Heading South

We left the Branson area and traveled south to North Little Rock today. We found a delightful wooded city campground, Burns Park, which is part of a large city park complex.
















We're poised to leave in the morning to visit the Clinton Presidential Center. We took a short bike ride to explore, but decided that the growing twilight made it unsafe to continue. Later the rain increased and is pelting us with small acorn-like things that make an alarming rattle.
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Table Rock Lake

This morning we biked the Lakeside Trail and through the marina and campgrounds at Table Rock Lake. Along the way we stopped at the Branson Belle landing and saw the paddlewheeler ready to cruise. We also saw a duck enter the water....but not an ordinary duck. A featured experience in Branson is riding the ducks--amphibious craft. The pilot played up the entry into the water and got everyone on board to cheer as he revved the engines and sped down the boat ramp.

We like the campgrounds in the State Park. Campground 2 in particular has some really nice campsites. We had lunch in the picnic area next to the campgrounds. Then we shopped--grocery store, dollar store, Corelware store, and two stores devoted to kitchen items.
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SIX! Wow!

We went to a show tonight that knocked our socks off! It's called SIX and features six brothers (from a family of 10 boys). They perform a capella, but you'd swear there's a drummer--even a whole band backing them up--but no, it's just their voices! Powerful music, high energy performance, comedy that kept us laughing, songs that brought the audience to their feet more than once. If you ever go to Branson, don't miss this show!















Four of SIX
















He introduces himself as the cute one of the six.
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Great Shows!

This morning we went to the Doug Gabriel Show at 10, and then after a quick lunch took in the Rankin Brothers Show. Both were extremely entertaining. Doug Gabriel is a really multi-talented musician. His singing voice is spectacular, he plays guitar, and is a gifted keyboardist. He played a rousing version of the William Tell Overture on the "mufftar" his father made for him when he was young. "Mufftar" is his term for a guitar made from a muffler off a 1957 Thunderbird. It made much better music than you would expect. His show spans quite a variety and includes his wife, who sings, his two older boys who play drums, and his 10-year-old daughter who dances and sings. We cheered, clapped, laughed and cried (Lee) in turns.

The Rankin Brothers had a more traditional musical review of songs mainly from the 50s and 60s. We had heard a couple of positive comments from people who had seen the show, but we didn't know exactly what to expect. The show turned out to be a wonderful treat. The brothers, Matt and Mark, have a wealth of talent. Matt did an outstanding impression of Buddy Holly's singing, looks, and mannerisms. He also does some fast-paced wizardry on the guitar. Mark's vocals were impressive; he did amazing things with a variety of music. He also did an outstanding impression of Elvis, complete with a replica of the King's eagle suit. Individually and together, the brothers delivered excellent music.





The show also featured the "Rankinettes"--three wonderful singers who performed classic girl group songs. One is the daughter of Peggy Lennon.




We lucked out on seats for both of these shows. Because of deals set up through the Escapees RV park where we're staying, we got great seats in the middle of the second row and paid no more than $10 per ticket.

Between shows we took a drive to the west of Branson to get to know a state park (Table Rock State Park) and Corps of Engineers campgrounds on Table Rock Lake. The drive was along ridge with a magnificent view of Branson, the White River, and the lake.









After dinner we went to the RV park's clubhouse for an informal jam session. Nine or ten guys showed up to sing and play their instruments, which included guitars plus a harmonica and a bass.


Yesterday we took in a show called Baldknobbers. It was enjoyable, but we didn't see it as special enough that we would want to see it again sometime.
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Getting To Know Branson

We went into Branson to look over the town. First we walked the downtown streets of the original part of town--known as historic downtown Branson. We had lunch in a cafe on Main Street. We shared a grilled chicken sandwich and a blackberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. We enjoyed both. Then we drove out to the west end of town, checking out the theaters we expected to see shows in over the next few days.

Later we stopped at Wal-Mart and bought a new 14' ethernet cable for setting up our internet dish and a set of walkie-talkies to use when we're parking the trailer in a new campsite. After dinner we went to the Turkey Creek RV Village clubhouse for root beer floats and for an hour of musical tribute to Loretta Lynn.
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Branson!

We left Independence this morning and drove south through the changing countryside. It was easy to tell when we were finally in the Ozarks--Ken had to put the truck in tow-haul mode to handle the steep hills.

We registered for 3 nights at Turkey Creek RV Resort, an Escapees park in Hollister, right across the river from Branson. We might stay longer, but we'll start with 3 nights.
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Truman Library and Museum

Today we traveled to Independence, MO, hometown of Give 'em Hell Harry Truman. We wanted to visit the Truman presidential museum and library. The boyhood home was a mile away from the museum and run by a different outfit; we decided not to bother to go see it. There was a fair amount of information on the atomic bomb decision, his being the first national leader to recognize Israel as a nation, creation of the United Nations, the Marshall plan (by his Sec'y of State), and the Berlin Airlift.

We stayed at the Campus RV Park, 406 S. Pleasant, Independence 64050, 888-254-3750.
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Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum

This morning we departed Smith Center and hit the road again on our adventures. On our way to Branson we plan to visit two presidential libraries. The first one, today, is in Abilene, Kansas, birthplace of Dwight D. Eisenhower. For both Ken and me, Ike was the first president whose name we knew, so we were especially interested. The Eisenhower complex includes a Visitors Center, Ike's boyhood home,the Place of Meditation, the Library, and the Museum.



In front of the statue are the words "Champion of Peace." On the pylons in back are plaques provided as memorials to Ike’s parents, his brothers, the military, Americans in general,and Ike’s roles as leader of the army and the nation.












We arrived at lunch and picnicked on the grounds, then started at the Visitors Center, which is basically a gift shop. We became members of the Eisenhower Foundation, which permits us to visit any of the presidential libraries operated by the National Archives without charge. Then we went to the Place of Meditation--very like a chapel, where Ike and Mamie are buried. Some quotations from Ike's speeches are on the walls. Here is my favorite: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." (from The Chance for Peace Address).





The Place of Meditation














Ike lived in the modest home located here from 1898, when he was 8, until he left for West Point. The house contains the original furnishings and really gives some of the flavor of life growing up in small town America in the early part of the 20th century.














Many items used by Ike are on display, including the staff car he used in Europe during World War II.














The museum currently houses a special exhibit called Presidential Treasures. For me the highlight was JFK's rocking chair.
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Old Settlers Day

We decided to take in Smith Center's Old Settlers' Day. The festivities started with a parade at 10 a.m. on Main Street.


We couldn't believe the size of the crowd that turned out for the parade.









Most of the entries in the parade were tractors--different brands, different colors, different ages, different sizes, but all tractors. Here are some of the John Deere entries.






Of course, since building Excel fifth-wheel RVs is the major industry here (other than farming), there was an Excel in the parade.







The celebration included a free BBQ lunch in a parking lot off Main Street. We enjoyed live music while chowing down on BBQ beef sandwiches. After doing some laundry, we went to the fairgrounds for the afternoon activities of Old Settlers' Day. We drove up wondering how hard it would be to find a place to park--and found a spot right across the street from the fairgrounds. We may have been the only people there who weren't entered in an event. We spent most of our time walking past the rows and rows of tractors on display. After a while we sat down in the bleachers (the only people there) to watch some horseback riding events. The first was an equestrian version of musical chairs, in which the riders had to dismount and lead their horses with them to the chairs. That was about as exciting as the afternoon got. Another event was the lead-back race. The riders had to ride their horses the length of the arena, dismount, and lead their horses back to the starting line.















In the evening we went to the high school for the last activity of the day--a concert by The Skirtlifters. According to their web site, "The Skirtlifters authentically recreate the music of the 19th century riverboat, stage and parlor." The name comes from the way ladies' skirts spin up when the ladies whirl around to the group's dance music.



















Tomorrow we will be "on the road again" at last. We'll be heading for Branson, Missouri. We plan to stop along the way to visit the Eisenhower and Truman presidential libraries.
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Repairs Complete!

After all the waiting, we drove away from Peterson's service area at 5:30 p.m. with our damage repaired as well as some minor things taken care of.

We decided to stay at Sunset Park RV. Will add more later.
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Progress Report on Repairs

Peterson has our trailer torn apart, and we've moved into a motel. We're told that they may finish the work this week, but maybe not. The trailer is getting new rubber roofing over about the forward half. That work is being done in the factory in equipment used to put roofs on new rigs that are being built. We've been advised that our trailer might get bumped out if one of the new units they're building gets to the point of being ready for its roof. So we won't know for sure when our work will be done until it's almost finished.

Our time here may also be extended because of other work we've asked them about. Lee would like a pull-out shelf for her notebook computer in an open space under the counter of our entertainment center, along with a pair of doors to cover the space. They're going to give us an estimate for installing these, and then we'll decided whether or not to have them do the work. If we do, that might involve more time.

We've also asked them to replace the water hose that came with the hose reel built into the outside wall of the trailer. The original hose has a number of kinks in it, and we want to replace it. We don't think this should take a lot of time, but we'll see.

We're staying in a motel just a short walk down the highway from Peterson's buildings. We're happy that it's clean and everything in the room works. This town is small enough that one can't ask more than that.

If we're still in town this weekend, we'll probably take in some of the events in the annual Old Settlers' Day celebration. We'll probably go see the parade, and maybe the tractor show. And maybe the evening music presented by Clarke Buehling and The Skirtlifters.
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More Waiting

Peterson was supposed to start repairs on our trailer today, but it's not happening. They tell us now that they will start tomorrow. We'll take the trailer to their service center early in the morning. They'll remove the damaged parts there, and then move the trailer to their factory for the installation of the new material--front end cap, half of the rubber roof covering, some plywood panels in the roof, and some trim. The service manager is sending to our insurance company an estimate of $5500. It's looking less likely that we'll be done here by the end of the week.

Oh well, we may get to see the local Old Settlers day celebration on Saturday. This is the town's celebration of its founding. There'll be a parade, a free lunch barbeque, and some other festivities.
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Waiting

Today is another waiting day--we'll take Venture to Peterson tomorrow for repairs. Today we ordered a new internet dish, which is being sent to our friends' house in Tyler, Texas. That's the next place we'll be where UPS shipments can be sent. We also had to call Lee's daughter-in-law, Julie, to ask her to forward the Sprint modem we had sent to their house, since it will be a few weeks before we get there. Meanwhile we are without an internet connection, so this blog entry is being posted at the Smith Center Public Library. It's a small library, but very bright and well stocked and with extremely friendly staff--and a free wi-fi spot.

One result of our not having an internet connection is that we can't listen to NPR on the web as we usually do. The only over-the-air station we can pick up here is out of a nearby town, and when we tuned in this morning, they were spending 15 minutes on the classifieds. That's right--people call in to say that they have a brand new pair of ladies' size 10 bowling shoes and give their phone number (no area code) to call for more info..... One caller had a VCR and some pieces of coax cable.... Exciting stuff.

Ken got a haircut at Bob's Barber Shop on Main Street, so he looks much trimmer. Speaking of trimmer, he's in the last hole on his new belt.
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Kansas Is Windy

We went for a bike ride around the town of Smith Center this morning--literally, from the north end of town to the south and from the east to the west. Not difficult to do with such a small town. We stopped at a flea market in town and saw lots of old collectibles, and lots of junk! The wind was kicking up enough dust that the horizon looked a bit fuzzy, almost like smog.

The sad result of the Kansas wind sweeping across the prairie is that our satellite internet dish blew over, warping the dish. We have not had any problems with stability of our dishes in so long that we had neglected to stake them down here. Another lesson that is likely to be rather expensive. We'll have to order a new dish.
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Laundry Day

We admit it: fulltiming is not all fun and games--we still have to do the laundry, but it's more fun in Smith Center, where the only laundromat is next to the library. Lee couldn't resist the opportunity to pick up a couple of used books from the sale benefiting the library. Afterwards we explored the town a bit and found our way to Wagner Park, site of the Old Dutch Mill--windmill, that is. We walked around, enjoyed the lovely breezy day, and sat in one of the convenient and comfortable swings.













As we left the park, we noticed a hazardous waste collection in progress and stopped to ask about recycling. One of Lee's ongoing frustrations is the difficulty of finding places to recycle, and the back of the truck was beginning to fill up with bags full of cans, plastic milk jugs, etc. Fortunately we received directions to a recycling trailer nearby and divested ourselves of most of the collection. Unfortunately there was no bin for glass.
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Repair Estimate

We took the trailer to Peterson Industries today, to get an estimate of what it's going to take to repair the damage from our collision with a tree and to schedule the work. The service crew were very thorough in checking for hidden damage--and they found some things we hadn't noticed. They'll probably replace the end cap on the front of the trailer. As for the roof, they'll peel back the rubber covering the roof enough to check out the plywood roof itself, then replace any plywood that's damaged. They don't expect to have to replace any of the beams that support the roof. Their first rough estimate puts the cost at two or three thousand dollars.

The damage looked even worse in the shop than it had out on the road.


The work will be done in the factory that built the trailer originally, rather than Peterson's service facility. We'll take the trailer to them on Tuesday. We're told we can expect them to finish the work by the end of the week. We're still waiting to find out how much we'll be able to use the trailer during the week.
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Missouri to Kansas

Last night we found a quiet shady campground right off the interstate, Deer Rest, and our pull-through campsite even had a view of a little lake. Ken was so impressed he took 44 pictures. Thanks to Woodalls! This was in the town of Warsaw, Missouri, near the Harry S. Truman Reservoir.



Warsaw's reflection lake was just a few feet from our trailer.










The lake offered attractive views in several directions.















Someone had set aside a nice spot with a good view of the lake.









This morning we got up early and headed out for a full day on the road. For the first part of the trip we were in wooded rolling hills, but towards the end we were in endless Kansas prairie.

On the way we passed through Junction City, KS, where we had been earlier, when we came to tour the New Horizons facility. Deja vu....only this time, instead of anticipating a tour of that plant and of Peterson's and visiting Chris in Iowa, we are headed in to Smith Center for repairs.

We decided to stop in Concordia, KS, and make the rest of the trip in the morning, but neither our directories nor Google Maps showed any campgrounds nearby, so we thought we'd spend the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. On the way into town, we checked at a gas station and were told there was a small RV park at the Armory, so that is where we are now, just off US 81, at a very nice little campground with level pull throughs, electric, and water, and the fee is .... a donation.
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Ouch!!!

We accidentally encountered an overhanging tree branch yesterday, damaging the end cap and roof along the front part of the street side. Insurance will cover the repairs, but first we have to get to Smith Center, Kansas, where our manufacturer is located. We'll be on the road the next couple of days, with plans to arrive there Friday. The repairs will be done next week.



That will delay our plans to go to Branson and then on to Texas. I (Lee) was driving, so I'm feeling especially down, but we are glad that no one was hurt and no permanent damage was done.
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Gateway Arch

We left Horseshoe Lake Campground (just east of St. Louis) this morning with high hopes. First we'd visit the Gateway Arch and the Westward Expansion Museum. Then we'd move on towards Branson. We researched on the web where the RV parking was for the Arch and laid out a route over the Martin Luther King Bridge. Our first problem was a low clearance. We tried some alternate routes, and actually found a sign for RV parking, but the gate to the lot was closed. Finally we talked with some officials who told us that all the RV parking was underwater from the rain the previous day--spinoff from Hurricane Ike. We decided to try to find some remote parking area, drop the rig, and return to the Arch. After wasting a few hours, we finally gave up and decided to go on and visit the Arch another trip. We did see the Arch from several angles--just not the one we wanted!

Then we set out towards Branson, with a possible camping spot in mind near Devil's Elbow, which we had located on the web. The day ended in disaster.

We camped at Glen Oaks RV Park (Easy On, Easy Off) in Waynesville, MO. We had a place to sleep, but with the traffic on the nearby interstate, it wasn't easy.
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Travel Across Illinois

We started off this morning from Terre Haute and drove almost completely across Illinois, making a couple of stops along the way. The first stop was to see the Cumberland County Covered Bridge, which spans the Embarrass River near Greenup, IL. We have been traveling the Historic National Road (in preference to I-70) because we hope to see more of the country than can be seen from the interstates. The bridge is new, built to handle modern traffic, but is a reconstruction of an earlier bridge on the site. Some say that Lincoln may have helped to build it, and he probably swam in the river here while arguing a court case nearby.





Our second stop was in Vandalia. We wanted to visit the old statehouse there, but it was closed on Mondays, so we wandered across the street to visit the small "Lincoln Park." A statue of Lincoln as a young legislator seated reading a newspaper is the central attraction of the little park. We then asked a local citizen what else we should see, and he directed us to the city's museum on the next street over. The museum is located in the lower hall of an old Presbyterian church and is full of 19th century memorabilia, including much related to Lincoln. The curator pulled out for our inspection their pride and joy, a froe which once belonged to Lincoln and which has the initials "A.L." inscribed on the handle. A froe is a tool used to make shingles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froe), and we both got to hold it.




































Our final stop for the night is a small campground at Horseshoe Lake State Park on the outskirts of St. Louis. There are no hookups, so we are running our generator for a bit--it needs regular exercise to keep it in condition, and we wanted to charge our computers.













We seem to have a talent for finding campsites near rising water. As we drove to the campground, Ken pointed out some partially submerged picnic tables. We heard on the radio that the river is expected to crest on Friday, so we should be safe tonight.


Tomorrow we plan to visit the Gateway Arch before continuing on towards Branson.

Here's some inspiration: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain
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