Kansas City Skies

John Denver sang of the Kansas City Skies.  As we left Branson on Tuesday, May 26 and traveled to Kansas, I observed the sky in Kansas.  It seems closer to us, or rather maybe I should say, we seemed to be closer to it.  I still think that as we're traveling to other states since we left Kansas.  Buck says, "No," that's not true. ??!!

Before we arrived at the private campground in downtown Merriam, Kansas, we stopped in Baxter Springs, Kansas, to visit a museum.  Our visit to The Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum, just off Route 66, was a real treat. One bit of history that we learned, was the "cow town" story.  A cow town is a town where cows are herded for sale at an auction.  The cows are brought in and allowed to feed for a few weeks in order to gain weight; thus, when sold, the cows will bring more money.  During the "feeding" time the cowhands would go into the towns and spend money on food and entertainment.  That helped support the town.  Baxter Springs was the first "Cow town" in Kansas  The town flourished with this concept until the railroad came through and changed the process of herding and selling cows.  Many more historic eras were displayed at the clean and well-managed museum.  The volunteers who served us that day took great pride in the museum and their heritage.  We took pictures of Civil War, WWI, WWII, and Vietnam military dress, hand-made quilts, a sewing machine, rifles, etc from years gone by.  We have shared some of these with you below.

The 2 1/2 hour trip to our campground was very enjoyable. The countryside is very green with pastures for cattle and fields planted for summer and fall harvest.  And all the fields are very large, as is the equipment farmers use to till the land.

Walnut Grove RV Park was small compared to the KOA campground in Branson.  Walnut Grove is packed with 5th wheels and tag-along camping trailers where men live during the week in the Kansas City area and return to their homes in their trucks on the weekends.  This set-up works well for the men since they can cook their night-time meals in their campers.  There's also a laundry for them to wash their work clothes.  Much better arrangement than a hotel room.

Our campsite was the largest one on the property and we were still stuffed into it.  But we were there only two nights, so that worked out fine.  One of our "close" neighbors did not fit the mold I've just described. The couple was from England.  They flew from there to Chicago and rented a Class C motor home (the motor home with the bed above the cab of the truck).  From Chicago they went to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, stopped for a couple days in Kansas, and were headed to Branson.  From there they will return to Chicago, turn in the motor home, rent a car, and head to Alabama to visit the man's relatives.  After that visit they will fly from Alabama to England.  Whatever works!

We had one full day in Kansas.  That was Wednesday, May 27.  So we headed out to the OZ Museum, about 50 miles above Kansas City.  We were amazed.  It was a very impressive museum.  A vast amount of history has been preserved concerning the origin and history of The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Barum. We toured the museum and bought some post cards to send the grandchildren.

On our return to the campground we took a side trip to Leavenworth Army Base in Leavenworth, Kansas.  What a flash-back.  Military police guarded the entrance and inspected the covered bed of our truck, soldiers in fatigues and dress uniform were all around, some coming from classroom buildings and some in formation. Military wives and some fathers were picking up the children from the daycare on base.  Everything was clean and orderly and respect prevailed.  One of the pictures below was taken on the military base.

Whoever said this, "Go West, young man, Go West?"  I really don't know.  But we did "GO West" again on Thursday, May 28 headed to Nebraska.

Entrance to the
Baxter Springs Heritage Center
 and Museum

Who remembers classrooms like this?

Hand-made quilt

Bed built during WWI Era

Dorothy and Toto at
 Oz Museum in Kansas

Beautiful Wizard of Oz Quilt

Wood Table Top depicting Wizard of Oz Story

Branson was an easy drive, only 11/2 hours from Withrow Springs State Park.  And it was uneventful, thank goodness. We took the back way to the KOA campground.  By doing so, we crossed a huge bridge over beautiful Table Rock Lake,  KOA campgrounds always have good sites and a laundry, which we were beginning to need.

The clubhouse at the KOA has free pancakes each morning.  But if you want a drink, meat, etc, you will pay for that.  Good place to go and meet other campers.  We sat down with some people who turned out to be the parents of the new owner.  They are from Louisanna and were very proud of their son's new purchase.  We actually met him also, when he came to speak to them.  Good guy.

We selected some shows that we would like to see at Branson so that planned out our stay for the most part.  The first show we attended was a "Doo Wop" show where musicians give tribute to music groups by singing their songs.  We really enjoyed the music of The Platters, The Temptations,The Coasters, and a few more.  Brought back memories of college days where the real artists came to UNC-G for spring dances.

We also went to the Legends Concert.  It was really great, too.  Artists who were featured were Brooks and Dunn, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley.  We watched one young girl about age 13 I guess, sitting with her mother.  The mom loved the show, dancing in her seat and clapping.  The daughter didn't respond. You could tell that the mom didn't get to go to shows like this often. You could also tell how she loved her daughter.  This hit home to me.  My mother provided many opportunities for me that, at the time, I didn't appreciate.  I do now.  Thanks, Mother.

The very best show was the next one we attended, The Chinese Acrobats.  I've never seen anything like that before.  All ages from young children to adults gave a super performance.  Their balance and coordination, not to mention their self-discipline, were unbelievable. This show was recommended to us by my cousin who had seen it several years ago.  I am so glad we went.

On Sunday we awoke to rain again.  Actually, it rained every day since we've been here.  The campground is full of campers and motor homes with all the occupants still inside.  No outside play for these folks.

We cleaned the motorhome and waited for some friends to arrive. We had never met these friends before, but we've spoken with them through email and cell phone.  They will be our "tail gunners" for the caravan to Alaska.  They live near Branson so they wanted to visit us while we were here.  So glad they came.  Feels like we've known them for years.  We learned how much detailed work has gone into planning a caravan for 22 coaches in and out of Canada and into Alaska.  They, together with the Wagon Masters plan the entire trip for us.  We will see them again on June 12 when Buck and I arrive in Great Falls, Montana.  From there, we will leave with the caravan on June 16.

The last show we saw in Branson was a repeat for us.  John Denver.  Of course he wasn't there, just like the other artists we've mentioned.  But his good friend, James Garrett provided the concert.   Once again, it was an entertaining show.

Before the concert began, several people were waiting outside the theater.  A lady with a service dog came to sit near me.  We talked and I learned that she has the service dog for three reasons:  severe diabetes, PTSD from the Oklahoma bombing, and seizures.  The dog is trained to respond to the German language first and then to English.  The lady's name is Denene Harper and the service dog's name is Elsie.  Denene has PTSD from the Oklahoma bombing because she witnessed it.  She worked in the federal building and was late to work that day.  She was walking from her car to the building and witnessed the explosion.  All her co-workers were blown up including a pregnant lady whose baby shower was scheduled that afternoon.  Denene developed seizures after her husband attempted to kill her for an inheritance she was given at her mother's death.  WOW.  AND Denene is from Corn, Oklahoma, where the real John Denver's grandmother lived.  His "Country Roads" and "Grandma's Feather Bed" songs, came from his memories in Corn.  Denene has memories of that feather bed, also. She was jumping on that feather bed one day while she was visiting and John's grandma got really mad.  She told Denene to go outside and get a switch, which Denene did, and then John's grandma switched Denene with it.

Denene and Elsie travel the country, telling her story.  She's a motivational speaker and her business is called  "Paws-itively Speaking."  She doesn't charge a fee but will take donations, if given.  It's amazing what stories you can hear from people when you take time to listen!

Tail gunners, Tom and Sandy

We didn't take many pictures during our time in 
Branson.  But here's a few.                                 

John Denver Show with James Garrett.

           

Slides are in, truck is attached.  Here we go to Kansas.

Monday, May 18 was a travel day.  We left the Graceland campground around 10:30 AM and headed to our second leg of the trip - Withrow Springs State Park in Huntsville, AR.  It's in the NW section of the state.  We drove along just enjoying the ride expecting a five-hour drive.  We stopped for fuel at the Flying J.  I made sandwiches and we continued on our way.  I drove as we left. Buck slept and rested.  We knew we would stop at a rest area- MM 36 to change drivers since the next exit, exit 35, would be an exit to a two-lane state road AK 23.  Buck handles that type road better than I.

So we stopped at the rest area and we changed drivers.  Buck was driving when his phone rang.  I answered and hung up on the telemarketer.  As I did, I noticed that Buck didn't take Exit 35.  He went right by it.  The next exit was 10 miles away.  Would Buck take that exit or turn around and go back 10 miles?  What would you do? He took the exit - AR 215.  It looked fine - a good state two-lane road, and the GPS started re-calculating our route to that road. So here we go.

As we progressed the road changed to a dirt road.  OK, that won't last long, right? NO, it stayed a dirt road and became narrow and hilly and curvy.  We were then on a county road that was not state-maintained.  AND we were climbing a mountain, sometimes on the narrow edge with obvious drop-offs.  We could tell that a storm was ahead of us by the looks of the sky as well as the water in the road.  We came to strange dirt intersections and fortunately made right choices.  We crossed two one-lane bridges that only had a six-inch side railing on each side.  We drove through debris from the storm, and then the ultimate fear was realized - we came up on a rushing creek with NO bridge.  We could not turn around and we knew (from the GPS) that we were within a mile of entering the beloved AR 23.So we joined hands and prayed together for safety and Buck drove us through it. It was as wide as our motor home is long - 40 feet.   I didn't know it at the time, but there was a concerte pad under the water, so at least we didn't drive in the creek bed. When we got to AR 23, Buck first went to the bathroom, then got out of the motor home to see what kind of damage we had.  He removed small tree branches and leaves from mirrors but found no further damages other than a few scratches and lots of mud.  The truck, yes, we were towing our GMC truck, looked like it had been mud-bogging - well, it had been! We prayed again and thanked God for bringing us through this frightening adventure.

After that experience, Withrow Springs State Park was a little boring.  But it gave us time to regroup our thoughts and emotions.  It rained most of the time we were there.  I did learn about some Withrow ancestors who settled the area after coming from North Carolina.  Richard Withrow, Jr. came in 1832 and built the first gristmill in the area.  The springs which come from a huge cave are named for him.  His family lived in the area until 1872 when he moved his family to Texas.  Before he left, a school and a church in the area were named for him.  His homestead still stands a few miles south of the springs. We could see it from AR 23.

The marker reads, "Withrow Springs was named for Richard Withrow, who homesteaded this site in 1832.  Here he erected the first gristmill in this area.  This was a family-owned and operated business until in the early years of the twentieth century.  His many descendants share with you their proud heritage of this beautiful state park."

While we were there we took a day trip to Eurika Springs, just north of the state park.  It was one of those towns that "back in the day" was truly a tourist town.  Tiny shops lined the small narrow streets.  Outside the town was a Passion Play" facility where the story of Jesus's life and death are portrayed in an outside drama.  It was to start for the season on Friday, May 22, but we will already be in Branson, MO  by then.  I have included a picture of a church I admired along the way, the entrance to the Passion Play,  and one of Buck and me at the Withrow Springs State Park entrance.  See ya in Branson soon!

Sunset over the Mississippi River at Memphis.
This is the widest section of the Mississippi. 

Pictures of our stop in Memphis, Tennessee
I'm still learning how to manage this blog.  Finally learned how to add pictures.


                                                                                                                                                                           

Graceland - home of Elvis.  He purchased the home when he was 22 years old.  Beautifully decorated according to the 70's styles. Tour was extremely well organized and gave honor to Elvis.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Limo Ride to Restaurant.

First Leg - Memphis, Tennessee

We pulled out at 6:00 AM Thursday, May 14, as planned.  Family members were there to see us off - Jason blinked his porch lights at us, Taylor and Melana rode with us in the motor home up to Leigh Ann's driveway where she was waiting with her two boys.  They were waving good-bye.  After hugs and kisses, we set out on our trip.

Memphis was our first stop.  It was a 12 hour drive.  Our site at Graceland RV Park was ready and waiting.  Friday, we set off for Graceland which was next door.  We first viewed a presentation of Elvis's hometown, Tupelo, Mississippi.  There we learned that Elvis had a twin - born first but was still born.  Parents were not aware that his mom was expecting twins. We also learned that Elvis's father was in prison during Elvis's childhood.  We toured the mansion Elvis purchased when he was 22 years old. It was beautiful, but a little small for mansions today.   Considering it was built and decorated in the 70's, it was very appropriate for Elvis's home.

We went on a dinner cruise on the Mississippi River Saturday evening.  That was fun.  We saw fireworks from Beale Street, but we didn't venture there.  Too many people.  This was the weekend for the national barbeque cookoff, which was happening by the river-side. Also, people were out and about honoring BB King and his music. And the Memphis Grizzleys professional basketball team played on Friday. So Saturday night was really hopping!!!

On Sunday we met some people who will be in our caravan to Alaska. Amazing that they were traveling from their home in Hilton Head, SC,and staying at the same RV park making their way, as were are, to the meeting place for the caravan - Great Falls, Montana. Small World.

Sunday evening we went by limo to a barbeque-rib restaurant called Marlowe's.  They give a free limo service for customers.  So we enjoyed our ride in a PINK limo!  Well, we were in Elvis's town!

So that was our time in Memphis.  I decided very quickly that I love where I live and really don't care to return to Memphis.  But I did develop a new liking to Elvis and some of his music.  Yes we bought a CD.

Withrow Springs State Park sounds more like where I'd like to be.  That's our second leg of the trip and an adventure we'll share with you another day.   Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for our trip of a life-time.

Preparing to Leave

Packing is underway. Buck and I are really preparing to leave Thursday at 6:00 AM.  Bet we won't get much sleep tonight.  When we lived in the motor home all we had to do was close the slide outs and hit the road.  Since we've moved into the apartment, packing is a huge ordeal. But we'll make it and will hit the road at 6:00 AM.  Some of the family will be out at their driveway waving "Good-bye" so we'd better be there to let them see us off.  Pray for safe travels and good weather.  This is the beginning of a trip of a lifetime.  Alaska, here we come!!