Kansas Boogie (8/3 - 8/5) POST 5

 We left Branson on Friday 8/3 and headed west across Kansas. Our first stop was Mill Creek Campground in Paxico, Ks. This campground was near the highway and other than the railroad tracks and a shallow creek there is very little around. We took a walk in 95 degree heat to the play ground and down by Mill Creek. Other than the frogs and the grasshoppers not much was moving on this hot afternoon. We did fill the kids in on chiggers and they watched every where they walked. Jen had researched things to do in the area but after our brief walk no one had the energy to do anything.

We settled in for the evening and during the night we were treated to passing of the trains. This is a common event in many of the western campgrounds.

Next day we once again headed west across this long state of Kansas. Our next stop was a KOA in Goodland, Ks. We set up and decided to find a restaurant and then take in a movie. We lucked out on the restaurant but because it was so crowed we missed our movie. Everyone had a great dinner so the night was ok.

I like to cross this part of the country as fast as I can because I have a fear of the Tornado. The weather on this crossing was perfect.

Branson Missouri (7/31-8/3) POST 4

We left Duck Creek on Tuesday morning and headed for Branson Mo. The route we selected was the same route that we took back in 2014. The road from Paducah takes you across a very narrow bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. It's a little of a white knuckle crossing and Eileen hates height anyway. I had forgotten that you actually cross into Missouri, then a sliver of Illinois, and then back into the great state of Missouri a crazy crossing.

We arrived at Acorn Acres RV in the afternoon and after setting up we visited the playground before cocktail hour. This is an older campground but we had a great site, toward the back, with a super place for a nice campfire and smores. We had two nights of campfires and a lot of fun in the park.

What can I say about Branson? We arrived here about a week and a half after the Duck Boat disaster that killed a number of people. Needless to say my dreams of a Duck Boat ride went down the tubes.

Our main events here included two shows. The first show was an animal show that was great fun for the kids. Sebastian and Sofia went on the stage with a bunch of other kids in one act, and Sebastian got to tell one of his jokes on another occasion. The second show was on the last day. It was titled "Buckets and Boards" This was a super entertaining show put on by two guys who also work on the Disney Cruises on the Branson off season. The music was cool, the jokes and entertainment were really well done. "I Knowwwww"

The other major event was our two visits to an escape room in downtown Branson. At first I thought it was a crazy idea but after our first session we all agreed that we had to return the next day. It might have had something to do with the fact that we didn't escape on day one. Day two turned out to be a much better result, but I will have to admit we needed a few clues to break the code. This is a fun thing to do if you every get the chance.

We did some shopping in Dick's 5&10, a place with everything. Unique gifts and much much more. Sebastian liked the "As seen on TV" store across the street because it had a variety of Rubix cubes that he had been looking at.

We had a great time in the town and the campground. The three days went very quickly. An Escape Room would be a hit in the Emerald Isle area, it is a lot of fun for all ages.

Buckets and Boards (I Knowwww!)

Great Guys!

Future Drummer?

Wild Bunch!

This was our first try. Close but no Escape!

Day two. Different Room different results. Sofia entered the escape code after everyone helped us to figure out the clues.

Great Fun!!

Modern cowboy at Dick's 5 & 10

Lunch in Branson. Hog rider!

Nashville TN and Paducah KY (7/29 - 7/31) POST 3

On Sunday 7/29 we departed Pigeon Forge and moved on for a one day stop in Nashville. We stayed at a KOA very near the Grand Ole Opry and the Opryland Hotel. It was Sunday so attending a show wasn't possible. We went to the Hotel which I covered in a post last year, and just walked around. This is a enormous hotel with great restaurants, shops and lots to see. We just walked around and then returned to the campground for dinner. Jen went out to dinner with a friend and we had fun with the kids. A short visit to the heart of Country Music but fun.

Monday morning we headed out to Paducah, Ky. Duck Creek RV. We toured downtown Paducah and met up with Susanne and Charles Alexander, friends who we had met in Lazy Days last June. They treated us to a nice dinner at a local restaurant. Thank you guys so very much for the very nice treat.

Paducah is the home of the National Quilt Museum. Eileen and I took the tour of the museum while Jen played with the kids outside. The museum was much more than what we expected. It's an amazing display that changes from time to time as different shows come through. I never thought I would say this but there were some amazing quilts in this place. The art is just totally amazing. (Sorry no pics because cameras were not allowed).

There are murals along the river depicting the history of Paducah a really neat town. We only spent one night here then moved on to Branson, Mo. Our highlight here was catching up with Susanne and Charles. Thanks again for the dinner.

Inside the Opryland Hotel under the enormous atrium. A successful selfie of five happy people. Love you guys!!

What can I say, we are 71 years old!

Beautiful Hotel.

Along the river. 

They are hiding the sign that says do not stand on the train!

The murals along the wall!

Amazing artwork.

Trip Summary and Pigeon Forge (7/26-7/29) POST2

TRIP SUMMARY!

I did have the best intensions to keep the blog up to date during this momentous trip but I found that our daily routine and active schedule didn't allow my tired body to reach this goal. I will do this summary then comment on the major events and stops during our trip. With each post I will try to post the pictures if my internet allows. We are currently on our way home and I will do complete new posts of those activities.

Our trip west covered 3640 miles from Emerald Isle, NC to Santa Cruz, Ca. We stayed in 14 campgrounds and drove through 9 states and a little piece of Illinois as we crossed the Mississippi River near Paducah, Ky.We visited five NP's and saw many beautiful places along the way.

By the third day we had established somewhat of a routine for getting the bedding ready at night and getting breakfast and getting ready for the road in the morning. The kids traveled very well except for the occasional moaning sounds that were the result of not being able to beat the game that was being played on the I-pad.

Pigeon Forge (cont'd) 7/26-7/29

Our second stop as mentioned in the first post was Pigeon Forge, Tn. The first day we did the Goats on a roof. The second day we visited Wonderworks. This is an unusual upside down fun building where they have all kinds of things like, Rope Walking, Laser Tag, Hurricane room, Earthquake room, inside roller coaster, and much much more. At the end of the day we saw a magic show at the same venue. This was a super day for all. The Wonderworks building was amazing. 

The next day we drove into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We set up the kids for the Junior Ranger program. This is a great program were they are able to learn some things about the park, the environment, the flora of the area, animals in the park etc.. The kids receive a book with many sections that they were required fill out before they could be sworn in as Junior Rangers. Each NP has it's own booklet and it is a great way for the kids to learn more about conservation and the environment in each of the parks. We did a short hike with a Park Intern and learned a great deal about the trees and history of the park. This was the first Junior Ranger badge that the kids earned during our trip. Congratulations Sebastian and Sofia.

The Pigeon Forge experience also included pool time at the campground and a great dinner at the Local Goat - New American Restaurant and some Outlet shopping for everyone. All in all a very active three days.

On deranged builder. The landscaper wasn't much better.

The Hurricane Room/Wind Tunnel

The earthquake room! Shook like an earthquake. The Ca. folks thought it was lame!

Fearless Sofia!!

I don't think I'm getting enough oxygen!!

Dinner next door to Wonderworks!!

Our first National Park!

Our guide!

Hikes are fun and exercise!

And beautiful!

Is everyone happy? Yes!!

Not moving in anytime soon. Pioneer cabin that housed as many as 12. No TV or internet. Yikes!

The first swearing in ceremony. This was the person who lead the hike. Intern for the summer.

Certificates in hand. New Junior Rangers!! (Seb and Sof) CONGRATULATIONS!!!

2018 Trip West (Jenni and the Grandkids 7/25/2018 - 8/15/2018) POST1

Today is Friday 7/27/18 and we are already in our third day of this long awaited trip west. Our whole family was in Emerald Isle the week of July 15th for a get together that doesn't happen very often because of our geographic diversity. The Tokyo Graham side, the Ekman's from Sweden, and Magnus departed on 7/21/2018. Jenni and the kids stayed with us to prepare for our epic journey across the US.

Everything was ready for our departure on 7/25 except the weather. We hooked up in the pouring rain and drove in and out of rain to our first stop in Statesville, NC (Midway Camp Ground). We have stayed here many times before because it's, well almost "Midway" to the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, Tn. area. We arrived at River Plantation RV Resort yesterday and took the kids to a local mountain slide place that has a roof full of goats, yes goats, that you can feed via a bicycle conveyor that takes food to the roof. They also had a pen where you can feed the goats. Everyone had fun. Today we head for and upside down mansion that has all kinds of stuff to do, including laser tag. (More Later)

This will be a quick trip across the US, and the RV is a little more crowded than usual, but I can't put in words how much having them with us means to me. "We'll have fun, fun, fun, fun, until Magnus takes his kids away"

Mom took the picture inside the RV because of the pouring rain!

Everybody loves a baby goat!

Sofia talks to the goats as she feeds them!

Goats on a Roof!

They eat anything!!

2017 Trip West - Trip Summary

Today is 11/18 and I'm finally putting the final touches on this years trip. We headed north to see family first this trip then across a few states that we normally don't travel when we go west. In total we traveled through twelve states some of them twice in different areas.

We stayed in thirty-two campgrounds and one private home. We traveled 7113 miles in the motorhome and around 1000 miles in the jeep. We visited Two National Parks and two National Monuments.

Highlights of the trip:

Having the whole family together in California.
Casey Ohio "Big little Town"
The original Bass Pro in Springfield Mo. Over 1 million sq. ft.
Santa Fe, NM
Sky Mountain Pueblo Grants NM/ Meeting the Swedes in Grants!
Meteor Crater Winslow, AZ
Sedona Cathedral Rock hike
San Francisco and the Family
Golf with Corey
Air and Space Museum Tucson, AZ
Guadalupe NP
Magnolia Farms and Chip Gaines Waco, TX
Mud Island, Memphis TN
Grand Ole Opry, Nashville TN
Sevierville and Great Smokey Mountains NP

Fortunately the new motorhome performed very well the only problem we had was the passenger front slide lost power for about 2000 miles. It was just a severed wire that we had fixed in Tucson.

We are really enjoying our new home a look forward to many more years of enjoyment. I can't tell you how many people say to us, we really want to RV we just haven't made the move. It's really easy whether you go big or small and if you do travel the country the rewards are wonderful. I would have to say that one of the constant highlights or joys we get from this type of travel is the many super nice people we meet on the road. Every time  I get home I start thinking of my next trip. This is really a beautiful country albeit very different in many areas. I encourage all to think about this travel lifestyle I'm so happy that we did this when I retired. Hope you enjoyed this trip as much as we did. Until next time. Happy Travels!!

Bill and Eileen

Cathedral Rock!!

Memphis/Nashville/Sevierville (10/24-11/1)

We left Waco on Tuesday 10/24. We had one stop in Texarkana,Tx.then on to Southhaven Ms. which is just south of Memphis. The campground EZ Daze RV was a really nice park with paved roads and concrete pads. Our visit to Memphis was to see the scale model of the Mississippi River watershed located on Mud Isle right on the river. We visited this place with Cousin's Susan and Steve many moon's ago but it was in the pouring rain and not a great experience.

The attraction is a scale model of the entire Mississippi that starts on the upper end with the different states that have rivers that flow to form the river. All the way from the West Oregon, Montana etc. to the East New York, Pennsylvania, etc.. After the river is formed you walk along the river and see the towns and the major points along the river. Each step equals about a mile so you basically walk the entire river. We had a chilly but beautiful day to walk the river.

We worked up an appetite walking the river so we when to Bass Pro in the Pyramid in downtown Memphis. They have a restaurant and a viewing platform near the top of the store that you reach by taking an enormous elevator located in the center of the Pyramid. The store is the former basketball stadium in Memphis a unique place.

On 10/27 we headed to Nashville. The weather had turned rainy and cold so we really didn't  do to much in Nashville beyond the Opryland Hotel which is a amazing place to walk around. We saw a show Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry. The theme for the show was a birthday celebration for singer songwriter Bill Anderson who has been a member of the Opry for many years. The show was lots of fun. A must do for anyone who goes to Nashville. Our three day visit was capped off with a fabulous dinner at The Old Hickory Steakhouse inside the Opryland Hotel. YUM! YUM!

On 10/31 we are off to Sevierville, Tn. to one of my favorite campgrounds. Two Rivers RV. The attraction of this 10-10-10 campground is the pull in sites located on the French Broad River. There is a large field across the river where we have seen Turkey's, deer, Bald eagles in the past. This visit we were lucky enough to see many deer, including three young bucks and one rather large buck. I watched the young bucks spar with each other and enjoyed the show. This morning I was treated to a Bald Eagle sitting in a tree directly across from the motorhome.

We visited the worlds largest knife store located within walking distance of the campground and yesterday we went into Great Smokey Mountain NP and took a 2.5 mile hike in the beautiful woods. The leaves are about a week away but it was still beautiful.

This morning we boogied to Statesville NC and tomorrow we head to home. I will post all the pictures and the trip summary after I'm home because I'm running out of data on my MiFi.
When I write these posts I am writing them to be read by anyone who has interest but probably most of all for me. We have travelled this country now for over twelve years and it's becoming increasingly harder to remember each trip. The blog helps jog my memory.

My intend is not to bore anyone so I add the pictures for your enjoyment. I was going to put more in about campgrounds this time but I fell down on the job. Maybe next time.

Enjoy the country we sure did!

MEMPHIS!!

Mud Island Experience!

Bass Pro Pyramid from Mud Island!

Mississippi River and Mud Island from Bass Pro Observation Deck!

You can see the Observation decks on the top of the Pyramid!

The monorail was out so we had to walk to Mud Island.

The walls in the back are the start of the river. The wall to the left lists the states from the West and the one to the right list the states to the East and they form the Mississippi!

Walking the river!

All along the walk they have signs like this that highlight things along the river. The numbers correspond to places on the scale model river. 

After some walking from upstream we finally made it to where we were, in a manner of speaking!

Memphis and the bridges!

Rivers that flow in from further down the river. these obviously come from west of the Mississippi!

The real river!

Meander away "Ole Man River"

Made it to the end!

The end of the River!!

NASHVILLE!!

This building speaks for itself. On November 1st of each year the shows move to the Ryman Auditorium which is trhe original Opry House! 

Our seats came with oxygen!

and Binoculars!!!!!!

The birthday boy Bill Anderson. A long time Opry member!

Bill's family and the entertainers for the evening! Good show lots of fun. A must see if in Nashville!

My new Guitar!!

Some of the decorations in the hotel!

Lunch at the hotel. This is a great place to visit. Lots to see and do inside the hotel. This is one of many fine restaurants. Our dinner at the steakhouse was fantastic!!!!!!!!

                                                                           SEVIERVILLE, TN.

This is one of the deer across from our campsite. Took this from about 3000 yards.

That's the field that the deer was in way to the left!

Across the river the morning we left!

                                                      GREAT SMOKEY MOUNTAINS NP!

This 2.5 mile hike is the same one we took with the "Ton of Fun" group years before!!

You can see that the trees haven't quite turned yet. Another week would have been great. Late everywhere this year.

Beautiful Woods! 

We are heading home!!