Tuesday, 8th May

We needed our walking shoes today (takkies/sneakers - whatever!!) ;-)

We started the day at Crystal Cave, located in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The cave was beautiful (but made creepy by our tour guide - and it was not intentional - it was just him! ;-)) Within the cave, we saw the Cathedral Chamber, the Crystal Ballroom, Ear of Corn, Abraham Lincoln, a Totem Pole and the Indian Head.

After some mandatory shopping at the gift store (where we posed with Philly Cheesesteaks on our heads!), Connor took us on a tour of the Hex Signs in the area. We spotted some colourful and intricate signs and Ferdi 'attempted' to interpret them for us (he was briefly assisted by a farmer - who looked more like a Harley-Davidson owner than a farmer, with tattoos and a 'Lord of Darkness' t-shirt!)

After the Hex Signs Tour we went to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store for lunch - a Southern-style restaurant with good, hearty meals! The food included meatloaf, steak fries, corn, beans, carrots, chicken-and-dumplings, hashbrown casserole, country fried steak, deep fried okra, mashed potatoes and, of course, root beer to wash it all down!! :-)

After such a big lunch it was time to work off those calories - the next stop was a hike up Hawk Mountain!! Hawk Mountain is a sanctuary for birds of prey along the Appalachian Flyway where more than 20 species of hawks can be spotted. We took the 'Express Route' to the North Lookout (quite a steep climb!) and sat admiring the view and watching the hawks meandering on the breeze.

Next we went to The Peanut Shop in Port Clinton for some candy shopping. We found some very unusual sweets and Carl bought a stack of Pop Rocks and was popping all the way home! Although the day wasn't fast-paced, we were all feeling tired by the end of it - with the exception of Jack, who dozes off every time a car starts moving!! ;-)

After a teeny bit of shopping at Target, we were taken back to our host families for the evening.