Spoffords Travel

Day 59 September 20, 2026 Lancaster Pennsylvania to Valley Forge Pennsylvania 69.2 miles

The day started very wet. About mid morning it eased up and didn’t rain until later in the afternoon. We managed to miss most of the rain.

The car would not start again this morning. The ring gear problem again. We were not able to rock it enough to start so Rob had to go find more help. He got one guy but that wasn’t enough so that guy got another one. The three men together were able to push it far enough to turn the wheel and point down hill. Rob popped the clutch and we were off.

First stop was Kohl’s to make a purchase so we would not have to do laundry another time after today. Car wouldn’t start again but Rob was able to push it far enough to get going. They didn’t have everything we wanted so we stopped at Goodwill. We found it there and cheaper. Car wouldn’t start again. Had to get help once more.Rob will enjoy this feature when he drives the car home alone in late October.

Next stop was the laundromat. A truck driver came over to talk about the car. He said this is one of the cheapest laundromats in the country. A large washer was $5.00 and dryers were $0.25 for 5 minutes. It was a smaller laundry but clean. All but one washer was working.

We ate lunch at the laundromat since it was lunch time and we were already stopped. That meant one less start of the car. However, the car started fine. The starter problem is truly intermittent.

Now it was off to the Valley Forge National Historical Park. We saw several buggies out on the road. The women today were wearing white aprons. Must be their Sunday best. On Saturday they were wearing black aprons. Here in Lancaster County is the largest Amish Community in the world at over 45,000 residents. Sure explains why so many buggies.

The drive to Valley Forge was mostly freeway like driving except no semi trucks. Don’t know where they are but we don’t miss them. The park is 3,600 acres so we picked the destination at the Visitors Center. The parking lot is quite a distance from the center. They do have a drop off area so only the driver has to walk back. The center has a small museum telling about the events here during the winter for 1777-78. They also have a short video. We decided to take the trolley tour around the park. That was very informative. Our guide certainly knew the stories.

After getting a room we went to a Target grocery store to get a salad mix for supper. They are not much more than a large convenience store. We were going to buy some more cookies but they only had Oreos and those are not ones we like.

Day 58 September 19, 2026 Ephrata Pennsylvania to Lancaster Pennsylvania 32 miles

The start of the day was much cooler. Didn’t take long to warm up however. Was cloudy most of the day.

We started our day at the Ephrata Cloister. Neither of us had ever heard of this place but found it very interesting. We started with a tour of their small museum and then took the guided tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and loved to tell the story. So our 1 hour 15 minutes tour lasted nearly two hours. A man by the name of Conrad Beissel came to what is now Ephrata from Germany in the mid 1700s. He came there looking for freedom of religion. He convinced others to join him. He believed in celibacy for both men and women. The community was about 300 people at the largest. Of those about 40 were celibate men and 43 were celibate women. The rest were married couples with families. Each group had their own duties. The only time they all got together was for church services on Saturday. Then the men all set together on the ground floor and the women all sat together in the balcony. They didn’t fight in the Revolutionary war but did run a hospital for american soldiers. Only a few of the original buildings still remain. The last remaining 28 acres are now owned by the state of Pennsylvania and are maintained as an historical site. All very interesting.

Then we headed for the Strasburg Railroad. It is located in the heart of Amish country. We soon saw several horse and buggies. Then we came to a large flea market. Lots of Amish people and others also. We decided to stop. No purchases other than food were made. Turns out this is an annual event hold every year in September. We each had a grilled sausage sandwich and a raspberry shake. That was followed by a fried pie. Those are just hand held empanada shaped dough wrapped around a filling. They may very well have been commercially done.

Then we were off again. We got to the train station which was overflowing with people. We figured we would be unable to get seats. They were having a Thomas Event. Not knowing what that was we asked. Turned out Thomas the Train was there today. I had forgotten about this character. We were able to get tickets for the 3 pm train. As we waited another train pulled in the engine in front looked like Thomas the Train. Sure explains all the small kids. That is who Tomas appeals to. The train we rode however was a coal burning steam locomotive. The ride lasts about 45 minutes through some of the Amish farm country. One area we traveled through called Cherry Crest appeared to be a fun place to take the kids. A corn maze, food and games cover a couple of acres. Lots of people here too.

One couple was working on their farm. She drove a five horse team with a hay baler followed by a wagon. The man grabbed the bales as they came off and stacked them on the wagon. On the return train ride we saw several men unloading the hay and wrapping it in plastic. Two horses were used to pull the hay wagon. Don’t know where the other three and the baler went.

Also passed a turkey farm that was supposedly one of the largest. Don’t think so. It didn’t look that big. Maybe the largest in the county.

Day 57 September 18, 2026 Allentown Pennsylvania to Ephrata Pennsylvania 71.5 miles

Hot and muggy again today. Partly cloudy but no rain.

We headed for the America on Wheels Museum. We were going just great until one of the streets we were to go on was closed. The reroute took us to several unusual corners. Not uncommon to have five or six streets come somewhat together. Well we picked one of the wrong ones so the next reroute took us down a couple of narrow alleys. Don’t think I want to go there at night.

One of the first vehicles you see is made entirely of Legos. Over 300,000 pieces were used. They have cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, race cars and future cars. The corvette there commemorates the Marine Corps and 911. It is an impressive paint job. They don’t have lots of vehicles but they are well displayed and described. If you are really into a particular kind of vehicle or a particular era this is not one of the better places. If you are passing through and have the time its worth about 45 minutes.

We spent as much time talking to two of the volunteers as we did looking in the museum. They are newly retired and are thinking about traveling. We gave them some pointers.

The park we chose for lunch was not one of the better ones for a picnic. No tables and very little shade. Someone in the park had music on extremely loud. That would have been okay if we liked the music. Someone nearby also set off some fire crackers.

We are off to Ephrata Pennsylvania where we hope to visit a Cloister. The distance is less than 50 miles but the GPS says nearly 1.5 hours. We did take the back roads which in this case are three lane highways with almost bumper to bumper vehicles. The drivers here dart in and out of lanes so fast. They are not very courteous either. Then the road surface is full of potholes and bumps. They certainly are not investing in roads.

We made it to Ephrata safely. We also found the cloister grounds. What was not easy to find was a hotel. They all seem to be in Lancaster which is only about 10 miles away but takes 30 minutes to drive to. The first little motel never answered the door. The second one did answer but really needs some serious work.

The woodie ran fine today with the intermittent exception of the starter getting stuck on the ring gear. All we have to do is rock the car a little bit to free the starter. We will need to consider replacing the ring gear. That is a big project worth considering before our next long trip.

Went to the grocery store to get salad for supper. Then returned to the room for a quiet night.

Day 56 September 17, 2026 Doylestown Pennsylvania to Allentown Pennsylvania 39 miles

The weather is cloudy, hot and humid. Sure looks and feels like it could rain.

We decided to go see the outside of the Fonthill Castle. The web site says the only way you can tour it is in a 60 minute guided tour. Also it has steep narrow stairs and that didn’t sound appealing. The building is made entirely of hand mixed reinforced concrete. It has 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces and over 200 windows. It was the primary residence of Henry Chapman Mercer who was an archaeologist and ceramist. It was completed in 1912. Henry lived there until his death in 1930.

The Mercer Museum is about a mile from Fonthill Castle. Henry Mercer also had this built of reinforced concrete to showcase the many tools he collected. He did collect a lot. The building is seven stories tall and crammed full of stuff. He wanted people to see all sides of an object. Many of the large objects such as the whaling boat, conestoga wagon and fire engine can be seen from the bottom, sides and above. They seem suspended in air. Smaller hand tools are displayed in locked rooms. Lots of good descriptions however. The museum also has a smaller wing that showcases traveling exhibits. Today’s exhibit was all about the Doan Gang that was composed of British Loyalists. They robbed from Revolutionists and spied on them too. Some were eventually killed, two were hanged and most fled to Canada. We spent about three hours here and could possibly have spent more.

We ate lunch in the parking lot and then headed for Allentown. It will be too late when we get there to go to the America on Wheels Museum so we will do that tomorrow. Part of the drive was through a residential area with big homes each sitting on about an acre of lawn. Riding lawn mower sales do well in this area.

We did end up driving a few miles on the freeway with all the big semis. Not much fun with the bumps in the road added to the travel.

After checking in we did go to a nearby grocery store. Nothing different or unusual there.

The process of turning left to turn right is called jug handles. They are used most frequently in New Jersey but can also be found sometimes in a few other states. We saw one in Pennsylvania today.

Day 55 September 16, 2026 Blackwood New Jersey to Doylestown Pennsylvania miles 91.1

Looks like it’s going to be a nice day. Actually felt hot by afternoon.

Rob spent an hour or so rearranging items between the trailer and the car. We are going to park the trailer in a storage facility until Rob picks it up near the end of October. The drive to the storage facility was much easier than last night. Not as much traffic. Time of day does make a difference. It also helps if you have an exceptional navigator.

The next challenge was deciding what to do with the few days until the Glidden tour begins. We were going to go south and visit relatives but the timing/distance would not work. So, we decided to go for the Strasberg Railroad that is located in Ronk Pennsylvania. The first part of the drive was through various suburbs of Philadelphia. It’s the middle of the day and the traffic is terrible. Sure glad to get out of that and back into the more rural areas. The drivers here change lanes inches from your bumper. The woodie has no rear bumper.

On the way we passed through the city of Trenton which is the capital of New Jersey. We were following along the Delaware River. At one spot we could see the capital building. The dome is a shiny gold. Then we crossed a very narrow metal mesh bridge. It was really narrow for a two lane bridge. Everyone seemed to drive more carefully thank goodness. The river forms the boundary line between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. On the Pennsylvania side of the river is a park commemorating Washington’s crossing of the Delaware.

At one of the numerous stop lights along the way a guy talked to us. He said he had just visited America on Wheels and bought a piggy bank like our car. What are the odds.

When we got to Doylestown we rethought our plans. We will go to America on Wheels first. So we decided to stay here and regroup a bit.

Day 54 September 15, 2026 Bloomberg Pennsylvania to Blackwood New Jersey 169.1 miles

The day started cool and foggy. By mid morning that had burned off and it was mostly sunny and warm.

We learned what the dots painted on the road mean. We have seen them in several places but finally saw the purpose. A sign said keep two dots between your car and the one in front of you. Good advice since people back here do like to tailgate.

The countryside is very green with lots of rolling hills. Some of the inclines were a little steep but the car made it up without assistance. The houses in this area seem much better maintained than those in New York. Sometimes the small towns have grown together so you really don’t know which town you are in.

Still lots of farm stands. Some are very small. Most have eggs, pumpkins and camp wood. Also lots of mums for sale. People have started decorating for Halloween. Some skeletons are doing interesting things. Mostly small ones but lots of them. Even though there are lots of corn fields we haven’t seen ads for many corn mazes.

Connie realized last night that she had miscounted one of her medications. Therefore we spent some time getting that filled. Her doctor’s office was good enough to fax a prescription to a Walmart pharmacy in Greenville Pennsylvania. Now she has plenty. Life is good when you have your drugs.

The countryside ended and we were in a city environment. The streets were narrow and full of holes and bumps. We must have encountered at least 100 stop lights plus stop signs. For several miles the houses all looked alike. The older version of apartments. We are headed for the storage place where we will drop off the trailer tomorrow. We did find it but its almost closing time.

The drive to a motel was only 16 miles but took over 30 minutes. Between traffic and stop lights you can’t make much time.

They do have one interesting driving method here. Some of the busy intersections have a lane that goes off to the right and joins the street perpendicular to the one you were just on. From that you can turn right or left onto the perpendicular street. That means no left turns at the busy intersection. It seems much more efficient.

The drivers in the city are really crazy. They drive as fast as they possibly can and then slam on the brakes at the intersection because the light turned red. They weave in and out of traffic as if no cars were there. Hard to believe more cars don’t have dents.

Day 53 September 14, 2026 Bloomsburg Pennsylvania 4 miles

Today became a rest/work day. Our motel was really nice for the cost so we decided to stay an extra day.

Rob spent the morning trying to rent storage space for the car and trailer. We have to leave them in the area after the antique car tour so we can get back for granddaughter Madeleine’s wedding. That was a huge project. He spent an hour on the phone with customer service and it still wasn’t done. Either their system or their personnel don’t work well. Maybe its they didn’t work well together. He received two follow up calls later in the day and still not sure if it all worked. Additionally they didn’t have space in the area we have used in the past.

In the afternoon Rob spent time working on the car. He did a little cleaning and a lube job.

Our big outing for the day was two miles to a grocery store.