Another fantastic RTR Road Trip was had in August of 2016. Wendy Walton our social chair knocked it out of the park with a trip to the Omni Bedford Springs Resort located in Bedford. The group, 73 Riesentoters, met at the usual place in King of Prussia around 9am. We signed waivers and where handed packets that contained a CD full of driving songs, turn by turn directions for all destinations, plus the names of all those destinations, along with information about the resort. There was also a goody bag that contained water, Gator Aide, and snacks for the trip. At 9:30 it was wheels up and we all headed for the turnpike west.

Instead of taking the boring TP all the way to Bedford, we exited after the first tunnel....with 38 Porsches that was worth the trip alone...it sounded like you were live inside a hornets' next. Then we took 75 South and made our way to the original road west through the state....and that was route 30 West. At the top of the first hill we stopped for lunch at the Mountain House, a true biker bar with a killer view of the valley. A buffet lunch was served containing sliced hot roast beef sandwiches, baked chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, and pasta salad for a hold-on-to-your-hats-price of a whopping $8 per person. Yes you read that right. From lunch is was a winding path of about an hour on the old 30 until we reached our destination.

The Omni Bedford Springs is jaw-dropping when you first approach. Its 216 rooms nestled among 2500 acres of golf, hiking trials, fishing, it's no wonder many presidents have stayed here. The rest of Friday was left to be, meaning there was nothing planned for the group. Our members elected to get messages, played a round of golf, fished some, and then dined either in the lovely town of Bedford or among the 5 restaurants at the resort one which included a chef's table experience (see slideshow above). Saturday would be a different story.

That story started off in the library room at 8:30am for a brief meeting, then we lined up our cars and snaked our way west on some of the nicest roads Pennsylvanian has to offer. During the ride we hit a few drops of rain which subsided just as we arrived at the most famous piece of American architecture of the the 20th century - Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright. Breathtaking is really all that could be said with an actual visit. Once on the tour of the inside of the house a little rain had fallen but as soon as it was time to leave, the rain had stopped. After about 2 hours, we headed into the town of Falls City, which turns out is a huge biking and white water rafting gathering spot. We saw the entire L.L. Bean Spring 2016 catalog being worn by every hipster in a 100 mile radius. No worries, even though the town was packed we had plenty of parking right next to our outside pavilion own and operated by the Falls City Pub. They provided us with a home-cooked BBQ buffet which included, ribs, brisket, chicken, corn on the cob, and coleslaw....down right delicious. As lunch was served the sky opened with a bit more rain but suddenly stopped when it was time to head for our cars.

From lunch we again snaked our way through country back roads but this time in torrential rain, hurricane-like rain, sideways rain....it rained a lot. This was on our way to the Flight 93 Memorial. We eventually found the new entrance to the memorial and after about a 2 mile drive into the park, the rain started to subside once again. Once everyone made a pit-stop, the sun was shining once again. Wendy could not have planned it any better. The memorial itself is beautifully done but somber is the best word to describe such a sight. It's almost impossible not to feel the exact same emotions that tore through us on that unforgettable day. From the memorial it was about a 30 minute trek back to the resort where we had a few hours of downtime.

Saturday evening was set aside for a group dinner at Horn-of-Plenty. First off what the hell is this place doing way out in the middle of nowhere...I mean right dab in the middle of the state of Pennsylvania? It would be perfectly suitably being close to a metropolitan area but if it were you would never be able to get a table, for it would be constantly crowed with foodies. We found this place while searching for a place that could accommodate a large group...over 60. When we called, they could not have been nicer and very eager to take our business. With a few short phone calls and an email or two we were set for a pre fixe meal that our entire club would thoroughly enjoy along with few last minuted dietary requests that were handled perfectly.

Horn of Plenty has plenty of parking and plenty of room for the 69 of us that partook in the meal. We had the entire place to ourselves and I must apologies to the locals who were turned away at the door on a Saturday (since you live close I know you will be back in the very near future). The entire room was beautifully set, with long tables of 6 or 8 and a few scattered 4 to entice dinner conversations with friends or new acquaintances. What I loved were the wooden tables and old school chairs that brought back memories and believe it or not were quite comfortable. The meal consisted of a garden salad that seemed never ending with both greens and taste. Every mouth full was an explosion of freshness. Our main course was a filet perfectly cooked topped with a kiss of mushrooms over polenta. Dessert followed next, fresh warm peaches over a buttery vanilla cake. It was a lovely ending to such a great day.

Sunday was set aside for more spa treatments, and leave whenever you want. As always, new friends were made, and one-by-one the Porsches exited the parking on their way back to their hectic lives. Bedford Springs Resort was a welcoming vacation which is not too far away.

Stay tuned for the end of September Wendy will be making her official announcement on next year's RTR Road Trip