Flooded fields ...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Will post tomorrow ...
Sorry, but to be perfectly honest, I absolutely and totally forgot about posting this morning! We got off schedule in our travel day ... had to travel yesterday ... and it broke my stride.
I will be back tomorrow morning for sure!
I will be back tomorrow morning for sure!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
PLAYING TOURIST ... SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO!
Our last day in Huron, Ohio Phil had to take our wonderful and dependable Lone Ranger into the shop. Turns out, he needed new ball joints on the driver’s side, the wheel bearings needed to be repacked and then a front end alignment. Fortunately, we have a maintenance Kitty for this sort of unforeseen expense (a little over $500.00 which was a bit higher than anticipated). However, since we really depend on our little truck to transport us safely in our sight seeing, it was a necessary fix.
Last Wednesday we arrived in western New York State. Our home for this week is Three Valley Resort, a Coast-to-Coast Park that is off the beaten path on NY State hiway 16 near Holland, NY. The sites for C-to-C patrons are grassy, large and almost level with water and 30-amp (50-amp for seasonals only) electric. C-to-C members haven’t been singled out; there is no sewer available anywhere in the park as the Internet web site advertises. We pointed that out to the office and they said they would take care of the error. Lots of trees around the perimeter but no problem finding our satellites for Internet and TV. Lots of seasonals with permanent decks and adornment. It is very handy to the attractions we were planning to see in this area so it serves our purpose and the price is right!
Family and friends know this bit of trivia but many readers might wonder about what appears to be my eagerness to review restaurants we find along our route as we travel. Well, you can take Joy and Phil out of the restaurant business but you can’t take the restaurant business out of them! I worked the food and beverage business for 35 years and was in management for the last ten years making lots of money for others before I took a desk job for the state of WA. Phil owned his own restaurant for several years. We just can’t help ourselves and when we stumble across an outstanding eatery, we have to share the pleasure with our readers. Likewise, if it is less than wonderful, it does not even get an honorable mention in Backroad Chronicles. Well, I am happy to report we got lucky and found a jewel just down the road from our park this week! Then to top it off, we found a second place winner on the way back from our day trip to see Lake Ontario last night! Wow! Two winners in one week … now that’s really wonderful!
It is called “Zider Zee Restaurant” and is named after a song that references an ancient and long since vanished “South Sea” near Amsterdam in the small country of Holland. Holland, NY … get it? What makes this place so special is the manager, Sally. In her six years on the job, she has been the driving force of this small but professional operation. The mother of three sons (the youngest is 17) she just became a Grandma when little Alexia Dawn was born a couple months ago. Her energy and smiling face greets everyone who comes through the door with a friendly hello and … come through the door they do … by the dozens every day! Sally does it all. You might find her waiting tables, then hopping over to the exhibition grill where you can watch her cook your order. She comes in at 4:30 AM every day but Wednesday (her one day off) to make the soups, mix the "to die for" sausage (her own secret formula) and bake all the pies, pastries and breads for the restaurant and they are very, very good. Sally says she has her mother to thank for her expertise in the kitchen. The Zider Zee has been written up in Fortune Magazine and the local paper with kudos by a resident radio personality on a regular basis. Sally loves her job and gives much credit for her success to her employees and fellow workers who are good friends as well as hard working and dependable. We heartily recommend this rare find in the world of restaurants if you are in the area. Bon appetite!
We had a wonderful day to visit Niagara Falls and see all the sights. It was my second visit and Phil’s first. Then the next day we drove north to Lockport to take a well-narrated cruise on the famous Erie Canal that we also enjoyed very much. After our canal ride we drove north to get our first look (and possibly last) of Lake Ontario and although the sky was overcast the weather was near perfect. It started to sprinkle as we came back to the dock and on our way home it began to rain in earnest but it was only rain … no thunder or lightening. We are from Washington … we know about that kind of rain! No problem. After we arrived home, the cloud cover really socked us in and we lost our Internet signal and then our TV signal for an hour or so and I gave up trying to schedule the pictures for the blog and went to bed. The rain seems to be abating for now so I think we will try to go to the local rodeo in Attica today.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time …
Sunday, August 02, 2009
IN MY HUMBLE OPINION ...
All of the early risers/readers may have noticed my Sunday blog publishes pictures in the wee hours and the text follows later in the morning. Starting a couple weeks ago, I learned to “schedule” the posting of my photos for early the next day at my leisure on Saturday evening. Now I am toying with the idea of doing the same with my Sunday proclamation be it good, bad or indifferent. Hmmmm, except for the fact it will reduce the spontaneity of it all, sounds like a pretty good idea but time will tell and we shall see … :-)
We did a lot of exploring around Elkhart including two trips to Shipshewana, the famous Amish community that has figured out how to keep their local economy thriving. We did our part by eating our “linner” there and taking a long buggy ride. The Blue Gate Restaurant is a huge complex staffed by Amish or Amish impersonators (dressed similarly but without head covers) and I kid you not, the hype is working and their business is booming. On our buggy ride we learned that the county is 80% Amish and this tiny town has so many buggies and wagons on the road that as we drove around (in the car and on the buggy ride) they quickly became typical. Until then, I had covertly tried to take pictures of every buggy I saw! Our driver/guide was a very friendly, elderly man who kept up a non-stop (and incredibly honest) narration about the Amish people as we rolled along and he waved and spoke to every buggy driver we passed. He answered every one of my questions without hesitation. Mr. Miller is a retired farmer who eight years ago decided he would start driving buggies for tourists for something to do. He said the money is nice too because since then he hasn’t had to dip into his savings even though he doesn’t really need it. We paid $18 each for at least an hour tour that was supposed to be only 45 minutes. We loved it!
Phil ordered broasted chicken with two sides and I had a “Manhattan”, the Ohio version of a hot turkey (and hot beef) sandwich … no sides. At the risk of upsetting all the Amish groupies, I must say the food was less than wonderful. I asked for all white meat (no can do, even if I paid extra) and I should have asked for a small sample of the gravy. It was NOT great, not even good; the mashed potatoes were runny (they claim they are “real” … I wonder?) and the meat was tasteless and a bit slimy. Phil said his chicken was okay but the smaller pieces were too dry and he didn’t like their thousand island dressing (too much vinegar). However, the service was exceptional and they did start us off with a nice warm mini-loaf of whole wheat bread that was very good. We did buy some wonderful cinnamon rolls in the bakery on the way out. So, they can really bake but they need help in the rest of their cooking skills in spite of the claim on their website that they are “award winning” in the food department. Sorry to say but that is my humble opinion. Our second try, the next day at the Essenhaus down the road was also disappointing. This complex is also huge but very efficiently run until we ordered. It took a long time for our food to arrive and my half turkey san was served with hot meat, cold style. That is okay but they should put that on the menu. My cup of chicken noodle soup was just mediocre … nothing special (actually Denny’s has a much better recipe for same). Okay, enough review or as I prefer to call it, an honest critique for the benefit of my fellow travelers.
The Shipshewana Flea Market was such a disappointment even though we had been warned by our fellow fulltime RVer, Nick Russell, not too long ago when he visited the area. Over 1000 vendors and even though we only visited the tip of that iceberg, we saw not much that was new. The size of it was a bit overwhelming (no one could see it all in one day) and the aisles were not covered so when the sun came out from behind a cloud, it got really hot, really quickly with no shade. Most of the merchandise was typical flea market fare (made in China, etc.) with only a few true artisans showing their wares. We did take advantage of the produce stands and picked up some very reasonable vegetables on our way out. I am glad we went but it is a “one time is enough” experience for us. There are two new RV parks on the property (north and south) for the die-hard flea market shopper who must see it all.
We delayed leaving Elkhart for one day (a whopping extra $30) due to a nasty weather forecast for our proposed route and had an uneventful travel day on Thursday to Huron, Ohio. That is one of the benefits of this wonderful lifestyle … stay or go on a moments notice. You gotta love it!
Just a quick reminder that you can enlarge all my pictures by clicking on them and please leave your comments … whether you agree or disagree. We love hearing from you!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time …
We did a lot of exploring around Elkhart including two trips to Shipshewana, the famous Amish community that has figured out how to keep their local economy thriving. We did our part by eating our “linner” there and taking a long buggy ride. The Blue Gate Restaurant is a huge complex staffed by Amish or Amish impersonators (dressed similarly but without head covers) and I kid you not, the hype is working and their business is booming. On our buggy ride we learned that the county is 80% Amish and this tiny town has so many buggies and wagons on the road that as we drove around (in the car and on the buggy ride) they quickly became typical. Until then, I had covertly tried to take pictures of every buggy I saw! Our driver/guide was a very friendly, elderly man who kept up a non-stop (and incredibly honest) narration about the Amish people as we rolled along and he waved and spoke to every buggy driver we passed. He answered every one of my questions without hesitation. Mr. Miller is a retired farmer who eight years ago decided he would start driving buggies for tourists for something to do. He said the money is nice too because since then he hasn’t had to dip into his savings even though he doesn’t really need it. We paid $18 each for at least an hour tour that was supposed to be only 45 minutes. We loved it!
Phil ordered broasted chicken with two sides and I had a “Manhattan”, the Ohio version of a hot turkey (and hot beef) sandwich … no sides. At the risk of upsetting all the Amish groupies, I must say the food was less than wonderful. I asked for all white meat (no can do, even if I paid extra) and I should have asked for a small sample of the gravy. It was NOT great, not even good; the mashed potatoes were runny (they claim they are “real” … I wonder?) and the meat was tasteless and a bit slimy. Phil said his chicken was okay but the smaller pieces were too dry and he didn’t like their thousand island dressing (too much vinegar). However, the service was exceptional and they did start us off with a nice warm mini-loaf of whole wheat bread that was very good. We did buy some wonderful cinnamon rolls in the bakery on the way out. So, they can really bake but they need help in the rest of their cooking skills in spite of the claim on their website that they are “award winning” in the food department. Sorry to say but that is my humble opinion. Our second try, the next day at the Essenhaus down the road was also disappointing. This complex is also huge but very efficiently run until we ordered. It took a long time for our food to arrive and my half turkey san was served with hot meat, cold style. That is okay but they should put that on the menu. My cup of chicken noodle soup was just mediocre … nothing special (actually Denny’s has a much better recipe for same). Okay, enough review or as I prefer to call it, an honest critique for the benefit of my fellow travelers.
The Shipshewana Flea Market was such a disappointment even though we had been warned by our fellow fulltime RVer, Nick Russell, not too long ago when he visited the area. Over 1000 vendors and even though we only visited the tip of that iceberg, we saw not much that was new. The size of it was a bit overwhelming (no one could see it all in one day) and the aisles were not covered so when the sun came out from behind a cloud, it got really hot, really quickly with no shade. Most of the merchandise was typical flea market fare (made in China, etc.) with only a few true artisans showing their wares. We did take advantage of the produce stands and picked up some very reasonable vegetables on our way out. I am glad we went but it is a “one time is enough” experience for us. There are two new RV parks on the property (north and south) for the die-hard flea market shopper who must see it all.
We delayed leaving Elkhart for one day (a whopping extra $30) due to a nasty weather forecast for our proposed route and had an uneventful travel day on Thursday to Huron, Ohio. That is one of the benefits of this wonderful lifestyle … stay or go on a moments notice. You gotta love it!
Just a quick reminder that you can enlarge all my pictures by clicking on them and please leave your comments … whether you agree or disagree. We love hearing from you!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time …
Saturday, August 01, 2009
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