Change of Plans

After returning from Gettysburg we moved to a new campground that wasn't originally on our course. Since we were able to secure two tickets for the Sight & Sound Theater production of Moses, we decided on Tuesday to see if we could get into the Muddy Run Campground which is closer to the show's venue in Lancaster. We discovered the campground on our return trip back from Lancaster the prior day. Muddy Run had room available so we booked two nights there starting on Wednesday, August 30, one day earlier then we planned on leaving Codorus Park. On Wednesday late afternoon, we moved to Muddy Run to stay for 2 nights before driving south to North East, Maryland..

We arrived at Muddy Run Campground around 6 PM and set up for the evening before it got too dark. The campground is only 30 minutes from the theater, making it easy to get there by 10:15 AM for the 11 AM matinee. On Thursday morning we drove to the theater and parked the truck only, leaving the RV back at the campground. We had incredible seats in the eighth row, center section, theater level.

We didn't know what to expect. My parents got season tickets for broadway musical shows at the Curran Theater in San Francisco while my sister and I were in high school, so I grew up with a real love for live theater. Years ago on a trip to New York City with my daughter Elisa and son Erik, I made a point of taking them to see Cats and Le Miserable so they could have the same experience I had growing up. This would be the standard I would measure any production by and my expectations were measured.

Frankly, Karen and I were both blown away by the excellent quality of Moses! The musical score, the on-stage talent, the sets, live animals and special effects were no less than first rate Broadway quality. The production was throughly first class and we loved it. Throughout the show I was moved to tears because I couldn't help thinking of my mom and dad and how much they would have enjoyed this whole experience. Karen was also moved to tears with the beautiful way the story of Moses and God's faithfulness was presented. At the end of the performance I had to literally stay seated just to catch my breath.

Once we left the theater complex, we drove to another Lancaster landmark for lunch. The Shady Maple Smorgasbord, Lancaster County's premiere smorgasbord buffet, is the largest in the USA and features the founder's favorite family recipes prepared fresh daily in the traditional, Pennsylvania Dutch way! It has 1,200 seats in its main dining area plus an additional 1,000 seats in a banquet room.

The family opened the now-famous Shady Maple Smorgasbord and gift shop in 1983. What started as a 300-seat restaurant now seats nearly 2,000 and boasts almost 200 feet of authentically delicious Pennsylvania Dutch cooking.

All you could eat for $17.95 each less the senior discount of 10% made the lunch a bargain. The food quality was quite exceptional with an amazing variety of items to select from. Don't come here unless you're prepared to chow down! We skipped breakfast and didn't arrive until 3:00 PM so we were ready to get to it. After checking out the downstairs gift shop we drove back to Muddy Run with full bellies and some wonderful memories of our time in the Amish Country of Pennsylvania..