Sunday, July 31, 2016

A bit of humor from the Laramie KOA.
This was our last day in Laramie.  We went exploring in the town, and as I mentioned yesterday, we found some more original bike racks. 


The University of Wyoming is here and has a large, pretty campus.  The best thing we found was the sculpture called Breaking Through which celebrates the way the State of Wyoming has promoted Women's Rights.

It was the first state to allow women to vote, the first to have a woman as governor, a female justice of the peace, bailiff and juror.  This sculpture was my favorite thing in Laramie.




Saturday, July 30, 2016

Yesterday we left Limon, CO and drove to Laramie, WY where we are staying for three nights at a basic KOA.  At the border we saw a silhouette of a large buffalo on a hill and when we got closer we realized it had cell towers on both sides.  We have seen a palm tree cell tower before, but never a buffalo. 
Today we visited the Lincoln Monument which commemorates the highest point in Wyoming along I-80.  The highway is named after him.  The first thing we saw at the Wyoming Visitor's Center was a stuffed armadillo in the back window of this car.
The statue is imposing and easily visible from the highway.
Here is a view of it from inside the Visitor's Center. 

There were interesting displays depicting the different areas of Wyoming inside.  Gary and I particularly liked the one which told about the Territorial Prison.

For dinner we went to a historical restaurant on the grounds of an old territorial fort.
It is known for its excellent steaks.  Out front it has an old fashioned carriage.
After dinner we went into downtown Laramie to get a picture of the famous Alligator outside the Carnegie Building which is made entirely of welded bumpers.
Laramie has lots of street art, including many different kinds of bike racks.  We hope to see some more of it tomorrow.



Thursday, July 28, 2016



Kansas presented us with an unwanted surprise last night, a serious hailstorm!  We were staying at the Goodall, KS KOA, a very nice campground near the border of Colorado. We had heard that the weather might turn ugly, and the lightning was going strong just as we got to bed around 10:30.  I left the blind up to see the show but we got more than we bargained for.  Within a half hour the TrailBayser was being pounded with what the Weather Channel described as quarter-sized hail.  You know how soothing the sound of rain on a metal roof is?  Well, this was not that!  Some of those hail strikes sounded more like cannon balls.  Poor Baby was freaked out and I was not much better.  It lasted about a half hour and, if you look closely you can see some of the pockmarks we sustained toward the front and rear of the trailer.  I think the center area was saved because we were parked next to a larger RV and it shielded the passenger side.  The roof has a special coating and was not hurt much.  Later in the morning we had another strong and loud storm, but no hail.   Tonight we are in Limon, CO at a small KOA and the forecast is for thunderstorms.  Hoping they miss us this time!!


These carvings were found in the campground in Goodall where we stayed last night.  On the way to Limon we started to see fields with oil pumps alongside cattle and those big, round bales of hay. We also passed into Mountain Time. 
Here is the entrance to the campground where we are staying tonight.  We decided not to unhitch the car so we can get an early start in the morning and also because this KOA has a pizza restaurant and delivered dinner to our site.  That was great but I am ready to leave the High Plains!

Tuesday, July 26, 2016


In the distance is another state capitol dome.  We have seen five or six now on this trip and this one is in Topeka.  Today we crossed into Kansas from Missouri and learned more things.

We passed a sign saying that for the next 8 miles we would be driving on the first section of the national interstate highway system built by Eisenhower ever to be paved.  This was in Missouri.  I Googled it and it seems that two other states also claim to have the first paved section.  Missouri was definitely the first state to sign the contract for the roads, though.  

Did you know that Manhattan, KS is known as the Little Apple?

Have you ever seen Burnt Ends on the menu at a BBQ restaurant?  It turns out that these are the meaty ends of ribs, cut off so there isn't any bone and served on a bun.  Excellent!!

Kansas has a place known as the Bluestem grazing area in the Flint Hills.  It used to be where bison grazed but became the place where Texas sent skinny cattle to be fattened up.  The locals used to say that Texas sent the horns and Kansas put the bodies on
Kansas also grows lots of wheat, corn and grass seed for hot, dry areas.
Scenes from the KOA campground in Salina, KS.  This is a very nice KOA with full hook ups and all the amenities plus summer activities.  Above is the first golf cart I've ever seen with police lights on top.
There is also a collection of large, metal bison here.
Kansas is the Sunflower State.  Here you see the intersection of Sunflower and Home on the Range Lanes.
This is a fence I like in the campground.  I took this picture for no particular reason.
Directly across the street from the campground is the Museum of Yesteryear which features a large field of farm machines and implements all sitting outside and rusting. ?????


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Monday, July 25, 2016

This is our happy little group near Kansas City, MO.  Gerry and Shirley B. were old buddies of Gary's from their Air Force Days in the 60's.  Gerry and Gary were stationed at Hahn Air Force Base during the Viet Nam War and worked on airplanes together.  It was quite a surprise reunion.  Shirley accidentally found us on Facebook.  They live in Florida and we were able to cross paths here.

We drove to Independence, MO today and toured the Truman Museum.  It was very well done.

I knew that Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said The Buck Stops Here, but I never knew that the side facing the President said I'm From Missouri.  In other words, Show Me!
The replica of Truman's Oval Office was very interesting.  I learned that he changed the Presidential Seal.  The eagle on the seal is holding olive branches for peace in one claw and arrows for war in the other claw.  Before Truman, the eagle's face was pointing toward the arrows and he had it changed so the eagle faced peace.  It remains that way today.
This is a view of the inner courtyard where Harry and Bess Truman are buried, near the flag.
This is a display of tiny airplanes on the ceiling of the room that spoke about the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  There were also excellent displays discussing McCarthyism, civil rights advances and the Korean War.

After we left the Museum, we went to lunch and after that we drove by the artistic and fanciful spire of the Church of Latter Day Saints in Independence.  They have a prayer session for peace every day there that anyone can attend.



Saturday, July 23, 2016


Not much to report today.  Last night we ate again at Oliver's in Montgomery City, MO because they had a seafood buffet with three kinds of shrimp.  Gary was very happy.
This is a metal bird in front of Oliver's and below is a hand made wooden branch light fixture hanging in the main dining room.
Today we drove to Oak Grove, MO just east of Kansas City. Along the way we passed the Horseshoe Pitching Hall of Fame and the Churchill Museum.  I will have to Google them.

This campground is another excellent KOA with pool, panning for pretty stones for kids, two dog walks, a bouncing pad, a store and the usual laundry, etc.

We ate BBQ in town at KC BBQ.  Excellent food, horrible run-down restaurant.  We'll be here for three nights and luckily, we are close to civilization and have many choices.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

You know how you have been hearing about the ungodly heat and the effects of "corn sweat" (huh?) in the middle of the country?  Well, guess where we are!  The high in St. Louis was 97 today and will be 100 tomorrow.  With the humidity, I can't even imagine what the heat index is.  This is the kind of heat that smacks you in the face whenever you venture out.

I'm so happy we got to see the famous St. Louis arch today on our way through the city.  It is even bigger than I imagined.
St. Louis a big city and spreads miles and miles into the western countryside.  I was surprised by how many large shopping centers, outlet malls and other stores spread in that direction. 

We crossed the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers here and ended up in Danville, MO at the Lazy Day RV Park.  The park is nice, wooded and graveled, but there is absolutely nothing in Danville.  We found that Montgomery City was a few miles away so we ate there at Oliver's for dinner. The building was once a church and then a movie theater.   Across the street was a bakery just for Gary where he bought some cream horns for later.  He also wants to have breakfast there in the morning.  You will not hear me complaining.

Someone carved a cute dog totem pole and put it in the RV Park.  I had to share.

I hope Gary will walk Baby later.  I don't want to go outside again.  Tomorrow is a rest day.


Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Here we sit in Benton, IL at another KOA campground.  This one is woodsy with a little creek that no one is supposed to wade or swim in.  One nice thing it has is a cafe which delivers BBQ right to your RV, so we didn't bother to unhook the car from the trailer and ate in.  It will make for a quick getaway in the morning.
This was just a driving day and it is a good thing.  It is so hot here in Illinois that it is almost the only topic on the news.  It is supposed to stay this way in the heartland for most of the week. 

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

An amazing day in Louisville, KY started early.  We explored a little in Jeffersonville, IN, where we are parked and found this court jester bike rack near the post office we were looking for. Jeffersonville has extensive flood gates to protect neighborhoods when the Ohio River breaches its banks.

Then we met some old friends from our travel agency days, Patti and Mike G. at Buckhead Mountain Grill for an early lunch.
Mike is eating a local specialty, Kentucky Hot Brown, which in this case was a special open-faced turkey sandwich with gravy, but can be slightly different at different restaurants.

Outside the restaurant were wonderful views of downtown Louisville and its bridges.
After lunch we went to Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center which sits above extensive fossil beds. 


You can walk right out on the beds and see every kind of ocean fossil.  No collecting allowed, though.  These are within view of downtown Louisville.

Later Mike and Patti took us downtown and we visited the Museum of Arts and Crafts.  This was my favorite exhibit there.
Louisville is known for the Louisville Slugger and there is a museum dedicated to it with a giant baseball bat outside which can be seen on the skyline.

From the Museum we crossed the street to the amazing 21C Museum Hotel. From the giant sized copy of the David outside,
to the inspired work of Al Farrow, which was entirely made of bullets and gun parts in a protest of violence,

 to the selfie wall which showed every passer-by,
 to the video taped images of eyeballs in the ladies room mirror, the art and experience were amusing and overwhelming.
 This is a view out of a window at 3 smoke machines blowing smoke rings.


 The above are two views of the outside of the hotel with its iconic red penguins on the roof and front.

Last, but certainly not least, we met Bernie and Eileen S., some other dear friends from the Travel Professionals International travel agency days at The Mayan Cafe for an extraordinary dinner of Mayan food and some of the best company anywhere.  Thanks to all for a fantastic day.