Kitt has been bugging me for weeks now, to get her a Halloween costume. Although she's just shy of 2 years old, she's very observant and has seen others dressing up.  I finally get some free time, so I sit down with her and surf the web for ideas.



I decide to have some fun and suggest:

Bad idea!  I'm sure you've all "seen" the terrible two's.  She shows me its full furry and threatens to leave me walking home by myself.  

I tell her I'm joking and remind her I sold a perfectly good Lexus 400H so there would be room in the garage for her.  

She seems satisfied and I breath a sigh of relief, recognizing I just dodged a "mini" bullet.

We discuss different concepts and she likes the idea of a "reverse mullet", party in the front, business in the back, so Mom gets to work.

It's time for a fitting, but she keeps fidgeting, so it's taking longer than planned.

I give her a sipper cup of TT-30 juice and she's cooperative once more.  Much better. 

Ready for the party in the front!...now time for the business in the back.

Did I mention, she's no push over and says to me "business will certainly be taken care of back here".  Hmmm,  is that a growl?

She really doesn't forgive that easily and decides to teach me a lesson, no doubt for that "mini" joke.  I hear something about "engine, and exhaust, and that's not funny" before I'm sucked in.  


...and luckily

Uh-oh!

Of all the states I've visited so far, this one, Pennsylvania has taken me the most by surprise.  I had high expectation for the New England states, which were amply met, but I did not expect the beauty and back road scenery that Pennsylvania has to offer.  Around every corner is a photo op and I stop to do just that, as I check out this crop.  As suspected, it's soybeans which turn a beautiful Midas gold.

I love soft pretzels and having filled my share of punch cards over the years, head down the street to the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in America. 


Lititz, PA was voted the "Coolest Small Town in America 2013" and is home to the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, founded in 1861.

I buy my ticket for the tour and the opportunity to get all twisted.

 

Ah, but not so fast, there are prayers to be learned!  

The origin of the pretzel dates back to 610 AD when an Italian monk "invents" the pretiola (little reward) to be used as a treat to help children memorize their prayers.  The shape of the pretzel represents the child's arms crossed in prayer and the twist, the union of their parents in marriage.  This is where the term "tie the knot" comes from.  The three openings exemplify the Christian trinity of the Father, Son & the Holy Spirit.  Who knew the homely pretzel had such symbolism!



I finally get twisted and make my own pretzel!

I'm informed however, that the FDA (aka killjoy) does not allow for it to be baked here.

Okay, onto plan B.   I pull out a buck and savor the soft, warm, pillow of deliciousness at the gift shop.  Wetzel and Anne... you have some catching up to do.

I finish off a glorious day with a trip to the Country Barn for some general poking around and an evening of line dancing.

Now, this is my kind of place.

Includes a detached  master bathroom!

Although there are regional differences from the songs and dances on the west coast, (planting me on the side lines more than I'm use to) I am warmly welcomed by new friends; Jean, John, Dottie, Ken, Bill and Deb.  Thank you for the invite to your table!  This was their first time line dancing and they did a great job.  Keep coming back!

This, is a delicate matter...

and I've been holding it, for as long as I can, but it's time to talk...

TOILETS

On my first dry run up the California coast, I mentioned I got stuck in a freak snow storm and had to spend 3 days hunkered down with Kitt.  What I didn't mention, was the "RV Park" that the storm blew me into was in the process of clearing out their long-term rentals, did not accept over-nighters (it's a long story how I ended up staying there) and had no working bathrooms.  It was time to improvise and I quickly "engineered" this beta unit.  The original model came equipped with a non-tight fitting lid and believe me when I say "took skill to use".   

Since that time, the production model has come out and I have upgraded to the "Turbo Toilet", a portable, collapsible commode, that I purchased at a Costco road show for $30. You can also acquire them on line from Black Pine Sports www.blackpinesports.com.

The Turbo Toilet comes nicely packaged in it's own zippered case and includes 12 decomposable bags and 12 deodorizing packets. 

This unit is the bomb, and when you gotta go, you gotta go.  A quick unzip, a hasty flick and both of you are ready.  

When I was walking down the isle at Costco, I saw this 190 lb "gorilla poser" jumping up and down on the toilet.  That alone was worth the 30 bucks, but then I learned of the easy to use locking mechanism, convincing me there would be no unexpected collapses.  Sold.  Upgrade beta unit.

All Done.

I can't be this close to Hershey, PA and not stop at Hershey's Chocolate World.  I just can't.  It's bittersweet, but I follow the masses and detour to the wrappers.

I buy my ticket for a chocolate tasting, of which I'm informed, is much like a wine tasting.  Uh oh, I'm already in trouble as I'm happy enough with the "Menage a Trois" Kitt serves. 

After a brief history, highlighting the Olmec's (the first major civilization in Mexico) "discovery" of the cocoa bean and (likely) the first humans to consume chocolate, (originally in the form of a drink) we proceed to our taste test.  We are given a "tasting wheel" with over 40 flavors and are instructed (after looking, listening, and smelling the chocolate) to take a small piece and slowly let it melt against the roof of the mouth.  No chewing allowed!  We are then asked what notes we detect.  Others chime in with tobacco, tea, smoke, cinnamon, etc.  Me?  Well, that's why I stick with Menage a Trois.

Although I won't consume any of this
5 pound bar, I know 2 boys who will.

My idealism is tempered with realism, and although I'm glad I careened head on with a cacao bean, it's time to blow a kiss to Hershey's and move on.

A little down the road, I'm back in my element.  I'm stealthy and snap this shot, careful not to disturb the painter's moment.

"Do anything, but let it produce joy."

- Walt Whitman, Leaves of grass

Leaves

By Elsie N. Brady

How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow.

The time has come for me to migrate south.  I arrived here hungry, seeking sustenance.  I had gracious hosts, feasting on the most delectable array of colors offered.  My appetite was enormous for sure, gorging every day as I just couldn't get enough... but still they served.  I'd continue to consume, but the dishes are now being cleared.  I'm satisfied though, as I have a thick layer of insulation to carry me forward, well into winter. Before I go, here is a look back at the gift basket I've been given, satisfying all those years of anticipation.

New Hampshire

Maine

.  

Vermont

Nature's fruit salad

.

Pennsylvania

New York

.

Six more, and that makes 55.  Check!
...and now onto one arm push-ups.  Is that even possible?

I'm just like Pavlov's dog; conditioned to salivate when I see a supercharger on the map (in this case Newark, DE). There's gotta be more than a plug though to start my juices flowing, especially when the smell of chocolate from Hershey Pennsylvania wafts from a southwestern prevailing wind.  .

Atlantic City and the 'Joursey' shore tip the scale however, and I throw the ball towards the Atlantic ocean for Kitt to fetch.








I check www.plugshare.com to see which hotels have EV hook ups and I'm surprised to find out how reasonable the room rates are.  It hardly makes sense for me to camp, as the savings would buy only a milk bone or two. 
It's obvious right away that this area has been hit hard financially.  When I pull into the parking garage I am one of only two cars on the entire level.

The next morning, a beautiful day beckons me to the boardwalk.  I leash up my camera and ready myself for the 4+ mile dog run.   The boardwalk, purported to be the world's first, is constructed out of thousands of 2 x 4's laid in a herringbone pattern and replaced every 12 years due to foot traffic.  

There are reminders up and down the boardwalk, empty store fronts and signs like these, that reveal just how hard this town has been hit...












but even a pooch can have a shiny coat.  Cookie anyone?

I'm not far from Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania (an area suggested by one of my readers in the "55 poll") to: "Hike the Dingman's Falls Trail at the Delaware Water Gap, an easy trail with an elevation (gain) of 55'. I set Kitt's course for a KOA near Stroudsburg, leaving the safe harbour of Mystic.

  
Upon check-in, I learn of a "Food Truck Festival" being held the next day at the Shawnee Mountain Ski area not far away.  I bunk down with a promise to check it out.

              


I'm not so into the food part of the festival, but this Monster truck sure catches my eye!  I buy a ticket and hoist myself onto the First Mate's seat, next to Chuck, our Captain.  He set's the rigging, unfurls the sails, cranks up the tunes and off we go!  He maneuvers through a series of hard tacks, donuts and hill climbs of which, makes others in the back seat sea sick, but not me.  We arrive back at port with a single regret, that the voyage wasn't longer.

Great fun, but now it's time to get down to "business" and accomplish what I came here to do.  I head to Dingman's Falls, park down below, and walk a mile to the Visitor's Center.  It's composition is perfectly set; Thomas Kinkade's pallet of saturated colors.

 I walk through a wooded forest rising 55 feet in elevation and then I see:

Check.   55 leaves and 55 one arm push ups left to go (and that last one's going to be a doozy).