10/06/07 Rogers Arkansas

Captain’s Blog
Rogers Arkansas
10/06/07
Odometer Reading: 11572.1

As we were getting ready to leave the campground this morning Ron got into a conversation with the people in the RV parked next to us. As fate would have it they live in Rogers Arkansas. What a coincidence!! Tom & Judy told us there were no campgrounds in Rogers but they had two full RV hook-ups in their yard and we would be welcomed to stay there overnight. They were very insistent and wanted us to follow them to Rogers – so we did. They did bring us to their home and sure enough they had two full RV hook-ups on their 8 - acre property. We were not going to stay the night and planned on just parking the RV for a few hours while we visited my nephew and his family. As soon as we parked Tom insisted we stay and proceeded to connect the RV to the water, electric and sewer hook-ups.

After many thanks, we were off to visit my Nephew, Niece and Grandniece. We hadn’t seen them in 10 years and Leyla, who is now 14 has grown into a beautiful young woman. We spent the day with them enjoying their company, spectacular new home and ca Back Yard tching up on all life changes in the last ten years. Ted took us on a tour of the town and we went to the original Walmart store that is now a Museum. Unfortunately, Ronnie forgot the camera so we did not get a photo of this historic building.

The visit ended all too soon but our deadline to get to New Mexico is nearing. Ted, Gulizar and Leyla accompanied us back to our RV for a tour and then said their Good-by’s. They plan on visiting in MA sometime in December so we’ll see them again soon.

10/05/07 Branson MO

Captain’s Blog
10/05/07
Branson, Mo
City of Branson Lakeside RV Park
Odometer Reading : 11492.1

Packed up early and drove the 270 miles to Branson, MO. Once again the weather is beautiful, hot and sunny. We weren’t expecting to get a tan this trip but we are.

We arrived in Branson around 1:30 PM and secured a campsite right on the Lake with lots of wild geese and fishermen/women on the lake. Full hook-ups with Cable TV and WiFi for only $22.50. This is a city run campground similar to those in Michigan. It is unbelievable what they offer for such a low fee. The place is huge and almost full to capacity. They told us we were fortunate to get this particular campsite but we have to vacate tomorrow because it is reserved for the weekend.

Branson turned out to be completely different then what we had imagined. The marketing of Branson made us think that the structure of the city would be similar to Las Vegas but on a smaller scale. It looks nothing like Vegas and the infrastructure cannot handle the traffic. There is a strip 17 miles long with hundreds of eateries and just as many show venues all spread very far apart. Not a great place for walking from one venue to the other. The traffic was bumper to bumper and very slow moving. We were told that in busy season it takes several hours to get from one end of the strip to the other. They have actually designed time saver routes to try to decrease the congestion allowing people to get to there shows on time.

We did get to the Titanic exhibit, a permanent exhibit in Branson, which was well done but again the marketing of the exhibit was a little deceiving. Ron was under the impression the exhibit was free – Nope it was $42.00 for the both of us. Oh well!

With lots of restaurants to choose from we just picked one out with an unusual name - Shorty Small’s and stopped in. We experienced some of the best food we have ever eaten. Ribs that melted off the bone, home made baked beans and a cheese biscuit to die for. When I say this was a dining experience, it was. We highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Branson.

We had a tough time deciding on a show to see and settled on the Presley Family Jamboree. The Presley’s are a large family of entertainer’s who have been in Branson doing their shows for the last forty years. On stage were four generations of Presleys’ from ages 83 to 17 months. The show was a mixture of comedy, rock & roll, country/western and gospel and very entertaining. Then back to the campground to plan tomorrow’s trip to Rogers Arkansas for a stop to visit my Nephew and his family.

10/04/07 St.LouisRV Park, Anhueser- plant–Grants Farm – Forest Park

Captain’s Blog
10/04/07
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis RV Park, Anhueser-Bush plant – Grants Farm – Forest Park
Odometer Reading 11130.8


Spent another restful night in preparation for the day’s adventures. Ron promised me he wouldn’t push it with sightseeing but he wasn’t exactly being truthful.

Started with a tour of the Anhueser-Bush plant where they make the most popular beer in America, Budweiser. The original owners were from Germany and the architecture of the buildings is reminiscent of old European styles. Although the buildings are at least 120 years old they look brand new. The place is immaculate and the interiors of the buildings have intricate stonework with lots of brass, copper and glass throughout. You could easily get caught admiring the details and workmanship of the building themselves and forget you were in a working beer manufacturing plant.

Part of the tour included a visit to the Clydesdale stables. Before entering there was what we thought was a statue of a Clydesdale but when we got closer realized it was the real thing. What a magnificent animal! The groomers spend over an hour a day bathing and grooming these horses. They own 250 Clydesdales and have them on two separate farms. In order to be considered a true Clydesdale the horse must stand at least 12 hands high with white hoofs and a white face with a black mane and tail. Those horses born without these features are sold.

There is a roundhouse stable that houses the Clydesdale horses that is beyond beautiful. It looked like it could be used as a small mansion, with chandeliers, sparkling clean shiny floors and absolutely no odors. These horses get the best of care.

At the end of the tour they served two free samples of any of the Budweiser products. Ron had a beer and I a diet Pepsi.

Next stop was Grants Farm named after U. S. Grant. He owned the property and his original cabin remains on the farm. Surrounding a section of the perimeter is a metal fence made out of 2500 gun barrels from the Civil War.

There are also stables on the property housing the Clydesdales and their foals. The ponies were anywhere from 6 months to just over a year and really beautiful. A tram tour of the wildlife park was fun, then it was off to our next destination.

Forest park is on the opposite end of St. Louis and was a bit of a challenge to get to. Within the confines of the park there are several attractions to see. Since we only had three hours before the park closed I opted to go to the Science Museum. We toured the museum and then watched a presentation in the Planetarium on the night skies over St. Louis and a short clip on why Pluto lost its’ designation as a planet. It was very informative and well presented.

When finished at the Planetarium it was 4 pm. I was tired and wanted to head out to the local diner for some smoked pulled pork. St. Louis is noted for its barbecue smoked pulled pork and Big Al’s Diner came highly recommended.

Well, Ron had other ideas. He wanted to go to the St. Louis Zoo. I wasn’t sure if I had anything left in me but did go. (no choices given) The zoo was nice and well maintained with many exotic animals. Unfortunately we ran out of time so did not get to take in all the animals. The Zoo closed at 5 PM and they actually took many of the animals inside and out of sight. I guess that was meant to encourage the people at the Zoo to leave.

Then it was on to Big Al’s Diner. Woah!! What a scary place!! But being daring we ordered anyway and the smoked barbecue pulled pork was delicious. Did I mention how cheap the food is? Two full meals with drinks for $16.00. Fuel is also quite reasonable – $2.37per gallon. Then it was back to the campground to prepare for tomorrow’s drive to Branson. Did I mention that the weather has been beautiful- Sunny and in the high 80’s to low 90’s.

10/03/07 The Storm - Gateway Arch - Cathedral Basilica of Saint Lewis

Captain’s Blog
10/03/07
Springfield, Ill.
Odometer Reading 11130.8

Spent the night in a rest stop in Springfield. While I was making dinner, Ron was again cleaning the bugs off the windshield. Once he finished that project he proceeded to set the TV channels. Oddly enough he shut the TV off. I thought it was strange because we usually like to listen to the local news and weather. After dinner I put the TV on and realized why he had shut the TV off. Here in the great flat state of Illinois they have TORNADOS!!!! There it was on the TV a Tornado warning right in Springfield. There had been severe weather and a funnel sighting in the sky but no touch down at that point in time. The weathermen were talking about how serious this was and to take cover in the basement, under heavy furniture or in an inside room of your home until the warning was lifted. We had none of those options in an RV. I promptly put my shoes back on and expected Ron to follow suit – but he did not. He thought I was over reacting but how surprised would he be if he got blown to bits. Needless to say he never put his shoes on and slept through the thunder and lightening and heavy downpours while I contemplated dying. (I have an inherent fear of Tornados hence Ron shut the TV off hoping I wouldn’t find out!!!!!!) By 10:30 PM the warning was lifted and I did manage to sleep despite the heavy rain and wind. There was some damage to an area about 6 miles East of us from a microburst and that is when Ron really believed we had been, in fact, in danger. The only place we would have had to run to were the restrooms at the rest stop. Not agreat place to take cove but better then nothing.

Pulled into the St. Louis RV Park right in the center of the city and close to all tourist attractions around 10 AM. It’s a great location with very helpful people. The proprietors gave us some tips on where to go and what to see.

First stop was the Gateway between the East and West. The Gateway Arch was built to honor Thomas Jefferson and the architect wanted to build something unique that would last for a thousand years. The Arch frames the Old Court House in downtown St. Louis making a beautiful scene with the silver of the arch and the gold dome of the courthouse shining in the sun. We took the ride to the top of the 643 - foot concrete and stainless steel mammoth in a tiny little car that reminded me of a dryer tub. All claustrophobics or very tall people should avoid this adventure at all costs. The view from the top was beautiful and walking along the curve of the arch was surreal.


We also took a paddleboat ride up and down the Mississippi on the Tom Sawyer. The current on the Mississippi is very fast and there is a lot of debris floating in the water. The Captain pointed out the historical landmarks along the river and we had a great panorama of the Arch and St. Louis. St Louis is a beautiful city with some spectacular architecture.

Next it was on to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Lewis. We got there late but did get into the Basilica before it closed. This church is the most spectacular we have ever seen even more beautiful then the Cathedrals in Spain. Enormous in size it has multiple rooms, huge stained glass windows and high ceilings with the most incredible scenes done in mosaic tiles. Pictures do not do it justice because you cannot capture the colors and beauty of the frescos. A must see for anyone religious or not. Then it was back to the campground fro a night’s rest before tomorrow’s adventure.

10/02/07 Newmar, Nappanee, IN.

Captain’s Blog
10/02/07
Newmar, Nappanee, IN.
Odometer Reading 10837.2

Woke at 6am to the noise of back-up warning alarms from the RV’s in the lot behind us being moved. The day at Newmar begins at 6 and ends at 2pm Monday – Thursday.

It was off the Ford dealer 8 miles down the road anticipating the worst but hoping for the best. They told us it would take at least two hours to diagnose so we decided to take the Newmar Factory Tour.

We were surprised that the first thing they asked us to do was sign a release form in the event of an injury during the tour. We did, but couldn’t understand it because we have toured many factories without having to sign anything. Once we started the tour we realized it would be an OSHA nightmare. We were allowed on the floor with the workers who were using a variety power tools. There were extensions cords and hoses on the floor that one had to either step or trip over. Despite the possible hazards the tour was great and it was amazing to watch the process and realize the manpower needed to manufacture just one RV. Indiana has a huge population of Amish people and 65 % of Newmar employees are Amish. Our Alternative mode of Travel,if not fixed!

After the tour we went to a great little restaurant called the Family Table with most of the employees Amish. A full meal with three sides was only $5.99. I got a stir fry dinner for $3.99 – unheard of in MA.

We went to check on the progress of our RV repair and much to our surprise the problem was not a fuel filter or electronic sensor as we had thought. It was a broken wire on a spark plug. No charge for the two - hour service (warranty covered) and off we went with a purring engine and two very happy campers.

10/01/2007 Parking Lot/RV Museum Elkhart, IN.

Captain’s Blog
10/01/07
Parking Lot/RV Museum Elkhart, IN.
Odometer Reading 10810.7

Spent last night in the parking lot at the RV Museum in Elkhart. We set up under a parking lot light for the night in the middle of nowhere. Not even sure if the Museum was finished because there was still a lot of construction going on, but it was free so it worked for us. Actually had great TV reception and no one bothered us. Had a nice chat with the people in the museum and the museum itself was beautiful with some great displays of the first campers and motor homes. We were able to tour many of them and were surprised to see that the very old campers had either oil fired or wood stoves! Fire hazard does not even describe it. Very cool and would recommend to anyone interested in the history of RVing.

Then it was on to Newmar Manufacturer in Nappanee, IN about 40 miles down the road. Ron thought since we were having a sputtering, hesitation problem which resulted in a drop in the MPG’s from 8 to 5 we needed to get it fixed or eating would not be an option for the rest of the trip. It was to the point that we considered putting a vacuum hose in our wallet just to keep the fuel tank full.
We arrived at Newmar around 11:45 am only to find run down looking offices and buildings with half paved parking lots and poor signage. That surprised us because they make high end RV’s (some over $500,000.00). Anyway, we waited three hours to talk to the Service Manager. We sat in a room with a bunch of unhappy campers – no pun intended- who were waiting for repairs to be done or to talk to the same service manager. Since we are from New England we cannot understand the snails pace of people in the Midwest or South for that matter. Ron finally spoke to the grouchy secretary and she gave him an 800 number to call. Get this, the 800 number is to Newmar in Nappanee. He finally spoke to a rep telling him we were on the premises and about our RV problem. Guess what – they don’t handle chassis problems and referred us to a workhorse dealer one mile down the road. The call to that place was futile because they couldn’t fit us in until the 5th. That option was too late for us as we still have another 1200 miles to N.M. They referred us to another workhorse dealer in the area who after some whining on our part agreed to look at the RV in the morning.

We were still at Newmar and they had campsites with hookup’s for free and since we were aggravated from the long wait and no results Ron decided we should ask for a campsite. He went back in to the crabby secretary and she did set us up with a campsite for the night. Because we spent so much time waiting for the invisible service manager we missed the Newmar factory tour. Hope to get that in tomorrow while the RV is being repaired. $$$$$$

9/30/07 Bear Creek Resort Ranch, East Sparta Canton Football HOF

Captain’s Blog
9/30/07
Bear Creek Resort Ranch, East Sparta
Odometer Reading 10520.0
Had another great night’s sleep. Ron and I have switched roles, he isn’t sleeping well and I am. I cooked breakfast while Ron cleaned another army of bugs off the windshield. Went to the Football Hall of Fame Museum, which, if one is a real football enthusiast would have been very interesting. Ron enjoyed it but I was less impressed. Surprisingly, there was not much on display for the Patriot’s despite their winning record. Anything on display for them was tucked in a corner. Two hours and a light lunch later we are back on the road on our way to Elkart, Indiana home of the RV Museum and a little further South the home of out RV manufacturer - Newmar. Will be stopping at both the Museum and at Newmar to have them check out our sputtering problem and for a tour of the facility. It is another beautiful day, sunny and in the 80’s. The drive has been great with pretty vistas and light traffic. Many farms and hundreds of miles of corn fields.