Part 6 The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon National Park is only 51 miles north from our campground on Route 64.
Both the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon National Parks have been cut into the ground rather than driven upward like mountains. Consequently, as you approach them (if you’ve never seen them before) the landscape “hides” what you are about to see until you actually drive into an observation point and you are captivated by the vista before you.
We entered the South Rim and the Grand Canyon hid its greatness from our view until we turned the corner and entered the first viewing point… and it didn’t disappoint us! As we stepped to the low stone wall what laid before us seemed surreal. Our first glance at the striking vastness, color and depth left us speechless. It’s difficult to comprehend that we are looking at the results of water, wind, and exposure to the elements for more than several hundred million years... and Mother Nature’s not done yet!
I’ll let this three photos left to right are the view from one viewing point speak for itself…

We drove the twenty-five mile “Desert View Drive” east stopping at each of the viewing points.
Each time we stepped to the precipice we found it difficult to imagine the massive work of nature and time before us. More than anything else we relished the beauty and size of surely one of nature’s wonders.
We returned to the main entrance and planned to take in the west drive when the clouds rolled in with rain. Our six hours at the Canyon left us in awe.

Part 5 – … Riding along in my automobile…!

We said goodbye to Branson and “headed for the hills.” North on 65 and west on 44, this is going to be a long stretch as we make our way to Rt. 40. My co-pilot guided us through Oklahoma City with ease. Traffic was fair but we quickly became irritated with the ten or so miles of road just out of the city that “shake rattled and rolled” us!
We settled for the night at a Wal Mart parking lot in El Rino, OK. I’m a tad apprehensive parking in a Wal Mart parking lot but it worked out just fine for us. Pat got to shop a little and we had a fine dessert in the nearby McDonalds. Except for the “jet like” vacuum parking lot cleaner we actually had a good night’s sleep.
We hit the road early which meant an early stop, and that was fine for us! We knew we were finally in the “wild west” when we were greeted with this sign at the New Mexico Information Center. The ride out of OK and into New Mexico turned flat. We cruised along, made a couple of stops in each states information centers (and maybe one casino) and another time zone change.
Our stop-over is mere yards from the famous Route 66 in Tucumcari, NM. The “rustic” campground is a work in progress, but it made for an early stop and time to “veg” out before we begin the climb into Albuquerque, NM. It’s really something to see a once thriving town so still and littered with “relics” of the past. Route 66 lives on in our hearts and America’s heritage.
Route 40, running through the mid west became a ribbon of asphalt guarded by the ever present mesas. These silent sentinels have witnessed the westward expansion since before the American Indian’s roamed the prairies.
Before long the flat top mesas gave way to the more rugged mountains the closer we drove to Arizona.
We stopped in the first Arizona Information Center on Rt. 40. That proved interesting; especially We got our first glimpse of the western vistas that was in store for us. Now that our interests were tweaked, some miles later, we happened upon the road sign for the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. This leg of our journey westward will place us into position to begin seeing the beauty of the American west. We’ve started leaving early in the mornings to stop earlier in the afternoon before the real heat of the day gets the better of us. So, knowing we had fewer miles to travel today, we figured we should see what this National Park has to offer. Four hours later we exited the Park in awe!
This makes all of the days of driving worth it. Color, open space, the effect of time and exposure to the land has made for wondrous vistas and eye candy to behold. We were blessed with a crystal clear morning and temperatures that only squeaked into the 80’s by the time we left the Park.
We walked among the “Long Logs” petrified by over two million years of earthly evolution. We scanned miles of sculptured rock formations that proudly and boldly displayed their rich colors and time worn talus slopes. The twenty-eight miles we traveled in the National Park was worth the over two thousand miles it took to get here!

Heading into our stay just west of Flagstaff, AZ in the historic town of Williams, clouds began to fill the sky. We took a walk down the famous Route 66 town of Williams but it was cut short by rain. We headed back to the motor home to relax. Here we hope to drive up to the Grand Canyon and get aquainted with Flagstaff... (I hope to stretch our drive into Flagstaff to include the "Meteor Crator." I'd say that's a fitting site to see for an Amateur Astronomer!) As the sun set the rain let up and we were caught off guard by a brilliant rainbow that seemed to be sitting on top of a tiny shed just in front of us...

What a way to top of a day filled with visual treasures!

Part 4 - But we're so close to Branson, MO

As Co-Pilot, Pat takes her job very seriously. She’s constantly checking the GPS, “Next Exit” and Atlas for our fuel stop, breaks or whatever. While checking the map, she was surprised to see that when we passed through Springfield, MO, we were a mere 45 miles from Branson, MO!
We couldn’t wait to hit the next rest area to “work the maps” and whether we wanted to take a few days in Branson or not.
It didn’t take us long. Luckily, the next rest stop had a MO information center… we turned south on I-65 and into Branson for four nights!
The closer we got to Branson, the steeper the hills became! We’re driving into the Ozark Mountains! Okay, we can deal with the hills on the highway; but the entire town of Branson is built in the hills! The HHR has to work to navigate some of the terrain and you don’t park anywhere without setting the parking brake… hard! You’ve got to get used to walking on a slant in the parking lots at most of the theaters in town.
A drive down “The Strip” (Route 76) is a feast of big name theaters, restaurants, “honky tonk” stores and tourist attractions.

- Outside! Inside -

There seems to be a “box office ticket store” on every block. Watch out, most of them are “time share” or sales gimmick for discounted tickets. We were told to go right to the theater box office for tickets. Of course we didn’t know that this is basically a slow time for “top name” entertainers, so we started mulling over our show choices. We thought we’d take in one or maybe two shows. We settled on Paul Revere/Bill Medley at the Andy Williams, “Blue Moon” theater. While buying tickets, we were offered a break on the price for the matinee show of Bill Hayley’s Comets… why not!
Well, as “Virgin” visitors to Brandon, we wanted to find out which out of the 117 (or so) theaters was a really good show to see. We happened on this one “ticket” store just to find out which shows are really good. Right! We ended up getting two tickets to see “Pierce Arrow” and two tickets to see “Haygoods”… after we sat through a “Wyndham Timeshare” presentation! Hey, it saved us over $100.00 and we found out which shows were really good! Nope, NO sale! I told them, if I had the money to spend on their time share points, I’d buy a new motor home!
We picked up our ticket voucher and headed to the shows! Funny, while waiting for the show to begin we couldn’t help but notice all of the other ticket vouchers people were handing in!
“Pierce Arrow” is the name of the group and the name of the theater. We guess many of the groups/entertainers buy/purchase their own theaters. They were outstanding. We learned that most of the shows are laced with “down home” comedy in addition to music.
We took the time before and between shows to take some pictures, and you already know the star of “our trip” is Gnorm the Gnome who is rapidly becoming a “photo hog!” We drove to the outer edge of town for an elevator ride up the 270’ Inspiration Tower. I took advantage of an information center “free” ticket to the top. It was a great view and an impressive tower.
Two shows today! The “Original Haley’s Comets” and Paul Revere followed by Bill Medley. The “Original Comets” played some incredible “Rock and Roll.” It’s also hard to believe how many hits they made and made more history than we realized. The “Comets” are made up of three original members; a bass player (76), Sax player (75), the drummer (86 who never missed a beat), and two “younger” members on piano and lead guitar.

Their sound is excellent, but boy they were “working” pretty hard but they were excellent!
Paul Revere is a “hoot!” He’s really funny and the “Raiders” can put together some great music. Bill Medley is classy. During his shows he always dedicates one song to his long time partner and friend, Bobby Hatfield. He performed a variety of the “Righteous Brothers songs as well as many other well known favorites. Bill Medley is a true family man and mentioned how the “Righteous Brothers” career was and is much of his family’s lives. His daughter, McKenna, performed several numbers as a fill-in for Bobby Hatfield.
After the show Pat and I (along with the rest of the audience) got to meet the Paul Revere, Bill Medley and their band. It all made for a great evening of entertainment and one we will always remember… we know Gnorm will!
We spent the night listening to the “weather warnings” on the TV and the weather radio. Fortunately, the really serious weather was just north of us, but we got a taste of MO thunder and lightening. Talk about “long rollers.” You see the flash and the thunder seems to go on for ten seconds or so as they traverse the Ozarks. At least the weather is forecast to improve by the time we head out in the morning. Today is going to be for “downtime” and one last show later tonight.
Branson is a great town to find your way around. Just about every theater/attraction is within a ten mile radius and you can get “area” maps everywhere. There is one caveat, we just happen to be here at a week that all of the big names/shows are on vacation. That means, traffic is nil, zip, nada! We’ve driven up and down the “Strip,” crossed over from side to side and Gnorm and I walked across it nearly at will. One of the tourist centers we first visited told us don’t even think of taking the motorhome down the “Strip.” When Branson is jumping (Sep. to Dec.) it can take over and hour or more to get from one end to the other and forget crossing it.
One more day, it’s raining, Pat’s doing laundry and one more show to see before we pack up tomorrow. We just heard from Bob and Phyllis Wood, fellow WIT Club members, who are staying at the Casino River Campground in St. Louis (sound familiar).
Tonight we get to see the “Haygoods,” a group of eight brothers and a sister. And what a show it was! These kids sang, each played multiple instruments, and tap danced to a great variety of songs.

We found out what Branson is like when it's busy! Leaving the theater we turned right onto the "Strip" and into bumper to bumper traffic. All the theaters get out around the same time.

Branson turned out to be one great stop-over!

Now, back to reality... we're on the road in the a.m.

Part 3 – The Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO

A welding Metal-Fab teacher friend of mine let me borrow the video “Monument to a Dream” to show my students. I was instantly fascinated by the beauty and complex construction it took to build the glimmering stainless steel “Gateway Arch.” Route 70 west took us within a mile of the Arch; getting up close to it was all I could think of.
The drive through Illinois was unique. Mind you, I am by no means a “heavy footed” driver, I prefer to keep the coach under 65 mph when on the highway. As you enter the state of Illinois, you see a road sign declaring, “Trucks, motor homes, and travel trailers, 55 MPH.” That’s just what we did, all across the state! It was a comfortable drive but it became rather boring.
We planned to stay at the Casino River Campground on the Mississippi River, on the other side of the river opposite the Gateway Arch!
If you’ve never driven into East St. Louis, IL be prepared to pay close attention to road signs. It took both of us and the GPS to guide us through the maze of on/off ramps that greet the traveler.
Even with all of our eyes working the signage, we nearly missed the sign directing us to the entrance to the campground. And get this, even after we made it through the first time, we actually did miss the turn when we needed to return to the campground after a trip to a local Wal Mart.
We spent some time in the casino but all the while, I couldn’t get enough of scanning the glistening arch from every vantage point. Finally, we hopped on the Metrolink and headed for the Arch.
While waiting for the train, we happened to notice the overhead clock. We never realized we had passed into the Central Time Zone. Go figure. We had to check a map to find out when we changed time zones. With watches adjusted we enjoyed the “extra hour” and made our way toward the “underground” facility below the 630’ Arch.
The setting for the Arch is picturesque. The Arch stands alone in an expansive open grassy park with a tree studded perimeter. I was surprised to see there were no buildings or entrances to the Arch you can see. Everything is below the Arch! The Arch legs are place North and South. You walk into the subterranean complex just to the inside of each leg of the Arch. The underground facility is just as impressive as the Arch itself. A museum, two movie theaters, two stores, two “elevator” lifts for a “Ride to the top” and Rangers presenting the history of our western expansion and everything you need to know about the Gateway Arch. Those, tiny slits at the very top are "windows!"
Pat wasn’t keen on riding to the top of the Arch, but I thought I wanted to… until I had a chance to study the “tuna can” five people ride to the top in. There are two lifts. Each one consists of five drums each holding five people. The “trolley” of the lift actually pulls you up on a track. Each drum rotates freely as you make your way up. The rotating drum keeps the passengers in an upright position as the “trolley” inverts as it makes its way up the side and over the top of the Arch.
As the Arch pitches toward the top, the life must stop a short distance from the observation room at the top, and you climb stairs from there to the rest of the way. The observation room is only 17’ wide. You’re ride to the top, visit to the top and return takes about an hour. Obviously, with a limited amount of visitors permitted at the top, the entire excursion must be time limited.
I opted out of my anticipated journey to the top. Sitting in the “tuna can” with five people, knees touching, low lighting, 1/2” X 6” vent slots at the top and sides… especially when the doors SHUT, was not for me! The only adult person who can sit up straight is the person sitting to the vertically flat side of the drum opposite the doors. From watching how the Arch was constructed, I knew just how “tight” the inner shaft of the Arch really is. In any event, I was grateful to finally see a monument that has fascinated me for a number of years and just being able to touch it’s stainless steel exterior and marvel at it’s sheer simplistic elegance was worth every minute of it.
We got to experience a “typical” St. Louis rain storm (and that was enough).
Now, leaving St. Louis was another chance to come to grips with the “octopus” like maze of roads, off/on ramps and jig saw puzzle road signs! Armed with directions given to us by the campground security guard and, to our surprise, we cruised out of town with ease! We planned a stop-over in a Wal Mart parking lot just east of Joplin, MO.

Part 2- Stop over with friends in Indiana

We broke up our second leg of the trip with a night in the parking lot of a Flying J along I-70.
The first day of our two day drive was great for a long drive; foggy and overcast, but just cool enough to be comfortable. We spent a long evening trying to ignore a guy in a “box” truck next to us idling his engine from 5:00pm until about 10:30pm. We thought he would leave several times but all he did was move the truck or turn it around! Go figure! We turned in early and eventually, he did turn off the truck.
The next days drive to our planned multi-day stop over was much shorter. We are camped about fifteen miles from the home of our friends Darlene and Buzz. They live in the historical town of New Castle, IN. Darlene and Buzz winter in the same campground as Pat and I and Pat’s sister and her husband, Angela and Bill.
Buzz is an avid shuffleboard player. The town has several beautiful parks and one of them has six shuffle board courts. Buzz is a member of the town’s Shuffleboard Club and looks forward to the Monday, Wednesday and Friday 1:00pm games. Pat and I were more than happy to watch but we were invited to play and had a terrific time. Their courts are a bit below the quality of some courts due to the Indiana winters and kids who like the courts for their skateboards but this hearty group make the best of it. We had sixteen players including one very special lady. Eula, is 94 years young, has difficulty seeing, and is as sweet as can be… until she shoots the puck! Eula, will ask team members to point out where the pucks are and then, she launches the puck and “cleans your clock!”
We headed back to Darlene and Buzz’ house for more than a few games of “Sequence” and a fantastic baked lasagna topped off with a dessert “Anniversary/birthday” cake for Pat and I. Yep, we celebrated our 36th Anniversary and Pat’s birthday! Bellies filled and Buzz and I soundly beaten in “Sequence,” we headed back to the campground for a good nights rest. We don’t know what Darlene and Buzz have in store for us tomorrow!
A little conversation about our plans for the day and we headed out for the local county fair. Along the way Buzz gave us a brief history and tour of their home town New Castle. New Castle was once a bustling and vibrant city. The Chrysler plant closed and many residents’ lives were sadly changed forever. The town is rich in history and tradition. It houses the “Worlds largest and finest” high school Gym along with the Basketball hall of fame. It is difficult not to notice the vacant downtown store fronts and many houses is sad decay.
As we headed for the fair, Buzz turned down Wilbur Wright Drive and we were all caught by surprise as we noticed some people flying remote helicopters in a field by an old house. It turns out it is the restored birthplace of Wilbur Wright. The property was restored to its original state. The property also includes a terrific Wright brothers museum, a retired WWII jet and a well conditioned stretch of the field for a remote control airplane club. We were treated to an outstanding display of acrobatic flying by a group of Argentine Remote Control Flyers. They explained to us that they had recently competed in Muncie, IN for a major AMA competition. They told us they were competitive but they were up against some incredible talent. After touring the Wright Brother’s exhibits we headed back to the flying field where a family was flying their RMC planes.
We never did get to the county fair. So what else could we do? Buzz showed us where his mom lived and a beautiful park for picnics and golf that includes horse shows and a host of 4H events. From there we did what we do best, we went to lunch! We ate at the “Iron kettle” in a sleepy town setting and headed back to their house for more games of “Sequence” and sitting on the porch.
Friday is Buzz and Darlene’s anniversary. We let Buzz and Darlene plan the day. Buzz is really into his Mon. Wed. and Fri. routine of playing shuffleboard with the local shuffleboard club so we all headed to the park for a game or three. Darlene tried her hand playing shuffleboard on Wednesday and is hooked! She played really well and now Buzz will be heading to Florida to buy another stick!
Heading for their annual “Anniversary Pizza Dinner,” we passed by Buzz and Darlene’s high school and home to the “Largest and Finest High School Gym,” which turned out to be quite impressive. A short drive later, we were enjoying pizza and some great conversation.
We drove back to their home for a chance for the men to catch up to the women in the game of “Sequence.” For the record, out of the three evenings of playing, the ladies topped the men 17 to 12! Grrrrrr!
We polished off the anniversary/birthday cake they gave Pat and I to lesson the “pain” of loosing and finished off our visit with a few moments on the porch. Three outstanding days, many wonderful memories and we refreshed our winter friendship with Buzz and Darlene in fine fashion. We are looking forward to rejoining them in the south later this year, but for now… we’re heading west.

Part 1 - Heading out!

The weather was perfect for a drive. Clear, dry, comfortable and most of the traffic along the way was headed in the opposite direction. Our stops were few and brief. The 412 miles to get to Intercourse, PA was the shortest time and mileage since we started visiting the Lancaster area in 1983. Thanks to the PA route 222 improvements, we can now bypass a handful of towns we normally had to drive through.
It did cloud up and remained cool nearly the entire drive, which made it all the better for a long drive. Easing onto the narrow Amish farm roads meant we were nearing our destination. Rolling along between the tall corn stalks is a treat in and of itself, especially when you realize all of the work that a single Amish family must do to produce such wondrous results.
Settling in we found ourselves basking in the afternoon heat scurrying to take refuge in our motor home’s A/C. Our weather radio began hawking the approaching severe thunderstorm warnings that were to our east. The fickle weather made a surprise visit to our local. A huge dark cloud wandered overhead and unleashed a torrent of rain and blustery wind with vivid lightning. The fast moving storm edged away leaving us with a refreshingly cool evening.
We visited with our Amish friends, Abner and Becky and their daughter Rosie, caught up on all of the latest news and even discussed a little bit of politics.
The next morning Pat checked the morning temps and we soon came to know what the weather had in store for us. The mercury could climb into the high 90’s. The hottest days of the summer were on us. Pat and I headed for the “Kitchen Kettle” shopping plaza only to find out that nothing is open until9:00a.m. A brief walk about town passed the time away and we were once again “sampling” all of the jams and jellies of the Kitchen Kettle. We visited with Abner and Becky as they opened their Coach Shop for the day, and headed back to the campground to plan our day.
Old age is really creeping in on us! Pat is doing the “lion’s share” of keeping track of bills and such, but for some reason one tiny little item slipped right by us! We lost all track of renewing the vehicle registrations! They are due at the end of August. We went into a self induced panic mode and we began a quest to resolve our dilemma. A phone call to our City Hall helped clear our heads. But, it’ll take the help of Pat’s Sister and her husband and our Park owner, Laura to complete the renewal process. Angela and Bill armed with a check made a bee-line to our Town Hall and Pat and I sought the help of Laura to get the documents to us somewhere in Indiana. We want to offer Angela, Bill and Laura a huge thank you.
You can bet that vehicle registrations will be listed on our “check-off” sheets in the future!
This past June we visited this area and watched as the campground’s neighbor, farmer Sam, began work on his tobacco drying barn. Well, it’s finished and in service.
And that’s how things are going.
Dave and Pat

Someone said, "go take a hike!"

...and, so we did. Pat and I, at the request of our Great Niece Ashley, headed for Mt. Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH. Ashley has become extremely interested in mountain climbing so when she was looking for someone to hike with I was eager to put my boots on one more time. The last time I climbed Mt. Monadnock was back in the '70's. Out of shape and a whole lot older I was torn between what my ego and my body were telling me... go, do it, you still got it! ... wait, think this out, your out of shape and your knees have seen better days. Well, I "bit the bullet" and we headed back to see an "old friend," Mt. Monadnock.

I attended Franklin Pierce College in the mid '60's and was introduced to the Mt. by fellow classmates and I was hooked. Hiking Monadnock a number of times tends to endear the climber to a wonderful experience. Monadnock offers all level of climbers the opportunity to both "challenge" their ability or simply enjoy all of the beauty and majesty the mountain has to offer.

Normally shy, Ashley gives the "thumbs up" as we introduced her to the "Cathedral of the Pines" with the picturesque Mt. Monadnock in the background. As you can see Monadnock stands alone and its 3,165' peak is well above the tree line and somewhat rounded.

Pat decided she would pass on the climb and headed back to Ringe for some shopping. Ashley and I headed for the "White Dot" trail... the shortest route to the summit... but also the steepest and rockiest! Hiking with a teenager is most humbling. They can literally run up the mountain and they're nearly on the summit before you notice they're not even breathing hard!

Yours truly needed many more rest stops than Ashley and I really began to pay much more attention to my foot work. Your mind tells you you can do it but the body says "cool it" and pay attention, things don't work like they used to!

We made it to the top and enjoyed the panorama while snacking and talking about our accomplishment. It's said that Monadnock is the second most climbed mountain next to Mt. Fuji. Each time I've sumitted Monadnock it's like a traffic jam of people coming and going on the trails. People of all ages and abilities climb Monadnock. The "White Dot" trail is 1.9 miles and moderately steep with more than enough rocks to maneuver up, over, or around to satisfy most climbers. We returned via the 2.1 mile "White Cross" trail which suited us just fine. Still lots of rocks but an easier descent.

It was a wonderful day. The weather was perfect for the hike. Our trails took us up the leeward side of the mountain so the prevailing wind didn't bother us until the peak. After scanning the panoramic horizon we, like nearly everyone else, sat in the protection of the rocks to enjoy the moment.

You always take away something with you after this type of activity. For me, even though my foggy memories of my youthful agility and stamina toyed with me with each step, I left the mountain with an enormous feeling of satisfaction that I didn't need to be medevacked off the mountain and accomplished what I set out to do. For Ashley, I think the experience only heightened her quest for ever more adventure and deepened her love of life. Ashley is an outstanding climbing partner. Together we made a uniquely wonderful memory that will last a lifetime.

So, the next time someone says, "go take a hike" go for it! It may turn out to be the "time of your life!"