Trip to Hershey

We left on Monday morning on our vacation and arrived at our campground in Ohio on Monday evening about 6:00 p.m. Yuck!!! The campground was on the side of a mountain and we had to drive up it to get to our site. The site was ok, we had red mud all around the site but a very nice, large concrete patio. We ended up driving about 8 miles to get something to eat at Subway. That was good, we drove back to campground, YUCK!!!

We left the campground on Tuesday morning and drove to a McDonald's at the next exit and had breakfast, YUM!! We then drove and drove and drove to get to Hershey's High Meadow Campground. Very nice campground, very crowded. The sites are really close and when I look out the window in the morning I can see the man next door sitting on his lawn chair drinking coffee and reading paper about 6 feet from me. I don't like that but it is what it is.

We spent Wednesday at the RV show and that was really fun. This picture is when we took the Trolley tour today this is how we saw it from a hill across the street from the Giant Center. The grounds are connected to Hershey Park, Chocolate World and the Hershey Stadium. I guess they hold concerts in the stadium during the summer. The old stadium is where the Philadelphia Eagles trained until 1974.


The mass of white beside the building in the middle is 100's of RV's. Travel trailers, MH's, 5th Wheels, Class A, B, B+ and C.

More kinds of campers than you could ever imagine. In the large building is more fun stuff. Books, carpets, awnings, brochures, clubs to join and even a large store set up by Camping World. Fun stuff, let me tell you, we enjoyed it a lot. We spent about 6 or 7 hours there and we were able to see all that we wanted to. This morning we were pretty lazy and didn't get moving too fast but we then planned to go over to Chocolate World. Mark decided that he wanted to go back to the RV show for about another hour or so and I really didn't so I dropped him off and went in search of a camping world. No luck!

After Mark finished at the RV Show we were ready for lunch and ate at Red Robin. Yum! We then headed over to Chocolate World and took a ride to see how Hershey's makes to the candy we all love so much. We then also headed to the Trolley stop and enjoyed that tour very much. It was where I took most of my pictures.

Tinker is enjoying the trip, she spends most of her time on the road in "her" special place. She also enjoys waiting on us to come back home after the day in "her" place too. See the picture, you will appreciate her perch!

This is a picture of Tinker as we were driving through one of the Tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. She was very interested in this, would sit up and watch through the entire tunnel. Liked the lights I guess.

Well, tomorrow we leave Hershey and head back west. We are planning to drive to Somerset, PA. We are wanting to go to Shanksville, PA, this is where Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 7 years ago today. We are booked at a campground close to that site. We will then leave there on Saturday morning and head home. I don't know how far we will get on Saturday, depends on how early we get started I guess. If possible we will get to Franklin Saturday night, if not Sunday sometime.

This has been a very nice vacation, busy but nice. We enjoyed looking at the RV's and dreaming of that perfect one. We know what we want, we just need to find it! Isn't that always the case?

mlm

My Daddy. . .

I couldn't let today go by without spending a little time with my daddy! Thirteen years ago today I lost my dad. Words aren't invented yet that can express my sorrow. I know that after all of this time I can talk about him and remember him without crying each time. I can enjoy the memories that were so hard to hold so soon after his passing. I can think of him and remember the fun without hurting so badly.

I still can't think about how difficult it was the day he died without wanting to cry. I think that day is just such a part of my heart now that I can and am able to put away the tears for another time. Or, it may be that I know if I allow myself the cry, I may never be able to stop.

How do you lose your daddy without the experience leaving a huge hole in your heart? How does that hole heal? Am I the only one that still thinks about this on this same day each year? I know others miss him, but how could they possibly miss him as much as I do? I know other people remember him and always tell me they do, but do they miss him like I do?

Thirteen years, wow, thirteen years ago the world as I knew it shattered. I knew as an adult that I would someday, as we all do, lose a parent. I just didn't know it was going to be that day. I was unprepared for the huge void. It isn't like I spent hundreds of hours with dad, just minutes, usually at a time. It wasn't that we had long heart to heart talks, it was usually a few words here and there as I called to talk to mom. But, it was that minute here and that word there that was so special.

It's the moments that make the memories that you miss. It isn't the large important things that you think of after you lose your dad. It's the little things. The way they answer a question, the way they held your hand as a child, the things they listened to in the car on the radio. The everyday things that you really seem to forget over time, until, they day they aren't there anymore. Then you remember and somehow, they break your heart.

I still miss you daddy, I always will. I think of you every day, every single time one of my grandkids does something funny, I wish you were here to see it and then I miss you all over again.

Hey Goob, I love you!