Goshen, Indiana

Here we are with John's cousin Terri and her husband Frank. We were glad to finally meet Frank and we have plans to stay in touch with them.

That's our home in back. We spent a week here camping with other owners of Montana fifth-wheels, and I have to say they're a friendly bunch.

The manufacturer is based here and we toured the factory, spoke with representatives, etc. We got to see the newest models and found out that our Big Sky is still our favorite.

There were several classes at the factory for wives wanting to learn to drive the RV's. You could pull the trailer, learn to hitch up and learn to back up. I'd already pulled the other fifth-wheels we'd owned and found they generally followed the truck. I think if I absolutely had to I could follow all the necessary steps needed to hook the truck to the trailer. I wanted to learn how to back that sucker up!

We wives were taken to a big parking lot at company headquarters and split into groups of five. We met our instructor (that poor, poor man) and climbed into a truck that some fool had loaned for the class. It was already hooked to a new trailer and parked at an edge of the lot just down from one of the entrances. Our job would be to back down the side of the lot and into the entrance. That driveway was waaay wider than any camping space but it would be a start. I drove second and I was fabulously amazingly perfect if I say so myself. All my co-students thought I was a plant. They didn't know I'd been dragging that 8-foot motorcycle trailer all summer, and the longer the trailer the easier it is to back up.

Goshen has a large Mennonite population. The local Walmart has a hitching post in the lot for the horse-drawn buggies, and the farms are loaded with horses used for work and transportation.This photo was taken in Shipshewana Indiana, a nearby town and tourist attraction. Shipshewana is loaded with Mennonites and their wagons. One of the parking lots must have had forty wagons in it on the Saturday afternoon Terri, Donna and I visited.

We were told that Mennonites didn't like their picture taken, but when I asked this young man for a picture of him and his pony he was happy to pose. He was so proud when I told him I'd noticed Misty stepping along at a good pace earlier. He told us she had a colt at home! His younger sister had just left to take something to one of the stores.
The three of us women shopped all afternoon and had a great time. Donna recommended another antique shop outside of Indianapolis that I'll definitely hit.