Hershey on my Mind

Did you hear that? Listen carefully, and you'll notice the sound of my stomach busily digesting all the chocolate I have consumed over the past week. Yes, I spent a week at Hershey, and lived to tell the tale. I endured decadent chocolate desserts, a chocolate massage, and a chocolate-buying spree. I even ate steak sauteed in a chocolate reduction sauce (delicious!) I have visited my mecca, paid my respects (and money and some inches on my waistline), and can now lay claim to harmony with the universe. All is right with the world (insert big contented sigh here). Best of all, I can now say that I am helping charity whenever I purchase Hershey products. Why? Because a certain percentage of all sales go towards the maintenance and expansion of the Hershey School. The school was set up by Milton Hershey in the early 1900s to house and educate orphan boys. It was later expanded to include girls and children whose parents are struggling to make ends meet. There are currently about 1,400 students, and it's open to kids from all over the US, and the families do not pay a dime for anything. Their schooling, their clothes, their food, their upkeep, EVERYTHING is taken care of by the Hershey Foundation. They live in homes with guardians (parents, really). When they graduate, they can receive a college scholarship of $70,000 to be applied to the school of their choice. These kids are given a chance at a decent life -- something every child deserves. What could be better than that?

We also enjoyed some time in Amish country, rode in an Amish buggy, enjoyed Amish cooking, got lost in a corn maze (but finished after 2 hours), explored caves on foot and in a boat, and just generally enjoyed the beautiful countryside. Above are some photos from our trip:

(1) Me inside the Indian Echo Cave

(2) Photo from the parking lot of Hershey Chocolate World. (That's a world I could live in).

(3) Crystal clear springs in the IE Cave. The photo (which is sideways) doesn't do it justice -- it's an amazing site.

(4) Remain of the pumpkin patch on the farm where we did the corn maze. We just missed the Halloween celebration by a couple of days, but the maze was fun -- we did it at night with flashlights.