OH Archives - Page 4 of 4 - The Flying Mantis

Kidron, Ohio
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This year’s Big Summer Vacation finds us pointing the compass North. We’ve traded up the scooter for a street-legal Honda Rebel, which will give us a lot more freedom to roam.

We got a jumpstart on Friday and headed a few hours north, stopping for evening to visit to my folks. We celebrated Dad’s birthday a bit early and camped in the driveway under a steady rain. This morning we were off to a leisurely start, after making omelets with his fancy new egg appliance.

Outside of Canton, Ohio, we landed in the little town of Kidron to visit the famous Lehman’s Store. This area easily accommodates both us worldly folks alongside the traditional Amish population. County roads are built with an extra lane for buggies, and we saw many Amish families heading for Saturday gatherings in their carriages.

At Lehman’s we followed the signs for RV parking, but couldn’t find it. So we pulled in at the stockyards next door, happily after the livestock auctions were over. It must have been a lively day, given the depth of the horse apples in the buggy parking section.

We know Lehman’s well, having ordered from their catalog for years to outfit our non-electric cabin. Seems we own half of what’s in the catalog, and want the other half, too! The store is a vast emporium of old-timey and useful goodies. There’s cast iron Dutch ovens, modern and antique pot belly stoves, hardware and farm implements, plus all manner of gardening and kitchen equipment. Shelves are full of hard to find foods, old-fashioned candy, bygone brands of soap and soda. Room after room of great surprises.

My Size Coffee Cup!

We picked up a great selection of weirdo sodas, including Tim’s favorite – Moxie. It’s made with quinine, and if you’ve never tasted Moxie…well, in my opinion, you’re better off!

This evening we are camped at the excellent Evergreen RV Resort. They’ve got outstanding amenities here, including a Dog Wash station. More on this property tomorrow, as we’re staying here two nights before saddling up for our next destination.

Wyoming, Ohio
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There’s many reasons we love RV’ing, and the list got a little longer this week. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, many RVers have offered their rigs as temporary shelter to embattled East Coast residents. Power, heat, refrigerator, and sleeping quarters all in a rolling relief package. Bravo to the kind souls who lent out their campers to those in need!

In our own little corner of the un-flooded world, a similar need arose this weekend. Some family members drove in to check on their rental property in Cincinnati. The house was empty, no furniture or belongings inside, and they needed a place to stay for the weekend. Easy solution!

I drove the coach up north, and we had a cozy camp-out in the driveway. No need for a hotel or restaurant when all the luxuries are in one park-able package.

Our RV runs on 30 amp power, and we can plug into house current in a pinch. As long as I’m careful not to turn on too many lights or run the microwave, we can function pretty much business as usual.

We stayed comfy and warm, prepared lots of meals & snacks, and watched movies every night. It was our own little hotel in the driveway.

A couple of curious neighbors dropped by and I gave the usual tour of our coach. One gent said he’d been looking at boats recently, and we compared similarities of the amenities. There’s lots of shared design between boats and RVs – judicious use of space, folding tables & sofas, locking storage bins, propane appliances, etc.

But when the need arises, be it natural disaster or just a family visit, I’d sure rather have an RV at our disposal!

OH

Amish Country -Ohio

Driveway Camping