Thetford Aqua-Magic Style Plus - replacing cable

Today we were planning to go to Jersey Shore but the toilet in our smaller bathroom stopped working. We figured that we would make a phone call or two and drop off the coach to a service center to be fixed.  All the service centers were booked full for this week. Since we still had a working commode in our master bathroom, we entertained the thought about fixing it weeks later at a service center at another location but we decided to take on the challenge of fixing it ourselves. This is a big step for us since we are far  from mechanically inclined.

After diagnostically reviewing the situation, we could tell that a wire-cable broke and that caused an inability to flush. We called the Entegra helpline and they emailed us a parts breakdown of our toilet. We ran to an RV parts store and bought the replacement wire-cable and a replacement bulb for the headlight.

When we returned to the coach we replaced the headlight in a few short minutes. The commode took longer. First we tried finding a You Tube video of someone replacing a wire-cable on Thetford Aqua-Magic Style Plus toilet... we could not find one. Once we removed the bowl, we removed the broken cable. The directions that came with the new cable said' to install the new cable we needed to remove the toilet all the way down to the flange' (floor pluming).  We didn't want to get that involved so we tried to get it in place with just the bowl removed.

We laced the replacement cable through the step in front, then over the top and it did not did not reach the slot on the back, a little too short. We each got a pair of needle-nose pliers. John pulled the cable in place through the step and held it while I pulled it from the back. We pulled it so hard I thought we were going to break it; after 10 minutes of pulling - it was taunt enough where I was able to finally slip the small balled end into the slot. We fixed it! We put it back together and it now works perfectly.

Moving on to New Jersey

We said our good-byes to Marie and Jerry and ate a couple of delicious hoagie sandwiches from the JoAnna Store in Morgantown and then set out for our next destination, Fort Dix N.J.

The RV park at Fort Dix is next to the firing range, this did not bother us since we were planning to be out each day enjoying the Jersey Shore and Philadelphia (both about an hour away). And you can't beat an RV lot for just $100 per week.

When we were parking the RV, I noticed one of our headlights were not working: a small project for later this week.

Landcaster County

When we were in Indiana, the Amish bakeries had plenty of good apple fritters and we ate dozens of them. When I told my friend, Denise, that we were headed to Pennsylvania, she told me that the Amish bakery item in this area is the whoopie pie. She said they were the best, her family ate their fair share while they were visiting here. I'm happy she told us about this delicious Pennsylvania Dutch treat, I would have hated to miss out on them. Today our mission was to go to the Landcaster area to find Amish whoopie pies. 

Bought a couple at each bakery we visited, talked to a few bakers and learned lots. We were told the whoopie pies originated in Lancaster County and are one of the country's most loved comfort foods. They were created by Lancaster’s Amish and Pennsylvania German communities and the recipes have been handed down for years in home kitchens and small bakeries. They say that whoopie pies were first made from leftover cake batter, when kids saw a stack of whoopie pies they would yell 'Whoopie!' hence the name. We tried many flavors; our favorites are red velvet, pumpkin, and the classic chocolate. Good stuff.

We shopped at Kitchen Kettle Village - over 40 cute shops, restaurants and an inn centered around a jam and relish kitchen where we watched them prepare the jellies and jams. The village has a wonderful art gallery with a knowledgeable staff.

We ate lunch at Good n Plenty in Smoketown. We wanted the traditional Amish meal with all the trimmings but were not too sure about the 'family style' where they seat you at a table of strangers. We gave it a try and the two strangers we sat with were the best part of the experience, they were lovely. A smart young lady, Rachael, who was working on her Ph.D. in opera and an intrepid young man, David, finishing his bachelors in opera, he planned to move to Europe to preform. We enjoyed listening to their stories about summer jobs of working in the arts.  The meal provided an awesome backdrop to a wonderful discussion. We all sat at the long family table and were served cottage cheese, chow chow (pickled veggie salad - I like it), applesauce, delicious chicken salad, coleslaw and a few other dishes. Then the main courses came. Fried chicken, roast beef, ham and cabbage, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, and Amish brown buttered noodles (first time having the noodles - yummy). the meal ended with cheesecakes, shoe fly pie, apple pie, pudding, and ice cream. We said good-bye to our lunch-mates and as we walked out I was thinking how much my father would enjoy a place like this; it is a lot like a buffet but they bring everything to you.

We love seeing the Amish horse and buggies and we had the pleasure of seeing many.          

By the end of the day, it was nice to kick-back and visit with Marie and Jerry. It was a beautiful day!

Hershey's Chocolate World

Today, John and I went to Hersey, PA - the theme park was closed but we got into the Hershey's Chocolate World. We bought an event package that included all activities and lunch, we had the choco pulled pork sandwich with a side of baked mac & cheese that we thought was very good.

The Chocolate Tasting Experience was fun, interactive, and informative. We were handed a small bag of chocolates as we entered an auditorium. Like a wine tasting, it teaches you how to evaluate and taste chocolate using all of your senses. We now know a new way to eat this wonderful treat. There were even some group participation activities. 

Wearing aprons and hair nets to create our chocolate bars

Designing our own candy bar was really fun too. Watching the candy move down the line on a conveyor belt as the bar is assembled, adding three crunchy fillings, seeing the chocolate seal in the fillings and sprinkling topping before it packaged in a cool tin and a wrapper you designed.  Quite a fun experience.

The trolley ride is full of information about the factory and Milton Hershey himself. It is the best way to get a good appreciation of the many wonderful things he has done for the community. It's incredible what one person's vision can do - and is still doing. Really touching to see an American brand contributing so much. Don't skip this one, but get in line early so you can get a good seat on the trolley. The trolleys are cute but a true sightseeing bus with huge windows would better serve all the riders.

Later, we joined our friends, Jerry and Marie, for dinner at the Shady Maple Smörgåsbord - a buffet that is a cultural experience in Lancaster. The variety of food was impressive.

The French Creek in Morgantown, PA

Late yesterday, we drove the coach to Morgantown, PA to visit our good friends that are staying there, Marie and Jerry. We opened a bottle of wine and got caught up in no time - so good seeing them again.

Today Jerry and Marie gave us a tour of the area. We really enjoyed seeing St. Peter's Village and walking along the French Creek, which borders the village and the forest. It was fun climbing the large granite boulders that covered the forest floor.

Marie, who is an amazing chief, made a delicious dinner.  A terrific ending to a wonderful day.

Gettysburg on a Segway

Yesterday we visited the museum, last night we watched the movie 'Gettysburg' and looked at maps of the battlefield; we had a good overview before our tour today.

Mix 1 part 'historical tour' with 9 parts of 'active fun' and you get the Segway Tours of Gettysburg. The staff does a great job of preparing riders for the nine mile tour, even beginners like us. Safety preparation includes watching a video (that gave us some good riding tips), wearing a helmet, and then learning and practicing our new skills on their indoor terrain course, complete with hill climbing. By the time we finished practicing we were so comfortable on the Segways, we could turn on a dime and stop on a hill.

We did the 3 hour western tour that covered the Seminary Ridge, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, the Highwater Mark, Picket's Charge, and Little Round Top. Got a good appreciation for the battles; sometimes we parked the Segways and explored on foot. Walking around Little Round Top and viewing the open field below helped to visualize what the battle of Gettysburg was like. Whether you tour the battlefield by foot, bike, car, or Segway, you have to see it from Little Round Top; a great perspective.

The tour is informative and riding a Segway for the first time was so exciting!

They provide bottled water and snacks during the ride; each Segway has a pouch to hold the rider's stuff - today was cold and it was helpful to take an extra jacket - by the end of the trip I was wearing a sweatshirt and two jackets.

When we are back in this area, we will definitely go on another tour with Segway Tours of Gettysburg. It was such an awesome experience!

Gettysburg Museum

We decided to do a Segway tour. The tours were sold-out for today so we scheduled a three hour tour for tomorrow. After walking some of the battlefields, we went to the Gettysburg Museum and visitor center and walked through the museum, and saw the movie and the Cyclorama. This was my first Cyclorama! The Cyclorama is a 360 degree painting of Pickets charge and places you in the middle of it all. This is nicely done; there is a narrator and sound effects that help tell the story of this battle.

Cycloramas were a very popular form of entertainment in the late 1800's. These massive oil paintings were displayed in special auditoriums and enhanced with landscaped foregrounds; the result was a three-dimensional effect that surrounded viewers who stood on a central platform, literally placing them in the center of the great historic scene. The Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama is one that has survived.