We are enjoying our time with our son, daughter-in-law and our grand-daughter. We are parked on the street next to their house.
Today is supposed to be the last day of rain for awhile. There has been tons of rain the past few days which has led to flooding of some streets. A couple of boys were out in the rain yesterday with their boogie boards having a great time in the half a foot of water in the next street.
Maj finding a gold ring on one of the first times that we went detecting.
We are in our RV relaxing and watching tv after taking a nice walk around the campground. It rained a little today, but the temperature was wonderful. We have had the windows open all day and a nice breeze is blowing in the fresh mountain air. We almost wish we were staying longer, and we know we will be back. Everyone has been so nice here and it is just a nice quiet relaxing place.
We are anxious to see our 3 year old grand-daughter. In the morning we will be leaving here and heading towards Virginia Beach to visit with our son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter.
We have our metal detectors and plan to do some detecting. We want to go treasure hunting on the beach. We tried searching on Vanderbilt Beach in Naples but we were still learning how to use the metal detectors. We are still learning how to tell what the different sounds mean, so far I’ve only found pull tabs from cans. Maj has been luckier than me and found a gold ring and some coins.
Remember Danny Hiser
We found this place by accident and are so glad we did. It is really true that you want to go where the locals go. Totally awesome place! We are in the mountains of West Virginia in a field turned campground. Very peaceful, nice breeze and live Blue Grass music! Campground is Shady Rest RV Park, we’ll have photos up later. Now I’m back to enjoying the campfire and music.
UPDATE:
Here are some photos from our night of Bluegrass music at the Shady Rest RV Park. We were lucky to pck this weekend as our time to visit. The campground was having its fourth annual memorial concert to honor the memory of Danny Hiser, one of the best banjo pckers in the country.
Ths site is just beautiful, the people are as nice as can be and make you feel at home. The Shady Rest RV Park is not fancy: no swimng pools or elaborate club house. But there is always a warm welcome and reasonable rates for full service hook-ups. Steve and Sonja Garten are perfect hosts. Here is the link to the Shady Rest RV Park.
Fabulous Bluegrass musicians pickin’ and playin’ together to honor Danny Hiser.
Owner Steve Garten, center, chattng wth guests: a portion of the beautiful RV sites are in the background.
Jeff Stockberger and his bumbling pirates. Photo courtesy B&B media
The 2015 Family show at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis is the beloved musical “Peter Pan”. The show opened May 14th and will have 58 total performances.
B&B favorite Jeff Srockberger will play the role of that evil Captain Hook. The casting of Peter Pan will be by newcomer to B&B Phobe Taylor. This high flying show should be one of the best family shows yet.
Sher and I are thrilled to be able to take one of our grand-daughters to see the show with us. We’ll report back after we have seen the show.
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre also puts on a great family friendly buffet with items that kids will love. Chef Odell Ward knows how to please the kids! Check out the B&B website for details, including discount ticketing prices for kids aged 3 – 15.
Yes, those are leopard sheets…
There is something about coming off of a long weekend festival and heading to a campground for a little rest, relaxation and doing some laundry.
The campground was nice, great roads, only 15 bucks with the Passport America discount and the laundry was only about seven sites away. Ok, it was small, two washers and two dryers. One dryer had an “Out of order: does not spin” sign on the door with the coin slots taped shut. Ok, I got that. A couple of loads won’t be bad, waiting for the one dryer.
Two loads started, no sweat. First load into the dryer: coins in, heat level set for high, start buton pushed. Well, 30 minutes later the laundry is still wet. Long story short, this dryer had no trouble spining. It just didn’t provide any heat. The result was turning the Four Winds 22E into a clothes line.
When checking out that campground laundry, check the dryers first.
Our Four Winds with the new cargo trailer
Sher and I bought our Thor Four Winds class C motorhome from Tom Raper RV in Richmond, Indiana in December of 2014. We got a great deal, were treated well and very satisfied with the transaction. Tom Raper has been in the RV business for decades and most in the Midwest recognize ads for Exit 149A on I-70 in Richmond.
I was surprised when I went to the Tom Raper website in the search for a cargo trailer and bam! there was the Camping World website! The deal was reported back in January by media. Sadly media also reported that founder Tom Raper passed away this April in Florida. Tom Raper RV is now a Camping World dealer.
We got another great deal on a cargo trailer, working with Mitch Crowe, our salesman from the Thor Four Winds deal. Once again Mitch took great care of us. Within a couple of hours we had purchased the trailer, had it correctly hitched to our motorhome and were on our way.
We went to Michigan to get some merchandise to sell at upcoming festivals and shows. The pesky April weather was chilly, and our furnace in the Thor would not work. Heading back south we detoured to the Tom Raper/CW dealership. Long story short, the service department with no hassel found the problem (a bad contact in the thermostat) and even took care of a couple of other minor issues. Hats off to technician Steve and Hank and Paul at the service desk.
I have talked to several Tom Raper employees from the sales, parts and service departments. All said they were pleased with the transition from Tom Raper to Camping World. This change sems to be a good thing for not only the staff but also the customers of this dealership. I was very pleased with the way they took care of our furnace issue and the help with the other minor issues.
Entrance to the campground
Sometimes you find a campground that, for your use, just works well. Shady Trails Family Campground is near Hillsboro, Ohio and close to Rocky Fork Lake. You can see a portion of the huge lake from the entrance to the campground, and there is a public dock and boat ramps a half mile from the campground.. Primarily filled with seasonal campers, this campground does have several nice spots for transient travelers.
The owners are starting their first season as the new owners of the facility. The facilities are not fancy, but the rest rooms and showers are very clean as is the small laundry room. There is a nice playground for the kids and a large shelter house for picnics and other gatherings. Propane, ice and firewood are available.
The park is hilly with decent roads. Extra long rigs will have to be careful negotiating some of the turns.The sites are level and each has a nice concrete pad for the picnic table. Most sites also have a fire ring. This facility is very pretty with lots of trees. The campgrounds offer nice tent camping sites, too.
The rates are very reasonable and extremely reasonable ($12.50 a nite midweek) with your Passport America discount. Shady Trails is open from April through October. It features full hooks-up including 30 and 50 amp, some pull thru and some accomodate double slides. Check the Shady Trails website for the number and other information.
I would recommend this campground for its price, beauty, very nice and helpful owners and the peace and quiet. I have to also say that their free WiFi is very strong and fast. This campground is worth a look if you are in the area.
Short term sites on the right, seasonal on the left
The camp office
The origianl Genett Parrot logo still seen on the wall of the remaining brick building
Richmond Indiana is a very history filled town on the Ohio-Indiana border in the central part of the state. Both I-70 and Historic US 40 run through Richmond. One of the historic sites in Richmond is the remains of the old Starr Piano manufacturing plants and the Genett Recording studios.
Starr made high end pianos beginning in the 1870’s. The remaining Starr pianos are highly sought after by collectors and musicins alike. The Gennett recordng Studos were in business from 1920 to 1934. The records were made in a primitive concrete and brick building with little acoustical features.
Legend says that an Oriental rug from the Gennett mansion was used as a wall hanging to deaden the echo sounds during the recording sessions.
Louis Armstrong honored on the sidewalk next to the remains of the old recording studio. There are many musicians so honored.
Many famous musicians of the times got their first recordings made at Gennett. Hoagy Carmicheal’s big band recorded there. Louis Armstrong got his start in the Gennett studio. The studio was known as the first one to record jazz, blues, country and gospel genres. The Great Depression signaled the end of Genett Records as it did many other record companies of the times.
The remaining portion of the brick factory now has a modern steel structure and metal roof system. Ths building is used for concerts and other civic events.
When in Richmond be sure to seek out the old Starr Piano buliding. You just might hear echos of music from the past. Read more at the Starr Gennett Foundation website.
The remaining structure from what used to be a huge manufacturing complex on the White River in Richmond.
The remaining smoke stack from the Starr Piano factory.
A different perspective of the old factory
Photo on the Eagles Nest historic marker showing travel on the National Highway
The Eagles Nest monument on the National Road (US 40) was erected around 1916 after a 29 mile stretch of the then umimproved and often nearly impassable road was replaced with concrete. The stretch of highway ran from Zanesville to Hebron.
The monument is a large granite rock with some interesting inscriptions carved into the surface. The photos show some of the details of the inscriptions, including a Conestoga wagon and mileage to Cumberland, Maryland, the starting point of the road.
The day we stopped here the conditions were very muddy and wet. What a reminder of some of the early muddy conditions that the early travelors faced as they traveled across country.
The Eagles Nest monument
Conestoga wagon etched into the granite
You are 220 miles from the start of the National Road in Cumberland, MD.
Near Pere Marquette State Park north of Grafton, Illinois we saw a magnificent bald eagle in the top of a tree. What a treat to see our National Symbol in the flesh, er….in the feather. Info boards at the park said that in the year 2000 there were 43 active nests of bald eagles in Illinois.
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