For the past couple of weeks, Ken and I have been meandering across the country moving towards home.
Pennsylvania
We stopped in State College and drove through the Penn State campus. We were able to get a look at campus life as students were rushing from their last classes of the day. It was the quintessential campus with iconic buildings along with new facilities. Between campus and downtown, there were eateries and quirky shops. Now I understand why Penn State Alums are so proud of their college!
I really liked the architecture of some of the older homes and buildings that we saw in State College, PA.
We found a RV park in Harmon, PA. It was the closest RV Park to McCandless TWP, where we lived in Pittsburg. We had not been back to PA since we moved 33 years ago.
Our first stop was to Soergel’s Apple Orchard. Fall is the best time to visit and stock up on apples and apple cider. Back in the day, I accompanied our girls on several field trips to the orchard and have wonderful memories. Ken just loved going and getting McIntosh apples and Apple Cider. And that’s exaclty what we purchased on this visit!
Nest, we drove to our old house. We weren’t sure what to expect since it had been 33 years. The neighborhood looked almost as good as when we left. The houses have been very well maintained and of course the landscape and trees are mature. I new that our house was a different color, but, I wasn’t expecting it to be dark green. I really liked it! I’m happy that it has had TLC over the years.
We enjoyed seeing our old neighborhood and driving on the hilly, winding roads. Of course, we can enjoy it now….we don’t live there and have to contend with the cold, snow, and ice!
Indiana
From PA we continued on towards Indiana. We stayed at the KOA in Greenfield, IN. Usually, we stay nearer to my family in Noblesville, but, this time, our usual campground was full. Our drive was further, but, the RV park was great. It was nice to be able to visit with my brother’s family, again, on this trip. The “guys” went to a car show in Carmel, and the “girls” to a farmer’s market and shopping in downtown Noblesville. We ended our stay with a fun get-together with my nephew’s family.
Next, we stayed 2 days in Terre Haute, IN. Terre Haute holds many memories for us; Ken’s birthplace, college for both of us, our first house, and our first daughter was born in Terre Haute. Since, Ken’s family is from Terre Haute, Ken has great memories of his childhood and living in Terre Haute. Sadly, Ken’s mom passed this summer and was buried in Terre Haute. We visited the gravesite to pay our respects and ensure the stone was engraved.
A trip to Terre Haute is never complete without a trip down our memory lane; we drove through campus, past our dorms and married housing apartment, passed our first house, and the family’s Hardware Store. Everything looked a little tired and worn. I didn’t take many photos this time…I just want to remember the way it was.
After Indiana, we were well on our way towards home. For the rest of the way, we are making one night stops as we move closer to AZ.
Kansas
In Russell Kansas we realized that summer is nearly over. When we arrived to our RV site, we discovered that we were the only ones in the park! Later, a few more RV’s arrived, but, the campground was still nearly empty. From our RV, I did happen to catch a very nice sunset!
Colorado
Our drive through Colorado was very interesting. We experienced drizzle, rain, SNOW, and sunshine all in the same day!
It started out raining as we climbed up towards Monarch Pass. The temperature kept dropping and I even joked that maybe it would snow later in the day. It was no joke…as we approached Monarch Pass we began to see snow along the roadside and then the rain changed to snow. We have experienced this several times before, and it is always kind of exciting!
The sun began to shine as we descended Monarch Pass.
Our destination was the Gunnison KOA. After we arrived, the weather changed to cold and rainy. We stayed inside, the remainder of the day, with the heat turned on!
When traveling by RV, we often see things that we haven’t seen before. While looking out our front window, I was watching another RV arrive. The RV had to wait to pull into his site, because a donkey was blocking his way…the donkey was in no hurry!
The second day in Colorado was absolutely gorgeous! We drove through Montrose, Ouray, Silverton, Durango, and ended in Cortez. The scenery was breathtaking as always!
We have 2 days left of this amazing journey. Tomorrow, we will spend one last night on the road before returning to our home in Sun Lakes, AZ. It will take me a few days to process all the places we have been and all the fabulous things we have experienced. I always make a photobook of our journey and that process lets me relive everyday of our Summer Adventure.
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