more Kentucky

Sorry about no posting for yesterday, I was just to lazy to try and find something to talk about as we both just lazied around most of the day.  Tomorrow we travel on our way to Nashville.

This morning we got out for some more adventures.  Kentucky is known for its Blue Grass music, thoroughbred horses, bourbon, tobacco, and fried chicken.  We have seen/enjoyed all of the above in the past few days except for the last one so today we drove to Corbin, KY to the birthplace of KFC.  We had lunch at Col Harland Sanders Cafe and Court where he developed his secret receipt.  The restaurant counter now is just a modern KFC with the same menu as thousands of others around the world.  The dining area however was in the original cafe with museum displays around it preserving the original kitchen, office, cabin room, and other items.

 a model of the original

 There was a ghost in the room.

 

After lunch we drove to the Cumberland Falls State Park to see the falls there.  It was a short but scenic drive from Corbin with a fairly easy walking path to the top of the falls.  I took the path to the lower viewing area but it was too many steps for Jo.

 In the next two you can see the rainbow that is constant in the mist on sunny days.  They say that there is also a moonbow on nights of full moon but it would take special photo efforts to capture that event.  They say that this is the only waterfall on this hemisphere that has a moonbow.

 These next two are from the lower viewing platform.

 Some views of this scenic river.

a Sunday day of rest

Today is a day of rest and grocery shopping.  We found a WM Supercenter and stocked up on a few things, mostly fresh fruit and veggies.

We both really enjoyed last evenings show better than the Friday night big name performers show.  Last night it was a large cast of local musicians and performers that gave us a wide variety of entertainment.  There were three or four male singers that each did their couple of numbers and also that many female singers that did the same.  They had a very good clogging dance routine by a couple of young sisters plus there were banjo and fiddle solo acts.  All were very talented and made the evening go by very fast.  This Saturday night barn dance has been continuous for the past 70+ years with new people added as older ones leave the cast.  The back up group of musicians, the Renfro Vally band, was super.

more bourbon fun

Another day, another two distilleries visited.  This morning we visited the Four Roses distillery and then after lunch we toured the Woodford Reserve.  This last one was the best tour of all four, two yesterday and two today, but they were the stingiest with their tasting sample.  The other three were glad to let us sample two of their best brands while this last one only let us have one sip of their lesser label.  Still we have had fun with these tours.  While each one has many of the same processes as the others they each proudly describe something that is unique in their operation that makes their brands "the best."

To be called bourbon they all have to meet certain standard requirements which includes a minimum percentage of corn in the grain mixture and the use of a new white oak barrel for aging.  We had been told several years ago that to be called bourbon it had to have been made in Kentucky but now they tell us that it can be made anywhere in the USA as long as the minimum guidelines are met.  However, 95% is still produced right here in KY.  That is primarily because of the availability of corn grown in this area plus the spring fed water is limestone filtered for purity.  Also white oak is plentiful here so some barrels are made here but a lot are shipped here from Lebanon, MO.  They can only use the barrels one time so they then sell them to other types of alcohol production or to the Louisiana hot sauce producers.  The left over grain mash is given to the local farmers for free to use as livestock feed.  With all the producers in this area that means there is a whole lot of happy cows and pigs.

Tonight we have another music show to attend.  This one is what they call their Saturday Night Barn Dance which will be a group of local musicians performing and entertaining, it should be fun.

Sorry no pictures today.  Just look at yesterdays again and you can see what we saw.

Oh the sun shines bright...

.... on my old Kentucky home.  This morning we drove to Bardstown, KY where just south of there is a state park located at the homestead that inspired Stephen Foster to write this Kentucky State song.  We had a very nice lunch at the "Old Talbott Tavern" which is right downtown Bardstown and has been declared an historic building that Abe Lincoln had been there.  We're sure that he had the same lunch that we did.

After lunch we toured two bourbon distilleries and while most of them have a similar process they all have a different recipe and story to tell.  These pictures are mostly from one of them and it was interesting to know that they mostly get their oak barrels from Lebanon, MO.  This first picture is the vertical still and looks nothing like the (next to last) picture which is in the lobby of the other bourbon maker.

 

Tonight we have tickets to a music show and will be walking that way soon.  The headline performers are Moe Bandy, Janie Frickie, and David Frizzell.

Kentucky Museum of Music

This morning we visited this museum that originally began with it's main interest as Kentucky Blue Grass music.  It has been expanded to include all forms of music by folks from this state.  We enjoyed all the great displays which included many references to Bill Monroe who is considered as the father of blue grass music.  This portrait of Bill is one of the first displays that we saw.

 

This location in Rock Castle County, KY is the site of a radio broadcast of country music that started around 1935 by business man John Lair jointly with Red Foley and one other man.

 Red Foley was driven to several performances by his brother that owned this car.  Later in his career Red moved to Springfield, MO to headline the Ozark Jubilee.

This small model Martin guitar was played by Loretta Lynn.

This display of the Everly Brothers was  a must for a photo because their hit "All I have to do is dream" was popular while Jo and I were dating long distance between Columbia and Springfield.

There were three pump organs in their displays but we got these two pictures the one is quite ornate and the other had a lesson on shape notes on a black board above it.  The third one was very small and looked home-made so not very photogenic

 

 

Renfro Valley

It was a short drive today except for crossing the time line where we lost an hour.  We just played like we were still on Central time and had lunch after we got setup in the campground.

We are in a campground in the Renfro Valley Music Complex and it is just a short walk to the music shows that we have tickets for on Friday and Saturday evenings.  This will also be our base doing any other tourist thing while here at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.

It's good to be on the road again

... even if we didn't get away this morning as early as planned.  I had an appointment with my dermatologist yesterday and she was supposed to send a prescription to our pharmacy yesterday afternoon.  I checked with our pharmacy just before quitting time and found that it was not there which meant that we would not get an early start today.  I called my doctor's office as soon as they opened this morning and a nurse then called the RX to the pharmacy.  I was at their door when they opened this morning and we were on our way only an hour and a half later than plan "A".

The drive today felt good to be rolling again even if we have seen the scenery along this route many times before.  Jo usually likes to keep a road map unfolded so she can check where we are but today she just read her book and left her maps alone.

Juror number nine

Back at the ol' Martin Manor and all is well.  Our night blooming cerius did bloom sometime in the past few days and we don't see any more buds at this time.  We have lots of pictures of those blooms from previous years so just have to hope we will be here the next time it opens up.

In the mail we did get Jo's jury notice for the two weeks in mid August as we were told earlier.  Her Juror number is 0009 so now we will just have to call in each week of that time to find out if she has to report to the court house.

We also had a check in the mail for the rest of our roof replacement from our insurance company.  Now we will need the final bill from the roofer and then we should be good for another 30+ years.

Now I have a full month to finalize plans for our September outing.

Almost in Missouri

We are set up for the night in Nebraska City, NE which is only about 12 miles from our entrance into MO.  We used to stop in Rock Port, MO in a KOA but that campground went downhill and lost their KOA association and I don't know if there is even a campground there any more.  We found this one in Nebraska City that is very nice.  It's a Good Sam park and not a KOA but it still make for a good stop on our way home with tomorrows drive only 300 miles which is about a 5 +/- hour drive.

Yesterday was a quiet day and we only got out in the evening to fuel up the truck, find some BBQ for supper, and stop at the grocery store for a few essentials.  In the past few years we have found a few "Famous Dave's" BBQ restaurants and found the food to be very good.

Falls of the Sioux River

This morning we drove to the Falls Park in downtown Sioux Falls.  We visited this park 12 years ago and I'm sure if we pull out our photo album from that trip we will find many of the same pictures as today.  It is a great park with the granite boulders adding color to the green lawns and falling waters.

Falls Park Pictures

southbound

Once we turned south on I-29 we had a tail wind that sure helped with the fuel economy.

Tonight we are back in the Sioux Falls, SD KOA.  We were here 12 years ago tomorrow on our way back to Springfield because Mom was in the hospital.  The morning we planned to leave one of our slide-outs wouldn't pull in so I went next door to an RV service shop for help.  They weren't open on Saturday so we had to stay put for the weekend but we were able to get some help on Monday and were on our way.  We are here for three nights this trip so plan to revisit some of the local attractions that we enjoyed on that forced stay.

At the beginning of this trip I found a problem with our hitch in the truck that forced me to manually alter the hitching process.  While in MN I searched the net for a dealer for my brand of hitch and found one here in Sioux Falls.  I called them and ordered the necessary part so it would be here today.  I just now picked it up and replaced the broken part so now we are as good as new in the hitch department and ready for continued travels.

ahoy mate

This morning I let Jo paddle me around this small lake by the campground.  They have three paddle boats for campers use and we took the one that everyone told us was the easiest to peddle, not the one in my picture.

The lake shore line is covered in lily pads and reed grass and the hard part of the peddling was just to get through that out to the open water.

This is looking back toward the dock.

This is a beaver lodge in one corner of the lake.  The small black dot on the left edge is a loon that was one of a pair we saw as we approached this spot.  We can listen to the loons from our campsite in the evenings.

The lily pads all over the lake are covered with these large snails.  I told Jo that we could pick up a bucket full and she could fix them for lunch.  She didn't think that was too good of an idea so we left them alone.

It was a fun short ride with some good leg exercising.

Game, Set, & Match

Okay! State t-shirt number 50 of 50 has been bagged.  This morning we drove to Fargo, ND and found the last State t-shirt of Jo's collection.  Now we will not have to stop on Friday as we travel south and homeward bound.  Friday's journey will take us to Sioux Falls, SD for a couple of days before we continue toward MO.

Mississippi Headwaters

This morning we took a drive to the town of Bemidji, MN which claims to be the first city on the Mississippi River.  While there we visited with Paul Bunyan and Babe his blue ox and had a nice lunch before we took a short drive to the headwaters of the Mississippi River which flows out of Lake Itasca.  There are rocks that sure footed folks can walk on to cross but for us older folks there is a nice log bridge.  Some folks just chose to wade across.

today's Pictures

Nice drive

Today we moved across the State of Minnesota to the western side near Detroit Lakes, MN.  This campground is on the banks of a large lake and away from any major highway so it should be very quiet.  We are here for four nights and will just have to see what we might do or explore.

Cool

It's in the lower 50s temperature wise here in upper MN right now (7:00 am) and that requires the heat pump to be on for a change, nice.

We really enjoyed the music show last evening.  It was 2 1/2 hours of good entertainment with a house band composed of lead guitar, drums, bass guitar, and steel guitar.  The traveling performers for the evening were Roger Tibbs and Naomi Bristow who did two sets each.  Roger Tibbs is from New Zealand and has a real good voice and an outstanding yodeler.  Naomi is 15 years old, from Canada, and calls herself the yodelin' cowgirl.  She has a strong, good voice and does a great job with the yodelin'.  They both did a good variety of country songs that showed off the range of their talents.

St Croix River boat tour

This morning we drove to Taylor Falls, MN and took a river boar tour down the St Croix river.  It was fun and the weather was great.  I did get a few photos as can be found in the link below but I missed the biggest landmark picture.  Just a short way down river from the dock the captain told about a formation in the rock walls of the dalles (river canyon formed by glacier) that looked like a very large cross.  I could see the image in the stone but was on the wrong side of the boat to get a picture.  It is this landmark that gave the St Croix river it's name.

St Croix River boat tour

If you zoom in to picture #5 you can see rock climbers on this rock face.

Tonight we have tickets to the Midwest Country music show in Sandstone, MN which is just a few miles north of our campground.

day of rest

After two days on the road we made it a quiet day of rest.  I did spend most of the morning on the phone finding a part for our hitch that is broken.  The hitch does work and is secure but the broken part requires an extra manual force applied when hitching up.  I was able to find an RV service in Sioux Falls, SD where we will be staying next weekend that could order the part and have it there for us then.

We have plans for tomorrow to take a boat ride and then tomorrow evening we will attend the Midwest Country Show.

BINGO

Bagged one of two so now we only need a ND t-shirt for our goal.  We had a little bit of fun on our way through Saint Paul.  We were northbound on I-35E and there were signs that told us that loads over 9,000 lbs were not permitted ahead of us.  I assumed they would have an overweight detour but that wasn't the case and we finally came to an exit that said all loads over 9,000 lbs must exit.  Since we are about 24,000 lbs I did exit and ended up on some city streets.  Ms Navi tried to help us and found a route that connected back to I-35E northbound a few miles further ahead so I thought we would be fine.  When we got to the on-ramp there was a sign that said no loads over 9K so that was not an option.  We resorted to paper maps and found a numbered state route over to the outer, outer loop which allowed us to get back on track with only a little delay.

We are settled now for four nights and will find something to do to enjoy this area, hopefully with some cooler temperatures.

The final hunt is on

We're on our way northbound in search of the final two t-shirts to complete Jo's 50 State Quilt.  She will then be able to wrap herself up in her 50 State quilt while drinking coffee from her 50 State coffee mugs.

Tonight we are in Story City, IA which is just a few miles north of Ames, the home of Iowa State University.  Ames is also where the Iowa DOT headquarters is located and I have been there many times in the past for business reasons as we always worked very close with our northern neighbor.

New shoes

I took the trailer into town this morning and had new shoes installed so now I feel more comfortable in starting out on any new trips.  The old tires were only a little over two and a half years old but were showing some strange wear patterns.  One of the internet forums that I read has a thread about my old brand of tires that listed several with the same wear patterns that I had plus they have had several blowouts on the road which I hope that I have avoided.  It's a known fact that trailer/RV tires don't wear out from miles on the road but usually have to be replaced due to aging from the sun.  Four 17.5" 16 ply tires aren't cheap but worth it for peace of mind.

HOT

We are back at the ol' Martin Manor and wish we could just turn around and head northerly.  The temps are way up there and the weather man says 96° but with the humidity so high you can squeeze drops it sure  feels much hotter.  Each trip carrying stuff from the trailer to the house required a long time just sitting to catch our breath at each end of the trip.

Now we wait to see what Jo's jury duty time will be before we plan any additional trips.

the penultimate day

It's the penultimate day for this excursion and tomorrow we set up in the Martin Manor RV park for awhile.  We will have to see when Jo gets her jury duty notice before we can make plans for the next trip.  The time at home will be good as there are a few things that need to be taken care of with the trailer before we head out again.  We still enjoy our trailer outings very much.

We had a call this morning from our roofer and it looks like early next week is the current plan for our new roof.

start of the road home

This leg of our trip home is the longest days drive but doable and makes the rest of the journey homeward comfortable.  West from Baltimore to Morgantown is through the mountains of Western Maryland including Sidling Hill, Martin Mtn, Bread Loaf Mtn, Negro Mtn, and others.  There are no level roadways as it is all either up hill or down hill mostly at long 6% grades.  These mountain climbs were the reason that in November of 1999 on our first trip with the gas powered truck and with the slow crawl up these grades that I went home and ordered our first diesel truck.  We haven't found our homeland on Martin Mountain but some day we may have to look for it.

time near Baltimore

We dropped Phyllis off at her house yesterday afternoon and then got settled in at our campsite for a bit of rest.  This morning we met Phyllis, Tammy and Bryan at Bob Evans for a Sunday morning brunch before a bit of grocery shopping and then a card game at Phyllis' table.

Tomorrow it's the road homeward with our first stop in Milton, WV.

Almost there

Tomorrow we get Phyllis reunited with her Rosie.  Phyllis' friend Tammy has been looking after Rosie and texting Phyllis after each visit with reports of "all is well" and including pictures.

Sunday morning we have plans to meet with Tammy for brunch and then Jo and I head westward on Monday morning.

South bound

It was a very scenic drive today through southwestern VT and north central NY to our campground.  This campground is quite a ways off of the Interstate and the access roads are twisty and narrow.  After getting set up it took me close to two hours to finally get the satellite in a location for us to get TV.  We watched a couple of shows before a very large Class A motor home pulled into the adjacent spot and totally blocked our signal.  I just went out and put away our satellite and we will play a few hands of cards this evening, not much on anyway.

Quechee Gorge

They call this the Grand Canyon of Vermont.  This gorge is just a few miles from our campsite and there were some souvenir shopping and a nice lunch spot nearby.  We also found a nice grocery store for a few needed items.

Tomorrow we head back toward Baltimore.

mission accomplished 5 of 5 in the bag

This morning we went northwesterly toward Montpelier in search of the last t-shirt for this trip.  After accomplishing that goal we took off for a tour of the western side of Vermont.  The drive was through the Green Mountains and with all the tree cover they surely are that.  We drove beside clear mountain streams and rivers rolling over their rocky stream beds.  We kept watching for deer, moose, and bear to cross the road as we drove along but no such luck or animal sightings.  Tomorrow we will do a little more VT touring before we head back south toward MD.

We found a nice Irish Pub for lunch and Phyllis had some fried dill pickles to go with her sandwich.

Now in Vermont

Our trip today was nice and uneventful.  The highways in this area are all tree lined and the hillsides are all tree covered so lots of green.  We are in the middle of a wooded campground near Quechee, VT with a couple of days ahead to hunt for number 5 of 5 for the t-shirt quest.  May also hunt for some VT cheese, wine, or syrup.  Our last time in VT we hunted several covered bridges and they still are worth visiting if we find any.

Happy Father's Day

This morning we went to the Mystic Aquarium and had a very nice day viewing their displays.  We also watched their sea lion show which was very interesting.  At the ticket counter the folks in front of us were given a free father's day admission for fathers with children.  When we made it to the window I ask for a father's day ticket plus one senior and one adult.  The clerk politely smiled and said that the free admission was only for father's with "young" children and Phyllis didn't count. ;-) She sure counts with me anyhow.

A lot of our pictures through aquarium glass didn't come out well but I think we did get some good ones.  The album below includes pictures from all three of us.

Mystic Aquarium

4 of 5 bagged

This morning we found the RI t-shirt and then drove to a State beach to see the ocean.  Below are a few pictures from that beach access.  Being it's Saturday the local folks were really making use of the day of sunshine on the beach.  We accessed the area through a State Park and had to pay the daily use fee for a place to park.  Private folks along the beach road were renting parking spaces for $20/day.

3 down 2 to go

We are now in our campsite near Mystic, CT.  Along the way we stopped at a truck-stop and Jo was able to bag a CT t-shirt which was on the list.  Now we only have RI & VT to fill our goal for this trip.  Our campground is only a few miles from the RI state line and we are here for the next two days so will head into RI for that hunt and then check out other attractions in this area that might be of interest.

We have traveled over lots of scenic routes on this trip but windshield pictures just don't show the beauty.  Hopefully while we are out we can get a few pictures of the seaports and sailboats in this area.

Success again

It was another successful outing today with the bagging of the 2nd of 5 t-shirts in this trip's purpose.  With a DE t-shirt last Monday and a NJ shirt today we now have only CT, RI, and VT to satisfy that goal.

The drive today was very nice and mostly on local roads past small farms and towns on a winding path.  Just like General Washington we crossed the Delaware River (twice).  Jo found what she thought was a town named Ledgerwood, NJ but when we got there we found that the spelling was almost like her maiden name except that they forgot the "r" so we had a nice lunch in Ledgewood, NJ at a good Irish Pub.

PA roads are rough

Now set up in Eastern PA for the next two nights.  Tomorrow we drive to a nearby truck stop in New Jersey to continue the t-shirt hunt.  Most of Jo's t-shirts have come from truck stops in their souvenir section.  If that doesn't work then it is off to Wall Mart or somewhere else to satisfy the goal.

The weather forecast is for rain most of tomorrow and tomorrow night but then maybe clear up for our drive Friday to CT.

all is calm

... weather wise that is. We had a nice day yesterday with Phyllis helping her move a few things around her house and doing a little bit of shopping with her while our truck was available.  We hauled a wheelbarrow from Lowe's and a large sack of kitty litter from Pets Mart.

This morning we head toward Stroudsburg, PA and the weather is looking good for today.  Tonight and all day tomorrow however is forecast at 100% chance of rain.  A T-shirt hunt tomorrow may result in a wet T-shirt. ;-)

mission accomplished

This morning Jo and I headed toward Delaware in search of a T-shirt and it was a successful hunt.  Phyllis decided to stay home today and get caught up on her laundry so she can pack for her trip with us starting Tuesday.  There were rain showers, some very heavy, off and on all day and they still continue this evening.  There were severe storm warnings and even a tornado watch with possibly a sighting in the Woodbine area (in the vicinity of our campground) around 7:00 this evening.  We were with Phyllis at that time and didn't get back to the campground until around 8:00 and on the way here there was a tree down across the roadway near the campground but no apparent storm damage in the campground.

Her yard looks real nice

Phyllis has sure been working around her house and yard.  She has used landscape stone work to mark out several beds and small gardens.  After the tour of her yard we went to the Double T Diner for a bite to eat and with the left-overs in some boxes we will have another meal before we leave this area.  She has laundry planned for tomorrow while Jo and I drive over to Delaware to find the first T-shirt to begin the hunt this trip is designed for.  We will visit again Tuesday with her before the three of us head out Wednesday on the hunt for the remaining T-shirts from this area.  If this hunt is successful then she will have 48 of the 50 state shirts.  The last two would be ND and MN and we have plans for that hunt later this year.

yesterday's hitch

Yesterday's trip was almost as usual except for a hitch as we were passing through Lexington.  Just as we were entering the urban limits we saw red taillights in front and slowed to a stop.  We spent the next hour in a three lane parking lot with a lot of other folks.  When we finally got to the accident site there was a lot of hay strewn along the median barrier and pieces of a horse trailer were being hauled off.  We just hope that if there was a horse in the trailer that it was okay.  At one point there was an emergency response vehicle driving down the shoulder pulling a trailer with "equine rescue" on the back heading toward the accident site.

Today we head for Woodbine, MD and our campground which is only about 20 miles from Phyllis' house.

Our trip for tee shirt hunting in the northeast

We're on our way again stopping this evening in a campground we have used many times.  Our trips to Baltimore have been made so many times that we have the rest stops, fuel, and campground locations memorized.  Our day started with a small oops on my account as we made it almost to the highway before I realized that I hadn't picked up my billfold, glasses and pocket items.  It was simply a loop around the block and then park in the roadway in front of our house while I ran back in for the goodies.  We always wonder just what we did forget as we head down the road but without my glasses and drivers license the trip wouldn't have been any fun at all.  We couldn't just buy those items at Wall Mart or Dollar General.

Home again

Backed in around noon today after a very nice and enjoyable trip.  We really enjoyed the area around Taos, New Mexico and except for the tornado scare in Oklahoma the trip was uneventful.  We had a relaxing few days in the Springfield area for a couple of nice visits with our sisters.

Now it's regroup, repack, and get ready for our June trip which starts on June 7.  This next trip is to the northeast and a visit with Phyllis along with a tee shirt hunt for Jo.  She need just a few more to have her 50 state tee shirts that she intends to turn into a quilt.

See you in a couple of weeks.

nice visit with Vena

Sister Vena flew into Springfield this morning and came out to our trailer.  We just got back from dinner out and will visit until bedtime.  Tomorrow she is meeting an old friend for lunch and then headed toward West Plains and a visit with Neva.  We will also pull out of here in the morning and head toward the ol' Martin Manor RV park.

This will be a short stay at Martin Manor as on June 7 we head eastward for our June trip and visit with Phyllis.

just loafing

It is nice to have a day once in awhile without plans so we can just loaf or do whatever.  This morning we did drive to the local Camping World for some shopping.  Camping World is the RV owners shopping mart with everything you could think of or need for this life style.

This OLD man drove off from our campsite in Oklahoma City and left our water pressure regulator and water filter out by the hydrant and when we arrived in Alma, AR had to go to an RV dealership to try and replace them.  What I found there was enough to get us by in Arkansas.  Since Camping World is close to here I was able, with the help of Lowe's, to get our system back where I had it before the memory loss.  It was after lunch when I went to Lowe's and Jo did some housekeeping (vacuuming) while I was gone.  Now it's just rest and relax time.

Wilma

Yesterday afternoon and this morning we have had a very nice visit with Wilma.  Yesterday was her 73rd birthday so we took her out for a dinner.  This morning we picked her up and took her with us to Humansville for our visit to Mom and Dad's cemetery.  Then back to Springfield to visit Greenlawn cemetery where Jo's Mom and Dad are along with Wilma's husband, Ira.  After taking Wilma back to her house we are now back in the trailer for lunch and an afternoon siesta.

Back in Missouri

It was a nice drive this morning from Alma, AR to Ozark, MO.  We arrived a little after noon and after getting setup had a bite of lunch.

Today is Wilma's birthday and we will try to see her sometime this afternoon.  We called her a little bit ago and she was out so will have to try again later.  We will be here until Monday when we will head for the ol' Martin Manor.  While here we will visit cemeteries in Springfield and in Humansville.

On Sunday my sister Vena arrives from Idaho and we will get a good visit with her until Monday morning.  Later in the week she plans to drive up to central MO and we will get to visit some more before she heads back to ID.

Arkansas

The most direct route from Oklahoma City to Springfield would be I-44 all the way.  That trip is longer than we like to make in one day so we decided to make it a two day trip and by driving I-40 to Fort Smith we avoided the Oklahoma turnpikes between Oklahoma City and Joplin.  It was a short drive today to Fort Smith (actually Alma which is just a few miles East) and then tomorrow isn't a long drive either.  Short days of driving is what we like while pulling the trailer.  Since we are making it a two day trip a few more miles doesn't matter.

After the last couple of days of storms and rain it was clear blue skies today with pleasant temperatures.

Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma

After getting all set up in our campground yesterday afternoon we were watching local television and they were on severe storm watch mode watching a strong cell to the southwest.  They had storm chasers tracking the storm and from their cameras we actually watched the funnel form and touch the ground near Bridge Creek, OK.  The projected path was heading toward our campground and the sighting was probably 18-20 miles away traveling at about 25 mph.  The town of Moore where the greatest damage occurred is about 13 miles WSW of our campground and the storms path was in an ENE direction.

We closed up the trailer and jumped into the truck for a quick drive directly South in order to avoid it's path.  We found a parking lot at a safe distance where we parked with our radio on listening to the description of the storms movements while tracking the storm on Oklahoma maps.  Where the tornado finally lifted it was only about 6 miles away from our trailer.  When we drove back to the trailer there had only been some leaves knocked off the trees but no major limb damage and utilities still in operation.

The local television stations have been on air since then with continuous coverage of the recovery work.  At the location of the elementary school where there are known students and teachers missing they continue to dig through the rubble as well as searching house to house hoping to help anyone in a storm shelter that might have been covered with debris.

While we were too close to this storm for comfort yesterday we sure hope that all our friends and family are safe from the remainder of this years storms.

Choctaw, Oklahoma

The address for our campground for the next two nights is Choctaw, OK which is just on the southeast corner of Oklahoma City along I-40.  We are in a severe storm watch for this evening and currently there is a cell southwest of here and scheduled to pass by this area in a couple of hours.  They are saying that the storms have weakened from the past couple of days but we will keep our eyes and ears pealed as they say.

We are here for two nights with thunder storms in the forecast also for tomorrow.  Nothing planned except for a day of rest from rolling down the road.  We probably will get out and search for a grocery store.

Amarillo

I corrected Friday's posting because I had noted the wrong Texas City (that begins with an A) for tonight's stop.  Now we are back in the Central Time Zone which is always nice after trying to adjust our tv viewing schedules and sleep times.

It was a pretty drive south from Taos to Santa Fe through the Rio Grande Gorge and valley.  Once we turned eastward on I-40 south of Santa Fe we had a 20-30 mph tail wind which was quite noticeable on the fuel economy meter.  Where normally we get 9 to 10 mpg, at times with the wind pushing from behind we were getting 25 to 30 mpg.  Even up slight hill grades we were getting 10 to 15 mpg.

Tomorrow we continue eastward to OK City and hopefully the storm system that has hit this area the last couple of days has moved on out.

Kit Carson

At lunchtime today we went into town for a nice (different) experience for lunch.  The brother to our balloon pilot has a brew-pub in town so we tried it out.  There was a large group of Harley riders there watching a hockey game that cheered at any goal but it really wasn't any problem just a lot of fun.  The beer and the food was very good with quite a different atmosphere in a typical adobe house.

Then we toured the Kit Carson house and museum.  Christopher "Kit" Carson was born in Kentucky but his family moved to Missouri near Boonville (Franklin, MO just across the river north) where he grew up.  At around 16 his mother apprenticed him to a saddle maker but he ran away and joined a wagon train headed west on the Santa Fe trail.  From then on his life was as a hunter, trapper, guide and army officer.  He spoke English, Spanish, French, and several Indian dialects plus sign language.  He knew all the country from California to Montana and all points from Taos westward.  His first two wives were Indian, the first died from childbirth of his second child.  The second wife couldn't stand his being away on excursions in the mountains so she divorced him Indian style and left with her tribe.  His third wife was the daughter of a trader from southeast Colorado and she was the one that lived in this house with him for several years and they had several children.  The museum showed a History Channel video of his life and the person that played the part of Kit Carson was actually one of his great great grandsons.

Kit Carson pictures

much better

After her treatment attempts and a good nights sleep last night Jo is feeling much better this morning.  Jo has an appointment for a haircut this afternoon so we are just letting her back get a bit more rest this morning.  She felt like she needed a haircut before we got back home so she ask the lady that was taking pictures at our Monday morning balloon ride for a recommendation.  She told Jo about a shop that was right across the street from our campground so Jo called and made this appointment.

We have sure been spoiled by the temperatures these past several days with morning lows in the low 40s and afternoon highs in the mid to upper 70s.  I just checked the extended forecast for our trip back toward Missouri next week and see that we will probably be using both AC units Sunday afternoon in Amarillo, TX because an afternoon high of 100° is predicted.

just resting

Jo woke up this morning with a hitch in her get-a-long so we have just taken it easy.  She put a heat pad on her back for a little while and took a couple of pills so hope she will be feeling better in the morning.  I did get out to the store for a few essentials and then after lunch warmed up the ol' mandolin for a little bit of practice, I need lots of that.

About the only other local thing that we have talked about visiting is the Kit Carson home and museum here in downtown Taos but we have the next two days to see about that.

the Enchanted Circle Drive

The Enchanted Circle Drive circles Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in New Mexico.

We took this very scenic drive this morning ending back in Taos for a nice lunch before coming back to the trailer.  The local tourism bureau call this drive the Enchanted Circle which begins in Taos then to Questa, NM, across through Red River, NM to Eagle Nest, NM.  We extended the recommended drive at this point to head back eastward through the Cimarron canyon that we saw on our way to Taos last Sunday.  It was such a pretty drive but we couldn't stop for any pictures with the trailer in tow.  This morning we did make several stops to get some pictures of the Cimarron river and the bluff side walls of the canyon.  After the drive out through the canyon and back to Eagle Nest it was then a completion of the circle to Taos.

Our pictures for today

a calm day

After the excitement of yesterday we didn't get in any hurry to get around this morning.  We did go into town and walked/shopped through a few of the quaint shops.  We had a nice lunch in town and then back to the trailer for a calm afternoon.

Our big day aloft

I usually don't set an alarm clock as I'm awake and up by 6:00 am every day, due to my internal clock.  This morning was different as we had an appointment across town at 5:20 so I set an alarm for 4:00 am.  That appointment was with our hot air balloon ride pilot.  The lift off was scheduled right at sun rise and we needed to get the rig to the take off point and get it set up.  The temperature was 34° at the start and near 70 at the finish so therefore the shedding of our coats.

There was one other couple going on this ride with us that was celebrating their 1st wedding anniversary.  We told them they only had 54 more years to go to catch up with us.  There were two men and one lady on the ground crew but they recruited me and the other man in our party to assist in filling the balloon.  Jo and I took several pictures plus the lady with the crew was taking pictures and she will provide us with a CD of those pictures that we should get tomorrow.  Below I have posted our pictures from today and when I get that CD I will post a bunch more.  It was a super enjoyable experience as we lifted off on the rim of the Rio Grande Gorge and then flew down the rift and lowered to the river following the prevailing wind currents through the gorge.  Our pilot told us the intention was to drop down to the river and just touch the basket to the water before rising and traveling between the walls.  The wind currents didn't cooperate so we didn't get to experience the touch down on the water.  We did see a deer along the way and at the landing there were two big horn sheep and our photographer did get a picture of one that should be on our CD.  The touch down was exciting as we bounced along dragging across the sage brush for a bit.  Then all hands, their crew plus all four passengers, assisted in folding up the balloon envelope to get it back in its storage bag.

Following a long time hot air balloon tradition we had a champagne toast and a nice brunch that was set up on a table at our landing site.  This tradition goes back to Paris France and the very first mans flight in a balloon.  We also got certificates of our adventure and Jo found a very pretty set of balloon ear-rings to commemorate the occasion.

After the great ride we drove to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and took a few pictures there.

Click on the text below the image to go to our album for today.  When you get to the album just click on the first picture to then step through all or go to slideshow.

 

click to view our pictures 

click here to view pictures from the CD 

Santa Fe Trail

Most of today's route was following the Santa Fe Trail with most of it along desolated two lane roadway with many miles of nothing but a couple of prairie dog villages and several antelope.  There was hardly any traffic and miles between houses/ranches.  The last stretch was simply beautiful between Cimarron, NM and Eagles Nest, NM through the Cimarron river canyon.  This route was twisty with 20-30 mph curves and a climb of around 3000 feet.

Tonight we are in a very nice campground in Taos, New Mexico and looking forward to a week of adventures.

panhandle

Finally left Kansas a little after lunch today and now settled in the panhandle of Oklahoma.  Our campground is the Coral Drive-In RV park in Guymon, OK which is one of the last in the country, outdoor drive-in movie theater.  We are near the screen and could just sit outside under our awning and watch the show.  Except for the bypass around Wichita this morning our route was again all on Rte 54, these past two days it has been hard to get lost.  In the morning we get off of 54 and take out westward from here in new territory for us.

On the road again

We're back in the RV and headed toward northern New Mexico.  Our first day's drive was all US highway 54 and tomorrow will be another day of the same.  We have traveled this route on our way westward a couple of times in the past and it is a good easy drive, mostly good two lane instead of four lane divided like the interstates.

There was one time this morning that we just barely avoided a catastrophe.  Not far in front of us there was a skunk ambling across the road from left to right.  I don't think they can run but just kind of wobble.  I had to slow down and since there wasn't any oncoming traffic I was able to swerve into that lane and just barely saw the white stripe clear our truck tires and had to hope that it cleared the trailer tires.  When we got out for lunch we sniffed around our trailer tires and no lingering odor so that is a good thing.

Our campground for tonight is just east of Wichita near El Dorado, KS.

Scenic trip

For today's trip we left the interstate and took cross country through Missouri's eastern mid-section.  Because of curves, hills, and small towns it isn't the fastest way to go but it definitely is the most scenic.  Even in the light rain most of the way it still was nice with the red-bud and dogwood in bloom.  Around peoples homes there were lilacs, wisteria, pink dogwoods, and flowering crabs.  Our route was through Farmington, Potosi, Steelville, and St. James mostly along Missouri route 8.

Now we restock and get ready for our next excursion which is now scheduled to begin on May 10th as we head toward northern New Mexico around Santa Fe and Taos.

Throwed rolls

We're back in MO and our campground is within a 1/2 mile of the original Lambert's.  We were here in this same campground in April '08 and that evening Jo and I did go to have some rolls tossed at us but we don't have any interest, after a few experiences.  The food is good and there is plenty of it, more than you order, but there usually is too long of a line waiting for seating.  Today's drive was beautiful with full sun light, no showers, and plenty of blooming azaleas, dogwood, and other spring color showing.  We drove north from Tupelo on US-45 which was 4 lane divided most of the way and a very good highway.  As we crossed into Tennessee there were signs designating our travels along the Rockabilly Highway.  In a town along the way there was a civic center named for Carl Perkins, the original Rockabilly who  was born in that part of TN.

Back in MS

By waiting for a late lunch today's drive was timed just right.  Checking the weather forecast this morning we left Montgomery around 8:30 and when we arrived in Birmingham so did the showers.  We drove through rain from then until we crossed the Mississippi line when it stopped.  That was a little before 1:00 but the welcome center rest area was a welcome stop for lunch.  A short drive from there to our campground in Tupelo and it was dry for our setup.  Tomorrow we make it back to Missouri.

nice quiet day

It has been a nice quiet day in the campground as we didn't have any tours or excursions planned.  The campground is still very quiet without any additional sites occupied but there have been several fishermen on the lake trolling around this arm.  We haven't seen anyone catching any big ones but it looks like a good place to try.  Tomorrow we begin our trek homeward with the first leg going to Tupelo, MS and then to Sikeston, MO  before we back into the Martin Manor RV park on Friday.  Our trips have changed since we have visited all 48 of the lower US as now we can just sit back, relax, and enjoy our days without having to spend our time visiting the local attractions.  We will visit any attraction that is new to us and have some varied explorations on our agenda for the rest of this season.

Hank

This morning we drove into downtown Montgomery to the Hank Williams museum. This is a fairly small self guided museum but we had a nice time browsing around the displays while Hank's songs were playing in the background. They had the blue Cadillac convertible on display that he died in on the road to a New Years day concert in Ohio.  They had many of his performance suits, boots and guitars along with some from his band members.  They didn't allow photos inside the museum but I took these two in the lobby.
 

on the move

Today's drive was short being only about 4 hours including a 30 minute lunch stop.  We are now in a COE campground near Montgomery, AL deep in the woods.  After getting setup I checked the location for our satellite TV connection and all I could see were tree trunks and Spanish moss.  We are camped on the banks of an arm of the Jones Bluff Lake a little bit West of Montgomery.  The campground setting is very nice and quiet with no nearby neighbors and without TV for the next few days it will be like camping in the woods.  We do plan to trek into Montgomery for an exploration or two but we shall see.

These are pictures from our site in this campground.

Dauphin Island, Alabama

This morning we took a 45 minute ferry ride across Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island. There were a few items of interest that we wanted to explore but it just happened that today was some special celebration day and there were crowds of folks with no place to park at a couple of our destinations. We did get a parking spot at Gaines Fort which was a Civil war fort defending Mobile Bay from the Yankee navy. With Fort Morgan across the bay it was a tough passage for the union fleet but this was where it was said to "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" and the breach was made. It also was a special day at the fort with a gang of medieval days players putting on a tournament of knights in battle. That is were all of our pictures were taken. One of the other sites that we wanted to visit was the Estuarium, Dauphin Island Sea Lab. They were celebrating Discovery Day with special exhibits and no parking available for a quarter of a mile around. Another site we tried to visit was the Audubon bird sanctuary but their parking lot was small among the trees (go figure) so we just had some lunch and caught the 45 minute ferry (plus one hour wait time) back to Gulf Shores. The ferry was just one boat so the wait was while it made the crossing over and back.

What a day

We had planned to get out again today for a drive in the area but rain showers were happening at breakfast time. Clouds, winds, and showers have continued off and on so we didn't think it would be a nice time for that drive. Then with the TV on for the morning news the happenings have been ongoing all day. We just hope that this terrible tragedy ends soon without any additional casualties.

Howdy

Or as we say down here in the south hey y'all. It's nice, quiet, and warm down here except for when someone brings out the mandolin and then it's not so quiet. We didn't come here to do a lot of exploring as we have been to this same area a few times before and visited the gardens, plantation homes, and such. We do plan to enjoy the seafood some more beside yesterday's lunch and just might do that this evening. We see on the weather maps that the mid-west is stormy so hope that all is good back in MO.

The day after tax day

This morning we took a drive down to the beaches in this area.  The pictures below were taken at a fishing pier in the Gulf State Park.  Then we drove along the gulf road into Florida and back, stopping at a nice local restaurant for some lunch.  There were a few on the beaches sunning and a few kites flying along with a couple of para-sailing folks.

wow what a shock in Boston

If the person/s that caused the disaster at the race were wanting notoriety they sure received it by all the networks on line without commercials for hours.  While it is extremely sad that it happened and lots of people were injured (in my opinion) I don't know that repeating the same comments over and over again for hours is necessary.

After four days of travel even if they were short days it was nice today to just sit tight and relax.  I did get out to the local grocery for a couple of needs.

Now ready to sit for a week

 

Big storm clouds came over all of the mid-south last night and it was still coming down pretty good this morning so we just sat tight.  Looking at the weather map the forecast looked like it would be moving out later this morning and it did lighten up around 9:00 so I put my Gorton's fisherman's uniform on and we got ready to go.





It sprinkled on us all during the drive and just a small stretch with a heavy downpour.  We are now set up in a nice RV park in Gulf Shores, AL.  We have been to this area a couple of other times in different campgrounds and intend to enjoy the week with I'm sure at least a couple of gulf seafood dinners.  There is a Lambert's throwed rolls place here (the other two are in MO) but we didn't come down here to have bread tossed at us and will pass that by.

M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I

... crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I Mississippi.  That is surely a very hard way to spell where we are this evening.  We are just south of Florence, MS along US-49 south of Jackson.  The name of the campground is Wendy Oaks and the owner, Wendy, checked us in and right now she's on the lawn mower.  A little more than the $9.50 for last night but still very good at $25.  We haven't had to unhook the truck from the trailer yet this trip so far as each campground was level enough to not have to unhook and with only one stop for fuel that was yesterday at a truck stop just before we got to our campground.  Tomorrow we make it to Gulf Shores and our resting spot for a week.  I hope we can get into something that will be good for some pictures to post.

On the banks of the Arkansas River.

Today was a nice drive through Arkansas and our final stop is just south of Pine Bluff in a Corps of Engineers campground along the river banks.  We have enjoyed other COE campgrounds as they have been well maintained with easy access sites and good space between our site and any neighbors.  These pictures were taken just awhile ago and show the river just behind our site with barge traffic.  I'm sure that this weekend this campground will be occupied with fishermen as it looks like a nice place to wet-a-line.

Another outing heading south

This morning it was a bit cool and damp as we headed out on our April trip to see what we can find in Alabama.  We used the intermittent wipers all the way until we got to West Plains where we are parked for the night.  My sweet sister Neva is going to join us this evening for dinner and we can have a nice face to face visit for a little bit.  Tomorrow we head on further south into Arkansas with a stop just south of Pine Bluff.