The daily activities experienced during our train-driven visit continued in stark contrast to our recent months spent in New Mexico. Gone was the isolation felt in the wilderness surrounding tiny mountain towns, replaced by near-constant communion with family and abundant opportunities to venture into well-populated areas. Slow days that occasionally threatened a twinge of boredom morphed into a steady river of activities and generally full schedules. Ashley and I continued our separate visits with barely enough free time to miss each other’s company. Now that we’re once again traveling in close proximity, she shared some details of her days spent around the Johnstown area that I’ve attempted to transcribe in the following paragraphs.

While we cook most often in the RV, we rarely bake. We tend to shy away from making baked goods due to the tiny oven and often warm outdoor temperatures which would only be enhanced by burning propane inside the RV. Ashley quickly jumped at the opportunity and engaged in kitchen adventures when visiting with her mother. Between baked ham that turned into a key component in homemade pot pie, and a scratch-made peach and blueberry pie for dessert (and maybe breakfast), she made up for just a small amount of lost time in front of the oven.

Ashley didn’t let her physical distance from our wheeled home inhibit her usual crafty output. Since her mother also enjoys crochet, the two spent evenings together with knitting needles and crochet hooks flying. Ashley finished her “Traveling Cardigan” made with yarn collected throughout our RV journey, finished a seemingly endless number of granny squares, worked on the components for a custom-ordered mermaid-themed handbag, and jumped into the details of creating a pattern for a mystery project to be revealed in the future. An avid jewelry maker, Ashley’s mother convinced her to join in the fun and they created bracelets from minerals and stones prized for particular health-affecting properties. Who knows what might have developed had Ashley been able to access her full stash of yarn waiting patiently in the RV for her return.

A Pennsylvania autumn is usually the perfect time for festivals, but the excessive rain this year caused more than a few soggy weekends outside. Despite the less than ideal weather, our train trip earned a secondary theme as we both attended multiple festivals throughout these visits. Ashley accompanied her mother to the Ebensburg PotatoFest, which I’m told is a fun-filled event in opposition to my initial skepticism. The festival celebrates the potato farms and farmers throughout Cambria County, a region ranked as the second largest supplier of potatoes in the state of Pennsylvania. With over 200 craft and artisinal vendors, three stages hosting live music, and a staggering variety of both potato and potato-less treats, the PotatoFest makes for a day filled with activity in the small town of Ebensburg. Mark your calendar for the last Saturday in September if you wish to attend, because the festival is held on the same day each year.

Beginning in the late 1800s, Johnstown attracted thousands of immigrants to work the region’s mills and mines. People from countries we know today as Belarus, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Ukraine (to name only a few) formed a rich Slavic influence in early Johnstown. By 1920, 25 percent of Johnstown’s residents were of Slavic descent. This history is remembered today through the Johnstown Slavic Festival, celebrating its fourth year in 2018 thanks to the cooperation of a volunteer committee and the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. The festival is a day filled with Slavic folk dance, live music, traditional foods (like pierogies, halushki, halupki, and nut rolls) and beer, educational speakers, workshops, cooking demonstrations, and ethnic vendors. Ashley joined her father for a day at the festival, while I participated vicariously (and enviously) through sent photos of what appeared to be delicious food and refreshing Czech pilsners and other beers I couldn’t identify. The festival even had a selection of Slavic liqueurs to sample, each shot accompanied with a complimentary slice of nut roll!

Between visits with family members and attending festivals, Ashley ventured to Portage with her father to meet up with Mr. Raystown himself (check out our post from last year for the story) over fancy cups of coffee at The Chatterbox, followed by a visit to his secret workshop. One of his current projects involves restoring vintage dirt bikes he rode along with Ashley’s dad in their younger days.

As a skilled woodworker, Ashley’s father regularly offers his abilities to be put to use in various projects. Ashley’s craftiness extended from the world of yarn to influence a handmade wooden blocking board which she and her father completed during their visit. Although it might resemble those classic golf tee games found at places like Cracker Barrel, I’m told it’s actually a device used to stretch and shape crocheted or knit items.

In addition to Ashley’s usual stops in the Johnstown area, like the Windber Hotel, Rizzo’s, and Morris’ Tavern, she was introduced to a new restaurant near the neighboring town of Latrobe. The Tin Lizzy features upscale food, but more interestingly offers a classic cocktail menu with beverages not often found in modern restaurants. She enjoyed an Aviation during dinner with family and friends, and now recommends the restaurant to anyone who might appreciate a decent mixed drink when visiting the Latrobe area.

While Ashley’s adventures unfolded across the state, my parental visit was just beginning. Through a week sprinkled with time catching up with my grandmother and various aunts and uncles, we managed to squeeze in trips to a few breweries, one of which was even hosting a fall-themed festival. Falling Branch Brewery is located on a picturesque working farm, complete with barnyard animals in full view, a hop yard expanding behind the fields, and a pumpkin patch overflowing with orange globes ready for harvest by eager visitors. The PumpkinFest is held every Saturday and Sunday starting the last weekend in September and running through October, drawing a huge crowd to the brewery located in rural northern Maryland. Had the crowd been less overwhelming, we would have sampled a wider variety of beers. We chose instead to remain mostly on the periphery and wandered the pumpkin patch enjoying the weather with excellent beer (well, cider for my mom) in hand. I’d recommend a visit to the out-of-the-way brewery, but maybe not during the PumpkinFest unless you’re looking for lots of activities for the whole family and likely a large crowd.

We stopped by South County Brewing in Fawn Grove, home to my high school, which is definitely a must-visit brewery if you’re in southeastern Pennsylvania. The place is tiny, but brews beers that easily compete with any brewery in the country. Milkshake IPAs are a trendy craft beer offering at the moment, but don’t let that deter you from sampling whatever version of their Gelato series that might be on tap. I ordered the Orange Mango iteration during this recent visit, which was admittedly a bit sweet for my tastes but well done in the style. The Strawberry Lemonade remains my favorite version, which had a pleasing tartness to offset the inherent sweetness found in many milkshake IPAs. South County brews a wide variety of truly top-notch beers and I can’t recommend them often enough. You can order food from the restaurant across the parking lot, pack a picnic lunch, or possibly find a food truck at the brewery on the weekends, sit in the tiny taproom or relax on the outdoor patio, and even enjoy a little live music or a cozy fire if the weather’s right. I rank South County’s beers on par with The Alchemist in Vermont and Cerebral in Denver, and I’m not exaggerating just because the brewery is down the country road from my high school. See it for yourself if your travels take you close to Fawn Grove.

Slate Farm Brewery in Whiteford MD is another small rural brewery in the same area as Falling Branch and South County. With a rustic, open air pavilion and ample picnic table seating Slate Farm offers a laid-back atmosphere to enjoy brews, have a bite from a limited menu of sandwiches and fried snacks, and catch some live music on the weekends. We met up with my aunt and uncle here one evening, and soon were surrounded by a large group of people who knew each other from various parts of life. Slate Farm provides the perfect venue to meet up with friends both old and new, and while the beer might be less impressive than both Falling Branch and South County, the variety available likely holds something to please most visitors.

My father and I took advantage of a beautiful Sunday and hit the Northern Central Railroad Trail on bikes for a 25-mile jaunt through the small towns and country farms of southeastern York County. The rails that parallel much of the trail are still active to some extent and we caught the passage of a short three-car train during our ride. A local club occasionally rides the rails using their hand-powered trolley cars, which is always an entertaining sight for lucky trail users. For more information on the NCR Trail, check out one of our early posts from 2017 when we began our RV adventure.

While our RV lifestyle involves routine chores just like any stationary alternative, we don’t do much landscaping or home maintenance tasks. I jumped in when possible to help out around my parents’ house, eager for some physical activity and the opportunity to be mildly productive. Mowing the lawn with my dad or preparing food with my mom transformed from mundane chores into a more social experience. When I learned my dad planned to lay a cement floor in the detached garage, I made sure my visit would overlap with the project and I gladly pushed wheelbarrows full of cement into position, which is basically the extent of my cement-laying ability at this point.

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Ashley arrived in Cross Roads driving a borrowed car two weeks after we parted ways in Johnstown, just in time to celebrate my parents’ wedding anniversary with a stop by Wyndridge Farm. The location offers a variety of upscale food, wines, and beer and cider from the on-premises brewery. Wyndridge is a beautiful event venue, and while the pizza isn’t as impressive as I remembered, the farm remains a tranquil setting for visiting with family. Now that Ashley had arrived, the time spent with my parents drew to a close as we began our circuitous route to Pittsburgh to catch the return train at an undetermined future date.

With our return travel plans still open, we decided to head back to Elizabethtown together to visit my sister and her family before venturing to Reading and a last-minute meet-up with friends. After crossing the river into Columbia, we stopped by Cafe Garth for coffee – my sister highly recommends the Garth, which is a caramel latte topped with house-made French cream. The cafe features a small art gallery on the ground floor with the cozy, high-ceilinged coffee shop above. After an early lunch at a nearby diner, we wandered into Columbia Kettle Works and enjoyed some samples while waiting for my sister to return home from work. It’s an excellent brewery which we wrote about last year in this post.

We attended the Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest last year as we passed through the area from the New England states on our route to the Keys. Our train trip just happened to coincide with the festival this year, so we eagerly met our friends there for an afternoon of authentic German food, beer, and traditional music and dance. With everyone seeming to become busier and busier as time passes, we’re grateful for any chance to catch up with family and friends no matter how short and fleeting those moments might be. We bid our friends and my sister and her family farewell as we pointed the car west to Chambersburg.

You may remember our good friend Barb from this post last year. We planned to meet her for a few nights in Roxbury since we were overdue for another Dirty Marbles tournament. Our convenient overnight accommodations were located close enough to Chambersburg that we were able to enjoy a couple of days exploring the town where we originally began our life together. We had a productive afternoon getting some things accomplished while sampling the wares at Roy Pitz Brewing, which seems to have improved since our last visit. Nathan Miller Chocolate is now located next to the brewery, so we followed our noses and the decadent scent of warm chocolate through the front door. Ashley had what she described as the best mocha latte ever while working on her knitting pattern, and we selected a couple of artisinal chocolate bars for the road. Highly recommended when in Chambersburg. GearHouse Brewing is always a favorite stop when we’re in the area, so we naturally decided to meet up with friends there one evening. GearHouse hosts an open bluegrass jam every Thursday night and I arrived with my mandolin in tow with the hope of possibly joining in on the fun. I played along with a few songs, but quickly realized I’m not quite ready to play solos up to tempo with seasoned veterans. I still had fun and the experience just reinforced my desire to play with other musicians whenever possible.

Having visited with a long but certainly not exhaustive list of family and friends over the past few weeks, we were ready to continue west and growing anxious to return to the RV. We paid a couple of visits to Ashley’s family as we passed through the Johnstown area before catching the train into Pittsburgh. Since I missed out on the fun during Ashley’s first pass through the area, we made sure to stop by Ashley’s cousin’s house one evening (our previous visit with the RV detailed in this post). I was able to catch up with her family as well as a group of friends for a brief visit, and managed to survive a few hours with Ashley’s cousin’s daughters, escaping with only superficial injuries. When we reached Pittsburgh later in the week, our friends graciously welcomed us into their home for another night before dropping us off at the train station the following evening. We managed to sneak in one more brewery stop at the Hop Farm Brewing Company, which is another relaxed, smaller brewery with highly inventive beers and friendly staff. Our train departed Pittsburgh just after midnight and we slept fitfully on the ride to Chicago.

With roughly a four-hour layover before the long ride to Texas, we hoped to find a little taste of Chicago close to the train station – the infamous Chicago-style hot dog. We shared a classic diner breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s while trying to appear mostly awake after a restless night on the train. We discovered Al’s Beef located only a few blocks away from the station, and while Ashley chose to remain in the station to work and watch our belongings, I ventured out in search of Chicago dogs. Turns out Al’s Beef was celebrating their 80th anniversary and the line stretched all the way down the block. I abandoned our original plan for the elusive Chicago dog and worked my way back to the train station. We settled for two Chicago dogs from Gold Coast Dogs in the Union Station food court, which were actually quite delicious and a fine example of the Chicago delicacy – complete with a tomato slice, dill pickle spear, neon green relish, mustard, chopped onions, celery salt, and two fiery sport peppers served on a poppyseed bun. I took a photo, but it turned out even worse than my usual photos so I don’t have an image to share here.

Good thing we filled up on restaurant food and had a bag packed full of snacks for the upcoming ride, because our train to Texas was delayed by two hours due to mechanical issues. I’m currently writing this from the train as we approach the 18-hour mark of what was supposed to be a 26-hour ride. We’re now roughly five hours behind schedule thanks to a broken-down freight train on the tracks ahead of us during the night which caused a chain reaction of delays compounding into a lot of plain old sitting and waiting. We’re still hoping to reach Texas and get off the train before Halloween if we’re lucky.

Train travel in the United States is certainly less efficient and not as popular as it is throughout Europe and Asia. We as Americans tend to prefer automobile-driven road trips and fast jet-propelled flights to get us where we want to go in a hurry. Traveling by train is anything but fast, and destination options are more limited than if traveling between air routes. But rail travel can be a relaxing alternative to overcrowded highways and hectic airports, the slower pace forcing travelers to sit back and simply enjoy the ride. With large viewing windows, dining cars, and the ability to freely move about the train, rail travel can turn an otherwise mundane trip into a sightseeing adventure. The locomotive steadily speeds through the countryside, offering glimpses into rural farms, remote towns, and crowded cities that wanderers would miss from interstates or high above peering out plane windows. While traveling by train might not always be the best option for your future trips, if you’re truly seeking to slow down and relax while exploring the country, give a train ride a shot. It was a convenient way for us to visit family and friends without adding thousands of extra miles to the RV in a year where we had already driven a significant amount (for us anyway), and definitely a mode of travel we’d consider again in the future – assuming this current train gets us back to Texas before Thanksgiving.