1,000 Points of Light and a Kolache

We enjoyed one last breakfast with the group today (Texas breakfast burritos) and hit the road. Tooled south and east to La Grange, TX, home of the so-far best kolaches (and quite tasty pigs in a blanket). Read the review that had us go out of our way to this place: Gourmet Magazine 3/09


(and if you can't read the sign, it says: We Gotcha Kolache. One day, I'll learn how to make the photos enlargeable....)

Then it was north and east to College Station and the George H.W. Bush (41) Library. The most amusing thing was this skydiver, greeting visitors as they entered.



Otherwise, it was a bit of a disappointment. The Gulf War and WWII exhibits were very interesting (I knew he was a war hero, but didn't realize he was only 18 when inducted into the Navy as a pilot). The one thing we really wanted to see-- the Oval Office replica--was a big bust. It was a pretty cheesy partial display that had been turned into a revenue opportunity--get your picture taken at the desk for $9. The exhibits were not laid out well. It was easy to lose the chronology, and the narrative was so very personal--there wasn't a lot of current event context, as there was in the other ones we've seen. There were also so many bells and whistles that the content got lost--in the same way that K-12 textbooks work these days. All logos and special features and not much meat.

And Poppy had his share of "spin" like ole Bill did, but Poppy's was especially thick in the part about the 1992 election.



We're now in Madisonville, TX at a commercial campground, chosen because it had its very own seafood restaurant: "We'll even deliver to your RV door!" That would've been another first, but unfortunately, we forgot that we're in the South on Sunday and it's closed tonight. The owner/chef did offer to go get us some etouffee, but we wanted him to have his night off.

I just scored a really good wifi connection, so we've plotted the rest of our route on the current trip map for the next 2 weeks (that map takes forever to work with on a slow connection). Just an FYI for any eagle-eyed editors out there.

Cue up Willie Nelson

Yup. It's time to be back on the road again. The rally actually goes through tomorrow morning, and there's an actual band tonight, but our reservation is up, the park is full, and we're itchin' to get movin' again. Yesterday was just a giant wait-till-the-sun-goes-down day. Read a lot and finished a book, played dominoes, planned next 2 weeks of the trip, and waited till our potluck dinner.

So, we've broken up our drive to Morgan City into two nights so we can be tourists again. Today we're going to bag another presidential library--Poppy Bush's--and visit another supposedly famous Czech place for lunch before we get to our commercial campground for more loads of laundry. Running out of shorts....

Johnson City, the Ranch, and Austin

Yesterday, we had a great breakfast cooked by the very generous Texas hosts: eggs to order, bacon, pancakes. We took off as the coffeecake was coming out of the oven--whew! Don't need those calories! Then off we went early (8AM) to explore the LBJ national monument--his boyhood home and grandparents' homestead are in Johnson City and then a 14-mile drive out to the real ranch, where the Texas White House is. We caught up with a caravan of Skinnie Winnie's at one point (we, um, drive a bit faster than others, apparently) and couldn't resist the picture:


LBJ's ranch is a gorgeous place and Lady Bird actually lived here till her death in 2007, so the tours and such are pretty new. We opted to take the self-guided tour with an audio CD (everything is mandated by the Johnsons to be free, provided the National Park Service maintains the ranch as a working cattle ranch). It was really great to hear the songs he liked (my mother's favorite, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" was LBJ's favorite, too) and the actual voice recordings (e.g., Rev. Billy Graham's eulogy as we were at the graveyard) as we toured. Nicely done. Here's the family plot, which is still maintained as private. Lady Bird is buried beneath the flowers; her headstone is not yet installed:


Apparently, LBJ's mother had a quite-rare-back-then college degree and taught him to read and started him in school by age 4. I hadn't realized how many pieces of his Great Society plan related to education (Head Start was started on the ranch and the legislation that authorized it was signed at his one-room schoolhouse on the ranch) and that LBJ himself started out as a schoolteacher.

Here's the reconstructed birthplace home, which was used as a guest house for visiting Cabinet members during his administration. Quite lovely.


And here's the actual house. Underneath this beautiful oak tree were held many, many Vietnam-era meetings. LBJ was a workaholic, but loved being outdoors whenever he could. The ranger said that, after LBJ's first heart attack in 1955, the doctor told him to get more exercise. So, he installed a swimming pool in the front yard, just beyond this oak. But he never swam laps--he'd hold meetings, read, talk on the phone...work. No wonder he died so young (age 64, only 4 years after leaving office). I shan't make that same mistake!



Then we took off for the big city: Austin. Navigated traffic and fit (barely!) in our friend's driveway. Had a great evening having dinner at my favorite Austin restaurant and then seeing my favorite NPR show taped live: Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. Here are Carl Kasell and Peter Sagal. Sigh. I love this show.


And here's a sunset photo of our merry band:


Made it back to our campsite today, after provisioning at Central Market. Ah. A great grocery store. We figure it's the only island of organic yumminess on our entire East-West route, well, barring Boulder, Colorado, which we think we'll be passing through on our way home. No Trader Joe's in these parts. Had Migras for breakfast and a delicious salad for lunch, and an organic, vegetarian entree for dinner last night--see? It's not all BBQ....

Stopped at Longhorn Cavern State Park on our way back, but missed the cave tour by minutes. Enjoyed the exhibits about the CCC, though. We have always been admirers of the CCC's lasting contributions (our Big Sur highway, the Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado, etc., etc.), but hadn't realized what a genius of a program it was. FDR didn't create a new department; he used existing infrastructure of Army (logistics), Labor (recruitment), Forestry and Agriculture (projects) to administer the program. More than 250,000 unemployed young men learned trades and skills and were able to help their families. They were paid $30/month, with $25 going straight to the family and $5 to them, since they got their room and board. And look how well-built and useful their work has been for the last 75 years. Now, that's an investment in a bunch of shovel-ready projects. Here's Lisa at the top of one of the beautiful stone structures they built:


Must get ready to go to a 6PM wine-and-cheese at Mr. and Mrs. Iflyfish's site ;-)

Here a Skinnie, There a Winnie, Everywhere a Skinnie-Winnie

***Addendum: Lovely photos of the rally and the environs here. ****

A bit cooler today (only 90-91!) and much more pleasant. We spent the morning doing some trip planning and taking a hike, doing some yoga along the lakeside and taking some photographs of the prolific wildflowers. Some highlights include:

Our site:


And nearby, a small fraction of the flowers:




And the boats, trying to be flowers:



Then we joined 12 other Skinnie-Winnies at Coopers BBQ in Llano, TX for lunch. What a hoot! This place is like no other. You approach via the outdoor smokers. Then you pick your meat(s), say whether you want it dunked in the very thin but extremely tasty sauce, and take your plate inside, where you give it to a young man who weighs each type of meat and figures out the price. You add optional sides (corn on the cob, slaw, cobbler) or you just go for the included ones (Wonder bread, jalapeno-spiced beans, and pickled peppers/veg) and get your beverage (Shiner Bock, of course). Wowee. Best BBQ of this trip: vinegary sauce on top of a salty-peppery spice rub on top of very nice smoke. Nothing sugary sweet or tomatoey saucy about this meat. I had chicken and 2 pork ribs (lunch and dinner!) and Lisa had sausage, brisket and beef ribs. For my money, the chicken and pork ribs rocked. The place is also famous for its ENORMOUS pork chops, which we saw people attempting to eat.

Here's one photo of us lined up outside (and yes, we had to leave in this order--we are 4th in line).


Here's an unintentionally surreal iPhone photo of us at Coopers:


And the exterior:


And some photos of this evening:

Boy, Howdy, It's Hot

Reached the rally Tuesday afternoon. Beautiful park full of Skinnie Winnies (pics to come). Sitting here at 7AM, after having walked the dog in the nick of time, watching a thunderstorm roll past. I had hoped that rain would make a dent in the temps, but no dice. Hot and heavy out there already. Today's events: 6:30-8 breakfast (I believe "road kill omelets" were on the menu), 9-2 Vanishing Texas River Cruise, then 2:30 Llano, TX for some apparently killer BBQ. Think we'll join the group for BBQ in the heat of the afternoon (in the mid 90s yesterday). Nick is starting to get used to the heat (and the accompanying LOUD A/C), we hope. He was a very good boy last night. At sunset, we took him over to the main gathering grounds and sat at a picnic table talking with folks who had dogs, too, and Nick was fine. Yay!

Back in the Great State of Texas

An quick update--

A very rainy day on the road, but we still love driving those TX byways. We took the "Wildflower Highway" today, off of which are roads such as "Nasturtium Lane" and "Wisteria Lane." Tons of wildflowers, too.

We are overnighting in Tyler State Park tonight. Off to Waco tomorrow for provisioning, cleaning, and washing off the bugs before our View/Navion rally in the Hill Country.

Let's Do the Time Warp Again, Hot Springs Style

Modernity has nothing on the Buckstaff Baths. We have been to some super-dooper spas in our day, but this 1912 beauty, the only bathhouse on Bathhouse Row to be in continuous operation, was a true delight. We finally got into town today, found one of the 4, count 'em 4, RV parking spots in the entire historic district, and started to walk down the most lovely, magnolia-shaded boulevard. We reached the Buckstaff right away, before we'd reached the visitor center, so we went in to inquire about taking the waters. Turns out they have quite limited hours, so we just said yes, without a clue as to what the "traditional treatment" was, and were whisked (well, that's too speedy a verb) away up a 1912-era, hand-operated Otis Elevator to quite an experience.



We "took the treatment" before we knew anything about it. Afterwards, we went to the visitor center, which is in a lovely restored bathhouse. The pictures that follow are from there as, for obvious reasons, we couldn't take pictures in the REAL bathhouse ;-)

First, the dressing room attendant swaths you in a crisp white sheet, toga style, and very discreetly from the back. That sheet is great, as it's lightweight and the facility is NOT air conditioned.

Treatment 1: Soaking in a tub
The bath attendant (the 2nd person) scrubs you down with your own loofah and then turns on the Model T-era "turbine" to make a Jacuzzi-style bath at 104 degrees. Then she leaves you in this gargantuan porcelain tub with some cups of the actual hot water to drink to bring your body temperature up.

Treatment 2: The sitz bath
Absolutely surprisingly nice--the angle of this little tub plus the warm water really help the lower back relax.

Treatment 3: Gimme steam
An old-fashioned steam cabinet--which looked for all the world when it is occupied like a magician's box. I generally hate steam on my face, so this thing worked beautifully, even if we all looked funny.


Treatment 4: Get packin'
The packing table was where you get 4 hot towels (and this is an actual federal regulation--4 max) packed around you wherever you want 'em. Legs/feet, shoulders, and lower back were my choices. Then a cool towel and ice spring water and a 15 minute snooze.

Treatment 5: The "tickle" shower
Still not sure what the official name is, but my gal called it that. And I giggled for the entire 5 minutes.


I asked her how many people they can get through this finely tuned, almost 100-year process each day. She wasn't sure but she said she had bathed 53 one day and, "That's a lotta ladies." For sure. We tried not to think about how old everything was or how many bodies had been in the tub.... It was also surprising that we didn't have to sign a medical waiver, any kind of liability release, etc., etc. Hmm.

Treatment #6: Massaahhhhge
A 3rd person administers a hot oil massage for 20 minutes. I did not even NEED it by the end of the bathing--no driving knots in my shoulders!

The whole thing? $55 for 1.5 hours of history and relaxation.

We strolled down the rest of the row and visited the Fordyce Baths and Museum.





Then we found a former speakeasy owned by Al Capone for lunch. Lots of interesting stories, including how the young Bill Clinton played sax there. We assume that the 3rd floor brothel was closed at that point....



We have now been twice to the "jug fountains" all around downtown to refill on the delicious spring water. We'll hit the road tomorrow with 5 gallons!

Saturday we zipped over to Little Rock to see the Clinton Presidential Library. Gorgeous, LEED-certified building (in the shape of the "bridge to the 21st century) with some neat exhibits, but we had to stop reading the way-too-dense text. Truman's exhibits sure read as if they had been written by historians, whereas Bill's were clearly "spun." Ick. I mean, I voted for the guy twice and my eyes were rolling. I think that sizable group of non-fans would have apoplexy, but then again, they wouldn't be visiting, perhaps.

But we were glad we saw it. Can't imagine when we'll be back through.



And here's Bill's Oval Office reproduction:


Although this campground and those hot springs would be worth a detour off I-40 again some day! And there's Roadfood we didn't try--a BBQ place. Too much BBQ in KC ;-) So maybe there will be another visit....

The solar panels work!

Quick post from iPhone--
Had a lovely drive from Carthage to Hot Springs National Park thru Ozark hills and hollers. Favorite billboard from an auto dealer: We will match any advertised price or give you the car free. Huh. Real marketing whiz there. We laughed till we cried imagining how this negotiation would go. "Dang, Vern. I jes cain't match that there price. Guess you got me. Here's the keys to yer free car."

We snagged one of 9 $10 sites at the NP. Rest of sites are closed for renovation. Such good fortune we paid for 3 nights and may extend a 4th. Tons of hiking trails and one 1.6 miler goes right to Bathhouse Row. We plan to walk it today and drive back tomorrow (if it storms) to take turns getting "the treatment." Then on Sat we think we'll pop over to Little Rock to continue our presidential library tour. Then on Sunday head to TX, to be at rally on Tues.

Sure is great to feel free to stay multiple nights without hookups. We will have to add water at some point but that's available here. Cool!

When You Care Enough...

...To Send the Very Best
The Hallmark Visitor Center is wonderful! The way that this (still) privately held, family run, $3.5 billion company nurtures creativity does a lot to explain its enduring success and appeal. They really seem to understand their customers and how their products meet people's needs.



This is part of a large display of Christmas trees, each made by the employees as a gift to the founder, J.C. Hall each year through his death in 1982. Many, many of the ornaments led to card lines, Keepsake ornaments, and other products.



Our favorite Hallmark characters--many of you have received a Hoops and YoYo greeting from us ;-)



...To Eat the Very Best
You'll drive through neighborhoods of condemned homes and afternoon street-side arrests to chase down the best BBQ in the world. We visited two places today--got a "sandwich" at each one. (The quotation marks are to indicate that these aren't traditional sandwiches. They're more like 1/2 loaf of Wonder bread piled high and soaked through with various kinds of BBQ meat.)

We didn't get a photo of Arthur Bryant's, although it's clearly famous and very crowded. The take-out sandwich we got (pulled pork) was wrapped in butcher paper and weighed easily several pounds. I felt as if I was carrying a football. Bought a bottle of the famous sauce (which was truly delicious) for making our own culinary creations as we travel onward.

Here at LCs, I had to run across a 4-lane highway to get BBQ, since the pie-shaped parking lot was not gonna hold the Navion. Boy, was it worth it. Notice the smoke? The meat-smoker is smack dab in the middle of the restaurant, holding the most succulent meats I've ever seen. Our burnt end sandwich was a perfect blend of crunchy and juicy, black and red, chewy and tender.



In neither of these places did I feel emboldened to use the camera, though....

Tonight, we are at an RV park (sigh) in Carthage, MO. Had to do laundry, but are most disappointed. After almost $10 in quarters (and not a one left), 2/3 of the clothes are still wet. The interior of our home looks pretty sad. Every door knob, hook, and hanger has been pressed into service. I'd take a picture, except Lisa has made me promise not to go near the precariously hung clothes line behind the cab seats. So I won't. Off to Hot Springs, Arkansas--a new state for our RV map!--tomorrow.

KCK and KCMO--A Happenin' Town!

Beginning our third day in KC, and we just love this city. Of course, having gorgeous weather doesn't hurt, but we are so impressed by the culture, architecture, and general ambiance of this area.

Our visit has run the gamat of high to low culture.

Nelson-Adkins Museum
Part traditional museum, part contemporary museum. We got to see our favorite kind of art: photography and sculpture. We were inspired to go by the giant shuttlecocks on the lawn, which the artists saw as "scattered about" by giants, with the traditional art museum itself as the "net." These puppies are 18' tall and 5500 pounds each. Of course, when they were first installed in the 1990s, they were "an abomination." Now, of course, they are symbols of the city, shown on national sports broadcasts, for instance. The display inside, commemorating their 15-year anniversary, was fascinating. It included many napkin sketches by the artists. So interesting to get a glimpse of how the creative process works.







Don't touch!


KC "Q" and Local Treats
On our last trip, we ate out a grand total of 3 times in 36 meals--less than 10% of the time. On THIS trip, we are batting the opposite. In one of the meccas of BBQ, we must simply sample the pleasures. (Gotta do that again later in the trip when we're in Memphis.)

We tried Rosedales on Sunday, based on the recommendation of one of my brother's friends. Quite good, but the burnt ends weren't crispy. Lisa's "long end" (ribs) were very tasty. We made 3 meals out of the one restaurant meal.

As a Q-break, we tried Tim's Pizza last night, based on a Roadfood.com recommendation. The crust was outrageously good--thin, but sturdy and crispy (with those nice yeasty air pockets). Sturdy enough to hold a heapin' mass of toppings and stay crispy throughout the entire meal. We have at least 2 more lunches of that to come. Yay!

But we simply must try the two top places on the Roadfood list: Arthur Bryant's and LC's. So, today we're going to stop at each on our way out of town (after visiting the Hallmark Visitor Center to pay homage to Hoops and YoYo and our other favorite Hallmark characters) and get one sandwich for the road.

We also made one impromptu stop at Sheridan's for some "concrete," since we'd read about that local concoction. What it is is custard, which doesn't have to be frozen at as low a temp as ice cream. Allows it to be sort of slushy-thick, like wet concrete. Then they mix-in things to give it a grainy texture. We split a minty Grasshopper on the way to a matinee. Very unusual.



And our movie (the latest Star Trek) was quite an adventure. We felt "normal" (i.e., not tied to the RV) going to a movie.


Presidential Tour: Part 1
Last summer's big trip revolved around Lewis and Clark and all of the westward migration trails. We nod to that trip on this one, since Kansas City was the terminus of the Oregon and California trails.

But, on this trip, it seems we have a presidential theme shaping up. Independence, MO: Harry Truman. After we go through Hot Springs National Park, we have to go through Hope, Arkansas. And, at the View/Navion rally in Texas, one of the events is a trip to the LBJ Ranch.

We also have a civil rights era theme emerging, since Truman integrated the Army, LBJ signed all the civil rights legislation, and Clinton, well, they did used to say he was the first black president.... And we're planning on going through some civil rights sites in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee later on this trip.

The Buck Stops Here: my favorite Truman saying.


A re-creation of Truman's Oval Office (complete with a million ashtrays)


The TV (with corn cob on top) from Truman's Oval Office


As we looked at all of the very difficult decisions that Truman had to make, I'd say his were just as challenging as the ones we face (if not more): dropping the A bomb on Japan, rebuilding Europe via the Marshall Plan, founding NATO and the UN, stopping the spread of Communism, the Berlin airlift, a postwar glut of unemployed folks and inflation, rampant racism and KKK, etc., etc.

It's so easy to forget the past and think that now is THE WORST EVER! Every era has its own immense challenges, and I'd wager than none of us would ever truly want the awesome responsibility of the presidency.... Truman reportedly said that he'd rather be right than be president and then, under his breath, say he'd rather be anything else than president. I can get that.

The best part is that Truman and Bess came home from the White House to Independence and lived in the same house they'd had since they were married in 1919. He was famous for walking around town every day with his cane. Was there Secret Service back then? Sometimes I think we've deified former presidents and ought to just let them become regular citizens again after their service.... We certainly shouldn't keep calling them "President So and So", but rather "former President So and So." (It's a pet peeve of mine that governors, senators, and presidents who have left office still get their title.)

At any rate, the library was fascinating and very well done. We plan to visit more of these as we we can, esp. Nixon and Reagan out in CA when we get back there.

Keep on Truckin'

My big brother has been truckin' (think of the dude with the big foot from the 70s) since the craze began in the mid-70s. He bought "Miss Behavin" last year, and she is quite something, especially with how he and his wife stage it with era-appropriate props. She has her original paint and carpet, which is really something--faux animal fur hangs from the ceiling!

We learned that most truck-ins include 2 events: Show-and-Shine and Bright-and-Shine. On Saturday morning, after everyone gets in on Friday, folks are up early shining chrome, cleaning wheels, staging their vehicles with props for the event's theme (this one was "Welcome to the Jungle") or for the particular vehicle. I was most impressed by how these folks--most of whom were 10-20 years older than us--could rise and shine at 6AM when the music just stopped at 3AM and then, of all things, CLEAN their vans. Now, that's devotion to your hobby. Mid-morning, the Show-and-Shine begins and everyone walks around being a looky-loo, talking to the owners and admiring all the rather amazing details of these vehicles, old and new. As a "puppy" (a first time truck-in participant), I didn't want to violate any sort of code of behavior, so I left my big camera behind. I'm bummed I didn't take more pictures, as these vehicles were something.

Miss Behavin' at Show-and-Shine



Now, a word about my brother's outfit. The pair of jeans that he brought with him turned out to be his "skinny jeans" (yes, he and I are definitely related), so he had no long pants. And, after the hellacious hail and downpour on Friday, the weather had turned quite chilly--high 40s, low 50s. So, he is wearing 3 pairs of sweat/lounge pants, including one of his wife's. My brother is resourceful.

(And side note about that 3-hour storm: I managed to run up to our RV as the sky darkened ominously. Lisa was off in the restrooms, so when the skies opened up, I was up in the RV and everyone else was in the metal-roofed picnic shelter. I was so glad to be with the dog--he wasn't scared of the thunder; it was the noise of the quarter-sized hail that freaked him out. He crawled into my lap and I covered his ears! I really thought that we'd lose the windshield or one of the skylights. We just seemed to have a few nicks in the exterior paint, and a new--real--leak around the bathroom skylight that we'll re-caulk now that it's dry.)

We even saw a really pretty Dodge Sprinter van (a class B van conversion, not a motorhome like ours)--it was solid red, towing a matching red trailer with his red motorcycle inside. Red "chandelier" over the bed. Here he is making (of course) Bloody Marys to serve to visitors. We resisted. And that brass pole was nicknamed "the stripper pole." Hmm.




Gary and Miss Behavin' win 1st Place in the Custom van category.


And here's just some of our gang. We had 4 vehicles (2 vans, 1 HHR, and us) in 2 camping spots, with 2 picnic tables and a tent/pavilion between our two sites as our common area. We were really touched by how close these folks are--most have known each other for 30+ years. And bonds are strong, which is good, because unlike RV camping, these folks have to crawl out of their vans at 6AM, bed heads and all, and immediately greet those who are already up. I had to stay inside our coach for a while, drinking coffee, before I could join the lively conversation each morning!

HHRs are very popular with folks now--good gas mileage (30+ mpg) and practicality as a main vehicle around home. Amazed at how folks sleep inside these at night. My claustrophobia would prohibit that! But many had really neat paint jobs--lots of subtle flames (which sounds oxymoronic, but isn't).



Saturday, after Show-and-Shine, was a pool party (too cold for the pool games, so the host club improvised) and then getting ready for the big night. 6PM: Wine tasting. Yes, wine tasting. My brother had given us a heads up about this, so we brought 2 fun wines: 7 Deadly Zins and Twin Fin Chardonnay. Found out that "vanners like sweet wine" so ours were not appreciated. Lisa and I were game about trying all the Rieslings, Gewürztraminers, Muscats, and homemade hooch (Green Apple wine, anyone?). Boy howdy, the sweetness made our teeth ache.

The host of the event was giving me a fair amount of grief. I had observed that what one does in this culture is to give the grief right back, so I did. Mentioned the exchange to my brother, who told the fellow (his name was Frog) that I was his little sister. He said, "Well, that explains it." And he was very nice the rest of the time ;-) Ah, learning the ways of the tribe....

After that was the trophy presentation. We didn't win long distance (although we should have). It went to a double-amputee from Oregon, who traveled 200 miles less than us according to the Rand McNally. But we didn't complain. Just setting the record straight. And then the big party. Wow. These folks know how to do that.

At the first band break was Bright-and-Shine--a show of vans all lit up with their night lighting (neon, rope lights, black lights, etc.). Very cool. We made it to midnight. I was so proud. The band played on till the wee hours, but caused a fair amount of consternation by playing Michael Jackson and Madonna tunes. This crowd prefers AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Billy Squier, Boston, and such. I have to say that I knew all the words to almost all the songs.

Sunday morning was a very different scene--folks were packed up and outta there really early! We were surprised. But most folks had a 6-hour trip, so I guess it's understandable. We took our tired selves into KC for sightseeing and lunch, since we could capitalize on the quiet weekend day to explore. Great city. More on that soon--

All in all, a quite wonderful experience. It's always refreshing to travel, but it's even more fun to be immersed in a new culture. I think I may have offended folks by saying something like that, but I meant that it was really neat to learn about Bright- and Show-and-Shine, all the van distinctions and vocabulary, what van camping is and is not, what wine tasting at a truck in is like, etc. It's a whole world that we have now experienced, and it was really great to do so with my brother and his wife, and to get to meet their very good friends, about whom I've heard stories for years. Welcome to the jungle, indeed!

Staying Put for 3 Whole Days!

This is a first for us--setting up camp and not moving an inch in 3 days. We packed up from our state park yesterday morning and drove the few miles to our new spot next to my big brother to learn the ways of the truck in. While we don't technically have a van, our motorhome IS based on a Dodge Sprinter van front end, so we're marginally accepted. (The red custom Dodge Sprinter van that got in last night said we weren't a real van, but we gotta go check out his beautiful van.) Here's my brother's REAL van (1974 Chevy), with his lovely wife Pat holding court outside (she is facing our RV).



No more posts till we depart on Sunday for a state park campground outside of KC. We plan to be tourists for a few days there and get our 10k service (but the dealer we have the appointment with is on the list of 789 Chrysler dealership closings--what to do?).

Off to go hang out. And Nick is actually behaving really well with all the people and noise, believe it or not!

Wednesday: Relearning Lessons in KC Area

Lesson #1: State parks rock.
We thought we would spend the night in a private campground, near the historic square in Independence, MO--good reviews, nice walk, only 1 hour to where we need to be on Thursday morning. ICK. Carried on to a LOVELY state park only 2 miles from where we need to be Thursday morning (Wallace State Park)--thunder is booming overhead, but there's a new cool breeze (it had been almost 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity today), electric hookups for A/C (so we can keep our Costco-purchased pie cool for the upcoming potluck), a new bathhouse, and a freakin' laundry room. At a state park.

Now, we did do laundry in Wichita last night, but we forgot to do sheets and jammies. And we have a bunch of dog towels that are clean, but damp, from mopping up our mysterious leak. So, all went into the machine for the princely sum of 50 cents. Which leads to lesson #2....

Lesson #2: Do not overlook the obvious. The K.I.S.S. principle rocks.

So, we stopped at the OKC dealer to see if they could help poor little us with our water problem. No dice. We spent some time on the phone with our Iowa service guy trying to diagnose the problem. Julie spent quite some time on the View/Navion Yahoo group list soliciting advice. And then the problem solved itself. We were setting up camp tonight, when Julie said, after finding an empty gallon water jug, "Honey? Since when do we keep recycling in our storage compartment?" Before Lisa could answer, Julie realized that the lid was still sealed and that there was a little water in the bottom. So, she filled the jug and found the 1-gallon leak that flooded the adjacent compartment--the compartment with the new, expensive SOLAR cables. (But all is well.) But just a big DOH! for overlooking the adjacent compartment in all of our fancy diagnostics.

So, that's all for today. Must enjoy the beautiful, leafy state park and post my mea culpa to the V/N Yahoo Group.

We're in Kansas, Toto

(posting a day-old post, due to poor internet connectivity in the heartland. From Tuesday:)

Tuesday was "just" a travel day. Even on a foggy, gray, windy driving day, it still beats the alternative, even with NO tourist activities today.

We stopped in OKC Tuesday to see if the Winnebago dealer could take a look at our water leak (which has subsided quite a bit, but is still there). After having my web-based query (from their own web site) ignored, my phone call sent to voice mail and not returned, and standing in the service office for 15 minutes and being ignored by 3, count 'em 3, people, we left. We'll figure this sucker out. Our Iowa dealer got wind of the problem and we'll work it out over the phone. So there.

Off to KC today--60% chance of thunderstorms with hail. Yee haw. Glad that our solar panels withstood baseball-size hail tests conducted by the Jet Propulsion Lab. Serious panels, those.

Our agenda today is shopping--stocking up on food to share at potlucks at our van-in/rally that starts Thursday--and cleaning our coach, hoping the rain is strong enough to wash the prodigious quantity of bugs off the front of the coach. Ick. I think the Midwesterners would look askance at us for washing the RV at a car wash on a stormy day. I know so, actually, since I was raised in Illinois.... I'd be shaking my head and saying, "Those crazy Californians...." But there are PRIZES at the van in for shiny nice vans--we don't want to be bug coated! But, I bet we win the long distance prize: 2500 miles.

Albuquerque to Amarillo

Ruminating on an essay about the benefits and perils of planning whilst on an RV trip. Traveling vs. Camping vs. Roaming. More to come on that. Must go take a walk now.

A quick overview of the pretty boring (and totally gray) day:

Albuquerque to Amarillo: Shy of 300 miles. All interstate. Spent most of the time with podcasts and looking ahead to the week after next--where will we be on Memorial Day? Looking like Hot Springs National Park....

Arrival in Amarillo at 3PM, with a few stops for lunch/dinner at 3:30, provisioning, and searching for a new tire pressure gauge. One VERY disappointing Roadfood.com destination: Dyers BBQ. Looked much better than it tasted. Very tired, overcooked, and not great cuts of meat. Can't figure out their "Best Ribs" awards. And, yes, each plate came with potato salad AND coleslaw, onion rings AND Texas toast, beans, and apricot sauce. Wears a person out thinking about it. Shoulda gone to the Big Texan to see if anyone was trying to eat their 72 oz steak dinner in 60 minutes and get it free. (Note: Don't try this lightly. Management watches you to be sure you eat all of it, gristle and all, and if you don't, you have to pay $54.)



An exciting moment today: we figured out a way to have chapstick easily reachable in the cab by both driver and passenger (rather than rooting around in purse). Here's our on the Road "Mod", shown by Carol Merrill.


Cadillac Ranch (no, not MUSTANG Ranch!)
Here's our one tourist activity today. And I'm even cheating by quoting someone else on the attraction.

From Roadside America:
The Cadillac Ranch, located along the tatters of historic Route 66, was built in 1974, brainchild of Stanley Marsh 3, the helium millionaire who owns the dusty wheat field where it stands. Marsh and The Ant Farm, a San Francisco art collective, assembled used Cadillacs representing the "Golden Age" of American Automobiles (1949 through 1963). The ten graffiti-covered cars are half-buried, nose-down, facing west "at the same angle as the Cheops' pyramids."

In 1997, development creep forced Marsh to move the entire assemblage about two miles further west. The line of cars is far enough out in a field to allow for suitably bleak photography. The distance from any authority also encourages ever-mutating layers of painted graffiti, which Marsh doesn't seem to mind.