Wednesday & Thursday September 16 & 17, 2015 Most Recent Post:
Lewis Mountain Campground South River Falls – Spectacular But Steep
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
WEDNESDAY
Long time followers will remember the disaster when we last tried to attend the Hershey RV show in the fall of 2012 and David ended up in the Harrisburg Hospital from Hell. If you don’t, you can find that post here.
So if at first you don’t succeed try try again. This is the first time since then that we’ve been close enough to go. So we take Ruby, book a hotel in Hershey and leave Winnona in charge of the campsite.
We exit the park headed west on Route 33 and pick up I 81 which we take North nearly the entire 216 miles to Hershey. Can you say B..O..R..I..N..G? Except for this guy with his amazing duct taped car roof. We just hoot when we see it. Wonder how many rolls it took? I laugh again when I see these pictures.
Hershey is a one theme town. Our hotel is on Chocolate Avenue just down from Cocoa. Hershey Kisses are the street lights.
Driving down Chocolate Avenue it is clear there is some money in this town. Beautiful houses front the street.
We do a quick check in at the hotel and head over to the Giant Center to get a start looking around. If you come in after 3:00 you can stay until it closes at 8:00 for $5 a head.
One of the first things we see is a more sedate color scheme on the new retro Winnebago Brave. They’ve added Winnona’s Williamsburg blue, an original color obviously, to their screaming yellow and bright red. Obviously I like it better. I’ve included some info and pictures on this 2016 27’ model.
We see quite a few other smaller RVs. They seem to be making shorter class A’s this year or perhaps this is just the first time I’ve noticed them.This Via is 25’
Looks like he’s ready to ask someone to sign on the dotted line doesn’t it. Salesmen in shorts at the Camping World display today.
This is a 26’ Sunstar also by Winnebago.
We return the 3 miles to our reasonably priced and very nice old fashioned family hotel the White Rose. Love its neon lights. We’re on the second floor. That’s always good news when they don’t think you are too old to climb the stairs.
The room is very clean and has 2 queen beds, a refrigerator, a microwave but no complementary breakfast. David of course has the answer for that.
THURSDAY
This morning it is a foggy walk the half mile to Hershey Pantry which has a great breakfast according to trip advisor.
David drives, I walk. Don’t ask me why, it isn’t up hill. Along the way I am welcomed to Hershey and see interesting retro houses and businesses before I reach the restaurant where Ruby is parked right beside the door. The English Tutor Vernacular house is from the 20’s and 30’s. The decorative cement block house next door, also from the 20’s, has been turned into a business.
David is perusing the menu when I arrive and has ordered me hot water with lemon which arrives in a great tea pot. Sorry I cut off the top of his head in this picture.
There are other examples of this festive pottery along the window sills, all are for sale.
I’m taking a picture of one when our waiter Lewis hams up modeling with the pot. What an attitude. Makes me smile every time I look at it. He was great.
A live giant sunflower on each table is a very nice touch.
David remarks that we are clearly above the Mason Dixon line since there are no biscuits, no grits and no sweet tea on the menu. You’d think he was a southerner or something.
Yes it’s a heart attack breakfast. He seems to think that now that he’s on meds, what he eats is less important. Me, I worry but join him. This turns problematic. More on that later.
From there we head back to the hotel to check out of our room and back to the Giant Center where the RV Show is being held. Hershey is everywhere in this town obviously. I have been trying to think of another town named after the company that still dominates.
Chocolate bars on the flags, kisses for street lamps.
On Cocoa Avenue, we pass by what looks like a new roller coaster.
and then a big, I assume older, wooden one. Neither is in use today.
The show is held at the Giant Center which is easy to find and to access. No crews of people directing traffic in the enormous lot just drive in, pick your spot and walk over the bridge across the highway to the show.
Inside the center are most of the vendors. The center of course is an indoor sports stadium for the Hershey Bears hockey team. Don’t you think the Hershey Kisses would be a good name for the Hershey team in such a dainty sport?
As you can see above, Hershey claims to be the largest RV show in America but judging from the number of vendors I highly doubt it. Having been to the Tampa show as well, I think it is much larger with vendors packed solidly inside two large buildings. One of the people we talk to outside works both shows and agrees with us.
We pick up some things inside at the Camping World display which takes up most of the floor. We get Dometic’s toilet cleaner, a collapsible water hose, 4 additional grip stix, a bottle of fiberglass oxidation remover polish and color restorer. David talks to Blue Ox about the cost of setting up a car for towing ($2500 show price) and about their Trucenter Steering Stabilizer.
RVing for one?
Then it’s outside to walk around and see what catches our fancy. We look at all different kinds of things from the latest Winnebago models that we didn’t see yesterday, to Rpods, to half million dollar coaches to retro trailers.
In all of it, I don’t find another thing that I would trade Winnona for even if they’d give it to me at no charge.
The best things were the small class A’s we saw yesterday but the interior woodwork, flooring and fabric continue to be too dark for my liking. I want a bright and cheery coach. Lots of windows, light golden oak wood and fairly light fabrics even if they do have to be cleaned. I’m also one of the few who prefer carpet to flooring. I like the softness and warmth on my feet. I want to shed my shoes and walk on carpeting.
Just a little something for your holiday stocking.
This little number had her own carriage. And like Tiffany the biker doggie we saw at the Dickey Ridge Visitor’s center in the northern section of Shenandoah National Park (see post here), she has numerous outfits. I suppose they are all purple to go with her wheels. The hat color looks blue here…..a continuing color problem with this camera……but it’s really purple.
Rigs are packed in row after row after row. But still, I don’t think they have more RVs on display than in Tampa. They don’t seem to need trams to get folks around and we have no trouble covering the entire outside in a few hours. Of course we don’t go into every rig there either.
The Retros are too cute.
Do you recognize the pictures on the trailer?
David will take one in red, I’ll take mine in blue.
No more pictures after this one of my feet as I’m not feeling so spunky after that heavy duty breakfast. When David wants to go to one of the seminars on Blue Ox, I decide to hang out people watching high above the floor of the arena.
We want to be on the road by 3:00 so after the seminar David suggests lunch and although we have brought our lunch, I just don’t feel like eating anything. This is the opening he’s been waiting for ever since he found out that Troegs Brewery was on the same street as the center.
He goes in and has their Troegwurst sausage sandwich with potato salad, red cabbage and a java head stout. I wait in the car in a semi reclined position. He returns in about an hour and declares everything was “wonderful”. I don’t know how he does it. SO much heavy, greasy, meaty food. Pretty sure he had his camera, but he takes no pictures so I can’t show the beer lovers among the crowd the brewery or the brew. Blame David.
We head on down the road in an effort to beat whatever afternoon traffic there is but we are just a little too late since we don’t get out of town until 3:45. I think we’ve seen the Hershey RV Show sufficiently that we will have no need to return.
It seems like a long drive back to Winnona but by the time we arrive I’m able to eat a hummus tomato and spinach sandwich on whole grain toast and a plate of fruit. But, I wasn’t even up for ice cream after two meals of heavy food.
