Colorado Finally

September 3

Today we left Dodge City, Kansas headed further West.

In only a couple hours we finally entered Colorado.  It's already getting cooler.

We stopped at a Colorado Visitors Center in Lamar, Co.
Here we stocked up on information because we plan on being here for about a month.

We thought about staying around Lamar.  It seemed to be a real nice area, but we pushed on.

Different ways to get out West

Blade from a wind generator (that's me way down at the end)

It has been an interesting transition.  A cool(er) front went through last night (we actually heard a little (very little) rain on the roof last night, plus we are gaining altitude.  Tonight we are at 3,800 feet in the John Martin Reservoir State Park at Lake Hasty Campground.  The temperature is in the 70's.  We set up the RV and for the first time since leaving NC, we do not have the air conditioners on.  The windows are open and a nice breeze is blowing through.  It's really nice not having all that noise.

Lake Hasty Campground, John Martin Reservoir State Park

The campground is just below the Army Corps of Engineer flood control dam.

This afternoon I took a nice long bike ride around the area.  As I rode, I reflected on the federal governments projects of the 1930's and 1940's - that's when this dam was built.

As we look around at some of the great things that the government accomplished back then - the great dams, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the tremendous infrastructure development and a multitude of other LASTING, ENDURING projects that we enjoy 60 - 70 years later, I can't help but think of the tremendous waste of our government today and how little future generations will see of the tremendous amount of  money being spent.

Sunday, September 4

We drove casually across Eastern Colorado, stopping when something of interest got our attention.

I try to stop at National Sites of Interest.  One that we ran across today was the Boggsville Historical Site near Ls Animas, Co.  It was a settlement on the Santa Fe Trail.

It is the burial place of Kit Carson, a famous settler and pioneer.

The site is rather isolated, and I don't think it has a lot of visitors, but it was interesting to see the 150 year old homes and to read about some of the history.

As we were driving into Pueblo, Co, we saw a sign for an aviation museum and of course, I had to stop.  It was a huge museum that has been built over the past 50 years or so, with most of the aircraft in two huge building that have been built.  They have a rare B-29 as their centerpiece.

The T-37 that have on display is the same as I flew in pilot training, only ours were not painted.

We've made it to the mountains.  Tonight we're in an RV park just outside Colorado Springs.  We are finally getting into the Rockies.  It has been cool all day and it probably will be in the 40's or 50's tonight, certainly a lot different from a couple days ago when the lows were in the mid-80's.

Golden Ranch RV Park, Colorado Springs, CO

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.

Wind mills dot the landscape - because it's windy!

Flat - you can't see hot!

Tonight we are at "Gunsmoke" Campground in Dodge City, Kansas, home of Wyatt Earp and other various recognizable names from TV and real life.

 

Kansas has lots of cattle. 

Cattle feed lot

Another Cattle Feed Lot

Grain Silo

Tomorrow, Colorado.  The scenery should improve - and hopefully it will be less than 100 degrees.

Going out West

Going to Colorado (maybe) 

We have started this excursion with the vague idea that we're going out West and leave the motorhome, fly back home for November and December and rejoin the motorhome in January or February for further travels, Perhaps leaving the motorhome out West for a couple of years as we learn more about and enjoy this part of our great country.  We have friends and acquaintances spread over the Western US, and we will hopefully get to visit them over time.

We departed Beaufort on Tuesday, August 16. Dad had stayed with us a few days in Beaufort and we dropped him off at his home in Nashville (NC), then went to Cary to pick up Anna and Evan after school.

We spent a great afternoon with them and had the chance to go watch them practice soccer. We left them about 8:00 PM and went to Crosswinds Campground at Lake Jordan for the evening. We've spent several nights there over the past couple of years when the RV was enroute between Spruce Pine and Beaufort.

Wednesday morning we headed toward the mountain, arriving late afternoon. Everything is beautiful in the mountains.

Thursday we had some work done on the RV at Tom Johnson RV Center in Marion. Thursday evening we were treated to another wonderful concert at Bryan and Joey Gurl's home. Bryan played for us, the Carsons, Kit and two other couples on his 1919 Steinway piano. It was again an incredible display of unbelievable talent by Bryan.

Friday, we went back to Tom Johnson's to pick up the RV and Friday night we had a lobster dinner at Kit's with Will and Bonnie, Ed and Jan, Bill and Judy, Bubba and Susan and Kit. A special evening with special people.


Saturday, Bill and Jan came over from Asheville for a nice quiet weekend. I worked off and on on getting the RV ready for the big trip.

Monday was spent with final preparations for the trip,

The motorhome is ready to go

along with a trip to the Avery County YMCA for a nice long swim. Kit came over for dinner Monday evening and we watched a neat movie, Soul Surfer.

It's beautiful here at our mountain home.  I doubt we'll see anywhere that beats it. 

View from the deck the morning we leave

Tuesday morning we got a nice early start after a very good sleeping night – the temperature got down to 58 degrees overnight and the sunrise was beautiful.

We stopped a couple of times in Asheville getting last minute stuff. We stopped in Waynesville, where I thought I was having some alternator problems. All systems checked okay and Tuesday evening we are in Smokemont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

We had spent some time here back in the 1970's when we were tent camping. It was a memorable experience that night when a bear raided our camp and took our cooler with him up into the woods. We will never forget that night in a tent with Slade only a few years old and us fearing for our life.
Wednesday, September 25

After a slow start Wednesday morning, we drove over Newfound Gap, and we are finally out of NC. We left Beaufort one week ago, but enjoyed a few days at the Mountain house getting the RV ready and relaxing.

We finally leave NC

The RV handles beautifully in the mountains, although the roads are a bit narrow (or at least it seems that way).

We have reservations at Cades Cove, a place we have always heard about but had never visited. It is quite out of the way from NC.

We arrive about 2 and take the 11 mile loop. Some of the best sceneary in the mountains.

After we settle in our campsite, I take the bicycle and ride the loop. It's been a long time since I have ridden a bike this far, but it is a beautiful bike ride.

We find a tree at the campsite and we hang the rope hammock. It is the most comfortable seat we have .

Thursday, we get an early start with the idea that by Friday night, we want to get to Nashville, Tenn and go to a show at the Grand Old Opry.

Clara wants to go through Pigeon Forge to do some shopping, which we do.  It is the usual tourist trap, but plenty of shopping.

As we study the maps, we figure we can make Nashville today and hit the interstate, which is what I hope to avoid most of the time.  We immediately get behind the biggest truck caravan I have ever seen on a highway.  We're not sure what we're following, but with an escort of state troopers, the load takes up the entire width of two lanes of traffic.  After about 10-15 miles, they pull off and there must be several miles of traffic lined up behind it.  There must have been over 100 tires on the rig.

We get to a beautiful Corps of Engineers campground - Seven Points - near Nashville and check in with a beautiful setting overlooking a lake. 





I take this opportunity to get in a good swim for the first time in a couple of days.

We make reservations for a KOA campground (our first commercial campground this trip - we hope to avoid them) near the Opry and get tickets to Friday nights show.


Friday, August 24

To the Opry

We got tickets to the Opry and arrived early at the KOA Campground and spent the afternoon at the pool.  We took a bus from the campground to the Grand Ole Opry.  A great evening of entertainment by some stars we had heard of and some we hadn't.  Some real old timers - Jimmy Dickens, Bill Anderson, Mel Tillis

Saturday morning we again headed West.  Rather than taking the interstate, we drove highway 70 through some backcountry of central and western Tennessee.  Around 1:30, I started looking for a campground and noticed that about an hour away there was a casino in Missouri that had RV parking.  We called and they said come on in. 

We certainly had not planned on getting to Missouri today, but we did.

this turned out to be a real surprise, not having spent much time around casinos.  Sure enough they have a very nice RV park right next to the Mississippi River.


The casino is an big old paddle wheel boat (at least 4 floors high) permanently moored to shore facilities.  There must be some rule that you can't gamble in Missouri and having the boat on the river, even though it doesn't look like it has moved in years, must solve the problem.

We spent the afternoon gawking at the gamblers and enjoying the facilities.  We spent a while in the restaurant/lounge where a great singer/guitarist was playing.  All in all a real different experience for us.