Pennsylvania = Whoopie Pies + Fireflies

June 11

As we left Pennsylvania this afternoon and headed to New York, I reflected on two “firsts” for our family.  Has anyone ever had a whoopie pie? They are amazing, like a giant soft Oreo cookie. I first encountered these at the Amish village we toured and I made sure to get the recipe for it before we left.

Another first? Fireflies! As we were walking home from Dutch Wonderland, right next door to our campground, I saw these glowing dots that, at first, I thought were campfire embers.  Then I realized that they were turning on and off in sync. One of the coolest things I’ve seen yet. I tried to get a picture of them, but they are so small you probably wouldn’t be able to tell what they were. Besides, I don’t think a picture would have done these beauties justice.

Today, after weeks of anticipation, our patience paid off. We stepped out of the RV and into…CHOCOLATE WORLD!

We took Cocoa Avenue and turned right onto…

Chocolate Avenue and looked for…

the lampposts that looked like Hershey’s kisses! What a beautiful sight!

 

The first order of business? Package and ship kisses directly from the factory. (The boys were told by their “boss” to shake the kisses really well before placing them on the conveyor belt to be wrapped in plastic.)

Then it was off to the 3-D movie and…

chocolate tasting. We were given 5 pieces of chocolate and a chocolate drink. The only rule? You could not chew your chocolate during the tasting, you had to place a piece on your tongue and let it slowly melt.

As you can see, Riley did not listen to that rule.

 

Next, it was on to the chocolate tour with a brief explanation of how chocolate is made? The kicker? This tour had a moving ride (like the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland) and singing cows.

All the excitement was too much for Carter, who ended up falling asleep, upright, in his highchair during lunch.

And now it’s goodbye to Pennsylvania and hello to New York and our next big adventure!

--Erin