was 22, he had a

vision of a plier tree that he would make that would have 511 working pliers made from a single piece of wood; he calculated it would take 31,000 cuts and predicted exactly how long it would take him to make (a little less than 2 months).  This is a picture of that tree on display at the museum:  It was displayed at the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1933.  Math professors from Case University came to study the tree and said it would be impossible for someone without an advanced degree in math or engineering to do this.  I guess Mooney Warther liked doing the impossible!

When he was 14 he got a job in a local

 steel mill where he worked for 23 years earning a living and learning to forge and temper steel.  At age 28 he decided to carve the history of steam which fascinated him.  Starting with Hero's steam engine (250 BC) and ending with the Union Pacific Big Boy Locomotive of 1941, he carved 64 models which depicted the evolution of the steam engine and trains.  At first he carved walnut and bone but as he could afford better materials, he went to ivory and ebony.  His trains were all to scale and exact in every detail and he mechanized them so all the parts moved!  

Amazing!  One of his train models had 7332 hand- carved pieces (and this wasn't the largest!).  Early on in his carving career, he became dissatisfied with the knives available to carve with so he designed and made his own.  They had a wooden handle that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and dozens of interchangeable 1-inch blades that fit into the handle.  After he

 quit the steel mill, he turned to making and selling kitchen knives to support his family (he never sold any of his carvings --- he would only give them to friends or museums).  The family continues to make Warther Kitchen Cutlery to this day.  I bought a paring knife---haven't tried it yet.  

Mooney's wife, Frieda, collected buttons and arranged them into beautiful mosaic works of

art.  They are on display in the "Button House" on the museum grounds.  Another hobby that Mooney and Frieda shared was collecting arrowheads which Frieda arranged into 18 mosaic-like panels which adorn the ceiling and walls of Mooney's 8 x 10 foot workshop.  Frieda also loved to garden and the grounds of their property (where the museum is now) still have beautiful gardens.

As you can maybe tell, I was truly enthralled with the story of Mooney Warther's life and his accomplishments.  I spent 3 or 4 hours there and took over a hundred pictures (not to 

mention the video tape and books I got describing his life).  When I finally left there, I lunched on free cheese samples at Heini's Cheese Market, spent 2 hours at an Amish Flea Market (just like a swap meet in San Diego with lots of very inexpensive stuff, mostly made in China), and got to Yoder's Amish House too late to see the house, but I was able to do the Schoolhouse tour and the Barn tour.  During the schoolhouse tour, I learned the surprising (to me, anyway) fact that the Amish all speak Dutch at home and don't start learning English until they start school which is entirely conducted in English.  In school they study German as a foreign language because their bible is written in and all their prayers are in High German.  Later I learned that in the part of Holland where their ancestors are from, the language was a variation of German so that part made a little more sense.  The 23-year-old teacher had been teaching since she was 16.  She was not required to have any additional training or preparation to teach beyond the 

8th grade education that all Amish children have.  In the barn tour, the best part was the family dog playing (?) with a little kitten that had been born there.  Just after I took this picture of the

 kitten on the edge of a water barrel, watching the dog drink, the dog gave the kitten a little nudge with his nose and she fell into the barrel, only to climb right back out up the dog's nose!  I really thought I got a second picture showing that but I guess not.  Anyway, it was priceless.

I got back to the campground just 

in time for the hot dog barbeque dinner, the kazoo sing-a-long to old Mitch Miller songs (my Mom used to listen to him!), and the giving out of Roadtrek souvenirs.  Most of the other 

Trekkers went on a buggy ride afterwards, but I

 wound up talking with Sarah, a wonderful Amish lady selling baskets she made at a little stand next to my Roadtrek (I was in site #1).  She looked about 16 but had 3 kids with her (10, 8, and a 4-month-old baby girl.)  I would have LOVED to take a picture of them, especially the baby who was adorable in her little bonnet and dress, but the Old Order Amish (which she was part of) don't want their pictures taken.  I couldn't help but ask how old she was and was quite surprised to hear that she was 32!  (Maybe never having your picture taken makes you stay young-looking?)  She did tell me that she was 

the first (and I think only) Amish woman to give birth to triplets!  Her triplet boys (9 years old now) were born when her first son was 11 months old so it was really like having quads!  And since her daughter is now 8, I guess she was born when the triplets were about a year old, so that would make 5 babies 2 or younger!  Another fact I learned (the next day actually) was that the Amish do not use strollers or baby carriers.  I'm not exactly sure how she managed that with 5 babies!  But they are a very community-oriented group so I guess her friends and relatives helped.  I hope so --- she has no indoor plumbing and the baby was wearing cloth diapers.  Later the 8-year-old girl told me that in addition to the triplets and the 2 siblings who were there, she has 3 OTHER brothers and sisters (ages 2-7, I figure).  That adds up to 9 kids---and I swear she looked like a child herself!  Amazing people, these Amish.