Colorado Springs, CO: Garden Of The Gods

Yesterday we drove from Oakley, Kansas to Colorado Springs, Colorado. All during the night in Kansas it rained like crazy. When we woke up in the am we were surrounded by water; we had our own little lake except we were located in the middle of it. A good 2-3 inches deep.

Policeman came by and said he was going to write us a ticket for not having a boating registration on our RV -- kidding, but would not have been surprised...

In any case, we carefully disconnected the electricity and water. I was a little nervous about disconnecting 50 amp electrical service while standing in water up to my ankles however I happy to report the electrical shock was not that bad and I expect my eyebrows to grow back in quickly.

All this rain occurred in a place that happily advertises they only get 16 inches of rain annually. After Monday night they only have 2 or 3 inches to go......

Stopped at a little place for breakfast and I had a Spanish omelet. OMG - best omelet I've ever eaten -- Chirozo sausage, onions, green peppers, cheddar cheese and lots of jalapeno peppers. If you ever come to our place for breakfast guess what I'll be serving...

We are camped at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs at the Garden Of The Gods RV Campground. It is central to so many of the activities here in Colorado Springs: Pikes Peak, Garden Of The Gods Park, Air Force Academy, Royal Gorge Bridge, Seven Falls, white water rafting, etc.

Our financial adviser, David C, gave us a copy of The Most Scenic Drives In America, which has ~120 great drives throughout the US. We have done a few of these routes in the past couple of months and they are great. Turns out Colorado Springs is the anchor point for a 220 mile scenic route with a ton of things to see & do. May have to stay in this area for more than our 'normal' week. Thinking about moving to another campground maybe a little farther out in the mountains, we'll see.

Garden of the Gods is one of the most scenic areas I have seen. I used to get out to Colorado Springs once/twice a month when I was working; on one trip I left the office at the end of the day and drove over to The Garden of the Gods Park. It was spectacular; the last sunlight of the day had the red rocks lit brilliantly. As soon as I saw that view I knew it was a place I had to show MLA one day.

Today was that day. We rode over on the Harley, stopping at numerous locations throughout the park. Look closely at the picture above and you'll see two rock climbers in the upper right. Park was full of people climbing rocks.

Even though the light was just OK today as the sun was blocked by clouds, it is still a very special place. It not only looks amazing, it feels amazing. It's difficult to describe with words the feeling that comes over you in this place. Magical, mystical, and religious don't fully capture the feeling; maybe the best word is sacred.

Native Americans used to describe areas like this as a place where you can communicate with your ancestors (I don't want to get all new age/crystal pyramids with you). Let's just say it's a beautiful, peaceful location in which you would like to spend more time. So we did and we will again.

Here's a picture of the Harley with Pikes Peak in the background. Arrived back at the campground and parked the Harley at twilight, just in time for a bowl of ice cream at the Wednesday Night Ice Cream Social. Life just doesn't get any better.

BTW - we have a phone line into the RV this week only; give us a call at 719/444-4693. Our cell phones have little/no coverage here. We'll be here through August 5th.

See Ya!

Oakley, Kansas: Travel From Tulsa to Oakley, KS

As we ate dinner tonight (Subway subs from the Hayes, KS Walmart), I took a picture of the rainbow just outside our doorstep.

Today was a classic bittersweet day.

On one hand we had to take Scott, Kasey & Jenna to the Tulsa airport and say goodbye to them until late fall. It has been terrific spending time with them however they need to head back to school and work. We dropped them off at 10 am for an 11:20 am flight.

Saying goodbye took a while however as soon as we pulled out of the airport we sterted to feel pretty good since we no longer had any scheduled activity in front of us.

When we left at the beginning of June we knew all along we had to be in Tulsa the week of July 20th. As of this moment we don't have to be anywhere at any specific time. We have a lot of places we want to go to but none we have to go.

So, after a somewhat tearful goodbye at the airport MLA & I went back to the Expo Center to pack up the RV. We pulled out of our spot there at 11:19 am. Seemed appropriate all of us were getting under way at the same time.

Of course, travelling had it's challenges for both the kids and for us. For the kids, their connection in Cleavland was delayed 3 hours due to mechanical problems. One thing I learned during all my years of travel was never to complain when the airline said they were fixing a problem with the plane. In fact, I always told them to take as much time as they needed to do an excellent job. That's something you don't want them to fix.

The picture above shows an RV with a most unuasal 'toad' personal use vehicle.

As an aside, many of you know I practically lived on an airplane for my last 5 years at HP, flying almost every week, usually to several destinations. I have not been on an airplane in the last 16 months! And I don't miss it a bit; travelling is no longer what it once was, and it was never great.

In any case the kids are home as I type this, safe and sound, if somewhat tired from a long travel day.

The travel gremlins visited MLA & I as well, although they left quickly when, instead of getting upset, we just treated it like another adventure. The highway we were travelling on was shut down about 30 mile west of Tulsa and the highway patrol diverted all traffic of the highway at an exit. No explanation, no directions, etc.

So MLA and I headed North and West for about 30 miles until we found our way back onto the highway. Some of the roads were so bad it just about shook the RV apart . The signs said the speed limit was 45 mph but the bumps said the speed limit was closer to 30 mph. Later on in the day I noticed one of our outside compartment doors was flipped open, flapping in the wind as we drove down the road at our gas saving speed of 63 mph. No place to pull over so I just blocked a crossroad for about 45 seconds while I shut the door. Crazy latch was still locked! I'll need to figure out a way to tighten that whole mechanism....

Tonight we are in Oakley, Kansas staying at the High Plains Campground. We've been slowly gaining altitude all day and our current elevation is 3055 feet and much cooler. Our elevation tomorrow will be about 5500 feet and cooler yet. Can't wait; we have been in this heat for the last month and I'm looking forward to a few cool nights of camping up in the Rockies.


Oh, on the back roads of our Oklahoma adventure I took this picture of the oil well & pump. My buddy Skip T's family owns a couple of these in Oklahoma. Not sure if this is one of his but you get the idea. He's one of the few people I know who smiles every time the price for a barrel of oil goes up in price. I figure I better be nice to him just in case diesel gets a little scarce....

See Ya!

Tulsa, OK: A Day in Gotham City

Above is a picture of Christopher and I at his wedding yesterday. Scott drove the newlyweds to the airport early this am. Just before their flight departed for Cozumel we received a text message from Christopher letting us know they were on board and ready to take-off.

We then had the opportunity to spend the day with Scott, Kasey and Jenna.
We hung out together for a while before splitting up to go to the movies.

MLA, Kasey & Jenna went shopping and then went to see the musical "Mama Mia". MLA & Jenna loved the movie and can't quit singing the songs from the movie. Kasey liked it however she finds MLA and Jenna's singing a little 'over the top".

Scott, his girlfriend Diana, and I went to see the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight". We enjoyed the movie, although at 3 hours in length I found it a little too long. Seems like two hours is plenty of time for a movie, especially when you consider at least the last half hour was spent setting up for a sequel.

This evening we had dinner with the girls and then hung out at Christopher & Rachael's apartment until it was time to say goodnight. Tonight we are getting the RV ready to take off. After dropping the kids off at the airport we'll head West for cooler weather somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. I think we'll head towards Colorado Springs.

We do have a problem with the RV's refrigerator; it's not keeping things cool enough. Probably struggling with the 100 plus degree days just like everything & everybody else.Oh well.

See Ya

Tulsa, OK: Christopher & Rachael's Wedding Day

Wow! What a day. We have been looking forward to this day for a long time and it has finally come and (almost) gone.

It's official -- Christopher and Rachael and now Mr & Mrs Christopher Dale Abbott. The wedding went just as planned and we have now officially welcomed Rachael into the Abbott Family; in truth we had welcomed her into our family a long time ago. She and Christopher balance each other and we wish them a very long and happy life together.

Very strange feeling to watch your oldest get married. I know many before us have gone through the exact same process and many more will in the future however it felt very special and unique. Christopher and Rachael had a specific vision of how they wanted the wedding to occur and, at least to me, it appeared they made it happen.

It was also a real treat to see our other children take part in the wedding; Scott was best man along with Christopher's childhood friend Tony F. Both Kasey & Jenna were bridesmaids. Seeing Christopher and Rachael surrounded by their siblings, life long friends and all of the people who love them was very reassuring.

We'll spend a relaxing day tomorrow here in Tulsa. Monday, after we put the kids on a flight back home, MLA and I head for the Rocky Mountains, probably Colorado Springs.

See Ya!

Tulsa, OK: Day Of The Rehearsal Dinner

Today was jam packed with activities starting with setting up the chapel/hall at the church for Christopher & Rachael's wedding on Saturday. Set up of the tables and chairs was pretty straight forward although we did move them around several times to get the layout just right. It's required you know. Set them up one way. Move them around a bit, then move them around a bit more. Make one big change and then set them up exactly like you had them to start with. It's pretty much the same the world over.

Took care of several errands plus MLA and the girls went shopping for a few lat minute items and hand manicures/pedicures performed. The works in the beauty department, not that any of them need any help.

I performed my assigned task perfectly. After dropping the ladies at the mall I went back to the RV, walked the dog, iced the beverages and then took a 40 minute nap, waking in time to do some e-mail and then head back out and pick up the ladies after their shopping/beauty trip.

Then we dropped off the girls at Christopher's apartment, returned top RV to get ready, went back and picked up the girls and then made it to the church for rehearsal. After a thorough rehearsal of tomorrow's events we headed off to the highlight of the evening, the rehearsal dinner at P.F.Chang's.

OMG -- Christopher worked at this restaurant for a couple of years while he was in college and they treated us right. Dish after dish of excellent Asian food followed by the "Great Wall Of Chocolate" for desert. Yummy!

Everyone had a great time and then it was back to the church for a final prep of the room and then back to the RV -- Whew. I'm not used to this much activity now that I'm retired.

Tomorrow's the big day for Christopher & Rachael. Can't Wait for the two of them to finally make it official. They make such a great couple. Their friends from Tulsa have made this a very special time.

See Ya!

Tulsa, OK: Palomino Horse Show

Had a chance to explore the Expo Center's Palomino Horse Show today. MLA and I walked through the various livestock barns and saw some beautiful horses. Most are Palominos although they also have quarter horses as a part of the show and competition. Really beautiful animals.

The amount of time that goes into training, feeding, grooming, and cleaning up after a horse is amazing however a horse show is where all of that hard work is supposed to pay off. At a minimum it includes ribbons and bragging rights. It can also include fairly large and prestigious trophies and cash awards although everyone I talked to said the prize money does not come close to paying for all of the expenses.

The folks (and horses) competing here come from all over; in fact my neighbor in the campground is from Michigan where he has a fairly large horse farm. He looked right at home here in Oklahoma with his cowboy hat, fancy western short, cowboy boots and a belt buckle the size of Delaware. However I couldn't stop thinking he must look a little out of place in Michigan. He assured me that Michigan has a lot of horse farms and cowboys. Never seen them on my trips to Michigan but hey, maybe I was looking in the wrong places. Especially since all of my trips to Michigan were for work and involved visiting customers in cities and not in the rural areas.

In any case, there were some very interesting exhibitors with lots of stuff for sale to help the hopeful Palomino Horse owner become a prize winning Palomino Horse owner. All kinds of tack, saddles, clothes with incredible amounts of 'bling', and of course, a lady selling 'previously owned' fur coats and fur hats at discount prices. Given the mood of American regarding fur I'll bet she has a warehouse full of furs people no longer are comfortable in wearing.

I also found something every cowboy home needs; your ranch's bathroom would be incomplete without a leather tooled toilet seat. Seriously, the craftsmanship was superb. The guy got a little irritated when I asked him if I could take a picture of it, as if it were no more unusual than another set of cowboy boots.

We only stayed for a bit of the competition however we did follow one group of horses through the complete judging process. There were five judges and each would announce the winning order from 1 to 8. Then they would add up all the scores to get an overall winner.

I couldn't help but notice one lady who had obviously put a lot of time into training and grooming her horse. She was decked out in a very expensive set of clothes custom made for showing horses including the requisite cowboy hat and boots. Her horse appeared to be immaculately groomed, with its long tail perfectly colored, brushed, and curls in place. The horses mane was also perfect (to me): great color, length trimmed just so, and of course it was braided from top to bottom.

Every judge there had her last; her horse was number 8 in each judges announcement and then of course, number 8 overall.

I'm not enough of a horse person to tell you what was wrong with her horse from a judge's perspective. Maybe her color was not right or her musculature was not well enough defined or maybe she just didn't perform well on the trot around the ring. You couldn't help feeling the pain of horse's handler as her horse was repeatedly announced as number 8 out of 8.

However, that's competition and really, life is one competition after another. MLA tells me men are much more competitive than women however I think everyone is competitive. Women are just smart enough not to let everyone else know about the competition.

We had a great day in Tulsa. Christopher's spending the night with us in the RV and tomorrow I'll pick up the rest of my family at the airport. Can't wait to see everyone and have our family back together again even if it's only for a few days.

See Ya!

Tulsa, OK: Camping At The Expo Center

Yesterday we moved from Rogers, Arkansas/Beaver Lake to a campground in Tulsa, OK. Our oldest son, Christopher, gets married to Rachael on Saturday. For the last two Sundays we have attended the church where he leads the music ministries and then were able to relax back at the lake in the RV. It was great to spend time with the two of them after church at Beaver Lake.

Last night we went over and joined them for a late meal of Chinese food from Takie - Outie. My first experience with a Chinese food chain and some of the dishes were pretty good. Overall, the best part was just to be only 15 minutes away from Christopher and Rachael; the food was secondary.

One thing that happened was too funny. Rachael had purchased a set of sunglasses at T.J.Maxx on Sunday and mistakenly picked up MLA's Maui Jim's instead of the sunglasses she had purchased. On Monday, finding that the sunglasses were too big she returned them to the store for a refund. By the time we figured out what had happened TJ Maxx was closed for the night.

We were at the store first thing Tuesday morning when they opened, searching through a surprisingly large rack of sunglasses. Fortunately we found them, complete with a price tag for $14.99. We immediately bought the Maui Jim's back. Rachael really felt bad over the confusion so both she and MLA were relieved to find them. The lady at the returns desk was so confused, first she was going to refund us the $14.99. We explained several times we owed her for the sunglasses; she finally threw her hands up and told her associate to ring up the sunglasses as a sale, muttering to herself as she walked away.

Here in Oklahoma, when a couple is getting married, they throw wedding showers for the bride-to-be; just like everywhere else in the good 'ol USA. However they also throw a tool party for the groom-to-be. I don't know where else this tradition occurs however it seems like a great idea.

So tonight I attended my first tool party. About 15 guys eating hamburgers & hot dogs, swimming in the pool and oh yeah, there were gifts of tools. For guys it was an excuse to hang out with good friends and, oh yeah, here are some tools to get you started as a husband.

I told MLA it's not like a shower for the woman who's getting married. Only one gift was wrapped, two were in gift bags and all the rest were in home depot bags or wrapped in a bundle with duct tape. And nobody cared. Turns out the gift that was wrapped was only wrapped when the man's wife insisted a gift had to be wrapped. I always get a kick out of the differences in how men and women do essentially the same task or activity, or in this case throw a shower.

We drove over to Tulsa during the week to look at campgrounds in and around Tulsa. Unless you stay outside of Tulsa, the campgrounds are mostly mobile home parks that will rent you a site overnight when they have a vacancy. As a rule they tended to be locations with small sites, run down, unkempt, and pretty depressing.

The only nice campgrounds were too far away given all the activities that will occur this week. We have people flying into town that we need to pick up, several dinners/rehearsals to attend and of course, spending time with friends and family.

We are staying in downtown Tulsa at the Expo Center next to the fairgrounds. A convenient location but really it's just the corner of a large parking lot where they have installed some RV utilities for exhibitors at the various fairs and expositions.

On the plus side the expo center location offers triple A baseball games, a Palomino Horse Show, A Dog Show, Horse races, and a Bad Boyz Motorcycle Stunt Riding exhibition. Plus a free fair thrown in for, well, free.

We expect the temperatures over 100 with high humidity every day this week. Take the (hot) weather forecast, the parking lot camping location, mix in all the horse and livestock kept at the fairgrounds and I thought we would have an explosion of the olfactory system. Sights and smells to please and tease.

Turns out that has not been the case at all. Lots of heat however the smells have not been bad at all. Thank goodness!

See Ya!

Beaver Lake, AR: Living The Good Life All The Time

The other night MLA and I decided to take a walk just after midnight. It was still quite warm out, even at that hour, plus there was a full moon. On top of all that the insects were in full symphony: incredibly loud & proud.

All three of these facts hit our senses like punches thrown to the mid-section, taking your breath away: 1-2-3.

The heat hit us first. So hot and humid you felt like you were wading into a thick, wet, invisible cloud that presses in on you from all sides. A slight sheen of sweat immediately covers most of your body. The heat is at first oppressive and then you start to feel a part of the night, no longer an outsider looking in.

The sound of the crickets and other insects is the second punch to the gut. How can it be so loud? It attacks your sense of hearing until all other senses are blocked. Louder & louder, the unorganized sound of a million voices; actually a million chirps/squeaks/growls/croaks would be more accurate. Loud enough to force you to raise your voice when you try to talk.

Louder still as you try to identify individual sounds among the frenzy: the sounds of flirting, of searching for food, of attracting mates, of showing off, of other animals reacting to the chirps to help find a meal. What a bummer, expecting romance only to end up as a 'blue plate special' for another animal.

All the sounds of a pitch black forest at night. With a tempo that weakens slightly only to reverberate louder then ever in the next few seconds. Nothing seems to interrupt the incessant chatter of life, of living and of death.

And then you realize it is not a pitch dark forest at night; at least not all of the forest is pitch black. In between the vast areas of pitch black are scatted patches that have bright areas illuminated by the full moon, like focused beams of light from a giant flashlight.

In fact the flashlight we brought with us is useless in these circles of moonlight. Turning on the flashlight changes the hue of the light but can't make it any brighter than what the moon has already accomplished without trying.

Even after midnight the park is still alive with human activity. Small circles of friends surround campfires and the sounds of people's laughter occasionally rise above the insect symphony. Only rarely do we pass other couples out walking their dog; the dogs having no problem seeing and smelling eath other in the dark.

Another beautiful gift for us here on earth. One that we could have easily missed had we not ventured outdoors. One that most of us do not experience normally as we stay carefully locked up in the comfort and security of our RV's/homes. Enjoying the coolness of the air conditioning, the convenience of food and drink nearby, the security of being surrounded by our stuff, even the greatly reduced stuff that fits in an RV provides this sense of wellness. That all is right with the world. Safely protected from all the bad things we hear about on TV or read about in the newspapers.

Is there really more crime today that 20 years ago? Or more children abused or mistreated? Or have we, in this age of instant gratification, provided the digital network capable of capturing and reporting on almost every event as it happens?

The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind... And to find it you have to get out and explore the night and the day and the sunrise and the sunsets and the sun, and the rain and the lightning and.... well you just have to get out and explore -- wherever you are and whatever is going on, take some time to do something you've never done before.

Our son Scott gave MLA a digital picture frame that I loaded with ~500 photo's from our first 3 month long trip in the RV. Over and over again I'm amazed at the places we've seen and more importantly, the things we've done. And I wonder, how much more of this we could have done even before we retired. The answer to that question is obvious and a little chastising: we could have been doing more living all along.

I hope you are doing all the living you can right now, where ever you are, and not waiting until 'a better time'. We will never go back.

Until next time.... See Ya!

War Eagle, AR: War Eagle Mill

Just a few miles off of Beaver Lake lies the War Eagle Mill on an otherwise slow moving stream. It's has a water powered waterwheel that drives stone wheels to grind all types of organic grains. Originally built in the early 1830's it was destroyed by flood and then rebuilt in the 1840's on the original foundation and site.

This second mill was burned by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War to keep it from falling into the hands of the Union Army. It was rebuilt in 1873, again on the same foundation. It operated for many years before the third mill was destroyed in another flood.

The fourth (and current) mill was built in 1973 as an exact replica of the original mill. It has survived several floods since then and is still in operation. You can buy a large variety of organic flours as well as crafts from local artisans (translates to expensive gift items).

One area we need to explore in greater detail next time is Eureka Springs. In the wilds of Arkansas you come upon Eureka Springs and it is filled with Inn's, motels, and Bed and Breakfast establishments. It was really amazing. I'm not sure what everyone is coming to see other than the wilderness itself. Lots of great twisty roads so it's a popular place for motorcyclists and bicyclists. Really surprising to see just how many rooms are available for rent there. I must have missed something...

We drove the Harley on a lot of back roads after visiting the War Eagle Mill. We visited the Beaver Lake Dam. I really enjoy seeing the dams and the engineering that goes into holding back the enormous amounts of water and pressure. MLA does not quite share my fascination with dams -- she tells me "you've seen one dam you've seen them all"...

Oh well -- See Ya!

Rogers, AR: Home Of The Red Ryder BB Gun

Our family enjoys watching "A Christmas Story" every year at, well, Christmas, silly.

Especially our second oldest son Scott, who has a special bond with this movie. He knows all the lines to every scene, and its fun watching the movie just to see his excitement. And it is a funny movie.

We think the movie is set in the late 40's/early 50's, but are not sure.

One theme in the movie is the young boy's desire for a special "Red Ryder BB Gun" for Christmas.

Wouldn't you know that Rogers, Arkansas is the home of the Daisy BB Gun Museum?

The museum has an incredible display of all the BB guns made from the late 1800's into the present day, including many R&D mock-ups, including some that never went into production. Lever action BB guns. Pump action BB guns. Air powered BB guns. Single shot BB guns. Semi-automatic BB guns. BB Shotguns. Competitive Shooting Match BB guns. Air powered BB guns used by the US ARMY in WW II to teach aerial shooting skills. The variety of BB guns made by Daisy over the years is incredible.

I even found the BB gun I had as a young boy. It was a pretty unusual CO2-cartridge powered semi automatic BB rifle with a pistol grip and simulated wood plastic stock which gave it a very futuristic and distinctive look. Only made for a couple of years, there it was hanging in a place of honor with all of the other models made by Daisy.

In addition to the types of BB guns, the descriptions of how they are constructed is amazing. Daisy was recognized for having produced 50 Million BB guns by 1960.

How many since then? Who knows...

Especially entertaining, given our interest in the movie, was the display of Red Ryder BB Guns, including the special edition made just for the movie.

Too much fun for only $2/person. Only $2 that is, if you can avoid buying a new BB gun at the end of the tour where they conveniently have the current models made by Daisy (right here in Rogers, AR) available for sale. Standard single shot BB guns all the way up to BB guns with laser sighting devices or optical scopes.

We observed one family buying a new BB gun for their son, who looked to be about 10 years old. The boy looked pleased but his enthusiasm was no where near the fever pitch of excitement his dad exhibited. His dad ran from one model to the next, trying them out for size (his size, not his son's). Then he began scooping up BB's from a huge barrel, showing his son how many BB's he could pack into a small tin container. He must have spent well over $100 buying a gun, BB's, targets, sights, and books.

I'm pretty sure it will be a long time before that boy gets to play with 'his' BB gun. His dad will be having too much fun making sure 'everything works correctly' before letting his son have a chance to shoot the gun. Too funny.

And yes, I did manage to avoid buying myself a BB gun despite the solid 'tug' of memories from my childhood.

See Ya!

Beaver Lake: Exploring With The Harley

Best weather day so far in NW Arkansas. Temperatures in the high 80's and almost no humidity. No clouds, no rain, no worries. MLA & I took the Harley out to explore the Beaver Lake area. This lake is a very different from many of the lakes we have seen elsewhere, most of which are back east. Different at least on the portion of Beaver Lake we have explored so far...

One, Beaver Lake is not very developed. Large parcels are owned by the government and kept as parks/conservation areas. There are a number of homes tucked into the woods however overall it is does not seem crowded. Nor do the hotels & campgrounds seem very busy except on weekends. There are many homes and building sites for sale in the area. MLA & I found one development of building sites called The Escarpment. All of the waterfront sites are sold. Absolutely one of the best views of the lake I have seen so far however the lots sit high up on a hill with a very steep descent to the water.

Also, the road system into many of the tributaries/coves has not been fully developed. Once you get off the main roads the roads near the lake are mostly narrow, poorly maintained roads, many of them turn to gravel as they near the lake. Gravel roads are no fun on a motorcycle, especially a heavy motorcycle, so each time we hit a gravel road I would have to stop, have MLA get off and turn the bike around. You know what a three point turn is right? Well on these narrow roads I would have to do a 20 point turn -- back & forth, back & forth until I got the beast turned around. No joy!

I will try to get a few more pictures of the lake. My camera was not working today due to 'cockpit error'. I plugged my charger in last night and I put the camera in the cradle. Sounds good huh? Grabbed the camera as we were leaving and when I went to take a picture -- no juice. Turns out I forgot to ensure the power cable (which I plugged in) was connected to the cradle (here's your sign).

Next time we go property hunting we'll take the car or even better, go get a real estate agent to drive us around. Didn't realize how much I've come to depend on the GPS. With that little device you can drive on all the back roads and it always shows you where you are in relation to the lake, plus you can always get back out the way you came in. No way to use our GPS on the motorcycle; it's too big with it's 7 inch screen. Perfect for the RV and OK for the car, it's a 'no go' for the bike.

In any case, we'll keep exploring the area and I'll get you some additional pictures of this beautiful lake. There are many places where the shoreline is a cliff or bluff. Not sure of the exact difference -- lets just say the rock walls go straight up from the water line for 25-75 feet in many locations. Tough to get to your dock on those sites unless you excel at cliff diving. In other places the land rises gently from the waterline and private docks/boat houses are the norm.

Christopher suggested we buy a lake house here. He generously offered to come over from Tulsa occasionally, stay at the lake, run the boat, etc., just to make sure everything is working.

He wasn't too pleased with my counteroffer -- I told him to buy a place here with enough property for MLA and I to park the RV occasionally. Heck, I'll even pay to have the RV utilities installed. Am I a good guy or what?

The weather forecast is for warm and sunny with no rain for the next 7 days. As we all know you can't put too much stock in a weather forecast however it does sound promising. Perfect weather for riding the bike.

Campground cleared out on Sunday; we'll watch it slowly fill back up this week and by Friday afternoon it will be full. You should see the long, sad faces as people pack up their stuff on Sunday and head back home for another week of work. You get lots of funny looks when they realize you are not packing up and will still be enjoying the lake when they are back at work.

I try not to gloat and to keep the silly smile off my face at least until they disappear around the corner -- but it's not easy....

See Ya!

Springdale, AR: Christopher's New Church

What a great day. We have been looking forward to spending more time with Christopher & his fiance Rachael and the time finally arrived. It actually started last night when we meet them for dinner. We hadn't seen them since Christmas and it was so good being around them. They both seem really happy and make a great couple.

As we drove to the restaurant in a hard rain last night, the sky went completely dark. It happened as quickly as someone turning off a light switch. Light outside one minute and completely dark the next. This huge summer storm had classic mid-west lightning and thunder. Apparently storms get started in western Texas, roll across Oklahoma, and right into Arkansas without any significantly sized mountains to reduce their speed and fury.

It rained so hard most cars pulled off the highway at the exits and waited for the storm to abate. It finally started getting lighter outside however the rain nor the wind never really reduced its intensity.

Every Sunday, Christopher & Rachael drive about two hours from Tulsa to Bentonville where Christopher is in charge of the music ministries for a church that is just getting started. The new church is called Victory and is lead by Pastor John and his wife Ray Lynn; what a great couple. They look much too young to have three teenage daughters.

This picture is of Christopher & Rachael from our Deep Creek Lake vacation last August.

In any case, Christopher and Rachael decided to come over Saturday evening, have dinner with us, spend the night with Pastor John & Ray Lynn, and for us to meet them for church Sunday am.

As they drove from Tulsa we drove to Springdale to have dinner with them. We had a great meal and really enjoyed each other's company. Much, much too soon dinner was over and time for them to head to their pastor's house to spend the night.

This morning we attended church with them. It was a great service and a great sermon by Pastor John. As always, we enjoy seeing Christopher sing and play his guitar. Of course I'm biased however he really should release a CD; he has an awesome voice.

We had lunch at PF Changs and then quickly headed back to camp since we had to move the RV from the site down by the lake (beautiful view but no water connection) back up the hill (great wooded site with water & electric but no lake view). after getting everything re=positioned we took a drive around the lake. Well we drove about half way around the lake. Since its a US Army Corps of Engineers lake, much of the lake shore is owned by the government and does not have any houses or roads. Pleasant drive but you only see the lake from the road about 10% of the time.

Afterwards we had pizza and just hung out with Rachael and Christopher. So much fun. It's exciting to think they be getting married in only 13 days. We'll see them later this week when we drive over to Tulsa for the day.

Until later -- See Ya!

Rogers, AR: Date Night On The Road

After another tough week on the road (they are all sooo tough). MLA wanted to celebrate by going out to dinner for a 'date night'. Unfortunately for her she doesn't know anyone else here in Arkansas so she was stuck with me as her date.

Actually the date night idea was just a ruse MLA used to get to a 70% off sale at Cracker Barrel. They have been advertising a 70% off sale on selected items starting today. She wanted to find out if the selected items included anything she might select...

So, after moving the RV this afternoon from on top of the hill to a site down by the lake we were off to catch an early dinner. Actually Cracker Barrel is OK with me; they have a mean grilled catfish dish with a salad and several veggies -- delicious. Add a sweet tea and you are good to go.

MLA did find a hat on sale that, after the 70% discount, came to a total of $6 + tax, so she was quite happy. So was her date. Anytime we can get out of a store only spending $7, I'm happy. She looks good in hats and they provide very good sun protection so I like to see her wearing a hat.

Me, I look like an idiot in a hat, especially baseball hats. And of course, baseball hats are 'in' for the RV set. Everywhere you go they are giving away baseball caps with the names of RV's, RV accessories, RV Parks, and of course, RV destinations. Oh well.

When we moved today we unloaded the motorcycle since it sounds like the rain may stop sometime next week. The lake is several feet above it's normal level. They have the floodgates open trying to lower the lake level however they don't expect Beaver Lake to get to it's 'normal' level until sometime in October. Pretty amazing when you consider how much drought this part of the country has experienced in the last couple of years.

In any case, when the sky's clear MLA & I will take the motorcycle on some of the back roads around here -- maybe as far as Branson, MO. Branson appears to be about 1-2 hours away so that would make a great day trip.

MLA also wants to look at a few campgrounds in Tulsa for the week of Christopher & Rachael's wedding so we'll take the Harley, weather permitting.

The lake here is beautiful. Pretty large and not very crowded. Tomorrow I plan to tell Christopher to 'get on the stick' and buy a house on the lake with enough property for us to park the RV whenever we come through this way -- seems very reasonable to me...

Until later -- See Ya!

Rogers, AR: Laundry Day

This is a picture of me about 100 feet in the air on a Ladder Fire Truck. Last year I was able to finagle a ride up on the ladder as a part of a safety check. The view from up there is incredible. The reason for the picture will make sense towards the end of this post.

With the weather still overcast and rainy in Rogers, Arkansas we decided to make today our 'Laundry Day'. Normally we do a little bit of laundry everyday. We have one of those combination washer/dryer units. It's a pretty good washing machine however it does use a fair amount of water that needs to be drained from the gray water tank. Since we do not have a septic connection to drain the gray water at this campground, we decided to use a laundry in town.

The dryer, BTW, does an OK job of drying however it leaves clothes pretty wrinkled. Normally I don't worry about the wrinkles unless the President is stopping by for a cookout. Usually not a problem.

Using the laundromat is not too bad especially if you go in the middle of the day; no one else was there most of the time we were there. They have lots of washing machines lined up; we used one for whites, one for darks, one for lights and one for sheets and towels so everything gets done concurrently.

Twenty minutes later you throw the various loads into a couple of huge dryers, wait awhile, fold awhile, and it's time to head home. Once home we spent a lot of time reading and/or working on the computer. Nothing to exciting. We did manage to get a nice walk in when the sun made a brief appearance. Always nice to get outside and roam around.

Tomorrow we move to another site within this campground down by the lake. We'll be there for the weekend and then end up moving back up here. It was the only way the campground folks could fit us in at the park for the two weeks we wanted.

Told us to call further in advance. Like that's going to happen. We would have to know where we'll be when for us to make reservations weeks in advance. Too restrictive for us now; may be possible when we stay in place for longer periods of time. But not now.

Christopher (our son) and Rachael (our soon-to-be daughter-in-law) will be here for dinner Saturday evening and then we'll be with them Sunday at the church Christopher is helping to get started. Looking forward to spending some time with the two of them.

Spoke with Scott (our other son) today. He's going through the firefighter application process (remember the picture?) again, this time with Anne Arundel County. He's also applied at Montgomery County and Frederick County. It amazes me how many applicants they have for so few openings. Several hundred applicants for only about 30 spots.

Scott passed the AA County written test awhile back and had his oral interviews Tuesday; he should find out later this month if he moves on to the next round, the CPAT test. That's pretty quick for local government. Frederick and Montgomery Counties took a lot longer to make their decisions.

The CPAT is a physical endurance test for firefighters. Each county does the hiring process a little differently. In Frederick County they have applicants do the CPAT first. He's already passed the CPAT once and has kept up his physical training so he should be ready for his next CPAT evaluation, whenever that occurs.

He's committed to becoming a firefighter. He's spoken to a lot of firefighters who tell him it typically takes a lot of applications to get on board.

Too bad for him nepotism is no longer an option. He has three Uncles and and an Aunt who are firefighters/EMT's. It used to be you had to know someone to get a job in the county. Nowadays State & Local governments are so concerned about being unbiased & fair in their hiring processes you don't dare mention you have a relative working for the government.

Not that I would be much of a reference; I can't start a campfire in the fire pit without burning my fingertips with those short matches. Thank goodness for those lighters with the long wand.....

See Ya!

Rogers, AR: Ahh, The Simple Life of RVing

Even on a cloudy, rainy day you can see Beaver Lake is beautiful. This is a small portion of the lake. Our campsite is at this elevation however the campground goes all the way down to the lake with many of the campsites at lake level.

Spent a portion of the day working on the problem with the water pump in the RV, which I'll tell you about in a minute.

RV's are really pretty amazing when you look closely at everything that is concealed under all of the graphics and shiny fiberglass.

You have all everything you need in order to drive the RV: engine, transmission, radiator, steering wheel, tires, brakes, etc. etc. You have heating and cooling systems: air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, automobile AC, fans, etc. You have the ability to operate devices with electricity or with LP. There are two electrical systems, 12V DC and 110V AC, that get their power from a generator (diesel powered), shore power (30/50 amp connection in the campground), a bank of automotive batteries that store electricity and can power an inverter to create 110V AC.

And don't get me started on the septic systems with separate holding tanks for black water and gray water, which have to be treated and emptied on a regular basis. Empty the septic holding tanks on an RV one time and you will never take for granted the seemingly magic septic system you have in a land based house. Flush the toilet at home and viola!, like magic everything is gone.
The process of emptying the black/gray water tanks is every RVers least favorite task.

All in all, even simple things get complex in a hurry since you have to be able to operate all of the appliances and systems both when you are connected in a campground or when you are boondocking. Boondocking is camping without any connections for electricity, water and septic. And RV's are designed to make all of this happen with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of "get out and enjoy the great outdoors".

The freshwater system needs pressure to move water from the freshwater holding tank to the sinks, shower, washer, and toilet. When you are connected to water in a campground it's just like the outside spigot at your house. Connect a garden hose and the water flows with plenty of pressure.

When you are not connected to a water system in a campground you need a water pump to provide pressure to move the water. No pressure = No Water. Simple eh?

Well, just before we moved on Tuesday we realized the water pump was not working so I have spent the better part of the last two days trying to isolate the problem: a) one of the three switches that turns on the water pump 2) the water pump itself 3) 12V power to the switches and/or pump and 4) a water pump controller. I didn't even know I had or needed a water pump controller but I (or more accurately the RV) both has one and needs one to operate properly.

Finally narrowed it down to the controller. Went and bought a new one, swapped the old one out and viola!, we now have a working water pump for when we are not connected to a water source.

Which is a big deal because the campground was completely booked this weekend when we checked in except for a site without water. So on Friday we'll move to a site without water/electric/sewer and then move back to a water/electric site on Sunday afternoon.

Really felt the pressure to get that working so we didn't have to spend the weekend without running water.

RV's are really amazing. All the complexity of a diesel powered truck. All the complexity of a land based house. All the complexity of a self-contained and self-powered house. All bundled together in a shiny fiberglass wrapped package that, unlike a home, depreciates over time.

Anyway, a rainy day in camp to get this issue resolved. The storms here can get pretty intense. Last night lightning hit very near here. You know, one of those times where the light flashes simultaneously with the thunder, and so loud your ears are ringing afterwards. MLA and I nearly jumped out of bed when it hit last night. After the lightning and thunder passed over us it settled down to just a pleasant steady drumbeat of rain on the roof. Nice but the lightning/thunder had shattered any feeling of contentment and peace.

Weather is supposed to get better right through the weekend.

Looking forward to seeing Christopher and Rachael on Saturday and Sunday. Only a couple of weeks before their wedding so everyone is excited.

See Ya!

Beaver Lake, AR: Another Beautiful Lake by the US Army COE

Arrived today at Beaver Lake just outside Rogers, Arkansas. Never heard of Rogers? How about Bentonville? Bentonville is headquarters for the much loved & much hated WalMart. You can't tell where Bentonville ends and Rogers begins without a map or road signs.

Beaver Lake was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers and completed in the mid-60's. The US Army COE built a lot of lakes in the South with the goal of controlling the floods that occurred regularly in the South.

This lake is spectacular with probably a dozen campgrounds and several marinas. I'll have to post a picture later since we went exploring right after setting up the RV and neglected to grab the camera from the charger.

The drive from Hot Springs was uneventful. We had planned to take a road called scenic 7 from Hot Springs however just as we left our Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) alarm alerted us to one of the tires having only 80 psi. We run 120 psi in our tires and you can only get that kind of pressure at a truck stop so we had to change our route to the interstates.

Not a bad thing just not as scenic as some other roads. And the northwest portion of Arkansas is very scenic. I mentioned the Buffalo National River previously; it's a very special place. And the area we drove through looked very rugged. Well as rugged as you can look with an interstate slicing through pristine wilderness.

Taking the interstate did mean that we got to go right by Toad Suck. Don't know the whole story however the name just sticks with you, you know?

Travel days are always stressful. I mean our normal days are pretty stress-free. We do what we want when we want. And sometimes that's doing nothing at all except reading & relaxing here in camp. On travel days we have to pack up the RV, venture out of our carefully constructed seclusion into the 'real world' or at least onto the real world's roads & interstates with the RV & tow car. Occasionally we go somewhere we have been before but more typically we have to navigate to someplace we've never been to previously.

We have our maps, our GPS, and our notes. Most of the time we are pleased with our selected campground; occasionally it is not what we had hoped for. When that happens we tend to spend one night and then hit the road.

Just to give you an idea of Beaver Lake's beauty: we will be here nearly two weeks! Now that is nice. Pictures to follow later...

See ya!

Hot Springs, AR: West of the Mississippi River

Hey, I neglected to mention the b-i-g news. We are west of the mighty Mississippi. Actually, it happened last week when we passed over the Mississippi River when we went through Memphis. More accurately, when we left Memphis, crossed the river and entered Arkansas.

By the way -- according to MLA, Arkansas is spelled incorrectly. She thinks it should end with a "w", not an "s". I'm inclined to agree with her. I mean, you pronounce Kansas as "can sass", not "can saw".

We went to Stubbys for BBQ this evening. Pretty good BBQ but not great. Best is supposed to be McClard's BBQ, in business since 1922 however it is closed on Sunday & Monday. McClard's reputation was enhanced by a past president..... guess who.

Give up? Come on, this is an easy one. How about a hint? Hot Springs, Arkansas is the childhood home of former President Bill Clinton (and they are proud of it.....). Apparently, Bill Clinton, a foodie of the first order, would occasionally have an order of McClard's BBQ sent to the White House. Probably had it delivered along with his favorite waitress -- hey, I don't know -- I'm just guessing.

But I digress. Back to crossing the Mississippi. When we drove over the river I excitedly pointed out the river and told MLA it was a momentous occasion on our RV adventure. The Mississippi essentially splits the US as it snakes north from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. It was instrumental in the exploration & expansion of the US.

I mean, it's the second longest river (2340 miles) in the US & it's drainage basin covers more than 1,245,000 sq mi, including all/part of 31 states plus two Canadian provinces. I mean, it's geographically significant. It's historically significant. All in all, it's magnificent.

MLA's reaction: not much -- she thought it was muddy and 'no big deal'. When I asked her to grab the camera and get a quick picture of the river under us she simply asked "Who wants a picture of a muddy river?".

Oh well -- I'll guess I'll have to keep looking for sights in the US that will impress her --the Mighty Mississippi didn't do it....

See Ya!

Hot Springs, AR:

Storm blew up while we were out today. Several neighbors were nice enough to tie our awning down when the wind got under it and bent it back. It's supposed to close automatically based on wind gust speed. Had it set to close with a 24 mph gust; will lower it to 12 mph... it was working before so it should work once I set it to a lower number.

We are on the edge of Tornado Alley; they sure seem to get a large number of high velocity wind/rain storms. Lots of alarms coming across the TV and radio warning about flash floods. We are up on the top of a mountain (I'd call it a large hill really but around here they call'em mountains). In any case we are high enough we should be safe from any flooding if it occurs. Wind/rain damage is another story.

Up high is nice for view and lack of flooding however it does put you out there with any lightning and/or high winds.

Received our mail from home today; we spent 20 minutes sitting in the postal parking lot going through and reading our mail. I had lots of birthday cards and wishes, including really cool cards from the girls. Both of them played music and one was actually a recording of their voice. It was great to hear their voice too.

We are here through Tuesday when we will move closer to Christopher; probably somewhere around the Buffalo National River or around Beaver Lake. Beaver Lake is just outside of Rogers/Bentonville, AR. That's right, Walmart's home town, Bentonville, AR. Where old Sam Walton started kicking some serious retail butt. And, wouldn't you know it, one of the few stocks up for the year, almost 19% YTD. MLA was right when she said we were at Walmart so much we should buy their stock. Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda. Can't play that game...


See Ya!

Hot Springs, AR: What Are The Chances of That?

MLA and I watched a movie the other day. A nice little comedy that we had not heard of previously, and for the life of me, I can't remember the name.

Doesn't matter. I do remember one scene from the movie where a guy and Albert Einstein observe some event and Albert Einstein says to the guy "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?". The guy replies "What are the chances of that?".

I was reminded of that comment "What are the chances of that?" earlier today.

Talk about a small world. Here we are ~250 miles and four hours (longer in an RV) away from Red Bay, Alabama, and who do I see out walking his dogs but someone we met in Red Bay, Alabama. Both of us were having warranty work done on our RV's.

We met Geoff & Adrienne D at Red Bay. There are a very nice Canadian couple who share their 07 42' Tiffin Allegro Bus with two very large & very friendly Golden Retrievers, Houston & Utah. They have been full timing for about 5 years and were snowbirds for a couple of years before that.

They are from Alberta plus have property on Vancouver Island where they park the RV in the fall. If you've ever been to Vancouver Island you know how spectacular the scenery is in that part of the country. They are a great couple and we enjoyed meeting/talking with them occasionally in Red Bay however we didn't think we would see them again any time soon.

I mean, there are probably 100 campgrounds within an hour of here and they end up at the same campground. What are the chances of that?

In any case it was great to run into them.

I thought there was a chance we would see fireworks this evening from our campground since it sits atop a mountain. We could hear them all around us however the trees and or other mountains blocked any view of them. Oh, well. I'll tune into the news later to get my fireworks fix.

I hope your 4th of July was a safe and happy one, with lots of fireworks!

See Ya!

Hot Springs Village, AR: Largest Gated Community in US

Lots to see and do here in the Hot Springs area. Today we did a little rock hounding, looking at various gems and minerals from the area and, surprisingly, from around the world. Turns out a lot of these rock shops bring in material from all over: Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, Nigeria, etc.

In addition to all of the gems and various rocks they have great fossil formations and just about every imaginable product made of gems/rocks. Which of course includes incredible amounts of jewelry, most of which uses the various gems/rocks in one form or another.

In the rock yards, there are tables & tables of rocks, gems, and minerals. Some unfinished, some polished, all of it just lying there in big quantities. Something about seeing so much of the various items diminishes the whole experience of finding the gems yourself. We where very happy with the 20 pounds of gems/minerals we had found. And then we saw a table full of 10 and 20 pound crystals, amethysts, tiger eye, etc. Literally tons of the same material we found.

That said, we still enjoy the sense of mystery and discovery that come from taking raw piles of earth and 'discovering' gems/minerals and rocks of all types.

I'm a little embarrassed to tell you about my visit today to a local rock shop. We stopped because we saw these large table filled with brightly colored stones. I'm talking vibrant reds, oranges, deep blues and incredible greens. Beautiful. It took me a good 15-20 minutes to realize these rocks were really large pieces of glass, specifically 'slag glass'. This is glass that accumulates in large glass ovens or is unused in the glass making process. Beautiful however not really of any value. Not sure how you would use it but it sure was fun to look at.

With temperatures in the mid-90's we decided it was too hot to sit on a large pile of dirt and dig for minerals in the red clay. We will come back if we get a cooling rain or we'll dig here the next time we come through the area.

And I would definitely consider coming back through this area. Lots of lakes and wild countryside. In fact, they call Arkansas "The Natural State".

I guess that makes all the other states 'unnatural'..... See Ya!

Hot Springs, Arkansas: The Water Really Is Hot!

Arrived in Hot Springs, Arkansas late yesterday. Should have arrived a little earlier however had some challenges with the directions from Red Bay, AL to Hot Springs, specifically the portion through Little Rock, AR. That said, we simply had a chance to see more of Arkansas than originally planned. Oh, except for the turn I made onto a long frontage road. What could go wrong with that? Except this frontage road eventually veered from the highway and several miles later came to a dead end. Fortunately I was able to get turned around by disconnecting the toad, pulling a three way (turn) with the RV and reconnecting everything. Getting pretty good/quick at disconnecting/reconnecting.

We are at Cloud Nine RV Park, which is on top of a small mountain. Beautiful view from some of the sites. Not very crowded however I expect that to change as we get closer to the 4th of July holiday.

MLA & I spent time at the Hot Springs National Park. Supposedly this was the first time property was set aside by the Federal government to protect a natural resource. Initially it was established as a reservation and later changed to a National Park.

The historic district is a row of bath houses that have been mostly restored. Before the turn of the century (not this century silly, the late 1800's) people travelled far distances to locations like Hot Springs, AR where the waters were believed to have special healing properties.

Hard to say if the waters have healing powers or not. Most people coming here for medical purposes found themselves drinking the water and partaking in hot baths; in addition they were breathing healthier air, away from everyday work/living stress, and encouraged to exercise a lot more than they usually exercised. All good things. Did the water regimen help? Who knows? It certainly did not hurt.

There are many fountains/springs throughout the historical district, including the one pictured with MLA. And yes, the water coming from the fountains is hot; consistently around 134 degrees hot to be exact. Very strange to touch the water coming out of a fountain and have it be hot. Bet this is a fun place to see when it's cold outside.

All of the bath houses had to add cool water to the hot springs water for bathing purposes. They also had steam baths and used the hot vapors directly from the springs.

All in all, it looks like a good place to spend a week or so. There are several lakes here with lots of water activities. And MLA is excited by the quartz & diamond mines throughout the region.Of course, as MLA points out, we can't really draw any conclusions about the Hot Springs area until we try out some of the bath houses and their spa programs.

It's a tough job but somebody has to do it -- See Ya!