Big Adventure: Days 16 & 17

Sunday was a quiet day of worship and rest. Isn’t the way it ought to be? Today we spent some time in Amish country.

Day 16: Sunday, August 29

Location: Paris, Michigan
Miles: 86 (round trip to church, not traveling)
Weather: Sunny and warm.

Day 17: Monday, August 30

Departure: Paris, Michigan
Destination: Shipshewana, Indiana
Miles: 157 (Total for the trip: 2,471)
Weather: Sunny and warm.

Lyle had discovered that one of our college classmates pastored a church not too far from where we were staying for weekend. Actually, he and Lyle were in the same dorm, and his wife and I were in the same dorm. This was before we were married, of course. And we got married the same year. I’m not even sure if we had seen them since our college days… but Lyle decided it would be fun to just show up at their church. (He’s much more courageous about things like that than I am, but I usually go along with him.) It did turn out to be fun! They invited us over for lunch and we had a lovely visit.

We spent the rest of the day just relaxing at the campground.

This morning we headed down to Shipshewana, Indiana which is a popular tourist destination…

…where horse-drawn buggies and bonneted girls riding bicycles are apparently part of the every day traffic.

We got set up at an RV park and then went out to see what we could find within walking distance.

Yoder Popcorn was definitely a shop I was interested in visiting. They gave out free samples of fresh popcorn to nibble on while we browsed. Their inventory included a wide variety of popcorns, popcorn oil and popcorn salt in a wide range of flavors, popcorn poppers, and t-shirts and gifts with a popcorn theme. Lyle insisted on buying me a new popcorn bowl with a little grate in the bottom to catch the “old maids,” as well as a big bag of red popcorn, which is our favorite variety.

We passed this fellow waiting in the parking lot as we walked along. I spoke to him and he stomped his hoof at me. I don’t know if that was his way of saying “Hello!” or if it was more in the nature of “Nothing to see here. Move on along!”

Our next stop was the Eash Outdoor Store…

I cast covetous eyes on this bed-size porch swing…

…and then Lyle added this covered picnic table glider to his wish list! What a cool outdoor living space one could have if money were no issue!

We also visited a bulk grocery store, where the buggies parked along the side. Cars were parked in the lot around the corner of the building. I figured they put the hitching rail against the building to help provide shade (and maybe a windbreak?) for the horses.

We headed back to the RV park where I spent the rest of the day working. And we finished off the day with a big bowl of fresh popcorn at our picnic table.

Day 16: Sunday, August 29

Day 17: Monday, August 30

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