Plan Z Birthdays

Why does this always happen to poor Ryan's birthday?? I'm pretty sure it was his 39th birthday that we ended up doing a substitute for a substitute for a substitute idea because everything kept falling apart on me. Some of it fell apart the day before his birthday. And I felt like this year was a repeat performance of that year. He was so gracious, but I was NOT a fan. 

This year, I made sure we got three days off in a row for his birthday so we could go have an adventure in Abby. I was going to pick a state park we hadn't explored and go have a grand time. We were going to leave Wednesday night after we finished our shift and be gone all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for his actual birthday. And then...there was a meeting on Friday that we couldn't miss. Right in the middle of the three day stretch. 

That was the end of the camping trip. 

I was determined not to let it dampen my spirit though. I decided we would pick a park close at hand and just spend his actual birthday hiking.

And then it rained. All. The. Live. Long. Day.

So! Would you like to hear about the next plan?

We needed to do something inside because of the rain, but of course those options are still limited. But I remembered that my friends Adam and Michele (hi, Michele!) told me about an adventure they had some time ago that sounded really fun. I decided this was the winner for the day!

We got up early and headed out toward Elkhart, Indiana. This is in a county we've already toured, so we had already seen some of the sights. Somehow, though, we missed a big one!

Before we get to that, though, we stopped at a place called the Baker's Nook Cafe. It's just a little mom and pop spot I read about online. We really enjoyed it. Food was super tasty, and Ryan was excited that they had Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. (That was the coffee we drank all week long on our honeymoon, so it has a special place in our hearts.) 

Then we went to our destination for the day!

The RV Hall of Fame and Museum was actually a lot of fun, and we're so glad we went. It was a perfect activity for a rainy day, and we almost had the entire place to ourselves while we were there, which made it even better! 

There is an exhibition hall inside with a collection of vintage campers and motor homes that tell the story of how this industry came to be. Oh how very glad I was that I did not have to camp in the twenties and thirties! (Of the 1900s that is.) Whew. I won't show you all the pictures we took, but here's a sampling of our day.

We started out in the theater to watch the 7 minute introductory movie. Had the whole place to ourselves! 

I really liked the little display they had of a miniature assembly line. It was fun to get a feel for how RVs are made from start to finish. (And it also took me back to the Barbie days we talked about a few days ago. LOL!) 

Then it was time to start seeing full size models! I think Ryan wanted this car more than the trailer behind it. 

I have to confess that it seems strange to me to think of people who drove cars of this era...camping. I feel like this is an odd match-up. 

This one made me smile. And the S on the wall inside made it feel like we for sure needed a picture with it. 

Then we headed into the main exhibition hall, and I found it darling that they had them all lined up beside a road!

We had fun peeking inside these vintage campers, and in some cases, we could actually walk inside!

This reminded me of an old pie safe...but in an RV. 

Why have a bunk when you can have twin hammocks? I told Ryan they should bring this back. Hammocks are in...why not make a bed a hammock?

Where's Ryan?

Fancy!  Front and back door!

Even Abby has come a long way from these days:

After we were done walking through the exhibition hall, we were able to go upstairs and see it from above!

We had a great time at the museum. (Though I do still have a sore head from misjudging the entrance to a doorway and taking a HARD hit.)

We were done sooner than we anticipated, so we headed back home, and on the way, Ryan indulged me with a quick stop in Shipshewana to see if they still had the little cabins I fell in love with a couple of summers ago. They DO!!!!

Loved it.

We came home and sweet Justine had made Ryan a buckeye pie, so that served as his cake for the day. He didn't mind a bit!

He said he had a happy birthday, and I sure hope so!! :)