The "Palm Tree Bikers" are back!

Our eager but tiny group of "early (snow) birds" headed for Fort Wilderness. I believe our leader, Pete felt it best to kick off the 2011-12 season with a lunch at "The Wave" for our... NO, I'm not going to say it! No way, I'm not going to say it! Pete and Joan, Judy and Jim, Steve and Pat and I met up in the Fort Wilderness parking lot to dust off the cob-webs from our bikes and stretch our legs.

Dressed in our "uniform", except for the "rebels," we headed out.

As usual we headed to our "pit stop" in preparation for our first ride.

It might have been the cooler temps or our first time venturing out but Pete led us at a blistering 5-7mph tour of the campground. Actually, the pace made for a pleasant ride and great observing of some of the Halloween decked out campsites.

...this is ONE site! The campers picked a huge corner lot and unloaded their 14 plastic storage bins from the back of their car and voila! The couple said they love doing it and have a great time meeting all the people dropping by to see it.

We made our usual stop at the "Trading Post."

Pete kept mumbling something about a "golf cart parade." He had the Manager calling the "hot line" and the Corporate Office to find out about the parade! He managed to get the cashier to go on the web to find out about it in case the Manager couldn't. Once that crisis was handled to Pete's satisfaction we hit the road... after we were escorted out of the Trading Post!

We weaved through the campground as we made our way to the boat dock for lunch. Nope, I'm NOT going to say it! Our bike ride belied the stiff wind that awaited us on the boat ride, but our "ever the delightful" boat Captain, Daryle (not) entertained us and got us to our destination at the Contemporary Resort and "The Wave." Nope, I'm not going to say it!!!

At the top of the ramp leading into the restaurant, our friend and super hostess, Betty caught sight of us and had to come out from behind the desk to greet all of us. Betty met us with hugs and lots of laughs.

First off, Betty felt she needed to remove her name tag and equalize our party by partnering with Steve for lunch!

Betty wanted to make sure I got into the photo.

Of course, Betty also wanted her fellow Hostess, Mel to get into the photo as well!

We'd all have to agree, The Wave has become a special and favorite lunch stop for all of us. We have a great deal of fun with the staff. Just about all of the staff know of the "biker" group and they look forward to serving us. Lunch was excellent.

We hit the dock and made sure we boarded the other boat. (Not Daryle's.) Due to our "relaxed" ride before lunch, we picked up the pace... 8 to 10 mph! We completed just over 10 miles and we were all thankful we went the distance. Except for Steve who made a "bee-line" to EPCOT for a food tasting at the "Food and Wine Festival," I think there might have been more than a couple "naps" in order.

By the way, after lunch Steve was still trying to find a GPS satellite.

Reuben!

Ahhhhhhh, that's better!



Wagon's ho!

Time to pack up the "wagons," punch in the GPS coordinates for Lake Magic and head south! Several "snowbirds" have already started "nesting" at Lake Magic. We've also heard from several of our Palm Tree Bikers that mid October is their planned arrival.
We've visited a few of our regular haunts and got to take care of some minor house chores before we get into the hustle-bustle when all of you return. Pat and I got a super welcome from our super Hostess, Betty, at the Wave and she asked when all of our Palm Tree Bikers will be returning. Yes, the Ruben was excellent!

We headed for Animal Kingdom and took in a show...

The Festival of the Lion King is always a good take.

Then we did something we always talked about with Buzz (of Darlene and Buzz), to go to the big Gun Show they have down here.

Talk about firearm "overload." We couldn't believe how big this show is. Florida has a huge gun show just about every month. This show was held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds located in the Pine Hills section of Orlando, just about 25 miles from Lake Magic. Pat and I attended several Florida Winnebago Rallies there so we were very familiar with the location and set-up. This show filled the entire huge pavilion building another good sized building and the fairgrounds road between them. Amazing!

Never having attended one of these shows it turned out to be really fascinating. People were carrying guns every where. People bring their guns in to either trade or sell. Before someone carrying a gun could enter a building the FL Highway Patrol checked for a firearm and ammo. The people were allowed to enter after the firearm was "secured" with a wire tie through the barrel or cylinder.We saw more than a few guys walking around with their rifles on their shoulder with "for sale" signs on them. If any attendees were carrying a gun case, the vendors would approach them and inquire about a trade or sale. Even if your not a gun enthusiast there was a lot to see and a great mix of people, men and women and Dads with their kids. Some of the collectible firearms were really fine examples of workmanship.

But, this is what we left with....

a photo of this....

My back was hurting me just looking at this thing!

I also made it a point to get back to woodcarving this year. Between relocating, settling in and working, last year is a blur. All I did was put my carving kit on a shelve and there it sat. I used the excuse that I was used to carving outside the motorhome so I didn't have to deal with dust and chips. Well, after "surfing" Woodcarving Illustrated I put together a vacuum system that allows me to carve with minimal dust.

A silent vacuum system...

The Blower is fastened to the stool and the lapboard sets on my lap. I carve directly over the opening and voila, no dust. Its configured so that I can secure the lapboard to the legs on one side of the stool making is easily portable. Now I don't have an excuse.

You guys gotta get down here so we can get back into the swing of things because this is how were getting down here....

We're here... where are you?

Well? Where are you guys? Lake Magic Resort is a "ghost town," even the parks are quiet. Now all we need is our friends to show up!

We headed out of PA Dutch last Sunday and planned a three or four day trip, right! We drove 600 miles that day. Our second day was just under 400 miles. We drove right into the 90' temps and that's where they've been since our return. You guys aren't here so what else is there to do but go out to eat. Miller's Ale House for a starter. A day or so later, Earl of Sandwich. Yeah, we're catching up.

The worst thing to contend with upon our return was the waiting... for Brighthouse to turn our TV and Internet back on from the summer shut-down. Three months is the least amount of time you can shut it off and they mean it. Do any of you have any idea of how difficult it is to go without (not only the TV) but the Internet? Talk about withdrawals!! I think those were the longest three days of my life!

We hit the Winter Garden Pizza Company for a lunch. (Do you all remember that place?) Well, lets see if you notice anything different...

Figure it out?

From there we took a "cruise"...

Here's another hint...

Nope, its not "It's a Small World!"

Pat and I had a unique opportunity to see the "Dream with Mickey" Cinderella's Castle show from an entirely different vantage point...

No, not behind bars in jail! Who said that? I want his/her name!

How about this...

Figure it out yet?

That's Pat hidden behind the object in the center of the photo.

Our host for this experience is Paul to the right of the photo.

We've been taking care of some "housekeeping" that we've put off but its just not the same around here without our "Snowbird" friends. But, we'll manage!

If you guys aren't in any hurry to get down here I'm just going to keep rubbing it in until you all give in and pack up your campers to head south....

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Here's looking at you kid!

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.....these are a few of our favorite things.

Its time to leave Amish Country. We visited with our Amish friends, Abner and Becky and their two wonderful daughters. We shared lots of memories, dessert and even a pizza. We frequented the shops and tasted lots of samples. And so we leave with thoughts refreshed of ... a few of our favorite things..... 

A Kitchen Kettle "Hatfield" hot dog!

...a lot of rain!

...a few "locals!"

...the view from our window.

...great shops.

...Amish farms.

...the Amish ingenuity.

...Amish rope sausage... yummy!

...watching Deb make fudge. (Just poured hot chocolate fudge on the right waiting to cool for "folding" into a loaf.)

...yummy!

...a younger "Deb" in a nostalgic photo.

...Kitchen Kettle entertainment. The banjo player has been there for many years.

...Jam and Jelly.

...and samples.

...and a lot of serenity.

Got Stuff?

We headed out of MA yesterday and got to share over 400 miles of road with a gazillion other drivers and "Lee!" (No not the "Lee" of Pam and Lee however, the Tropical Storm "Lee" is just as antagonistic as the other Lee.) "Lee" (T.S. to be accurate), dogged us even into the next day of travel. We typically drive to Lancaster, PA in one day. Pat wanted to drive in early in the morning on the next day so we could enjoy an afternoon in this beautiful (even when raining) area. While discussing with Lee and Pam where we might stop-over, they suggested Cabelas in Hamburg, PA just off Rt. 78. What a great place for a stop-over. Cabelas, welcomes RVers and provides water and a dump station to boot. The massive store is set on a hill that overlooks a great eclectic group of stores that one can take advantage of if they quit early after driving for the day.
We set up camp and headed into the store. We felt like we walked into a huge auditorium!

Click on the above "stitched" photo to see it full size. A new window should open. Place your cursor on the photo and it should change to a tiny magnifying glass with a "plus" on it. Click the photo and it should enlarge it and you can "scroll" from side to side to see all of it. It is taken from the second floor... like the title says, "Got Stuff!"

Lee and Pam prepped us for what to expect but you've still gotta see it to believe it.

We made a quick tour of the store, headed back to the coach for a really quiet evening. We planned an early morning sojourn in the store with a coffee from their second floor restaurant and scour the place.

Yep, the prop is even spinning!

There were at least half a dozen of these "stuffed" animal scenes. Nearly all of the animals are in "motion."

No expense was spared to reality when it came to positioning each animal as it would be in their own habitat.

Any one who fishes would be impressed with the well stocked aquariums on the first floor.

So, you can learn all about the inhabitants of the great outdoors and outfit yourself with anything you need to be part of the wilderness experience. You can also enjoy a breakfast or lunch buffet or just a sandwich while you enjoy your "stop-over."

http://www.cabelas.com/

Thanks for the "heads up" on a great place to "take a breather" Lee and Pam.

Hamburg, PA was just about forty miles to our destination, Intercourse, PA and the Beacon Hill Campground. Both the motorhome and HHR looked like we've been "muddin'" with the best of them.

We set camp, freshened up and naturally, had to get something to eat.

(As all of you know, most of our "Blog Friends" know we don't have any problem finding a place to eat.)

We headed for Angela and Bill's favorite eating establishment.... "Dienners!"

http://www.dienners.com/

"Dienners" is not your average restaurant. If you take a minute to scout the area you'll see some of Amish Country's most unique long-time tourists spots...

Along with the "Dutch Haven" there are a couple of other establishments that just don't quite fit the Amish "motif"...

"Jakey's Amish BBQ" and the"City Dump!"

and

The "Outhouse!"

Even after our lunch buffet at "Dienners" we still had to head to the "Kitchen Kettle"

 http://www.kitchenkettle.com/index.asp for... what else...

We also stopped by to visit a real sweet friend (literally) at "Kitchen Kettle," "Deb" busy at work in her fudge shop.

http://www.kitchenkettle.com/members/pepperlanefudgeandsweets.asp 

As you can see our long-time travel companion, "Gnorm the Gnome" is no stranger to "Deb's" fudge!

In spite of slow going traffic due to rain, the two day drive to PA went really well.

And thanks to Lee and Pam, we know where to get lots of "stuff" and we won't be going hungry here in Amish Country!