5/10/06 (Tues.): Great day today. We went to Hershey, PA, in the morning. They have a free tour that’s probably one of the best free things I’ve ever done. It covers the whole process of making chocolate, from the cacao bean growing and picking through the manufacturing process. It’s part written, part video and part ride through a mock processing plant. There’s also a mock-up of a Hershey Kisses plant where kids can make and wrap their own kisses (we skipped this part), and a very large gift store. We also skipped the gardens (there’s an admission fee, and it’s a little early for most of the flowers in this part of the world) and the amusement park (which is only open on weekends until summer).

We took a trolley ride that was very interesting. Milton Hershey had several unsuccessful attempts at making caramels. He actually went bankrupt twice, and was on the verge of a third bankruptcy when he had the idea of dipping the caramels in chocolate, which was popular in Europe, but not well known in the U.S. At the eleventh hour, he went to the bank that was about to foreclose on his business and convinced them not only to hold off on the foreclosure, but also to lend him enough to fund the new chocolate business. The owner of the bank personally guaranteed the loan. Hershey went to Switzerland to learn the chocolate business. He missed the boat back to the U.S. (literally), and was very angry that they wouldn’t refund his fare. I think he probably had a change of heart within a short period of time, though. The boat was the Titanic.

The new chocolate business was a huge success, and within a few years, Mr. Hershey went from bankruptcy to great wealth. He married, but was unable to have a family of his own, so he and his wife endowed a school for underprivileged children which is still operating. It’s a pretty fantastic operation, with a number of beautiful homes, staffed with house parents. There are all kinds of facilities and the kids get a first class education and training in the careers of their choice. They can even get scholarships to college. When Hershey died, he left his entire fortune in trust to the school, and it’s now worth billions of dollars.

When we left Hershey, we headed for Lancaster—Amish country. It was an odd combination of tourist traps and beautiful old farms with bearded Amish men working the fields with mules. We stopped for lunch at Miller’s Smorgasbord, which was well worth the $21 each tab. We sampled pickled beets, potato stuffing, chicken pot pie and shoo fly pie. Wiley ate a lot of shrimp. While we ate, we watched an Amish farmer raking the alfalfa hay with four mules. The mules were very well trained—they turned the corners of the field by side-stepping in unison! Unfortunately, the other side of the old fashioned farming was the big truck spraying liquid cow manure—quite odiferous! It made me stop and think about the true meaning of “all natural” and “organic!”

We also visited the Mennonite Visitors Center and saw a film and museum about the history of the Mennonites. I was surprised to learn that it’s a very old Christian religion, dating back to the Inquisition. The major reason for the break from the state religion of Switzerland (where the religion began) was that they believed in baptizing people old enough to make an informed decision to accept Christ as their savior. They were called Ana Baptists, meaning that they were re-baptized. The religion spread to Germany and other European countries, where the believers were horribly persecuted. Some members migrated to the U.S. with Quakers and settled in PA. Their religion emphasizes community service and simplicity in their personal lives. At some point after they came to the U.S., another split in the congregants occurred because some church members thought they should be even less worldly. They became the Amish.

Speaking of simplicity, I’ve been thinking a lot about how Wiley and I are simplifying our lives by leaving our home and most possessions behind. Actually, I think people who live less worldly lives are not living more simply. It’s hard and complicated work to raise and process your own food, forego modern conveniences and take care of your own family and community without government support. Wiley and I are living without so many possessions, but we’re certainly not without conveniences. We have a cell phone, laptop, heat and air conditioning, running water (including a shower and flush toilet), and a truck. We’re trying to re-prioritize. There’s a big difference between doing what’s urgent and doing what’s important, and it’s very easy to lose sight of what’s important when circumstances seem urgent.

We’re leaving tomorrow morning for CT. Wiley is eagerly anticipating some salt water fishing in CT, RI and MA. I’m a little nervous about driving around New York City, but it’s got to be done. We’ll time our trip to avoid rush hour. We’re taking the interstate, and we’re going to limit our drive to about 4 hours. We’re hoping to make our way up the seacoast the rest of the trip. The only stop that we’ve already planned is Cape Cod. Otherwise, we’re winging it. Spontaneity is great fun!

A few odds and ends that might be interesting:

We’ve been in touch with the people who handled our estate sale—the check is in the mail. We made $1300 from the first part of the sale. They still have some of our stuff, which will be sold at auction.

We also contacted the real estate company that’s managing our house. We were not happy to learn that the tenant (or one of his friends) was smoking a cigar in the house. The real estate agent promised to make the point (again) with the tenants that there’s no smoking in the house. We also asked him to remind the tenants that the dog isn’t allowed in the garden. The good news is that the deposits have cleared and will be in our bank account by tomorrow.

We’ve traveled 1377 miles so far. Our average gas mileage has been 9.72 (that figure includes some days when we traveled without the camper attached, and some days when we were either driving up and down steep hills and/or driving in stop-and-go traffic). That’s pretty close to the 10 mpg we’d hoped for. The average price of gas has been $2.89/gallon.

Our expenses to date total:

Gas - $468.25
Groceries - $46.06
Tolls, Parking, Public Transportation - $41.50
Snacks - $14.29
Camping Fees - $268.95
Admission Fees: $39
Camper Repairs/Improvements: $105.60
Laundry - $3.50
Entertainment/Gifts – $21
Restaurant Meals - $98.15

We budgeted a total of $2100 for the trip, we’ve spent $1,106.30, and we have $993.70 left (assuming I’ve set up my spreadsheets correctly!). We’re a little more than ¼ the way into the trip time-wise, but more than halfway distance-wise. We’re definitely going to have to cut back on restaurant meals! We had hoped to do some dry camping (Walmart parking lots) or at least camp in some low-cost parks, but Walmart no longer allows overnight parking, and cheaper campgrounds have not been convenient. We’ll have to try harder on that score, too.

You’re all in our thoughts. We hope you’re enjoying our adventure vicariously.