Out of Springfield, Mo.

Yesterday was our last in Springfield. Andy and I played golf and once again got wet on the second nine. The entire stay here was a forecast of scattered showers and boomers. It looks like they still have a few more days of it. A stalled low system is blamed.
On the way to dinner, we stopped by Carol's business and she gave us a tour. She is an Optometrist specializing in vision therapy for children. Her office is very impressive. She really stays on top of things in the field and goes to educational conferences all the time. Lots of kids with learning problems just aren't seeing things and need vision therapy.
We ate at Fishes restaurant which is owned by a friend of Andy's, James. It was a great dinner and a great time. Carol and Andy went way out of their way to show us around and show us a good time. We've really enjoyed it.

The Teeny-Weeny Ranch

Carol and Andy managed to have us included in a Memorial Day celebration at a friend of theirs ranch. The ranch owner, Margie Hazelton, is a character. She is from Arizona where as a young woman she performed in a rodeo, mainly as a calf roper. She has pictures all around of this action. She later married a thoroghbred horse trainer and became very involved in that. Sometime after they separated, she came to the town of Seymour, just east of Springfield, and bought and began operating her Tenny-Weeny Ranch, which is 1,000 acres, small by western standards. Her ranch house is modern in design and beautiful. Everybody brings kites to fly, is encouraged to participate in Karioki, and sings patriotic songs whenever Margie starts one out. Andy and I struggled mightily getting one of the kites assembled and airborne, which some observers took great glee in. Eventually, both kites flew. At the ranch it was very breezey, and looking out over the grass lands we could see what "waves of grain" means. It was a great day and Margie, who is mid '80's, made everybody feel right at home.

The Total Tour

While Carol, Dana and Linda went off to Ozark to antique, Andy took Phil and myself for the unabridged tour of Springfield. Phil has lived here only seven months, so he saw some new things too. We all met back at Carol's home where I learned I had dodged a bullet on a Rosewood jardenaire. It was too large to travel with. We stayed at Carol's and had a terrific filet dinner with a potato dish and asperagus, then strawberries and whipped creme.
The summer season starts today. We'll see if the campgrounds and RV parks become noticably busier.

Around and About

We went out to brunch with Carol, Andy,Carol's dad, Johnny, and Carol's aunt and uncle, Linda and Phil, to a place called Valentines. It was an order off the menu place with an interesting selection of choices. Somebody had come up with buy one get one free coupons so that made it even better. After that the girls went to a flea market and Phil, Andy and myself went over to Bass Pro Shop, the grandaddy of outdoor stores. It's huge. We then went back to Phil and Linda's place to wait for the girls. Phil and Linda moved over here from Memphis about seven months ago. Their home is filled with furniture and many items including Kochina dolls which Phil had made himself. He is a real craftsman. Linda's library is also a marvel.
That evening, we went to a Tapas Bar where Ira, along time friend of Andy's, was playing classical guitar. The food was great as was the music.

Current River Area and Retreat

Andy took us on a guided tour out to the Current River. It is a couple hours east of Springfield. He and Carol and her sister bought 40 acres of property out there over looking the river. On the way out we stopped and saw a couple of the springs which feed and in some cases originate creeks, streams and rivers in the area. The Alley Spring flows out 81 million gallons per day and is the origin of a fast moving creek. It is the 8th largest spring in Missouri. We ate a picnic lunch there. It's a beautiful spot. We then went to the Blue Spring, which is known for vivid blue color of the water running out. It flows at 87 million gal/day down a short creek into the Jackport(?) River which then runs into the Current River. About half way out the walk to the spring it started to pour and we all got wet, but I failed to wear rain gear and got soaked. We then visited their property which is adjacent to property owned by a fellow named Scott and his wife Jodie. They have a cabin up there they live in and have built a second one they rent out to folks as a retreat. The places are very remote and up a narrow road carved through the woods. The views down to the river are just great. Andy, Carol and her sister had a travel trailer out there for several years, but had to remove it because with limited use the local wood residents started to make it their own. They are considering a cabin at some point. It was a terrific tour of the area which as a whole is agricultural with some rafting, canoeing, floating businesses along the rivers and streams. Floating is very popular out here.
Last night Andy took us all out to the Metropolitan Grill for Dana's birthday. We had an excellent meal and a great time. Thanks Andy.

Golfin' In the Rain

Andy and I went out to Riverview Golf Club just south and west of Springfield and teed it up. It's a real nice course, well maintained and layed out. It was $32 per person with cart. The course is part of a real estate project and houses on the course were very large with a lot of detail, and looked nice. We were playing along and the weather started to turn on us. On the way to the 14th tee, a bolt of lightening and a crack of thunder sent us scurreying to the protection of a culvert going under a road. When the rain let up, we headed in. They gave us nine hole rain checks which was very generous. We left and had a Thai lunch.
This whole deal gave Dana a day by herself which she seemed to enjoy. In the evening we went to Andy's friend Carol's for dinner. She has a real nice home and we ate out on the patio on a beautiful evening. Later.

Queen of the Ozarks

That's what Springfield,Mo., is known as in these parts. Got in yesterday and saw Andy in the afternoon. He looks great and we set up plans for this week and the week end. Should be a good time. There is a car show in town that had most camp grounds booked up and we ended up at a lesser place, but not terrible. Today we'll explore the town and see what's up.

Home Day

We just caught up on some things yesterday. Went to an rv store and picked up some light bulbs. Washed the truck and gave the interior a good cleaning. Off to Springfield,Mo., today where my brother Andy lives. Back roads of course.

Branson, Mo.

Well Branson, Mo., is known as Nashville west and the best RV area in the country, but Dana and I drove in yesterday and couldn't wait to get out. It's a real tourist trap with as much neon and glitz as Vegas (almost). We finally got through, going east to west, and headed back down to Blue Eye. Luckily we ran into Jill,s Bar-b-q place , which saved the day. They served St. Louis style ribs, which have a smokier flavor than we've tasted in the past. Caught the end of the golf. Zach Johnson is on the way.

Eureka and the bulls

Springs that is. In NW Arkansas. Hot water comes out of the ground. People soak. Artists work. It's another artists conclave. Shop after shop after shop. We took the trolley to move from place to place. Big biker area. Lots of people riding these three wheel cycles (Tricycles?) and pulling little trailers. It's been a beautiful few days with sunny skies and highs of about 70.


On the way home, listening to a great country station, 94.3, we heard about a Bull Riding Rodeo going on over in Huntsville,Ark. Looks about an hour away, so we rush home, drop off groceries and head out. Lots of windy country mountain roads. Takes an hour 15 to get there. The arena is called Sky Hi and we take a dirt road next to a Conaco station way back and up into the woods. It is sky-high, and there are bulls and cowboys everywhere. If you ever watched any bull riding, you know how violent and jerky they buck to get folks off their backs. They weigh up to 1800 lbs., are all muscle, and mean in disposition. As the guy behind me said as he spit tobacco juice into a cup, "they wasn't made for ridin', they was made for eatin'."They had the last four or five years national champs out there riding these beasts. You have to make it to the bell to get a qualified ride and advance. The first guy up, one of the champs, got tossed and the bull landed on him. The rodeo workers and a mounted cowboy with lariet and bull whip keep the bull away from the downed rider while they remove him. A later rider caught a spur and was held on by one heel as the bull continued to spin, kick and buck. You have to be nuts to get on one. To get mounted, they run the bulls, one behind the other, through narrowing steel fencing until it's so tight that the bull can't turn at all. They put a rope under him and cinch it up, which really irritates the bull. The rider is then loaded and he wraps that rope around his hand and grabs a braided piece of bull mane, which further riles the bull. When the rider says ready, they throw open the gate and out they come. Some rider were thrown before the gate was fully open. After they separate the two, the mounted cowboy tries to herd the bull out, but some of them really have an attitude. The bulls leave when they're good and ready. If they didn't clip and shape the bulls horns, nobody would get near them. The show also included precision riding by twelve cow girls with American flags tearing around. One of them opened the show singing the National Anthem acapella while sitting on an alert and anxious horse. A very good performance. We didn't stay for the last round, but it was an entertaining evening.

Lost in Space

On Tuesday, May 15, we left Memphis and headed for Hot Springs, Ark., Bill Clinton's boyhood home and a black hole in cyberspace. Arkansas has no Verizon, very little Cingular, and lots of Alltel. The interface they provide, RoamAmerica, or something like that didn't work well. After giving them $20 for a pin#, I found that after punching in the pin and the call# twice, that getting connected was about a 1 in 20 shot. And one of the calls, a voice mail to Grant, he never received. I hold Bill and Hill personally responsible for this travisty.
The trip from Memphis on Rt. 79 and 270 was easy with hardly a car on the road. We crossed the Grand Prairie of Arkansas, a vast, flat agricultural area that went on for a long ways. They grow a lot of rice there. We pulled into the Hot Springs area and found our camp ground at Cloud Nine CG just east of town on rt 70. Right on top of a ridge and very nice. Had some boomers and down pours that late afternoon and night.
Wed. am, we headed over to Garvin Gardens, a very pretty spot left to and maintained by the U of Ark. It was about a 3 hour self guided tour. If you get here, don't miss it. We then headed east of town and drove the ten miles to Hot Springs Village, one of the largest planned communities in the country. You've probably seen Eric Estrada pitching it on tv. We stopped in the real eastate office and took the full blown tour. It was started in the '70's and so far about 8,000 of a total of 32,000 homes have been built. It's about 17 miles long and gated, with many services inside the village. It was actually very appealing. The realtor company we dealt with is not associated with the Eastrada outfit. She said that the company he pitches for bought up a bunch of previously sold lots from distressed investors and sells them at inflated prices. They fly folks into Little Rock and house them at the airport. Prospects can't rent cars or do any looking around on their own. They are shown the sight and if they don't buy, it's back to the airport. Anybody know somebody who's done this?
Thursday we did the Hot Springs National Park, the Park within a town. The Springs are amazing, coming out of the ground at about 140 degrees. For years the bathhouses flourished as a health spa. People soak in it and drink it. It also became known first for the resorts and recreational facilities around it and then for gambling and all sorts of deprived behavior. Al Capone had a place there and a casino. All this was overt and winked at by authorities who threatened to shut them down when money was needed. It wasn't until one of the Rockefeller's became governor in the early '70's that they were all shut down. I never remember this being a big story up our way, but it sure was down here. We took a Duck Boat tour of the area and then checked out the National Park area, and drove up to the Park's observation tower overlooking town. That was the most interesting thing about Hot Springs.
Yesterday we drove north on Rt. 7, designated as some sort of scenic byway. It was a great drive with little traffic. We looked over the Grand Canyon of Arkansas and eventually pulled into the town of Blue Eye, Ark. Blue Eye has about 39 people who live on the Ark. side and 129 who live on the Missouri side. We are staying at Ozarks RV Resort, operated by Outdoor resorts of America. The sight is on Table Rock Lake, which is huge. It winds all the way to Branson, Mo. These folks sell luxory camp sites, which they will rent for you when you're not there. Sites here go for a base of $30,000 and up to over $100,000 for lake front. The same company has sites across the country at exclusive spots. Our one neighbor is spending his first summer here, arriving May 1 and leaving Oct. 1. He has a boat and the rights to one of the 20 boat slips being constructed. People really doll up their sites, within guidelines. It's gated and patrolled at all times. Tents, pop-ups, and van conversions and anything with canvas sides are prohibited. Will post some pix soon.
It's great to be back. We missed all of you.

Graceland,Graceland, Memphis Tennessee

We went to Graceland. Not as tacky as we expected. The mansion tour was interesting and well done. The audio program included in the tour was excellent. As John Lennon said, "before Elvis there was nothing." He had quite a career and an amazing number of capes and leather jump suits. They even had the tv he shot a hole in one night. He was on top of the world for quite some time.
Managed to get camp reservations through Aug. 10 in Missoula, Mt. Hope to finish through Labor Day by end of week. After that, we'll go back to week by week.

Memphis--Beale Street is certainly alive--street bands, street "drummer" bands(kids marching down the street beating out rhythms), street tumblers--no mats here, just the hard cobblestone road. I had to go into the "original" B.B. King's Blues Club--had a "shooter" and got the glass as a souveniere--but, the band stopped as soon as we walked in--oh well, the only tiny disappointment in a very fun Mother's Day!!!!

Wouldn't you know it--the International Barbecue Contest is here --starting this coming Thursday, and we leave tomorrow!!!--

Mother's Day in Memphis

Mother's Day morning we took off for a tour of the "Home of the Blues." Our first stop was Mud Island Park located right in the Mississippi River. It's the first time either of us has set eyes on Ol' Man River. The park is known for it's five block long scale model of the River. It's outside on a river walk and really neat. You can walk along the edges or cross back and forth at will. Kids take off their shoes and play in it. ( water runs through it) We were there by 10:30 or so and initially had it to ourselves. After touring the river, we went inside to the Museum, which was very nice but seemed to go on forever. I was desparate for an exit when we left.
We walked up into town looking for a place for a late lunch. In the section we were in, few places were open. As we headed back to The Blue Plate, we noticed an odd bus painted black with knives painted all over it. It was parked in the "valet only" area in front of a hotel. When we went down to check it out, we saw the entrance to the 83 Grill, and decided to give it a try. What a find. Turns out it's the restaurant and bar for The Madison Hotel, described by the bar tender as the only true boutique hotel in Memphis and the place be. We sat down at the bar looking over the street and bus and ordered a great salad, an order of the best calamari dish we've ever had, and a Madison Club sandwich. It was all out of this world. We finished up with a pecan tart topped with a dolop of whipped cream and a thin leaf of dark chocolate, and espressso. During this time the bartender got us up to date on all the celebs who frequent the place and came out on the sidewalk to take photos of us in front of the bus. The bus is for the band Tool, who is one of Grant's favorites. They were staying while they work on a new recording. When we finally finished, the staff insisted we take the elevator to the top observation deck of the hotel which looks over the river and city. A couple women who were up there struck up a conversation with us and took our pix, which we hope to post shortly. Some view.
From there we took the trolley down to Beale Street, where the Blues were invented. Every bar and honky tonk had a live band playing, and we stopped at a public plaza where we watched a guy called Canaan Gage perform. His roady says no white man since Stevie Ray Vaughn has done the blues like that. He was great and I bought a cd which he autographed for me.
We finished up stopping at the Blue City Cafe where a three piece group did Elvis, Ray Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and mostly Johnny Cash. All five started at Sun Records in the '50's. It was great. All in all, it was a terrific Mom's day, and Memphis made a very posative impression on us.

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends celebrating today. Grant called early and started my day off w/ a smile--I'm sure I'll hear from Brad--these guys take good care of their Mom. Just wanted you to know that Grant is the map-man--surprised us, but it's fun to see where we've been already.

Note to Reader

Please note that I have changed several blog settings, most noticeably the template. This was done to accommodate some of the many creative ideas that Bruce has for the future of this blog. He has officially gone Blog Wild.

Also note that Bruce had been posting under Pacific Daylight Time settings. So he has not actually been posting at 4:02 AM or other ungodly hours of the night when normal people sleep.

We believe the changes made will show a marked improvement that will help to allow this living, breathing document to more accurately reflect Bruce's creative vision.

Thank you.

-Ed.

Marching to Memphis

We drove from Atlanta to Memphis yesterday, our longest drive thus far, just shy of 400 miles. We went due north to Chattanoga on an interstate and then took state route 64 all the way across Tennessee. We cruised at 65 with hardly a car on that road, which is alternating two lane-four lane. It is also being expanded to four lane the whole way for some purpose I don't understand. A Senator must have rolled some pork. Crossed into the Central time zone and saw our first road kill armadillos of the trip. An odd animal. We reached our camp ground without taking any wrong turns, a first on the trip, and are set up in the Graceland RV Park, right next to the hallowed ground. A quick call to a local Rib joint brought a pink Cadillac to pick us up and take us to dinner. Today we will visit downtown Memphis and go to the Mudd Island display which is a mock up of the Mississippi River from the confluence of the Ohio River south. Also to check out Sun Records and Beale St., the home of the Blues. This is the first spot in a while where we don't have someone to look up. Anybody know anyone in Memphis?

Scott's Antique & Collectable Show

The Pino's picked us up in the AM and took us to Scott's Show. It's huge and occupies two huge buildings. More stuff than you can believe. Books, jewelry, furniture, rugs, odds and ends, you name it. Mostly very nice stuff. Decorators and home owners shop here to furnish homes. I do believe you could entirely furnish a home in a trip here.
After the show, we went for dinner at Houston's and had a great rack of "fall off the bone" baby-back ribs. Bob and Eloise have been down here about 8 years and really know the places to go. Their hospitality has been wonderful.
There's an Air Force and Reserve Base right across the street from our site and they share the runways with Lockheed-Marietta, the company that won the bid for the next generation fighter for the military. We looked up the first day we were here and saw one. It's called the F-22 Raptor. It was followed by a F-16 chase plane. The new plane was half again as big as the chase plane with a very stealthy look. Awesome.

Marietta,Ga.

Bob and eloise Pino toured us around the city of Marietta. It's grown to a town of over 70,000 and is a major suburb of Atlanta. The tour also included much of Cobb county and parts of Fulton county. It's a bustling area with some very upscale neighborhoods. We stopped at the Kennesaw Mountain Battle Park which comemorates the civil war battle as Sherman approached Atlanta. In Marietta he left only oe house standing, the home of a former West Point classmate. Needless to say, Sherman is not very popular down here.
Today we head toward Atlanta and a huge market where all types of antiques etc are available. The Pino's have acquired many furnishings for their home there.

On To Georgia

We traveled from Seneca, SC, to Marietta, Ga, yesterday. After planning on using interstates, which we try to avoid, I missed a turn and we just jogged our way west and south on smaller roads. It worked just fine. We got to the rv park, backed into our tiny spot and found out that the tailgate wouldn't unlatch. Located a Chevy dealer only two miles away and had to haul the whole trailer down there as we can't disconnect without lowering the gate. I was expecting to get get raked over the coals. They sent their shop foreman out and he repaired it in 5 minutes for no charge. How great is that?
We then set up and Bob and Eloise Pino picked us up. They are previously from Milton and Eloise taught Dana decorative painting. They toured us around the Marietta, took us out to dinner, and then back to their home. They are both students of many types of art and collect porecelains and miniatures, among other things. Their home is beautiful. Dana will have to fill you in more on art subject. Today they are taking us into Atlanta for a tour. They have cetainly shown us what "Southern Hospitality" means.

The Big Lake

Ruth and Joan took us for a boat ride around Lake Keowee yesterday. It was a beautiful day but a little windy. The lake was built in the early '70's to service a nuclear power plant. It's big and very deep. Duke Power Co. built it and over time has developed and built subdivision projects on the shore. They have their own development company for this purpose. The housing is amazing. We lunched on the lake. It was a great tour and some pix are on the blog.
After that Dana and I did a little planning as the summer season approaches and we will be needing to have reservations at many of the places we want to see. We'll be stuck on a schedule which we've tried to avoid, until at least Labor Day.
For dinner we went back over to Ruth and Joan's. They invited their neighbors, Pamela and Bill over for drinks and then for dinner. We had a great meal and a great time. Their hospitality has been wonderful and we'll sure miss them as we get back on the road this am.
Yesterday I forget to mention an NBA tidbit. Did ya'll see the collision between Steve Nash and Tony Parker in the Sun's-Spur's game? They were both going for the ball and collided head to head. Nash's nose was a mess and they both must have had headaches in the morning. Nash had to leave the game because they couldn't stop the bleeding. He needed a cut man from with ring experience.

Hi All--just came off of lovely Lake Keowee--not a cloud in the sky, and views to the mts.--Ruth and Joan are taking such good care of us--they are wonderful hosts!!!

Chore Day

The Crooked Creek RV Park is one of the few that will allow patrons to wash their RV's on the premises, so I scrubbed her down top to bottom on a brisk, breezey day. It came out pretty good but the bugs on the nose are tough to get off. Got some compound and polish and will try a little harder today. Went over to Ruth and Joan's for dinner and had a great time.
They're taking us for a boat ride today which we are looking forward to. Lake Keowee is man made and huge by Jersey measures. Over 400 miles of lake front. The steep ridges and gullies which characterize the mountains down here create a series of coves and peninsulas when dammed and flooded. Lake Norman in NC and the TVA lakes near Knoxville are similar. The many communities we've seen on these lakes take advantage of this by offering many lake front lots and often having cul-de-sac roads lead down onto peninsulas. It's a boater and fisherman's paradise.

Taking it easy

We just hung out at the campground yesterday and had Ruth and Joan over for dinner later in the day. Cooked Salmon and asparagus on the grill with potato salad, garden salad and fruit with yogart for dessert. With a diet like that we may live forever. Tiger wins again. I once dreamt about hitting a 6 iron 200 yards out of deep rough with a little draw onto the green and making the putt, but woke up before the ball dropped over the edge.

Clemson University

Ruth and Joan took us on a driving tour of the town of Clemson and Clemson U. Believe me when I tell you everything down here is orange. The kids wear orange, adults wear orange, there are orange tiger prints on the road, and Ruth and Joan both sported orange rain gear because it was pouring a good part of the day. We had lunch in town then stopped at the student center to acquire some of Clemson's reknowned blue cheese. (the cheese was not orange) Ruth then toured us through the town of Seneca, where they live. It's a very appealing area, and on our list of possible locations. Got home and watched the derby. A horse won.

Seneca

We hauled over from Moonshine Creek, NC, to Crooked Creek in SC, yesterday. It was a very easy drive in comparison to the last move. Crooked Creek is the nicest campground we've been to in terms of facilities. It sits right on Lake Keowee, the same lake that Ruth and Joan live on. After we set up and laid in some provisions, we headed over to Ruth and Joan's home. We had been there in '02 for a visit. It's a great location, lake front, with a terrific view out over the lake, which by Jersey standards is humungus. They have just completed a renovation of their kitchen. It used to be a galley kitchen. They tore down the inside kitchen wall, which opens everything up into the living room and allows views from the kitchen out over the lake. It really came out great. It should be in a magazine. We all headed over to a friend of their's home for a chilli dinner. Other friends were there, so 8 of us were together. The food was wonderful, and the conversation stimulating. It was a delightful evening. Rain possible over the weekend.

Last day in western N.C.

Took a ride over to Hendersonville, a highly publicised area for retirees. Another great town down here. Stopped at the N.C. arboretum on the way and saw some nice gardens and bonzai trees. A thunderstorm hit while we were in town and I mean to say that storm was right on top of us. A real boomer. We hit rain on and off on the way back to Moonshine Creek, but it hadn't rained there. Most areas down here are extremely dry and praying for rain. Leave for Seneca, S.C., today to see Ruth and Joan and look over the area. This is a late post due to poor internet connection. I'll get back on schedule tomorrow and try to drive the few remaining readers of this blog out of cyber whatever it is.

Up and Down Day

We checked out more of western N.C. yesterday. This area of the state is incredibly mountainous. We started in Franklin, the gem capitol of the east. Another neat, friendly little town with lots to offer. After dipping down into Georgia, we went east on Rt 106 to Highlands, a beautiful , very upscale lake area. From there, Rt 64 east took us to Cashiers. We stayed on 64 through Sapphire and Lake Toxaway to Brevard. This stretch of road had one private lake or golf community after the other for mile after mile. There were some resorts scattered in and a few of the courses were open to the public. In Franklin, Brad and Grant bought Dana a bracelet and ear rings for her birthday. Today we head for Hendersonville.

Western N.C.

Road over from Pigeon Forge yesterday looking for a campground just north of the town of Cashiers. A really, really mountainous area. Far and away the most challenging roads we have traveled while pulling the rv. Anyway, we were looking for Singing Waters Campground and followed this winding road off the main road up into the hills. Finally found it, but the owner had sold it to a developer and it won't be opening. Fortunately, after we got turned around, a guy who works for the development company rode by and directed us to another place, Moonshine Creek Campground just off the Blueridge Parkway. It's a gorgeous place and once again we are right on a babbling mountain creek. We're in the gem area where some rubies, emeralds, and opals etc. are mined. Will investigate today.

Dollywood

What an idea. A hillbilly Disneyworld. It was a pretty neat place, very clean, everybody super polite and friendly. No life size model of Dolly though. According to one fella, they used to have one, but it disappeared. Can you imagine? They did have a large picture which I posed beneath. Will post it soon. Today we head back into N.C., between Asheville and Hendersonville. Need to repair a window blind which looks like it will be quite a job.