Monday, July 26, 2010

CROSS COUNTRY TRIP 2010 - INDIANA





















Drove through Ohio into Indiana and settled in the Amish Country. The Amish and Mennonites trace back from Holland, Germany and Switzerland, and they have an incredible work ethic. We saw couples harvesting hay by hand, using just a cutter instead of a combine. They have farmstands and bakeries, and are also known for exquisite woodworking, cabinetry and quilting. We searched throughout a Huge Flea Market in Shipsewana, for a fire poker that Tony needs for his cabin at Campfire Club, but struck out. Finally, we asked an Amish woman who had a site with iron lawn flag poles and planters, if she had firepokers, and she had her husband make one up - we picked it up from their farmhouse a few hours later! Perfect size, and only $10.  
Stopped in Das Dutchman Essenhaus for some shopping.  










This is a well known Amish Restaurant, Bakery and Shopping Village.  
Farms and processing plants are commonplace.






























The horse driven carriages are left at a hitching post while the driver does errands.




























Went to the Newmar Factory for a tour - The workforce is 85% Amish. This is the beginning of a luxury motorhome.














Here's the slide out portion of the motorhome:














Here's a time saver - The worker is on stilts.  Click the arrow below:


This is a final inspection before it is taken to the paint shop, where they use stencils to apply the fancy graphics.














A majority of the 17 motorhomes currently produced each week, are smaller - 29 foot models being very popular, as people downsize from the bigger rigs.


We visited the RV Hall of Fame, where we saw pristine antique campers from as far back as 1913! This one, The 1931 Mae West Housecar, was used by Paramount Studios to entice the sultry star to leave vaudeville and make motion pictures.  














The custom made coach was considered to be a chauffer driven lounge, and had a small stove, an icebox and a table where Miss West could relax and have a spot of tea, as she was driven from her home or hotel to shooting location.
Here's a shot of a driver's chair - notice the water pump in the back.


















Here are some other gems:




































And this one brought back memories - it's what Tony's friend Tyler had, when he traveled through Mexico when he was a young hippie dude:



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