Don’t judge a book by its cover.  Pretty famous saying with a good lesson.  We learned this the hard way.  After our stop at Hershey, Pennsylvania, we had one more overnight before we arrived in New Hampshire at Suzannah’s aunt’s house.  

Worst RV Park to date

Since New Hampshire was just a bit too far from Hershey to drive in one day, we decided to spend the night halfway.  We searched online and found an RV park in Metamoras, Pennsylvania which was right on the border of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.  It was also on the Delaware River with beautiful grassy sites, lots of trees, and a nice picnic area.  This was all according to their website and the photos posted there. What a shock we received as we pulled into the park.

The RV park was literally a gravel pit with hook-ups, complete with backhoes and dump trucks! We waited 30 minutes for the office person to come out as she thought the out-of-office sign was posted.  When she took us to our site, we were appalled.  The site was tiny and we could hear the neighbors breathing because they were so close.  The lady said she didn’t think the internet would work because of a lightning strike a few weeks before.  The water was brown no matter how long we flushed it.  And the park was not in the woods as the highway was only a bush and fence away!  While the view of the Delaware River at sunset was beautiful, it was a traveler’s paradise.  Not in this lifetime.  

Orange County Choppers

After a long and loud night, we packed up to finish the last leg to New Hampshire.  As the navigation was loading, Chris saw a sign for Orange County.  He got excited and asked if Orange County Choppers was nearby.  Turns out, we were going through the same town.  We finally found the entrance and parked the truck and trailer in front of the famous OCC hanger.  

Orange County Choppers, located in Newburgh, New York, was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul, Sr and his son, Paul Teutul, Jr. It was made famous by “American Chopper”, a Discovery Channel show about motorcycle manufacturing, and the personalities behind the company.  The OCC building in Newburgh is where the motorcycles were made and the show was filmed.  It has a motorcycle display, store, restaurant, and video game area in the front with the manufacturing area in the back.  When we walked into the OCC, we were greeted by Paul’s sister, Elaine.  We asked if they did tours of the back and she said absolutely.  This was super exciting as we were big fans of the show!

OCC Tour

Elaine brought us into the manufacturing area and gave us some history of the relationship between Paul, Sr. and Paul, Jr, and the OCC.  She showed us the different sections where motorcycle manufacturing happens and there was a lot.  We recognized some of the bikes on display from the show and got a little history on them. Then the best thing happened, we saw Paul, Sr. working on a new project! Elaine brought Paul, Sr. over and we had a photo taken with him.  It was fast because he was busy but so worth it.  After a few minutes of wandering through the store, we decided we’d head on out. It was a nice little break on our way north.

Visiting Family

Suzannah’s Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Don live in a small, picturesque town in New Hampshire.  Lots of woods and beautiful scenery surround their house and there was plenty of room for Dutch and Max.  This was a good stop for all of us as we had been in Japan for close to 4 years and that’s a long time to be away from family. Corbin was so little when we went to Japan, he didn’t remember many family members.  While in New Hampshire, Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Don suggested a few day trips and we all went together.  The first was to an old mill in Wilton, New Hampshire.

Frye’s Measure Mill

Frye’s Measure Mill has been producing handmade Shaker boxes since 1858 and visiting the mill is like taking a trip back in time.  Walking into the museum mill entrance brings a smell of freshly planed wood.  The museum shows how the mill used the original water-powered tools and machinery to create the Shaker boxes.  The mill is still running and using the same machinery today and is available to view from the outside.  

In addition to boxes, the mill and other buildings that are part of the mill make many different wood products that are perfect for decorating a home or gift-giving.  The museum had many cooking utensils, Christmas decorations, and baskets. A wood carving shop had amazing hand carvings made by a locally well-known carver. Suzannah picked out a beautifully crafted cribbage board that holds the cards and pegs for Chris’s Father’s Day gift.  We followed the mill with a visit to a petting zoo in Keene, New Hampshire.  

Friendly Farm

The Friendly Farm is a super clean, 5-acre farm with goats, pigs, donkeys, cows, and more.  Many of the animals are free-roaming so you must watch your step…if you know what I mean.  At only $8.50 for adults and $7.50 for children, it’s a great price to spend time up close and personal with the animals.  The chicken house has a variety of chickens and all ages, from the eggs about to hatch to the older egg-laying ladies.  Corbin caught a chick and cuddled with it, it was so soft.

The barnyard area has lots of birds and different farm animals to feed and boy are they hungry.  You can even feed a baby goat a nice warm bottle of milk!  The pigsty was hopping with piglets and their giant momma.  It was really the only stinky place on the farm!  A few llamas hung out next to the pigs and were as creepy as they always seem to be with their crazy eyes.  They loved the food though and kept coming back for more.  An old turkey roamed the farm, gobbling at everyone as he went by.  Overall, it was a great, interactive farm and we all enjoyed it. 

Saying Goodbye

We hated to say goodbye to Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Don after such a short visit but it was time to go. And we knew we would see them at the family reunion in just a couple of weeks.  We had to get to Maine to spend time with Suzannah’s parents, pick up Matthew from the airport for his summer visit and get some much-needed business things done. We would also spend the next month taking care of residency, driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and a few other things that had been on the back burner until we got to Maine. 

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