We traveled along some lovely, pastural roads to arrive at Winn Hill Farm, another Harvest Host (HH) in Port Crane, New York. We were glad we arrived early afternoon and got the most level spot and the only site with gravel, since three other HH guests came in late afternoon/early evening.
We visited and made purchases at their country market, which
basically contained products from the local Brynes Dairy and Deli Store—chips,
ice cream, dairy, and baked goods—along with a few household items like
potholders.
It is tough for Mom to get her walking/hiking steps in on
travel days. So, we drove to Chenango
Valley State Park to clock a few miles around Chenango Lake. I was a bit surprised that folks were
swimming in the algae-covered lake.
You never know who you will meet on a trail! |
Later, while Dad visited with a former work buddy, Mom and I walked for 2 miles along the rolling country roads near Winn Hill Farm, seeing God’s works of wonder.
Les and Mel! Twin Brothers from other Mothers! |
As promised, we left early the next morning. We wanted to beat the traffic into New
Jersey. Even on a Saturday, I-80, I-287,
and I-95 (A.K.A. New Jersey Turnpike) are very busy. It was interesting to see that New Jersey
still accepts cash payments on the Turnpike since so many states require
EZ-pass (or equivalent) or bill you by mail. I was amazed to see how often drivers gave
each other the finger that I wittily call the “New Jersey salute”. (What a
nicer gesture it would be to just give the FULL peace sign instead of one
finger!)
We arrived at Muddy Paws Animal Rescue, our HH in Southampton, New Jersey. This is one of my favorite HH ever! It offered easy access along a firm gravel road, a huge, gated, level parking area, friendly hosts, and lots of animals for me to meet. They have a small market, but we opted to give a monetary donation to aid in the care of the animals.
Chairman of the Welcoming Committee. |
Best of all, staying at Muddy Paws facilitated a quick visit to Aunt Maureen, Uncle Ted, and my animal friends at Misty Lee Farm (where we helped do farm chores when Uncle Ted was gravely ill in 2021. See blog post Misty Lee Farm 2021). Dad was so happy that Valentine the horse remembered him, and Valentine was happy to have Dad cater to his latest whim.
New chicks arrived at Misty Lee Farm. |
Muddy Paws is also near one of our other favorite
places: DiMeo Blueberry Farm in
Hammonton, New Jersey. This century old,
4th-generation family business has the BEST blueberries we have ever
picked (and we have done our share of picking throughout the US). They are delicious, plump,
organic/non-GMO/heirloom berries on tall bushes in manicured fields—can’t get
better than that! The 900+acres also include
nature trails along Hammonton Creek within the Pinelands of South Jersey. With New Age music playing softly (Mr. DiMeo says the music assists with plant growth), birds
singing, and dragonflies enjoying God’s bounty as much as we are, DiMeo Farms
offers a unique and spiritual picking experience. We think DiMeo Farms would
make a perfect future HH site. Time will
tell!
While Dad fueled up my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon, I visited Mighty Joe, a Roadside America attraction. Mighty Joe once graced the boardwalk of the Jersey shore. Now he stands in Shamong, New Jersey, as a loving tribute from Larry and Barbara Valenzano to their son, who died of a brain tumor in 1999 at the age of 29.
The next day we drove up to North Jersey for a quick visit to
the graves of my beloved human grandparents and to catch up with long-time
friend Barbara over lunch at Pompton Queen. This is one of New Jersey’s few remaining
24 hour diners. Then we looked in our
rearview mirror and said, “adios New Jersey”!
What I love about Jersey diners: Portions big enough to feed ya twice! |
After a longer-than-anticipated drive along the Pennsylvania
Turnpike due to congestion/ construction, we arrived at Ben Franklin RV Park in
York, Pennsylvania. It is a smaller,
older Park, but it is well-maintained and affordable at $40/night for full
hookups. It also has a nice clubhouse, whose
bathrooms I inspected personally and found to be very clean. What it does NOT have is acceptable
customer service. No office staff was
on site when we arrived (or at any time during our visit). Nor
was paperwork for our confirmed reservation (made in May) left for us in
the bin outside the self check-in office with all the other reservations for
the day. Mom received no response to the
voicemail and text messages to the cell phone number posted on the locked door.
Cranky, tired, and hungry, Mom, like a
bloodhound, went on a hunt to find a worker.
She locates Nate, who made some phone inquiries and instructs us to go
to Site 298, which is an easy back-in.
It was not until 3 hours later that the office staff responded to Mom’s various
text messages (yes, Mom sent a second one asking for Wi-Fi code/site
map/laundry info). We were instructed to return to the bin
outside the self check-in office to find all pertinent information. What! They thought it was good customer service to
inconvenience the guest? How rude! Perhaps
my reaction was transmitted telepathically.
All I know is that a few minutes later the paperwork arrived via
text. But in reality, it should have been brought in
person to us. If there is one thing this
Rambling RV Rat despises, it is conducting business with a phantom.
A visit to Gifford Pinchot State Park, about 14 miles from the RV Park, was a perfect antidote for a stressful day. I saved some cheese money since there is no day-use fee for this park. My parents met their goal of hiking 5 miles. And we had the amazing opportunity to watch a bald eagle sit in a field eating dinner. We captured a video just as he was finishing up. This visit was like winning a trifecta!
Well, I am tuckered out, so I’ll sign off for now. I’ll talk to you again soon!
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