August 13-14, 2012 Hanover, PA

We left Maryland and traveled to Pennsylvania. Finally north of the Mason Dixon line, back in yankee country. The  GPS took us a circuitous route, down a dirt road, through Frogtown to our campground at Codorus State Park. It is outside Hanover.

Welcome to PA. , Frogtown Rd sign.

The bus in the campground. So nice to be back out of the city.  An American Chestnut experimental plot in the state park.  The American chestnut was wiped out in the blight in the early 1920’s. They still come up, but die of the blight before they get old enough to produce chestnuts. They are trying to cross the American chestnuts with the Chinese chestnuts and make a resistant tree.

Sunset from the campground over Lake Marburg.  We went into Hanover today and discovered the Utz Potato chip factory. You can smell the chips from blocks away. We took the tour.

This is the early potato peeler and slicer from when William and Sadie Utz started making potato chips in their home in 1921. The company has stayed in the family since then. They don’t let you take photos of the factory, so these are from the web. This is the special glass enclosed observation gallery that looks down on the production process from above. There is a push button audio tour that explains the process. Really fascinating to watch   potatoes to chips in bags, in boxes being shipped out. It takes about 30 minutes for that process. Millions of chips.

This is another web photo, this bin of chips is large enough to dive into and gorge yourself.  They have samples at the end of the tour. They are delicious. John in the factory outlet store trying to decide which type to buy.

gross, chocolate covered chips. John in front of their outlet store with a bag of chips. He resisted buying them all.

The sign on the factory. A potato chip tanker!!! Snyder of Hanover- they make pretzels is also in town. You need advance reservations to tour their factory.  Nearby in York is the Harley Davidson factory. Can’t decide whether to tour battle grounds in Gettysburg, or factories.

Hanover Shoe Farm, one of the largest Standardbred horse breeders in the world. The 4000 acre farm, founded in 1926 is home to some 1,800 horses, many of which are record breaking trotters and pacers.  I loved these old barns built in the 1920’s. They had their stallions inside, since severe thunderstorms are predicted. They did not want these multimillion dollar horses struck by lightening. They were huge beautiful animals. One did not like being inside and he was prancing around, slamming the walls, when we came close he  picked up a mouthful of hay and threw it at us.  The farm was started by the owners of the Hanover Shoe company. It is still owned by  the family.

The mares and colts are out to pasture in the back.  Here are two mares and colts. Another shot of the cool barns.