My Bus Trip to Shipshewana Indiana.

I just returned from my third bus trip. The first two were 7-9 days long. They were all pleasant in their own way. The first was to New York City with the Fond du Lac Wisconsin senior center.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2017/10/our-visit-to-big-apple.html This trip was mostly visiting the most popular landmarks and attractions around the city. The next was a trip to Maine. http://www.thecabincountess.com/2022/10/my-nine-day-bus-trip-to-coastal-maine.html This trip was a lot of sightseeing and seeing the beauty of the state. It also included a trip to Niagara Falls. Both of these trips went to areas that would be difficult to drive to for this country bumpkin. It took the stress out of traveling for me. The trips are quite structured so if you are a free spirit and like to do your own thing, this isn't for you.

My recent trip was only three days long. It was to Shipshewana, Indiana. It wasn't as far away but also included activities I would not have done on my own. It did include a little more shopping time than I would have liked. I don't enjoy window shopping. I buy what I need when I need it. However, I did learn a lot the rest of the time.

We left bright and early on a Wednesday. The bus picked up people in two more locations, and we had two rest stops so the trip went quite fast. Since I was traveling single I had a seat mate I didn't know. It turned out to be a fun trip. She was a great person, and we had some fun conversations and learned about each other’s lives. We arrived in downtown Shipshewana in the middle of the afternoon, leaving two hours of shopping. I didn't spend 10 cents. I was under the impression this was an Amish community and the whole town was Amish stores. I was wrong. The Amish and Mennonite populations live in the outskirts. They have many nice businesses but I didn't discover any in town.

After shopping we checked into the hotel and headed out to Yoder's Family Dinner. It was supposed to be a family style dinner at an Amish farm. It actually was, but that population is very wealthy it seems. The story is that the Jayco corporation which makes campers has a big factory in the area. Many of the Amish farmers went to work there and made a lot of money. They were able to buy land and build fancy houses. I expected a homespun house with a wood stove and scrubbed wood floors. Instead it was a beautiful home on a lake. I have only seen white Amish houses with a barn and horses out back. It did have horses and a buggy parked by the lake, but it also had a big pontoon boat. They seem to be doing very well.

The meal was excellent and we all went back to the hotel stuffed with mashed potatoes, meatloaf, ham, green beans, salad, homemade bread, noodles and pie. We were miserable but happy.

The next morning we visited the Silver Star Leather shop where they demonstrated making a belt and answered questions about the process and how they started the business. The shop owner also worked for the camper factory but in recent years after Covid, the camper business is not as strong as it was. This man started the leather business and is successful enough to stop working at the factory either by choice or was forced to quit. The store was filled with very nice leather goods. I don't know for sure but I don't believe he is Amish. He sells on Amazon and has a phone.

Next was little more shopping. We stopped at a little Amish house where the woman made jams and jellies. She used white grape juice for sweetener. 100% white grape juice doesn't contain any added sugar so it was a popular stop. Then we were off to the Daniel O'Donnell show. My parents were huge fans and had most of his CD's. They listened to him everyday. I liked him fine but I really wasn't a big fan. I knew most of the songs by osmosis. I was very pleasantly surprised. He put on an amazing show for three hours. I teared up a little when he sang my mom's favorite song of his, the Green Green Grass of Home. 

Since it was a three hour show, it was dinner time when it was finished. We had another family dinner at a different farm. This one wasn't so fancy but still nice. The host was an Amish man who was about 34 years old. His little children helped him serve and collect dishes. A question and answer session afterward revealed a lot about their way of life. No question was off limits. He was very open about the way they live and had a great sense of humor. The prayer before dinner was in high German. They mostly speak Pennsylvania Dutch and English. The food was about the same and again we rolled out of there stuffed to our ears.

The next day was Friday and we were going home later that day, but before we left we visited a few more cottage industries. The first was Teaberry Wood Products. It is an Amish-Mennonite family run business specializing in handcrafted baskets, puzzles, cutting boards and other items. We were allowed make a small wall hanging out of wood in the shape of a quilt square. It was great fun.

For a short time we were allowed to go into a large grocery store that sold bulk foods as well as other grocery items. There were many Amish shopping in there. It was explained that there are Amish, there are Mennonites who can drive cars and also Mennonites who only drive buggies. So when I say Amish, I don't really know for sure. I can't tell the difference by seeing them unless they are driving a car.

 

 

It was now lunch time. We went to Ben's Pretzels. I hadn't heard of Ben's Pretzels but the owner Ben met us at his restaurant. He told his story of how he started making pretzels many years ago when he was young. He has left the Amish but some of his siblings are still practicing that way of life. The business has grown to 150 locations. They sell in many college and NFL stadiums as well as shopping malls and even Meijer grocery stores. Ben taught us how to make pretzels. I see another recipe blog in my future. He didn't share his recipe but it will be a good challenge for me to come up with one. He prepared the dough and showed us how to roll and twist the pretzel. Then he came along, picked them up in order and baked them. The warm baked pretzel we made was returned to us to enjoy eating.

 

Our next stop was an Amish schoolhouse. We picked up a gentleman who was able to get us into the school while it was in session. No photos were allowed in the dinners or the school. This was a fairly new building. There were 44 students from 1st grade to 8th. They had 4 teachers in one room. They had just sectioned off an area for 3rd grade because there were so many of them, but it was only separated by a cabinet. One of the male teachers told us all about the school system. Children only go to 8th grade or age 15. At that time they find work or help in the family business. The children were very well behaved but they are modernized a little. Some of the families are more liberal and allow fleece jackets, clogs and more colorful clothing. Actually outside next to the building were parked several electric bikes. Even though it is controversial, some families use electric bikes instead of the buggy. We also noticed solar panels on almost all the Amish homes. The school lights were battery operated. I am thinking that the homes are getting away from lanterns and have moved to charging batteries with solar power.

 

After a short tour of the countryside, the final stop was the Casket Company. It seemed an appropriate end. We learned a lot. Caskets and Coffins are two different things. Caskets are rectangular shaped with four sides and coffins are tapered at the head and usually the feet. They have six sides. This is a Coffin, but it looks like it's only tapered at the head. The craftsman builds them to family specifications. These burial boxes only cost $850 compared to funeral home caskets which can be priced in the thousands. This stop was more interesting than I expected it to be.

By now everyone was tired, dehydrated and ready to head home. The average age of my other bus tours was much younger. Many were in their upper 50's or lower 60's. Many were newly retired or still working. I think the average age on this trip was higher although it is hard for me to tell age. It was about 4:00pm EDT when we headed home. I got to my car and after a half hour drive I arrived home about 11:00 pm. 

It was a great trip. We packed so much into 3 days.