10-09 NC Arboretum

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

We left Salt Lick and had a long day's drive to Hendersonville, NC. The trip was about 290 miles, about 40 miles more than we like to travel in a day. Plus it rained much of the way. Midway, the driver's side windshield wiper started tearing apart. So we made several stops looking for a replacement. We finally found what we needed at a Camping World in Knoxville. I need to remember to replace those things about once a year. These were about 18 months old.

It continued raining while in Hendersonville, but Tuesday cleared off. So we went to the NC Arboretum which is on the south side of Asheville, about 20 miles north of the Lakewood RV Resort where we were staying. We have visited the Arboretum before, and it is now a favorite stop when in the Asheville area. What better place to go see fall leaves than an arboretum. (Although we were about a week early for peak leaf color)

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

The NC Arboretum has some pretty flowers as well.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

They have an area they call the "quilt" garden which they arrange like a patchwork quilt. They change the plants several times during the year to reflect the current season.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

I always stop to photograph bees of flowers when I spot them.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

One of the highlights is the outstanding Bonsai collection.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

You can see fall leaves and color in miniature.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

There is a large Bonsai display near the entrance parking lot. But additional Bonsai are in the greenhouses, which are down a pretty woodland walk from the main buildings. Be sure to visit them. (You can also drive to them.)

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

The greenhouses have some other plants and flowers like this Bird of Paradise.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

Here is a view of the mountains along the woodland path to the greenhouses:

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

As we were walking back from the greenhouse, we met a nice woman who was walking a beautiful red golden retriever. We struck up a conversation with her and found out that she had just adopted Bruester from golden retriever rescue about four months ago. Bruester leaned on us and was very happy to let us pet him.
Bruester is about eight years old. We gave his new owner the bed that Clay had used, a Furminator (grooming tool that gets rid if excess fur), and a small cloth bowl we had used to give Clay water when we walked or went for a car ride. We were glad to find a sweet dog who could use these items.


Be sure to visit the Arboretum when in Asheville. Allow several hours to tour the grounds, greenhouses and buildings. There is also a very nice sandwich shop in the main building. We have enjoyed lunch there on tow occasions.

10-09 Salt Lick Campground

From 10-09 Salt Lick

After leaving Scenic Hills RV Park and Berlin, Ohio, we headed west about 180 miles to Celina, Ohio to attend the Gypsy Gathering Rally. It is put on by Nick and Terry Russell who produce a RV monthly newspaper called the Gypsy Journal. We enjoy the newspaper and Nick's daily Blog.

We had a nice time at the Rally. It was smaller than others we have attended but still had over 120 RV's or about 250 people attending. We met some nice folks and enjoyed various seminars. I especially enjoyed learing more about Picasa and Blogger from the Geeks on Tour.

We arrived on Monday and left Friday when we traveled south to a campground just south of Louisville for two nights. Then we moved to one of our favorite campgrounds, Salt Lick.

From 10-09 Salt Lick

It is a COE campground on Cordell Hull Lake about 15 miles east of Carthage, TN which in turn is about 50-60 miles east of Nashville. We have written about this campground before. We have a full hook up site with a very large lot.

From 10-09 Salt Lick

Only a few people are here during the week, but it is expected to be almost full this weekend, the last before it closes for the season.

On Monday October 12th we head further south to Flat Rock, NC for three nights to tour a bit around the Ashville area. Then we move on to Columbia, SC for a month.

09-09 Berlin, Ohio and Scenic Hills RV Park

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

On September 8th we left Apple Island RV Resort in Vermont and headed to Berlin, Ohio in the heart of Ohio Amish country. Although you hear more about the Amish around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this area has the highest population of Amish in the US. This would be the 3rd place we have visited near Amish settlements (Strasburg, PA; Bath, NY; Berlin, Ohio).

Just before leaving Apple Island, we had a brief visit with our friends Kent and Carol Roberts. We met Kent and Carol at "Life on Wheels" several years ago and have kept in touch via email and our respective travel journals/blogs. It was great to cross paths and see the Roberts again. Just wish it could have been a longer visit.

We had a pleasant drive across NY stopping two night on the way. However we were really tired by the time we reached Berlin. We decided three days of driving is the maximum for us without stopping for at least two nights to take a rest break. Full time RVers all have different preferences. Some only stay a night or two in one place and cover a lot of territory and seldom make any reservations. We much prefer to plan ahead with reservations and stay several weeks to a month in the same spot. That has been our mode all this year. We would move about 250 miles and stay at least a week before moving again. This seems more restful to us, and we get to know each area. Almost every time we got ready to move, we would comment to each other that we could have stayed longer. We have enjoyed each stop.

Berlin, Ohio was just such a stop. We were there three weeks in Scenic Hills RV Park, a very nice campground. We had a good spot right across from a fenced pasture where deer were being raised.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

All the campers enjoyed walking down to view the deer when they came out in the late afternoon to graze. However it is a bit sad to know these are being raised as prize bucks to sell to a hunting camp somewhere. They stay here until 3 or 4 years old and then are sold for a healthy profit to a hunting camp for some city hunter to come a claim a big prize. Does not seem like much sport to me. Here is a buck that I imagine will soon be sold.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

Our visit coincided with harvest time as indicated in the picture at the beginning of this post where hay is being gathered. Seeing all the horse drawn farm equipment once again reminded me of time spent as a child with my Grandfather Thompson who always farmed with similar equipment only he generally used mules rather than horses.

Likewise seeing the dairy farms reminded me of Grandfather since he was also a dairy farmer.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

It was interesting to go to the local market and see all the Amish buggies parked along with cars.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

The best part of our stay in Berlin was the week long visit we had with our son Ward who drove over from Chicago. By his driving over, we did not have to drive the RV to the Chicago vicinity. That was a great help to us since we have not found a campground we like in that area. Nor do we like big city traffic.

A few of the following posts will cover some of the places we visited around the Berlin area.

09-09 Warther's Museum

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Perhaps the most interesting place we toured while in Berlin was Warther's Museum and Knife Factory. "Mooney" Warther was a master wood carver and knife maker. The museum contains his lifetime collection of carvings, primarily of steam locomotives. They are exquisite and perfectly detailed.

Here is a brief excerpt from one of the movies shown during the tour:



All his carvings are wonderful works of art. He carved many locomotives in different hardwoods.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Then he switched to ebony and ivory.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Then he carved in ivory alone. (He carved in ivory before it became illegal to export ivory.)

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

He was a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln. He carved the train that carried his body across country for burial in Illinois.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

You can look inside and see Lincoln lying in repose.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Mooney and his wife loved walking through the Ohio countryside. Over the years they amassed a huge collection of Indian arrowheads. Many are on display on the walls and ceiling of his workshop.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

His wife also collected buttons. These were turned into works of art and displayed much like the arrowheads.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Mooney worked in a steel factory in his early work years. He carved a working replica of the mill where he worked.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

He first became interested in carving when he found a pocket knife in the road as a boy while tending sheep. A stranger he met at the train station carved a working pair of pliers out of a stick of wood without making any shavings, only use precise cuts. Mooney figured out how to replicate the carving and went on to carve hundreds of thousands of them for children over the years. During the tour his Grandson repeated the feat and gave it to a lady in the audience. She revealed that she had another one at home carved by Mooney when she was a little girl. Mooney once carved the pliers on the Johnny Carson Tonight show in under 10 seconds. He went on the figure out how to make more intricate sets with pliers within pliers. Here is a photo of a set showing the original un-carved block. All the carved pliers will fold back into this same shape.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

He went on to make a masterpiece that looks like a small tree with all the limbs being a set of carved pliers. All these pliers can be closed and folded back into a single block of wood.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

While working in the steel mill, Mooney began making knives for his own use and then kitchen knives for his Mother. He ultimately stared making knives full time. His family continues to make wonderful kitchen knives.

It is all quite fascinating to see. Dover, Ohio the home of the Warther Museum is just south of Canton, Ohio and is a definite place you will want to visit if in the area.

09-09 Lehman's Hardware

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Monique and I both love to wander around hardware stores. We found a top notch one near Berlin, Ohio called Lehman's. This store caters to the Amish and specializes in non-electric items. It was a real nostalgia time for me seeing so many things I had seen at both my Grandparent's homes and farms. For example they sell milk cans like my Grandfather used and like one we have in storage back in SC.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

I have a milk churner in storage identical to the middle one in this photo only mine is not red. My Grandmother Thompson would put water and a bit of soap in one similar to these and let me churn away making suds when I was very young. (It is still fun to do).

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

There are displays all around the top of the walls near the ceilings including a huge collection of different type antique washing machines.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

They even have some refurbished wringer washers for sale. While no Amish are on the Electric Company power grid, I think some Amish use electric generators for limited purposes. So I guess some could use this wringer type washer.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Monique would like a different washing machine for the RV, but decided this manual one would not fit the bill. For one thing it would be too tall for our space once you ad he wringer.

You work the handle back and forth and it moves a plate up and down to agitate the clothes. We were surprised to see that it cost over $500. Plus you have to add the $200 wringer. It is not necessarily less expensive for the Amish to live their lifestyle.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

As a child I used a kerosene lantern when camping. Mine was blue just like some seen on these shelves. (I think that lantern is also in storage in SC. Beginning to see a pattern here?)

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

My Grandmother Rone had several kerosene lamps like the ones in these pictures. I used to enjoy when a thunder storm knocked out the electricity, and we would pull the lamps down from the kitchen shelves to use until the power came back on. While in Lehman's an Amish farmer was picking up a new supply of wicks for his lamps. Lehman's has all manner of wicks and repair parts as well as a huge selection of different type lamps and lanterns.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

You can even buy a big wheel bicycle at Lehman's.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Or a hand made wooden cask of different sizes. (One of the smaller ones cost about $150.)

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Need a copper kettle?

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

How about a wood burning cook stove? There were many on display. You can see the fire glowing red in this one.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

They say they have the largest display of wood burning stoves and fireplace inserts in the US. They also have some wonderful looking barbecue grills including the pink pig seen in the foreground. (If you are looking for a new grill check out the Traeger Grill.)

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

I tried to figure out how I could pull this gas powered ice cream maker behind the RV. It has a John Deere engine and optional rubber tires. However Monique wasn't too keen on the idea. Too bad...

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

We liked this place so much we went twice. So if you are ever in that area, be sure to visit Lehman's.

09-09 Keim Lumber Company

From 09-09 Keim Hardware

Did I mention that we like Hardware stores? We went to another one, really a lumber company and hardware store near Berlin,Ohio - Keim Lumber Company

While this store is also used by the Amish, it is more of a traditional lumber and hardware company with lots of power tools, etc.

From 09-09 Keim Hardware

It is the nicest such store we have ever visited. There is fancy cherry paneling throughout the store. Even the bathrooms have beautiful woodwork with crown molding, etc. It looks like something I have seen in high class lawyer's offices with lots of rich woodwork throughout.

From 09-09 Keim Hardware

This another place well worth a visit when in the area. Plus there is a nice quilt store in the same town - Charm, Ohio.