Riding Along in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

My husband, Mike, and I recently purchased a small travel trailer and headed to one of our favorite places – Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Our first stop was to the Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania http://www.artilleryridge.com on Friday, June 29. Its at the south end of the battlefield, and is also home to horse stables. While we didn’t use the pool or other amenities, they seemed nice enough.

Saturday morning, we got up early and rode our bikes all around the battlefield. I was surprised how hilly the area was, but my patient husband waited at the top of each climb for me. It was definitely a nice way to see everything without driving around in a car.

 

Our next stop was Beacon Hill Campground in Intercourse, Pennsylvania https://www.beaconhillcamping.com. After getting set up in a nice shady spot in the upper part of this quiet, adults only campground overlooking farmland, we drove a short distance to Kaufman’s Fruit Farm and Market to stock up for our 5-day visit.

Mike realized he had forgotten the charging cord for his shifting mechanism on his bicycle so we headed to Intercourse Bikeworks http://intercoursebikeworks.com. Mark and Al were wonderful and found a charger we could borrow. Al and my husband even met for a ride Monday night.

While they were talking bikes, I walked to my favorite cupcakery, Sweet Shenanigans, 3610 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gordonville, PA 17529, https://www.facebook.com/meghanscupkakes/. Meghan is a delight, and her cupcakes are amazing. A definite stop whenever we are in Intercourse.

We spent a quiet evening at our campsite, enjoying the sounds and sites of the country. The lightning bugs were out in force, something we rarely see in our northern Virginia neighborhood.

Sunday morning, after quick breakfast, we took off on our bicycles. Riding around Lancaster County on a Sunday morning was wonderful. There were very few cars on the road yet, although we saw quite a few families in buggies, and also walking, going to church. The route we took wound south of Route 340, then back across to north of 340 going past the Lapp Family Farm, 244 Mentzer Rd, New Holland, PA 17557. Known for their delicious ice cream made right on the property, they were closed since it was Sunday.

We completed our 17.5-mile ride in about an hour and a half, stopping to enjoy the views along the way. After cooling down as the temperature was already approaching 90 degrees, we got cleaned up and drove into Lancaster for lunch. If you are looking for an extensive menu and large quantity of food, look no further than the Lyndon City Line Diner http://www.lyndondiner.com. We have been there several times, having both breakfast and lunch. We never leave hungry!

Monday morning, my husband worked from our camper while I hit the outlets in Lancaster. I stopped Stoltzfus Meats https://stoltzfusmeats.com/intercourse-pa, stocking up on kabobs and sausage links to grill. By afternoon he decided working remotely was working well that we decided to see if we could extend our time at Beacon Hill. We were originally going to leave on July 4, but were able to stay until July 7.

 

 

That evening we drove to Lapp’s for some ice cream for dessert. Lots of others had the same idea, but it was nice to see the farm animals, even the resident peacock decided to strut around and show off!

Tuesday afternoon, while Mike and Al rode around southern Lancaster County in 90-plus degree heat, I relaxed at the camper working on my next novel. It’s amazing how much writing can be done in the peace and quiet of the country!

Wednesday morning, we set out on our bikes again. It was July 4, but shops and restaurants were going to be open so we made it a point to ride back to Lapp’s Farm for ice cream. We were surprised to see a large number of cars in the parking area. The young lady serving our ice cream said a cycling group from Philadelphia had met there for a ride of their own. After eating our delicious ice cream, we got back on our bikes to finish our ride.

The rest of the week, Mike worked and I shopped. We had picked the hottest week of the summer to go, but thanks to our air conditioner and a fan for sitting outside, it was bearable. We enjoyed sitting out in the evenings listening to the sounds of the country.
Friday evening, we were treated to a visit from a local Amish woman and her children selling baked goods to the campers. From what we were told this is a weekly event. The banana bread was delicious!

When we packed up to leave on Saturday, we realized we could have stayed longer! We’ll definitely return there for both the camping and cycling!

 

Author of One Sweet Development and Patience For Love currently available on Amazon, http://www.indiebound.org, and http://www.booksamillion.com.