After a wonderful summer with Mark, my family, and friends, it was time to get moving again. I’d spent the first 15 months on the road traveling up and down the Eastern U.S. Now that summer was over, it was time to head west.

PENNSYLVANIA

First stop was Western Pennsylvania to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house. I spent a week at Benner’s Meadow Run Campground in Farmington, PA. I turned off US-40 onto the local road to the campground and drove about a mile to find the bridge was out. Most vehicles would have room to turn around but I’m not most vehicles. I can’t even back up when I’m towing my Jeep. I checked Google Maps on my phone and found that the unpaved road to my left would take me back to the highway so I took a little off-road trip.

At the campground, I made friends with the my neighbor, Sandy. She was a little older than me and had recently lost her older sister to cancer—something I could relate to. She was struggling through settling her sister’s estate with family members who were disputing the will—something I could not relate to.

We had several long talks, sharing our experiences about our siblings’ last days and shed a few tears in the process. She was grateful to have someone to talk to who understood and didn’t mind the tears. I assured her that the legal process would work out and by the end of the week, her lawyer called to say everything was settled the way her sister wanted. For some reason, Sandy credited me with making that happen. I think she just needed someone to calm her fears while others worked on her behalf. She was a sweet woman and I wish her all the best.

My nicely wooded campsite at Benner’s Meadow Run im Farmington, PA. That’s Sandy sitting at the picnic table on the right.

Fallingwater is an incredible house designed in 1937 by Frank Lloyd Wright for wealthy department store owners from Pittsburgh. It is his most famous building and epitomizes his style of structures designed to be organic parts of the landscape. The house is built into the side of the mountain and suspended over a waterfall, hence its name. The tour was wonderful and very enlightening to the architect’s creative practicality. It’s a must-see for anyone who appreciates architecture. Interior photos are not permitted but the Web site shows beautiful examples of Wright’s work.

Fallingwater, the most iconic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.

Nearby was Ohiopyle State Park with a couple waterfalls, which are almost as much a magnet for me as lighthouses. Cucumber Falls is a 30 foot drop and easily accessible from the parking lot. A short distance down the path is a viewing area looking down on the falls but you can follow the trail all the way down to the water’s edge, as well.

It rained the entire week I was here; dropping 5-6 inches on the weekend, alone, and a total of 10-12 inches for the week. I knew this meant the waterfall and the nearby Youghiogheny River would be running higher and faster by the end of my stay. I was able to photograph them under two entirely different conditions, making for a very dramatic comparison.

Cucumber Falls early in the week with very little water flow. Later in the week, the rocks in the foreground would be under water.

Cucumber Falls is a completely different experience after nearly a foot of rainfall. I couldn’t get back down to the spot where I took the previous photo.

The Youghiogheny River early in the week was a gently spillway.

Later in the week, the same spot on the river was a raging torrent.

Click on the image to view how violent the river became.

OHIO

A quiet and dry week at Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area in Wayne National Forest at the southern tip of Ohio on the border with Kentucky. I had the place to myself during the week and it filled up on the weekend. I like to alternate between locations with lots to do and those where I can just relax with nothing to do. It makes for a very nice life balance.

On the weekdays at Wayne National Forest, I had the whole place to myself.

There’s nothing better than communing with nature AND bacon.

There was a beautiful sunset at the campground.

Lake Vesuvius in Wayne National Forest.

Lily pads in Lake Vesuvius.

INDIANA

Although I was heading to Arkansas for an RV rally in October, I took a slightly roundabout way of getting there so I could visit with friends in Indiana and Illinois.

I met Janet and Dean through my former employer, the ambulance manufacturer. They own the Indiana dealership in Middlebury, which also happens to be where my RV manufacturer, Coachmen, is located. Janet and Dean are RVers, too, and have full hook-ups at their home that they offered me whenever I’m passing through. I took advantage of the location to get some work done on my motorhome.

Here I am with my friends Janet and Dean.

Janet and Dean’s beautiful home in Middlebury, Indiana has full hook-ups, making it a perfect place to visit for a little while.

This mare and her offspring live next door to Janet and Dean and I got to see them every day.

Elkhart County, Indiana is home to probably 75 percent of the RV manufacturers in the country, many of whom offer factory tours and I toured two facilities: my manufacturer, Coachmen, and Grand Design because they have a Fifth Wheel design that Mark and I are interested in for the future. The tours are free and are a great way to learn how an RV is built.

The factories don’t allow photos on the production floor but I was able to get this shot of what the chassis look like before they get the motorhome bodies.

I took advantage of being in the same town as my motorhome manufacturer and had Coachmen replace my water heater with one that runs on both electric and propane. The old one worked fine but it only ran on propane, which is something I have to replenish when low. This one can run on both propane AND electric. Since I spend 99 percent of my time in campgrounds with electric, now I can save money by using their power source instead of my own.

“Babe” in the shop at Coachmen getting a new water heater.

My beautiful new water heater.

Elkhart County is also home to a large Amish community and there are several small towns that offer charming shops and restaurants run by the Amish and Mennonites. If you visit the area, keep in mind that most businesses are closed on Sunday. The town of Shipshewana has one of the largest outdoor flea markets in the U.S., although its only open on Wednesdays.

I got this Cape Hatteras Lighthouse decal at the Shipshewana Flea Market. I looks like etched glass on my entry door.

Some truly decadent donuts at Rise’n Roll, an Amish bakery.

Bonneyville Mills is an Elkhart County Park and Indiana’s oldest grist mill. There are picnic areas and hiking trails that lead to some small waterfalls and spillways.

The oldest grist mill in Indiana.

My route from New Jersey to Indiana.

Next post:
Illinois to Arkansas.

 

My name is Lindsay Reed and I’m a photographer and retired graphic artist with a passion for both lighthouses and road trips. I am living as a full-time solo RVer in my 31 foot Coachmen motorhome and plan to spend the next few years traveling the U.S. and Canada photographing not only lighthouses, but everything else there is to see in this wonderful land. I hope you enjoy my blog and will follow my adventures in the months and years ahead.