I pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and got out to assess the damage:
So close to making it. I must have run over something in the road.
The time is about 5 PM, let's see how long this will take. Fortunately there does not appear to be any secondary damage like last time. Last time; that was almost exactly one year ago to the day when the last blowout occurred. May 31 about 5 PM coincidentally. This is June 1 about 5 PM. I call Good Sam's Roadside Assistance. Finally help arrives at 6:46 PM:
Of course nothing seems to go smoothly and the young man cannot get the spare down from the underside of the trailer. A very poor design, the bolts holding the spare to the rack keep spinning and there is not enough clearance to grab them. He will have to take the wheel back to the shop to mount a new tire.
We will sit and wait some more. I have to keep the truck idling because the temperature outside is 98 degrees. Eventually he returns with the tire and we are finally on our way at 8 PM. Luckily all the sites are pull thoroughs at the campground and I don't have to unhook. We take off the next morning for three nights at Lake Gaston in North Carolina.
Lake Gaston is a beautiful wooded campground right on the lake that shares a border with Virginia. If you are a boater then this is the place for you. We just relaxed and put the trailer in order and went out for a quirky sightseeing trip locally.
The campground is near the town of Littleton, population 650 and home to the Museum of Cryptozoology and the Paranormal.
Basically the guy moves here from Long Island and cashes in on the Bigfoot believers and haunted house market. After he bought this house he started collecting weird "haunted" items and putting them on exhibit in his living room and runs haunted house tours.
Bigfoot is the main star here:
I am not sure if the fellow who runs this wasn't just a bit tongue-in-cheek or if he is serious, but he is making money selling Bigfoot tracking kits and such. With not much to see or do in this ho-dink town it was a way to kill a couple hours.
We asked him where we could get an adult beverage and some eats and he gave us two recommendations so we were off. Our first stop was on the lake for a cold one at The Pointe.
Doreen couldn't get to the tiki bar so we sat on the back porch getting attacked by flies. One beer and we were outta there. We ended up at WatersView and ate there.
A nice view of the lake with no flies, well we were inside.
A very woody decor that looked fairly new and very clean.
Doreen opted for the crab cakes and I the chicken parm.
The crab cakes were dark and crispy on the outside and meaty and moist on the inside. My chicken was a fat breast with gooey mozzarella, sandwiching a light tangy marinara in between, served on a fluffy pile of hot red skin mashed potatoes and sauteed mixed squashes. It was a very tasty meal. This was a good choice.
Our short stay in NC was over and it was off to Hershey RV and Camping Resort. Hershey RV and Camping Resort is one of the best campgrounds in the Thousand Trails network. It is actually located about 10 miles east of Hershey on Rt. 322. Close enough. We are usually a lot farther away from attractions so this is nice.
The weather is spectacular with highs barely reaching 80 and overnight lows in the high 50's/ low 60's. We are in the middle of lush, green farmland, small towns, and local independent grocery stores selling all local products. I have got say I miss this part of Pennsylvania.
Doreen and I visited Hershey Park on Friday for the first time in many years. The old factory seen here is not being used, but contrary to myth, kisses and Hershey bars are still made in Hershey at a new factory on the west side of town.
The "Sweetest Place on Earth" might not have the aroma of cocoa in the air any longer but that doesn't detract from the experience.
We rode the Wildcat roller coaster before eating. Doreen has to go on an empty stomach so Nathan's would have to wait. She is reluctant to go on too many of those types of rides because of how they effect her head so it is usually one and done. This one is especially jarring going through twists and turns on the old wooden tracks. Good thing I cradled her cranium with my arm or she would have wicked after effects.
We rode the Kissing Tower 330 feet up the spire and the antique cars then strolled through Zoo America. We took in a show and eventually ended up at Chocolate World for the tour of the fake factory.
We enjoyed it even though we didn't ride every ride. There are 14 coasters with a 15'th in the works, so if that is your thing you won't be disappointed.
The next day we visited the town of Annville for their town festival but didn't realize it was over at 2 PM.
We strolled up and down the street as some vendors were packing up so we left and headed back to Hershey. We visited the Story of Chocolate Museum which tells the life story of Milton Hershey. For those of you unfamiliar with his life he was a philanthropist who donated his entire fortune to the Milton S. Hershey School which was started by him for orphan boys. His foundation also controls much of the town and company.
After the museum we met up with an old friend at the local biergarten for some cold ones and an appetizer.
Then it was off to my favorite place: Primanti Brothers
Of course the original is in Pittsburgh but whenever I see one I have got to have an I.C. Light beer and a #2 bestseller (its called a cheesesteak at the original and a Pittsburgher everywhere else).
The coarsely grated coleslaw, hand cut fries on freshly sliced thick Italian bread all atop a beef patty and white American cheese is a classic. My buddy Cheezo asked how do you eat this? Open wide and cram it in.
We enjoyed visits with friends and family that we missed on prior trips and look forward to coming back again.
Next up is Scotrun in the Pocono's. Stay tuned.
