Ohio – August 2022

Roaming Rangeley Summer 2022

AT to Millersburg – August 25 & 26, 2022

Elizabeth

We checked out of our hotel in Gorham, NH and headed back west through Vermont to New York state for the night. Our longest single day’s drive yet, about 500 miles. 

We found some interesting historical stops. Some planned, some spur of the moment. 

– A covered bridge built in 1832 in Bath, NH

There was a guy in the parking lot of The Vermont Country Store that has built 8 Ford Three Window Coupe model car kits. Very cool.

– The Vermont Country Store in Rockingham, VT. I have known about their catalog, and shopped from it, since I was a young adult, but living 35 yrs. in VT, I have never been to the store!! If you want to know more about this great store that opened in 1946: https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/history.

– The Country Girl Dinner for brunch. Raspberry pancakes for Gary and cinnamon French toast for me…with real butter and maple syrup from a local Chester, VT sugarbush farm (many maple trees that produce sap which is then boiled down to make maple syrup). The Diner is made from an authentic 1948 Silk City Silver railcar and reminded me of Henry’s Diner in Burlington VT where I ate for years during high school & college.

As we crossed the AT for the last time this trip, Gary had more fun stories about hiking up and over Bromley Mountain Ski Area while doing the AT himself in 2014 (thru hike) and a 2017 section hike.

We pulled into the AT/ Long Trail parking lot near Bromley Mt. (Yet another unscheduled stop! : ) We met a young man who thru hiked in 2018. He just graduated from UVM (University of VT, Gary’s and my alma mater), he was heading out for a couple nights backpacking.  Another person was doing Trail Magic. The food was out for the hikers but no humans there at the time. We only chatted with the UVM grad a few moments and then back on the road.

Gary and I got to laughing at some of the additional things that we have seen or remember when living in New England but don’t see in Phoenix where we live now. We lived in ME, NH and VT for 35 years.

• Roads named Owl Head Highway
• Moose Crossing signs
• Large families of wild turkeys along the roadside
• Lakes, streams and ponds all over the place…. public access to them, with lodging next to them!
• Real Maple Syrup being sold in hardware stores and at roadside stands
• The term “Wicked” in signage and conversation…” The cookies she made were wicked good!” (I still say it!)

Random interesting thoughts on Rangeley in his short 2+ years. He has some amazing stats worth mentioning:

• He’s been in 45 states (Delaware, Rhode Island, Florida, Alaska and Hawaii)
• He’s visited 46 of the 49  National Parks on the lower 48 mainland (Rocky Mountain (CO), Biscayne and Everglades (FL) – all Parks we visited before we picked him up in June 2020)
• He’s hiked on the AT in 10 of the 14 states it goes through! (missing GA, MD, NJ, NY)
• He’s been on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in 2 states
• He’s hiked in all three states the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) goes through
• He’s swam in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; in 4 of the 5 Great Lakes (except Ontario); Lake Champlain in VT; Yellowstone Lake; Jenny Lake (Grand Teton); Rangeley Lake in Rangeley, ME. And more ponds, rivers and streams to mention, all over the US.
• He’s slept over 150 nights in a hotel room
• He’s been invited to eat at our table, inside, at 4 different restaurants

Millersburg, Ohio August 2022

Elizabeth:

We have written about our connection to Millersburg, in Holmes County Ohio, in previous Roaming Rangeley posts and I will try not tell you the same things I have already written about before… but… it’s hard not to share the great times we have with Rangeley’s Amish breeders each time we visit! I also wish that I could share pictures we have taken, with permission, that I should not put on this public site. One of my favorites: is 3 1/2 yr. old Charity in her light pick long Amish dress, in the barn, with her same age cousin LeeAnne in her teal dress, both wearing their white caps with long strings, both barefoot, and each holding a 6 week old Golden Retriever puppy. So cute!

Holmes County has one of the world’s largest Amish settlements and I believe the largest in the US with a population of 37,000 in the county.  The late 20’s couple, Dennis and Lorianne, and their now two children, Charity 3 ½ and Jared 5 months, have been such a wonderful addition to our life since we picked Rangeley up at their house in June of 2020. It was the beginning of this crazy COVID situation but training a puppy indoors until he had all of his shots, was perfect in the hot Phoenix summer. Gary and I flew to Ohio and brought our little 8-week-old Silver Lab back to Phoenix. He was 15 lbs. already, with huge feet and we were very glad the flight attendants allowed us to hold him on our laps as he barely fit in the largest soft sided pet carry-on case the airlines would allow! Since that summer in 2020, our little puppy has grown to about 90 lbs. and has been back to visit his Ohio human parents and all their farm animals several times.

We have enjoyed being accepted as Dennis’ English friends and have now met both of their parents and many siblings, nieces and nephews in the 4 or so times we have been back here to visit. We love being their “taxi driver” in our car to take them to and from family gatherings, the hardware and tractor supply stores, auctions, the ice cream store, restaurants and Walmart to name a few.

This trip Dennis, Charity and I went to a very large sale. I would call it a garage sale on steroids! There were used and new sheds, tractors, buggies, refurbished Maytag Wringer Washing machines, bicycles, tools, farm vegetables and even cars and trucks for those Mennonite and English shoppers and bidders. The parking lots were full of cars on one side of the fairgrounds and auction house and parked buggies and their horses on the other. We have now been to this location in Mt. Hope, Ohio three times. The first time we sat in on a sheep and goat auction. The second time, this last May, we witnessed a horse auction (awesome!!) and now this sale/auction that covered a full city block.

Dennis’ parents, Jonas and Betty, have hosted us, along with Dennis’ family, a few times at their farm. The first time was at the main house. The last two times we were welcomed into their newly built Dawdi House. A Dawdi House is a smaller home that Jonas and his sons built for himself and Betty to downsize. It is just behind the main farm house. Jonas’ son Liam, now runs the farm and he and his wife and three children live in the main house. Their main source of income is sheep farming. After dinner, all the children run around (5 and counting with these two brothers); the men sit on the front porch and chat and the women do the dishes and then join the children outside. We saw the latest 6 and 4-week-old Golden Retriever litters; enjoyed the new lambs in the barn; watched the buggy horses run in the fields and soaked in the perfect 75-degree breezy weather until 9:30PM.

Each time we visit we come home with a new recipe. This time we drank spearmint tea picked after dinner from their garden. It was boiled, steeped a few moments, strained and a bit of sugar was added. The parents drink it hot, Dennis and LoriAnne have made it for us as iced tea. Either way, it will be a wonderful addition to our traditions at home. We have been offered leaves from both Jonas’ and Dennis’ gardens and we plan to take them up on the offer!

One of the traditions we do at Dennis and Lorianne’s is to bring take out and sit by a roaring fire in their back yard. I love holding Jerad and Charity takes turns as she bounces from her mom’s, mine, Gary’s and her daddy’s laps all evening long.

I love to antique shop while I am in this historic 1865 town of Millersburg. There are loads of shops on the main street downtown. Eastern Holmes County has been a Dry community (no beer, wine or alcohol sold) since the 1950’s. Millersburg is not dry and actually has a brewery.  

Gary made Rangeley raw food meals which he does each week, even while we are on the road. Frozen bone-in chicken, hamburger patties, chicken organs, spinach and canned pumpkin. I throw in a raw egg on occasion. We do it a little differently at home but Gary’s system of preparing the meals in the bathroom of the hotel works well. The things we do for this spoiled pup! Our choice and we love it/and him.

Last day in Millersburg, August 29, 2022

Elizabeth:

The church close to our hotel always has great sayings on their reader board. This visit it read: 

Get your bread in order before you’re toast. 

Now that’s clever, and true!

Rangeley runs free on the 9 acre farm. Besides regularly jumping in the horse troth, he sticks around and does not chase the horses, cow or irritate the dogs in the barn. He always wants to be where the action is so he stays close to Gary or follows the family in and out of their house. He is welcome inside but we encourage him to stay out in the nice weather, although hot, on the green grass and enjoying his freedom. We noticed, when we were eating outside on two different occasions, Rangeley would move close to where the 5 mo. old Jared was placed on a blanket on the ground near the table. He seemed to be protecting him. And little Charity loves throwing a tennis ball for Rangeley. He is quite gentle with her thin 3 yr. old stature. Both kids giggle and smile around the dog.

Last night we enjoyed another dinner out back by a camp fire. We brought nice steaks for Gary and Dennis to grill and Lorianne made homemade sweet potato fries. We cleaned the fridge out of salads and snacks that she wanted to use up…cucumber and three bean salad and grapes. The icing on the cake so to speak, a homemade raspberry pie. Pie crust, a thick vanilla custard layer then a homemade raspberry fruit compote/jam layer and whipped cream on top. So much for watching my sugar!! Yummm! We sat by the fire to keep the bugs away and made plans for tomorrow’s errands. We have a car and they sometimes need things that are too far to buggy there. They usually take a taxi. There are locals that drive the Amish as a business. But this time we were happy to help.

Dennis had to return to work since it is Monday.  He works as a finish carpenter. He is picked up and dropped off by a co-worker that drives. We picked up Lorianne, Charity and Jared at 9AM. Gary drove the gang to get formula for Jared. Not an easy task to find who has formula for sale, as many of the locals do not have phones, so you need to go the address they advertise in the local paper. Lorianne wanted quality, naturally made, and in stock, formula. Lorianne was ecstatic when I offered to do laundry for her at the laundry mat while they were on the formula adventure. I was able to wash throw rugs, towels, sheets, a comforter and all the baby clothes. She did not want me to wash Dennis’s handmade trousers or her hand sewed dresses as they have not been in a washer or dryer and could pill and or shrink. Good timing! As I was placing quarters in the washing machine, the heavens shared its rain with us in full force. Not a good day to do laundry and hang it out to dry! I love “The Simple Life” to an extent. I am grateful and appreciate my washer, dryer, dishwasher etc., very quickly after doing all the previous at Lorianne’s when we visit.

We said our goodbyes to Lorianne and the kids and headed into town. Gary and I got take-out at Miller’s Creamery where we usually get ice cream but they have a sandwich menu….that comes with a small shake! Gary got vanilla and I enjoyed the coffee latte shake! We picked up our belongings at the hotel and headed to Columbus. I will fly home to Phoenix tomorrow morning. Gary and Rangeley will drive the 5 days back.

Thanks for reading along. This is the last post of our Summer 2022 Roaming Rangeley. We will let you know when we take another road trip!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.” – Mark Twain