RVs, Amish, and Touchdown Jesus

Sunday, June 30th we made a dash from north central Illinois to northern Indiana trying not to get stuck in metro Chicago traffic.  The trip turned out to be a breeze.  We encountered little traffic on I-80, which runs through the southern metro area.  We camped at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds located in Goshen, IN for the next couple of days.  The fairgrounds had reasonable camping rates, full hookups and free WiFi.  If you could put up with the sounds of frequent trains, it is a good place to stay.

Elkhart County Fairgrounds, Goshen, IN

We were hungry after rising early to get through Chicago metro, so after getting setup at the campground, we headed to nearby Amish Acres in Nappanee to enjoy some Amish-style cooking.  We arrived shortly before closing, but were able to order and enjoy our meal.  Amish Acres has some interesting old buildings on the property and they put on plays in the summer.

Round barn at Amish Acres

Daylilies by building

Daylily

Nappanee is also home to the Newmar Corporation.  Newmar and related companies are a large  manufacturer of RVs.  Unfortunately they were closed for July 4th week as were most of the Elkhart County RV companies.  We did get a few pictures through fences.

Water tower with Amish buggy & horse in Nappanee

Newmar model Dutch Star behind fence

We stopped a Monaco RV manufacturing in Wakarusa  and saw a line of RVs ready for delivery.

Monaco RVs in Wakarusa, IN

On Monday, July 1 we decided to head to close by South Bend to visit the University of Notre Dame.  We stopped at the Visitor Center and picked up a map of campus and headed on a self guided walking tour.  We were surprised how large the campus is and how many visitors were there.

Tim in front of Notre Dame book store

Next on our tour was Notre Dame stadium.  We couldn't get in the stadium, so we walked around.

Tim by Knute Rockne statue

Knute by himself

Stadium sign

Across the mall from the stadium is the Notre Dame library with its famous mural seen from the stadium.

Mall with Touchdown Jesus mural on library as seen from stadium

Touchdown Jesus with reflecting pond

Lou Holtz statue by another stadium gate

We found most of the buildings on campus to be beautiful, old or new.

Gold domed building at Notre Dame

Basilica of Notre Dame

Our son-in-law asked us to light a candle for our grandson, Caden, at the Cave of Candles.  We didn't know anything about it and asked at the Visitor Center for directions.  We found it and it is a beautiful grotto on campus and visited by students, faculty, and people from all over the world.  Tim lite a candle for Caden.

Cave of Candles grotto at Notre Dame

Tim in front of grotto

Rows of lighted candles in the Cave of Candles

Tim lighting candle for grandson, Caden

Walking back to the parking lot on the other end of campus, we came across a bed of lilies.  There were beautiful flowers all over campus.  Where there wasn't construction going on, buildings had flowers.

Daylily on the Notre Dame campus

Flowers on the Notre Dame campus

Tim on sidewalk leading to Notre Dame Stadium

Notre Dame walkway leading to a statue of Jesus

Brilliant tree on the Notre Dame campus

After our visit to the Notre Dame campus, we had scheduled a tour through the Thor RV factory.  Thor is located in the city of Elkhart in Elkhart County.  Like most of the RV manufacturers, their production line was closed during the July 4th week.  With a skeleton staff on the job, a couple of management people gave us along with a dozen others, a tour of 1 of the motorhome plants.  Thor is the largest producer of RVs. 

Thor corporate headquarters sign in Elkhart

Thor was in the middle of the changeover from 2013 to 2014 production, so they did not allow any photos.  I guess they didn't want any trade secrets leaked.  The plant we toured manufactured long gas and diesel motorhomes.  Thor purchases the chassis from another manufacturer and builds from there.  This plant was at least two football fields long.  It was interesting to see the assembly from a raw chassis to a complete motorhome you could drive away.  Below is a picture of a completed Thor motorhome.

Thor A.C.E. model motorhome at their Elkhart plant

East of Elkhart is the village of Shipshewana, IN.  It has a large population of Amish.  We were hungry after our visits to Notre Dame in the morning and touring the Thor RV plant in the afternoon, so we headed to The Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery.

Tim at The Blue Gate Restaurant & Bakery, Shipshewana, IN

Linda ordered a pot roast dinner.  Her eyes were opened, when her meal was served.  There was enough pot roast for a least three meals.  The food was great and we got boxes for our leftovers.  We visited some nearby shops.  The flowers were gorgeous.

Garden in Shipshewana, IN

A wagon full of flowers

Colors abounds

Amish buggies near the restaurant

On the way back to the campground at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds in Goshen, IN. we saw this next to a small lake.

Amish buggy pulling a boat trailer

Who's to say that you can't enjoy fishing.  Pull you boat to the lake by car or buggy!  We also saw these farm buildings with a huge antenna tower next door.  Maybe it's a NSA spy tower?

Farm buldings with huge antenna tower nearby

The next day, July 2, we would make the short drive to Auburn, IN. Auburn is home to the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum (ACD).  Tim has had this on his bucket list.