Day 12 Rest Day to Explore the Amish community

Today was a rest from driving day.  In the morning, we went to the "Recreational Vehicle, Manufactured Home" museum near Elkhart, Indiana,   Generally speaking, most RVs are made in this area and are shipped or driven to dealerships.

The museum was impressive with it's collection of RVs starting in the early 1900s. We enjoyed the variety of rigs. There was a long, long trailer like the one in the Lucy movie, "The Long Long Trailer".  In  the afternoon, we found the Elkhart Visitors Bureau so we could pick up a CD with an oral tour of the community. As we drove around the county listening to the Amish story, we noticed large painted hearts and large elk, also theme painted. Then it dawned on us, elk-heart, like the year Seattle painted pigs and Belfast painted bears. It was a drizzly late afternoon and we missed a turn somewhere on the tour so we headed back to the campground before it got too dark to see much. Along the way we drove through towns with names like Nappanee, Wakarusa and Shipshewana.  We also could see "quilted gardens" from the road.

We passed several Amish buggies whose drivers waved. We learned about the road rules, how to tell married men and women from singles and how the children are educated.  The homes are well kept.  When they are built, they are added on to to accommodate growing families. As the children marry, which is usually on a Wed, they live in the bride's family for a year before they have their own quarters.  They marry on Wed because that's the least disruptive day in the daily routines of farming and religious practice and usually in Nov as that was the least busy month as well.

The local farms are well kept.

Barn quilt decorations in town and in the country.

Sample architecture

Porta Potty in the retro
motorhome

People can sleep everywhere.

Sonny checks out the stove.

Retro 70s carpet and upolstry

Basic travel trailer for sleeping in the early century.

Restored 60s Shasta

Musical theme

My brother in law is restoring one like this.

Early tent trailer

This model of motor home had a wood stove.

After the first family camping trip using an old, leaky  Army tent on a weekend that it rained, my dad built a tent trailer similar to this one to avoid sleeping on the ground.

This motor home had a kerosene
heater. I wouldn't' sleep a wink
with that next to the exit.

I slept on cots like these on the family camping trips.

Sonny is standing by the folding screen door, an unusual door,

70s flower power shower potty
combo

70s wash up sink

The is an ultra modern motor home.

This is really a live aboard like Lucy did on her movie set, "The Long, Long Trailer". That's a lot of  polishing to do!

This rig had its kitchen off to the side, under an awning.

"The Long, Long, Trailer" had these
little vent windows above the regular windows.

Pretty scary stove.

New paint on a GMC remodel.

The remodel cost $500,000

The bathroom took up the whole
rear of the motor home.

This one had a space ship feel to it.

The museum had an exhibit on full timers living in trailers or mobile homes.  This guy is from Maine talking about
his experiences.

This was someone's dream.  Each Apartment was a full sized mobile  home.  On Delridge Street in Seattle, there
is an apartment building that is actually 3 mobile homes
stacked on each other.  

Looking over the 2nd floor balcony to the exhibits.