Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York

We bid a “See you later” to our travel friends Lloyd and Elaine as we departed Elkhart, IN. We agreed to meet in a few days at Berlin Center, Ohio. They headed toward Romeo, MI to have their Hensley hitch inspected, and we drove east on RT. 6, the nation’s longest highway. We traveled through northern Ohio and passed by Napoleon, the County Seat of Henry County. Gloria’s father represented that district back in the 1950s in the Ohio State Legislature. As we drove through the outskirts of Bowling Green, seven miles from where Jerry was born, we reminisced about the fun we had had in college at BGSU, where we met in 1955, and our wedding at the University’s Prout Chapel in 1957.

The weather was sunny, the soybeans were lush, the corn was shoulder high, and wheat was being harvested. We stopped in Helena in early afternoon at P & S Trailer Service for a courtesy overnight stay. Paul and Steve began their business in 1968, and now Steve’s son Kevin is a part of the company. If you need any kind of Airstream service, P & S has the capability of completely rebuilding a trailer, and when they are finished, your Airstream will look like new. We arrived at Berlin Lake, a Corps of Engineers park, the next afternoon and were glad to have a campsite with a sunny lakeside view for only $16 per night. On Monday morning we began the search for an emergency room to examine Gloria’s hand. Nine days earlier, back in Madison, WI at the Airstream Rally, she had fallen and bruised her right hand, which was now hurting, swollen, and black and blue. At the emergency room in Boardman, x-rays revealed a cracked bone. Back in February she had had right shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff; at least the shoulder was not reinjured. The next day an orthopedic surgeon in Canfield fitted her for a soft brace.

That afternoon Lloyd and Elaine joined us at Berlin Lake. They were most enthused about their stop at Richland Carrousel Park, opened in 1991, in Mansfield, OH. There they saw the first hand-carved carousel built in the U.S. since the 1930’s. The various horses and menagerie figures are styled after the works of G.A. Dentzel, one of the most revered carvers of the early 1900’s. The four of us built a glowing fire near the beach and enjoyed a lovely sunset over Berlin Lake. It was good to settle into the quiet environment of the lakeside campground and rest for a few days. We drove on to the Pennwood Airstream Park near Clarion, PA for the weekend. This is a fine old park for Airstreamers only. If you are looking for a summer respite away from cell phones, shopping, newspapers, TV and Broadband Internet, this is the park for you.The grass is green, the people are friendly, the sites are level, the laundry is excellent, and there is a clubhouse for members and caravanners. The park is closed in the winter.Prior to crossing into New York, we stopped to see the ruins of the Kinzua Viaduct. When built in 1882, it was the highest and longest rail viaduct in the world standing 300 feet high and spanning a distance of 2050 feet across a huge valley. It was advertised as the “eighth wonder of the world.” In 1900 the old iron bridge on concrete piers was rebuilt of steel to accommodate heavier trains. Kinzua Bridge used to swing and sway in the fierce valley winds; at times the tops would even be blown off boxcars. In 1959 the hauling of coal and iron was discontinued, and it opened as a state park in 1970. Later the bridge was recognized as a National Civil Engineering Landmark. Not until1987 did the first excursion trains pass over the bridge, providing passengers an astonishing view the Kinsua Valley. But in 2003 a devastating tornado brought the marvelous old bridge to her knees. Today she rests on her side on the valley floor like a defeated giant—a great feat of man wiped out in a few minutes by the mighty forces of nature.

We camped near Endicott, NY that night before crossing from New York to Vermont. We surveyed the small ferry with a little apprehension as we boarded with our two red trucks pulling our Airstreams. Space was a bit tight, but on the upper deck we enjoyed a 20-minute ride across Lake Champlain to the Green Mountain State with no problems.