Retirement Travels: Going our West - Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas

Sunday, August 28

After leaving the Lady Luck Casino, which did not get any of our money from gambling (although I tried to talk Clara into using the penny slot machine), we headed South a few miles to take a "stroll down memory lane". When I was flying B-52's from 1968 to 1972, we were stationed at Blytheville AFB in Blytheville, Ark, which in the Northeast corner of Arkansas. We were so close by that I could not go past without checking out the place.

Blytheville AFB closed in 1992 and has been converted to a small town with commercial, industrial and residential facilities.

As we drove through town, we did not recognize anything. I don't know if the town has changed, or our memory doesn't work (most likely the latter), but nothing was familiar. As we neared the former base, a few things began to look familiar.

We immediately went to the former base housing area, which is now a senior housing project. After driving around for a while (looking a little out of place on Sunday morning driving around in a big RV), we had to call Jill Pimentel (our former neighbor at Blytheville) and see if she could help. We finally narrowed it down and eventually found where we lived for most of 4 years.

Where we lived while in the Air Force

One spot that I did remember was the Alert Facility, where we use to have to live for a week at a time, waiting to take off with nuclear weapons loaded and ready to go bomb (destroy) Russia. Seems rather strange to think about that today, but back then, it was serious stuff.

Google Earth view of the alert parking area

After this nostalgic couple of hours, we headed off Northwest back into Missouri to Mountain Grove, Mo to visit some friends, Jerry and Mary Ruth Armstrong (Mary Ruth is Diane Howell's sister, who Clara worked with for years at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC).

Jerry and Mary Ruth Armstrong in Mountain Grove, Mo

We spent a delightful evening with them. Mary Ruth runs their local Chamber of Commerce, so we had a lot of fun talking about running Chambers (which I did for a while). Jerry is a retired school teacher/coach whom we learned was on the 1966 NCAA Division 1 National Basketball Championship team from Texas Western University. They made history as the first integrated team to make it to the championship and a movie, "Glory Road" was made about that experience in 1995.

A great evening.

August 29

Monday morning we headed toward Branson, Missouri, a place that we had heard a lot about for their live theater shows. We had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be a much larger place than we had anticipated. We found at that there are a total of 10,000 theater seats in this town and I have no idea how many live music theaters. Of course, all the touristy trap stuff that goes with any place that attracts people has grown up around the theaters. In some ways it reminds me of the way Cherokee, NC was (and still is to some extent) combined with what I imagine Las Vegas might be.

Anyway, so far we've enjoyed 3 live performances and heard some great singing and a lot of comedy.

Pierce Arrow at the Pierce Arrow Theater

The "Blues Brothers" impersonators at the Dick Clark Theater

A great Elvis impersonator

Comedy at Baldknobbers

Baldknobbers theather

Along the way, one of our air conditioners in the RV has stopped working, so we've found a place to work on it.

It's a good thing we got the AC working. The temperature was 97 today. It really wasn't too bad - low humidity. They've had temperatures here of 111 degrees this summer. I looked at some of the forecast for Kansas for the next few days and it is likely we'll be seeing over 100.

On our last night here in Branson, we saw the best show that we've seen here. "Six" is a group of 6 brothers who perform as an entire band and vocals - with only their voices. It was really terrific. Without a doubt, the best show here.

One has to look a little different

Some real up close and personal with the audience

Thursday, September 1

I think we are about "showed" out, having attended four shows in three days in Branson. It's probably not a place I would choose to go back to, but it was worth one visit. That last show with "Six" was really great.

We took the back roads heading West from Branson and gradually worked our way toward Kansas.

The further West we go the flatter it gets - and hot. Hot, Dry and Hot! and windy. I think the wind must blow all the time.

We stayed at a Corps of Engineers lake, Falls River Lake in the middle of nowhere. We had a nice site next just below the dam (flood control) and enjoyed a quiet evening.

We watched the video Jerry had given us about his college basketball team, "Glory Road". An excellent movie and it made it more interesting because Jerry (or his character), played a significant role in the movie.

Friday, September 2

Hot, Dry, Hot, Windy.

Today the temperature is 102 - in the shade.

We worked our way Westward across Kansas, stopping at the Andover YMCA near Witchita, Kansas. It was undoubtedly the nicest Y I have ever seen. They had an outside water park to equal any I've seen, and two indoor pools. An incredible facility.