Pocono Speedway

After our visit to New York and New Jersey, we spent a couple of weeks in Pennsylvania. Our first stop was only for a couple of days in the Pocono area so we could visit Pocono Raceway.

We actually got to ride in a pace car from the fan store over to the track for our tour. On days when the track isn't hot, the tour includes going out onto the track. Unfortunately, the track was being used the day we were there, which seems to be our luck at almost every racetrack we visit.

One of the really interesting things about Pocono is that you can actually drive a stock car around the track yourself. They put you through a training session first, but after that, you're strapped into the car and get the opportunity to drive on the track. Our tour guide told us that an 84-year-old woman had done it and reached 135 MPH!

Neither of us participated, although I have to admit it was tempting. At the time, we both said maybe we would do it in the future. Ten years later, I can safely say we still haven't driven a stock car around a NASCAR track.

Maybe someday.

(click on pics for larger version)

Lancaster County

From the Pocono area, we headed to Lancaster County and Amish country.

One of the things we wanted to experience was a buggy ride, and our tour took us through the countryside and farmland and included a stop at a working farm. We both really enjoyed the experience and wished the tour had been longer.

One thing I learned from that buggy ride was that if I ever return to Lancaster County — and I would love to — I would take a private buggy tour. I enjoy listening to the guides and learning about the places we're visiting, and unfortunately, some of the other people on our tour were very disrespectful and made it difficult to hear everything our guide was telling us.

At the farm portion of the tour, we were able to walk through several barns. One was a calf barn where the calves were housed after being separated from their mothers. We also visited the milking barn, which was filled with dairy cows.

We were told that some of the cows could produce as much as 10 gallons of milk per day. Rather than milking the cows by hand, milking machines were used, and the milk was collected in a large holding tank until trucks arrived to transport it for further processing.

The one thing I didn't like was learning that the cows only received about an hour of outside time each day.

Still, being able to see a larger dairy operation from that side was interesting to me. When I was growing up, we had milk cows, but only one or two at a time, and my Momma milked them by hand. Seeing how differently it was done on this farm brought back some memories of my own childhood.

In addition to the cows, we saw chickens, mules and miniature horses. We learned that some Amish children use miniature horses to pull their small buggies.

Of course, one of the things that immediately stood out at many of the Amish homes was the long clotheslines filled with laundry. To me, that wasn't unusual at all. We weren't Amish growing up — that was simply how we did things in the South.

Sometimes traveling teaches you about another way of life, and sometimes it reminds you that your lives weren't all that different after all.

Hershey's Chocolate World

We also spent a day at Hershey's Chocolate World.

I have to admit, we were a little disappointed because we went into it thinking the experience would be more of a behind-the-scenes factory tour. Instead, the main attraction was a narrated ride explaining how Hershey's chocolate is made.

There were several other experiences available as well as a trolley ride through Hershey, but we decided to save that money and spend it on gifts for the grandkids instead.

No chocolate — but something just as good.

I would still recommend visiting Hershey's Chocolate World, especially if you're traveling with children. Just be warned: there is a LOT of chocolate available in that gift shop, so you may leave with more than you planned!

Our Last Thousand Trails Stay

Pennsylvania would also be the location of our final Thousand Trails stay of 2016 at Hershey RV & Camping Resort in Lebanon.

Of the four Thousand Trails parks we stayed at during our 2016 travels, this one was by far our best experience.

The ranger we spoke with when we arrived was full of information about the surrounding area and was a breath of fresh air after some of the experiences we'd had at the other locations.

We arrived on the Friday before Labor Day, and I was afraid we wouldn't be able to find a good site. Instead, we ended up with what I thought was one of the best sites in the park. No one could park directly in front of us or behind us, which made it feel like we had our own little private area.

We were elated.

The campground offered several amenities, including a pool, spa, tennis courts, volleyball courts and much more. The only real downside during our stay was the Wi-Fi, which didn't always work very well.

Of course, that was 2016. A lot can change in ten years, so if you're considering staying here today, I would recommend checking current reviews and amenities rather than judging it solely by our experience from a decade ago.

For us, though, it was a nice way to end our Thousand Trails experience during that chapter of our RV travels.

Covered Bridges of Lancaster County

Our Pennsylvania covered bridge hunt only included two bridges, but both were beautiful and located right in Lancaster County.

Shenck's Mill Covered Bridge

Shenck's Mill Covered Bridge spans Big Chiques Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The county-owned and maintained bridge is 96 feet long and features a single-span, double Burr arch covered truss design.

The original bridge was constructed in 1847 by Charles Malhorn and Levi Fink and was rebuilt several years later in 1855. It was rehabilitated in 1977 and remains one of fewer than 30 historic covered bridges in Lancaster County.

The side walls, both inside and outside, are painted red, while the approaches are painted white. Metal height-restriction beams are positioned over the entrances to help prevent oversized vehicles from damaging the bridge, which has a clearance of approximately 12 feet.

Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge

Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge is an 88-foot Burr Arch Truss covered bridge spanning Chiques Creek between Rapho and West Hempfield Townships in Lancaster County. Like Shenck's Mill, it is owned and maintained by Lancaster County.

The bridge dates to 1885, but its history includes an incredible story of survival.

In September 2011, floodwaters lifted the bridge from its foundation and carried it downstream until a large sycamore tree finally stopped it. Two cranes were later used to remove the bridge from the creek.

Thankfully, the decision was made to save and restore it rather than lose another piece of Lancaster County history. In May 2013, a 300-ton crane placed the restored bridge onto its new foundation. The reconstruction incorporated 30 original timbers along with 365 new raw timbers.

Knowing what this bridge survived makes it even more special that we were able to see it during our travels.

The End of Our 2016 Journey

From Pennsylvania, we returned to Ohio to pick up our new RV, a 2017 Montana 3791RD. We had no idea at the time just how much our plans were about to change.

Three days after picking up the Montana, Greg experienced a medical emergency that brought our travel plans to an unexpected stop for several months.

We continued living in our RV until 2018, when we decided to purchase a home. That lasted all of nine months before we sold the house and returned to living in the RV full-time.

It would be December 2020 before we moved out of the RV again after purchasing another home. Then, in April 2021, we sold both our Montana and our dually as a package deal.

For the next several years, RV life became part of our past.

But apparently, it wasn't finished with us yet.

In March 2026, almost ten years after that first journey came to an unexpected end, we returned to full-time RV life.

And in June 2026, we finally picked up where our journey had ended back in 2016. We headed east and began visiting the places and states that had still been waiting on our original travel list all these years.

There is something pretty special about finally getting to finish a journey we started a decade ago.

Now, as we close the chapter on our 2016 travels and continue creating new memories in 2026, we're looking in a different direction.

West.

There are still a lot of roads we haven't traveled, places we haven't seen and memories waiting to be made.

We hope you'll continue following along to see where the road takes us next.

This destination is just one stop from our original full-time RV adventure. Every place we visited left us with unforgettable memories, beautiful scenery, and lessons learned along the way.

Our next adventure will bring us forward to 2026 when we returned to full-time RV life. Hope you enjoy these new adventures as much as our adventures from 2016!