Greetings from Shipshewana, Indiana
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Let the road trip begin! Two weeks on the road with Ron, my friend of 60 years. Destination Mt. Rushmore, not so much because it’s something we want to see but it gives us a goal. We’re traveling through the Northern Midwest, more or less, taking in sights along the way.
First stop Shipshewanna, IN. It’s a Mennonite town about 4 hrs. East of Cleveland. So charming it makes your teeth hurt. Lots of buggies.
Local store has a buggy parking area:
Shipshewanna is adjacent to Elkhart where my trailer was built along with 80% of RVs sold in the US. Took a tour of the factory -very cool.
Ron and I have both bought in to the Mediterranean way of eating. I’m doing the cooking, Ron does the dishes. Last night was this shrimp, olive, feta and tomato concoction that was spectacular! Fried up the rest of the shrimp for rice bowls.
You might notice that the pan is too big. I didn’t have an ovenproof pan in the trailer so I bought a Lodge pan at the Yoder department store in Shipshewanna - it’s too big but it’s cast iron and will last forever.
Yoder department store is an amazement - size of a Kohls, with an assortment of goods that boggles the mind. Probably 30K square feet dedicated to fabric and sewing supplies. Looks like Mennonites like to sew.
Next stop -a llama farm in Donahue, IA.
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Sounds like great fun!
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Shipshewanna IN to Donahue, IA today. I-80 is torn up all the way through Chicago and everything in the trailer got one hell of a ride. At some point the freezer door came open and everything ended up on the floor, thawed, and made a righteous mess. Had to throw it all out and mop up the mess.
Staying at an Alpaca farm via the Harvest Host system. It’s pretty cool - you just park at a farm, a museum or whatever and there is no cost except if you want to hook to power. Very casual and this farm is beautiful!
1 month old:
Glamour shot of our home for the next two weeks
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Here’s our kitchen setup. Ron likes to
make up bowls and tonight’s was excellent! White beans, shrimp I fried up with garlic and butter two nights ago and a pile of veg, served with Japanese BBQ sauce -a new one for me. It’s a keeper!
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Hard to see in the picture, but in the upper right is a new stereo setup Ron gifted me for the trip. “Pro Sonos” with the amp and the Bluetooth adaptor built in to the left speaker. The sound that comes out of this inexpensive setup is astonishingly good - rivals my home stereo. If you’re looking for a little bookshelf speaker setup I highly recommend it. Amazon, of course.
Tomorrow is a big dog training facility in Winterset, IA, with a stop at Skylabs in West Des Moines - a cool stereo shop we’ve both been following on YouTube.
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Shipshewanna IN to Donahue, IA today. I-80 is torn up all the way through Chicago and everything in the trailer got one hell of a ride. At some point the freezer door came open and everything ended up on the floor, thawed, and made a righteous mess. Had to throw it all out and mop up the mess.
Staying at an Alpaca farm via the Harvest Host system. It’s pretty cool - you just park at a farm, a museum or whatever and there is no cost except if you want to hook to power. Very casual and this farm is beautiful!
1 month old:
Glamour shot of our home for the next two weeks
At some point the freezer door came open and everything ended up on the floor, thawed, and made a righteous mess. Had to throw it all out and mop up the mess.
Oh no!! I’m sorry to hear that happened!
But wow those alpacas are cute!
I’ve never heard of the Harvest Host system, sounds great! -
It’s very large but they’ve removed the dump station so I couldn’t empty my holding tanks.
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Steve and Ron, the Thelma and Louise of 2026...
Great photos, @steve-miller ! Always love your travelogues.
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Visited the vintage stereo shop in W. Des Moines that was one of the reasons for the trip. We both follow their You tube channel.
Bought the tee shirt.
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Visited the vintage stereo shop in W. Des Moines that was one of the reasons for the trip. We both follow their You tube channel.
Bought the tee shirt.
@Steve-Miller 6hat looks like a cool shop!
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Visited the Ohio State Capital building, a spectacular Renaissance Revival deal with a gold leafed dome ca. 1880. Simply magnificent! When I come back I want to tour the interior.
Currently staying at a dog training farm in Winterset, IA. It’s not beautiful but it’s quiet and the power works. Best of all it’s free!
Got in early enough to do some cooking and knocked it out of the park! Jambalaya from a recipe that Ron got from a co worker who grew up in New Orleans. Among the best things I’ve ever made.
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A temporary fix for the freezer problem. It looks like hell but it works.
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