Day four, adventures in beautiful Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania always amazes me. Amazing stone houses, majestic barns, rolling hills and farmers markets. So many areas of this beautiful state seem to be frozen in time.

The two retailers I visited today were based around Lancaster. The headquarters and main bookstore of the Provident Bookstores chain is located in Lancaster. It’s a spacious store filled with the sounds of soothing music. This is clearly a favorite place for locals to shop. The Provident Bookstore chain has nine stores, spread over Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Ohio.

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Outside [left] and inside [right] of the Provident Bookstores location that I visited.

My next visit was to Ken's Educational Joys, which is located in the small town of Ephrata, just outside of Lancaster. Ken Sauder's store is filled with personality, charm and Mennonite shoppers. This is a major shopping point for homeschoolers in the area.

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Ken behind the counter [left] before taking me on a quick tour of his wonderful store [right].

While in Ephrata, I couldn't help but stop at a small indoor market offering sandwiches and soup to go. I asked the young ladies at the Village Farm Market if the Amish also live in Ephrata. "No," they replied. "The Amish live in a community a few miles down the road."

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The Village Farm Market, offering soup and sandwiches along with local insight and information.

The most amazing part of my fourth day on the road was the overnight stay with my Bed & Breakfast hosts, Laura and Gil of Mechanicsburg. They treated me so well, I felt like an honored guest. Laura made special cheese fondue with superb vegetables (broccoli-rabi). We drank white wine and talked until late.

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Laura [left] and Gil [right] were possibly the best hosts I could have asked for.

They have a beautiful grand piano so I played a few songs for them. I'm sure that Laura, who was once a vocalist and entertainer in NYC, is probably a much better player than I am. Laura, who is now a potter, was also a professional caterer for 20 years. No wonder the food was so very tasty!

Gil is a retired engineer and is very much involved in ecological projects. He is especially into making migration of fish possible by allowing them to bypass man-made dams that have cut them off from the local streams and rivers during recent years.

Quite a few people have asked me about the Educators Bed & Breakfast Network, which is how I found out about places to stay while on my odyssey. Educatorstravel.com enables educators (current, former and retired), their spouses and families, to travel world-wide, and be hosted by other teachers along the way. The fees are modest and the life enriching experiences are priceless! It's really a well kept (public) secret, and an amazing network. I can now vouch for it myself. By the end of this trip, I'll have made several dozen new friends (owners of these Bed & Breakfasts), all of whom I'll want to entertain once I’m back home.

If you decide to join Educatorstravel.com, please let them know I referred you. Credits are furnished for referrals and the hosting of guests. These can later be used for free accommodation. My membership number is 133571.