Elkhart, IN 6-18 thru 25-09

Our plane landed at 10:30 am on June 18. Unbelievably, my cousin Julie, and her daughter, Rachel, were waiting outside the terminal for us. They took us to our Jeep, which Julie and Joe had taken care of while we were away. They really did so much to make our trip easier. We drove to Mishawaka, IN and stayed at the Residence Inn there, thanks to Erin, again. The next day we picked up our coach at Mandalay. What a surprise! They had replaced the carpet, GPS/back-up camera, mirrors, most of the blinds, and much more. We feel like we have a new RV and that the life of it has been extended another 3 years.

During the week we stayed in Elkhart, near Mishawaka, we restocked the refrigerator, moved our stuff from storage, slept, had a delicious dinner with friends, Jan and Fred, got hair cuts, etc. Indiana was green, lush, and beautiful. We spent one day driving the Heritage Trail using a CD commentary. The trail took us through some beautiful Amish countryside. We respected the Amish wish not have photos taken. The photo above is part of a quilt garden. The county has lots of them along with many quilt murals. Quilting friends, this was way cool.

One stop on the trail was this mill that had a horizontal water wheel beneath the mill. That was state of the art in the mid 1800s. It was much more efficient.

The towns of Middlebury and Goshen were both really well preserved and very cute. Real estate is a great value. We could live here if we hadn't lived in Indiana before and know all too well how hot the summers are and how cold the winters are. This was a police bunker to protect the bank across the street from the likes of Dillinger et al.

One day Ted ran errands and prepared the coach for the road, so I went to Plymouth, IN to look for my dad's ancestors. The Marshall County Historical Museum was awesome. Karin greeted me at the door and spent two hours finding me document after document about my family. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

I found the cemetery where my gg grandparents on the Nichols branch are buried. I didn't find their stones, but now I know where they are. On the drive back to Elkhart, I drove through Bourbon, Indiana where my Grandfather Nichols was born. It is a pretty place with lots of trees. The main street is shown below. My g grandfather worked for the prominent lumber company here and moved to Greencastle, IN, when the owner of the lumber company did.

Genealogy combined with travel makes my ancestors come alive and helps me understand how I got to be who I am. My GG Grandmother Nichols came from Brethren roots. Glad the family liberalized over the generations.

I have seen these for years in the midwest and wondered why these winter road salt storage units are this shape. It took a tour in Belfast, Northern Ireland to give me the answer. They have these units there, too. The tour guide told us that this shape keeps the moisture regulated.

We are now outside Somerset, PA. It is beautiful rolling hills. We are going to enjoy a day of relaxation tomorrow. It is cool enough to have the windows open with the fan going. Life is good.