Endless Caverns

Earlier in the year at the RV show in Richmond, VA, we signed up for the camping special at Endless Caverns. Essentially, you prepay for seven nights of camping. On a per night basis, it was less than the state parks and it was full hook up. They allow you to split the seven nights as you see fit for the upcoming camping season. You can even share your nights with a buddy if you so desire. I also learned that they allowed a change when you have to change your reservation. With family in the area, it was a win for us.

With our 45 ft Beast, our first trip was a bit unnerving. The registration parking lot is on a significant grade. The campground itself has graveled roads and sites. The sites are terraced up and down the hill. Many are pull-thru. They keep the trees well-trimmed and the rocks edging the sites and roads add to the natural look of the campground. I'm not sure I'd advertise it as big-rig friendly, but they do.

On our second trip, we got a site that was much closer to the campground entrance. It was a super long pull-thru. Even so, we opted to hook up outside the campground at a nearby gas station.

Site E59

Campers get a discount on the caverns tour. Caverns are always fun. The tour lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was interesting to see how many stalactites had broken edges. Long ago, guests were encouraged to take home a souvenir. We toured the caverns with Elizabeth's brother, Scott.

If walking the campground hill isn't enough of a challenge for you, you can hike the perimeter trail or the trail to the sign.

The perimeter trail is maintained since it follows the fence line. Even so, it is very steep in some places. We read in a campground review post that the grade is over 20% in places. Walking sticks or hiking poles are a definite plus.

The view from the sign is wonderful. They recommend it for sunset viewing. There's a firepit and picnic table. I'd have a flashlight and the aforementioned hiking poles for the trip back. We hiked the perimeter trail with a stop at the sign in the middle of the day. Once was enough for us!

$65.99 nutcracker

You know you are in America's heartland when the hardware stores carry unique items like this $65.99 nutcracker. 

It is no ordinary nutcracker, nor is it decorative like those made in Germany by Stienbach.

It definitely does not dance with sugar plum fairies. It is pure function. Note it has a compound lever mechanism for great power multiplication. This makes the workload lighter, and once the nut cracks you cannot squash the nutmeat for a greater yield.

The jaws are concave to keep the nuts in line with those high compressive forces. Note the smaller set of jaws on the wooden base. I would assume these are for pecans.

Since I saw this nutcracker in the Shenandoah Valley, I would assume that it would be used on black walnuts and hickory nuts gathered locally. They are quite hard to crack and could benefit from great nutcracking power.

I would like to see how this nutcracker works on macadamia nuts, as when Elizabeth, my father-in-law, Wade, and I toured the Moana Loa macadamia nut farm on the big island of Hawaii, we learned that the macadamia nut is the hardest nut to crack.

On the shelf next to the nutcracker, was another unique item. As I did not grow up learning animal husbandry, I had to search the internet as to how this next item is used.



You guessed it, it is a hog scraper....

Wikipedia did not have an article on hog scrapers but did on hog scraper candlesticks that refers to its "resemblance to an antique device," the hog scraper.

By the way, what is a hog scraper used for? I didn't want to show my ignorance to the helpful hardware folks, so I took a photo and moved down to the pellet grills as I think I know how to use one of them.

Is it used for scraping a hog's hooves? Maybe it's used to clean a hog's tusks. Or maybe in preparing hog chow. Just by looking at it I could not figure it out.

After watching a YouTube video on the proper use of a hog scraper, I now know how they are used and that I currently do not have a use for one. When we are visiting one of you, and we need to use one, I'd be more than willing to lend a hand but I'll bet that Elizabeth will pass.

So if you have some hard nuts to crack or a hog that needs a good scraping, Rocking R Hardware in Harrisburg VA has got your needs covered.

Got Bolted

I was conducting my pre‑trip inspection on “The Beast” and found an anomaly in the passenger side tag axle tire tread.  At first, I thought it was a rock stuck in one of the grooves. I got out my riggers knife and went to work with its marlinspike, trying to pry it out. My efforts were to no avail. What originally looked like a rock, turned out to be a piece of rusty steel. I quickly stopped messing with it.  I did not want to compromise the tire’s airtight integrity.

I went to my tire pressure monitoring systems display to check the tire pressure. It was at the proper pressure for that tire position, 85 PSIG.  That was a good indication that the piece of metal did not penetrate the tire’s liner.  I really did not want to replace a tire.  I budget $1,000 each when I figure in mounting, balancing, tire disposal fees, and taxes.

As The Beast does not have a spare tire or even a jack, I Googled “truck tire repair” and locally found King George Truck and Tire. I called them up to see if they had an opening. They offered to send out a mobile tire technician. Since I was not losing air, I decided to lower my cost and drive the 11.1 miles to their shop.

The tire technician used several different pairs of pliers (I had to look up the plural of “pair of pliers” as it boggled my brain) to pry out the offending object, which turned out to be a lag bolt.  He then inspected the tire and told me that I was very lucky. The lag bolt went in at a low angle and did not penetrate the tire’s belts. The shop did not charge for the technician’s time.  That was a nice gesture.

No Smoking

I saw this at a mechanics shop.

Technically they were not smoking..... Just getting ready to make some lunch.

Route 11 Potato Chips

Just down the road from Endless Caverns is the Route 11 potato chip factory. You can view the chip frying process from the visitor center and store. I was disappointed that the sweet potato chips were not in season. It's good to know that they buy locally and in season. So, we sampled the various flavors available before opting for a 24 oz polybag of the Yukon Gold, another seasonal favorite.  Yum! It's worth a stop to get some chips if you're passing through the area.

Giant Rat

Or, is Mr. Mousebender in the house?

Calm down, we did not find an oversized rodent in The Beast, but we do have a giant rat in our midst: Harold.

Back in May we were staying at Letchworth State Park Campground in New York to visit family in Perry, New York. One evening a bunch of us went to dinner at the Charcoal Corral, a casual dining experience. We had a great time meeting members of the extended family and sharing stories. My cousin-in-law Bert told us about a unique item at a nearby creamery, so of course we had to check it out.

On the way home we passed the East Hill Creamery and being a turophile (a lover of cheese), I quickly scanned the storefront. Regrettably, it was closed. My heart sank down into my shoes.  No cheese for Harold. However, during my scan I noted the something that Bert told us about on the side of building.  It was large, boxy and red in color.  My first impression was that it was a Coke machine. I took a second look as its color was not Coca-Cola’s iconic red color but some other red. It turned out to be, as Bert described, a unique must-see roadside attraction. I spotted an image of two cartoon mice cutting a wheel of cheese, glorious cheese, on the side of this attraction. In my best impression of one of the Duke boys, and much to Elizabeth’s chagrin, I powerslid into the parking lot, at least that is the way I remember it, as I was driving a front wheel drive Honda Accord.

What is this?  Could it be?  WOOO HOOO it is! A cheese vending machine!  I was elated!!!! This is the first time I have seen a cheese vending machine.  There needs to be one of these on every street corner. It was like April seventeenth[1], June fourth[2], Independence Day, July twenty fifth[3], September fifth[4], September eighteenth[5], September twentieth[6], my birthday, October fifteenth[7] , Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one!  Think fireworks, presents and lots of good family times!!!!!  It was a PARTY!

Now, what to buy, what to buy, what to buy?  I was so excited, but in a quandary. I had to limit myself to purchase only one cheese, so after what probably seemed like hours to Elizabeth I zeroed in on the Underpass Reserve. This is a Raclette style cheese that is lovingly aged for eleven months.  It would be firmer, saltier, and have a bolder and earthier flavor than their three-month aged Raclette style cheese. Yum, yum give me some!  Boo hoo, why can’t I buy two?

Raclette cheese is normally featured in a Swiss dish, coincidently called Raclette, which is based on heating the cheese in a Raclette grill and scraping off the melted part onto a plate or slice of bread and served with charcuterie. I ate the whole thing before I could melt any part of it and enjoyed every bite. So, the next time we are anywhere near Perry, New York, we will be heading to the East Hill Creamery and will hopefully be able to visit during working hours to interact with the staff and buy more of their tasty cheese.

I recently shared the photo with my friend Keith and he said it is “A monument to a truly advanced culture!”  So true!


[1] National Cheese Ball Day
[2] National Cheese Day
[3] National Wine And Cheese Day
[4] National Cheese Pizza Day
[5] National Cheeseburger Day
[6] National Queso Day
[7] National Cheese Curd Day