Accessibility Issues

As we travel around visiting different places in this country we notice more and more people who are challenged by some type of accessibility issue. We are , of course, more aware of this because my wife has this problem. Her knees are bad and a replacement would not solve her problem so she is very limited on how far she can walk. About 18 months ago we bought a mobility scooter, that is now our traveling companion, that has freed her to go most places. There are, however, still places that cannot be accessed. Many by no fault of their own.

Case in point, we recently spent time in Williamsburg VA. Many of the historic homes cannot be accessed because they were built 250 years ago and have stairs to enter the home and very narrow hallways and doors. I do need to give Colonial Williamsburg credit for everything they have done to help with that issue. In some of the larger buildings, including the Capitol, they have installed lifts allowing access to at least the first floor. They also offer a discounted ticket to folks they know will not be able to access all their buildings. And we found the people who work there were all very willing to go out of their way to help by opening back doors that may have been more accessible and offering other help where they could. Again high praise to them. Just recently we found that Luray Caverns in VA is now completely accessible. Who would think that you could use a scooter to tour a cave? They opened a new entrance this spring allowing this to happen. We plan on a visit there this fall. 

On a recent visit to Virginia Beach we found that the Back Bay nature preserve had 2 hiking trails that were completely accessible as well. The trails were gravel covered and boardwalks traversed any wet area. Another great place to spend a morning exploring.

So we are now planning our trip for next year. We are going to be heading west to visit many of the National Parks. Along the way we are planning our stops based on places we find that will have access for us.

Our question for you is simple. Do you or someone you love have this issue? Leave a comment here about that issue and how you have been able to travel with it.

Free parking and admission

Seems like it's the norm these days when you go to an amusement park that they not only charge you a large fee to get in but to add to your cost they charge you to park your car so you can get there in the first place. Well there still is a different palace. A park where the parking is free and so is the admission. Instead you pay by the ride, which many of us remember was the way it used to be. It is a very family friendly park and if you don't ride it costs you nothing. ( but be aware the smell of the food will drag you in and you will will still leave with a lighter wallet than you arrived with.)

This place is called Knoebels and is in Elysburg PA. The park has over 60 rides, some dating back 50+ years and others built within the last couple of years. There are 6 roller coasters including 2 wooden coasters. One, called The Phoenix, was named the second best coaster in the country by USA Today. If riding is not your thing and you want to just sit and relax for awhile there are tons of benches throughout the park. In fact many folks go there to eat and just enjoy the atmosphere. The park is full of trees that provide plenty of shade for those benches..

Knoebels runs two campgrounds. One is attached to the park and a second is only a couple miles down the road. They run a shuttle bus between that campground and the park so you don't have to worry about parking. It basically makes the amusement park park of the campground.

Over the years we took our kids there and now we go with the grand kids. So if you are in the northeast part of Pennsylvania take a day to visit and take a step back in time. It costs you nothing and you will leave with some great memories. After all that is what we are looking for.

Take the Grand kid

We just returned from spending 4 days this week with our 9 year old Grandson at Williamsburg VA. Doing a little research while we were planning this trip went a long way in making it a memorable week. Colonial Williamsburg runs many programs for both kids and adults. You can find them listed day by day in their calendar of events on their website. Before going we sat with our grandson and he helped pick the activities that he wanted to participate in. 

He decided on an archaeology dig where he found, among other things, a Spanish coin. They told him it was only the 4th coin they found this year. "People don't throw money away." Later that day he toured the lab where they clean and catalog all the finds for all the digs they are doing. They also try to match pieces together to make a cup, bowl, plate etc. It would be like taking 4 or five puzzles, mixing them all together, putting them out upside down and no trying to put them back together. Not a job I wanted to try to do. The next day he assisted in that same lab by sorting out the things the kids are finding at the dig site. They had to identify what type of item it was and how many of each were found. 

On his tour of the Capital he learned how laws are passed by participating in the writing and passing of a law. the group then were placed on a jury and had to decide the fate of someone who was on trial for breaking one of the colonies laws. Another tour found him at the stables where all the horses used by the foundation are housed. he even got to meet and great an 1800 pound carriage horse.

Of course there were all the regular tours of the craftsman's houses most of which he was interested in as well. On our last night there he said he wished he had just one more day because he was having so much fun. Win for the Grandparents!!

So if you have kids you are taking to Williamsburg make sure you do a little homework. T=You will need to order special tickets for many of these however most of those programs are free or of very low cost. It will get and keep your kids engaged in the living history they tell there. And who knows, you might learn a few things as well. I know we did.

Mt Gretna Art Show

Mt Gretna PA is also known as Pennsylvania Chautaugua has a long history dating back to the Revolutionary War. The chestnut trees in the area were used to create charcoal that fueled the fires at Cornwall Furnace. This iron furnace supplied canons for Washington's army. Fast forward to 1892 when the Methodists began building the Chautaugua. Thus began the village that survives today as a summer getaway for many people from around the Northeast United States.

The third weekend of August each wakes up this sleepy little area of Central PA with one of the top 200 Art Shows in the US. This is not your average arts and craft show. Over 250 artisans display items like paintings, jewelry, baskets, pottery and photography. These folks are appy to share with you information about their art and some even demonstrate their craft during the show.

The show is spread throughout the community along the many narrow streets. While you are there don't forget to look at the many homes along your way. The architecture is as diverse as the crafts you came to see.

 
So mark your calendar for the third weekend in August and visit Mt Gretna for a wonderful day of fantastic art. And maybe take home a piece or two.

Covered Bridges

Covered Bridges bring on thoughts of romance and of days gone by. Many a young couple have walked over those bridges and stole a kiss or two. To some it brings thoughts of a slower time before gas powered vehicles took over the roads. Lancaster County PA is home to 25 of these magical engineering wonders. If they are something that interests you there is a website that has 5 self drive tours covering different parts of the county. You will find it here https://www.discoverlancaster.com/activities/pa-covered-bridges.asp

If you are planning a visit to the Pa Dutch Country take some time and visit a few of these pieces of history. They are spread throughout the county so the odds are there will be one close to where you are staying.

Small Spaces

Since we have a couples camper we need to make the best of a small space. When we brought it home a couple of months ago our first step was, of course, to figure out where things would go. It does have a lot of space for a smaller camper but it is still at a premium. The things we noticed when we were shopping was that the cabinets were deep and high but had no shelves in them. With that in mind and measurements in hand we went shopping to the different home goods stores to find solutions. We managed to find a couple racks that worked for our needs. The shelves we put above the sink came as a set and the one fits under the other so they will adjust to the length you need. It allows us to use all the space without have everything stacked up. We also used a larger container to contain all our smaller storage containers.

The top pantry cupboard was very high and deep and we were able to find these stacking racks that fit almost as if they were made for it. As you see we store our bags and wraps on the top and use the other two for bread, rolls etc. Again trying to use all the space we can.

Just like in many trailers there are storage areas above our bed. Hefty makes a tote that just seems to fit in there, and in fact we can get 7 of them in there. We use them to pack clothes, shoes etc. One even has bed linens for the dinette when we take the Grandson along.

While we are at it we even found a 4" waffle maker that of course takes up very little room. In fact a lot of our kitchen items are on the small side.

I guess you can say we have learned to live with small things and enjoy every minute of it.

Adventure Bound

One of the perks of RVing when you are retired is that you can work around your kids schedules to be able to spend time camping with them. So to take advantage of that we arranged a weekend with our daughters family. We also took our son's girlfriend daughter who happens to be the same age as our grandson. And what better place to take a couple nine year old kids than a family resort. So we loaded up the Apex and headed to Eagle's Peak Adventure Bound Campground. 

If you have never been to one of these parks they are very family friendly. One of the bigger attractions for the kids is the water park and swimming pool. But that is not the only thing to keep the family busy.

As with all destination parks there are many other activities going on during your time there. In fact the kids were so busy they did not manage to get to everything that was going on for the three days we were there. They did manage to play bingo, take a glow stick hayride and our grandson's favorite play with different critters. He's a boy...if it craws he likes it.

But the best part of the weekend, we continue to make memories that the kids will have long after we are gone. And for me that is why we do this.