Road Trip: Days 4 and 5

I am looking forward to rollin' on home tomorrow. I have retrieved G from camp. She had a wonderful time (which is both no surprise and a relief all at the same time). We are outside Toledo (woo hoo) at a hotel teeming with a family reunion.

Yesterday was pretty low key. Amish food, German food and a horseback ride. The ride was really fun and A did a great job. We stayed at the same place as Sunday night, and A continued to have a great time with the ducks at the pond even without the other kids.

Today we wiled away the hours until we could pick up G. After feeding the ducks (again), we went to a flea market which is both for tourists and the locals (I saw Amish men buying carpeting, and I bought Amish baskets). I have to say I'm glad I'm past the Amish food. It is plentiful, but heavy and somehow over processed - or overcooked or oversauced or something. Then A stated she didn't want to look at things, she wanted to do something. So we went back to a former favorite: Hirschbergers....excellent fry pies, which are like hostess pies except the originals. This time we petted lots of animals....goats and kids, 8 week old puppies, a miniature horse, a humungous Percheron (19.3 hands for those of you who care), a zorse (half zebra half horse), calves, bunnies, etc. Then we took a pony cart ride, those are the little carts that children often drive. The girl who drove us looked about 11 or 12 and said she'd been driving on the roads ever since she can remember. Wow, a different world. The Amish kids are so independent so young. Interesting perspective on youth and childhood.

Then FINALLY it was time to get G. And I wasn't late and I wasn't first in line, so it was all good. G has told me that she baked bread twice, got up to milk the goats every morning, and that hot chocolate with real dark chocolate and goats milk is THE best. Her straw hat is red on the inside from picking raspberries and putting them in there! She also loved the animals and her chores except for cleaning out the puppy stall (ick) and the spaghetti dinner. She has said that she is SO going back next year. After ice cream and buying cheese (another local specialty) we drove 3 hours to Maumee OH and said hotel. Only 4 or so hours to go.

I welled up when I picked her up. And apparently hugged her one to many times ("I'm getting tired of all the fawning over me" she said!).

Next year, I will not spend 6 days on the road. Now I remember why I haven't done road trips for a long time. But I don't like the idea of 32 hours of driving in one week, so I'll have to figure something out. Oh wait, there is a spa nearby.......