Loudonville, Ohio – Amish country

Loudonville, a town in Ohio with a population of a little over 2,600,  is the quintessential “small town America”. Loudonville is nicknamed the “Canoe Capital of Ohio” for the many canoe liveries along the Mohican River. It is also home to Mohican State Park and Landoll’s Mohican Castle. It also borders the largest Amish communities in the U.S. As is turns out, this stop has become one of our favorite stops in our travels, an unexpected find.

You may remember that back in Pigeon Forge my Canon camera broke. We hadn’t had WiFi since then, and there wasn’t any at this campground either, so I decided to find a local library that had WiFi that we could use to get information from Canon regarding how to get the camera repaired. After talking to Canon and getting instructions, we sent the camera off to a repair facility in W. Va. Now I needed to find out where I could have them send it when it was finished. I decided on Lake Champagne in Vermont two stops down the road.

We stayed at a campground along the Mohican River called “Wally World”. No, seriously, it is on Wally Road hence the name. Not a Walmart in sight! The park was pretty large and filled up on the weekend. They were having an annual  pig roast so tons of members showed up.There were several noteworthy places to visit,  but we concentrated on the two Amish towns of  Millersburg and Berlin. On our way to Millersburg,  we stopped at a road side fruit/vegetable stand. It had great local grown produce, but the interesting thing about it was a metal box on the counter and a sign that read; “if the stand is closed, please leave payment in the box”. Try that in L.A.! The veggies and fruit along with the metal box would be gone before daybreak. In the center of town was Millersburg’s court house, built in 1885 and the old county jail. There was a sign on the side of the building that had reserved parking for horses only.

Berlin was founded by a fellow from Germany and another from Berlin, Pa. so you can see

Traffic jam

how it got its name. Berlin is also home of the largest Amish settlement in Ohio. It was full of restaurants and shops that sold Amish goods from cheese to furniture. We had lunch at Farmstead Restaurant in Berlin.  Arline had turkey & noodles on top of mashed potatoes with a side of creamed corn. Carb overload but she was in heaven.  We also went to an Amish cheese factory where there must have been a hundred or more varieties taste testing.. Some normal cheddars and some not so normal like root beer and wasabi. My favorite was Amish Butter Cheese. On the way back home,  I thought I’d get a little creative and took an off the grid route to see if I could find some small out-of-the-way Amish communities. The GPS knew the roads ,but what it didn’t know is that a “township” roads can be dirt or gravel and meander through endless hills and valleys until it comes back around to itself. Fun but frustrating.

 

The Mohican Castle is a small hotel that feature 14 private suites and 3 cottages nestled in

the Ohio countryside.

 

On the last night at Wally World we sat around the campfire with our neighbors for a nice visit. One family was from Arizona and on their way to Pidgeon Forge , others were members of Wally World and lived in the area. One topic of conversation was about the cost of living in Ohiocompared some of the cost of living in Ohio compared to California. One of the interesting comparisons was auto registration. One of the guys told us he registered his Cougar fifth wheel and his truck for less than 25% of my truck alone. He also told us about a 10-year-old 4 bedroom house on 7 acres with a small vineyard we could get for less than $250,000.

Some have asked that I post more pictures. The amount of storage I have for the blog is limited so  I am trying an idea of adding a link to a You Tube slide show of the pictures from this stop.

 

Big South Fork National River

August 7 – 12

This is part of a National Recreation Area and comes under the National Park Service. The park spans two states, Kentucky & Tennessee. We stayed on the Kentucky side at a campground called Blue Heron. This is a coal mining area and has some interesting history and great scenery. As coal becomes more and more  of a taboo fuel source, many towns in this part of the country are just closing down and people are moving out. They don’t sell their properties because no one will buy them so they just move. We visited such a town call Blue Heron,  built around a mine of the same name. The people are gone but the mine and the equipment are still here. This  picture of a coal “tipple” shows how the coal was loaded on rail cars and sorted into different size lumps. There were displays showing the layout of the town and how people lived. Our neighbor at the campground had an uncle that lived and worked at the mine until it closed in the 70’s

Cumberland Falls State Park

Located in the Daniel Boone National Forest, on the Cumberland River, the falls are known as the “Niagara of the South”. The falls are impressive at 125′ wide dropping 7 stories into a rocky gorge. They say that during a full moon you can see a “moonbow” or a rainbow caused by the moon, and that this is the only place this happens in the western hemisphere. Not exactly true! I have seen many pictures and talked with photogs that have shot the same thing at Yosemite Falls a number of times…so much for hype.

We took a hike to Yahoo Falls but hike was much better than the falls as it descended into a deep gorge and we were aided by stairs…lots of stairs.

The campground was nice but only had water and 30 amp electric. It was pretty hot and we could use only one air conditioner. We were told upon arrival that there had been a few sightings of copperhead snakes along with some rattlers so be careful. That was bad news for nosey Cody.

There were a number of trails and overlooks as the park parallels the Cumberland River gorge and we had a good time checking out the highlights

Oh yah….the CHECK ENGINE light is back on!!!

Aug 12 – 15    We were suppose to spend some time in Cincinnati but couldn’t find a campground. Apparently, there was an auto race nearby and things were really busy so we opted for Caesar Creek State Park north of the city. We stayed there for 3 days and it was a good stopover but not much going on. It also rained a lot,  so it was our R&R stop.

Next stop – Loudonville, Ohio, home of the Amish

 

Pigeon Forge/Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Just before arriving at Pigeon Forge, the third tire gave up the ghost. Fortunately, it just popped and stayed inflated for a short time allowing me to get off the interstate and change to the spare. I forgot to tell you back in Nashville,  I ordered three additional tires of the same type I bought in Laramie Wyoming,  so I could change them all.  They were to be delivered to a tire shop,  and the shop would put them on…wrong. The tires got there but the shop couldn’t handle the 5th wheel. I picked up the tires and started looking for someone in Nashville to install them. Didn’t find anyone,  but did get some information from the manager at our next campground  in Pigeon Forge and set up an appointment for the day after our arrival in Pigeon Forge. Took the rig to the shop and they installed the three tires and we went back to the campground to  set up.

Pigeon Forge and Sieverville,  Tennessee – July 31 – Aug 7

We expected Pigeon Forge to be a quiet little town where we could relax while exploring the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the quaint little town of Gatlinburg. What a surprise. It’s like a little Branson. There’s rides, shows, Dollyworld and even the Hollywood Wax Museum!

 

There were some good restaurants including one of Paula Dean’s.

 

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park gets its name from a blue hazy fog that hangs over the mountain due in part to the high humidity dampness in the forest.

We visited one of the more popular places in the park called Cades Cove. When the park was created, there were a number of families living within the park boarders. The government relocated these folks, some voluntarily, some not, and the farms, houses, churches etc. then became part of the park. Cades Cove is one of the areas that had a concentrations of these families and a road was built so you can drive through the valley and surrounding area and see these houses and farms.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT!!! Yep, the check engine light came on as we were driving towards the Smoky  Mountains Park,  and we started looking for a place to get it looked at. Chevy dealer was busy till the following week …as were most of the other repair places we tried. Arline found a guy who could look at it the first of the next week,  and told us how to find out what the light meant,  so we made the appointment for Monday and went to get the light checked out…it was the “glow plug in cylinder #4 and got it fixed.

Gatlinburg

This was a great little town just outside the national park. It was pretty busy being the last weekend before school started. The best part of this town is the Smoky Mountain Moonshine Distillery!  They had free tasting, so we took advantage of it. They gave us small plastic cups and had about 7 different flavors from Margarita to Coffee. Blackberry, Orange etc.  You should do this when you get there,  not just before you leave. Main street was lined with shops and restaurants and we stopped for lunch at Bubba Gump.

Rainbow Falls

In the meantime, we heard about a place called Rainbow Falls trail. A 5.4 mile trail leading to an “apron falls” that you could walk under. The weather was iffy but we went anyway. The road to the trailhead was another scenic, oneway road through the mountains. There was rain and thunder off and on during the drive but seemed to let up when we got to the trailhead. We grabbed some rain gear and off we went. About 2/3 of the way up,  it started to rain. It soon turned into a car wash,  so we took a few pictures and a quick look at the falls and headed back down. By the time we got to the car,  even my wallet was wet!

Arline maintained a good sense of humor.

Now, one final insult before leaving Pigeon Forge…after returning from Rainbow Falls , my Canon quit working!  It probably had something to do with the humidity and rain…more on that later.

Nashville, Tennessee

We’re playing catch up! We haven’t had WIFI in a while…and in some cases  no water, sewer, phone service…anyway, we’ll get caught up.

Nashville, TN  July 31 – Aug. 7

Everyone knows that Nashville (pronounced -Nashvul) is home to country music, The Grand Ole Opry,  and Studio B where Elvis recorded over 200 songs. But did you know that is was in Nashville that the phrase “Good to the last drop” was coined by FDR when drinking coffee at the Maxwell House Hotel? Or that the infamous Goo Goo Cluster has been made here since 1912? How about Nashville’s exact duplicate of the Pantheon in Athens? And one last tidbit , Andrew Jackson, the seventh president built his home here and named it “The Hermitage”, and where he and his wife are buried?

The Hermitage

Andrew Jackson’s home

The day we visited, it was pouring rain. I mean, it was coming down in buckets!  Knowing how moment to moment the weather can be, we waited for a short time and the rain stopped. We got our tickets and started the tour. Only 50% of the tour was indoors,  which included the museum and residence.   The other 50%  was outdoors.  As we approached the house, we heard a huge cracking noise and nearby, a grand old oak came crashing down. It was supposedly one of the trees that Jackson himself planted.

 

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, built his home near Nashville and called it the Hermitage. He and his wife Rachel lived there, Rachel until her death in 1828 and Jackson until he died in 1845. He and Rachel are buried at the estate along with their two infant children.  The Hermitage developed into a major cotton plantation and held over 40 slaves.

Now most of you who remember American history recall that Andrew Jackson was

Jackson Crypt

involved in the War of 1812 between the U.S. and England and is famous for the battle of New Orleans where he earned the name “Old Hickory”. What you might not know is that Jackson was the first commanding officer to use “gorilla” warfare. Instead of lining up while the opposite side shoots at you, he choose to hide behind trees, rocks bushes etc. and shoot at the enemy as they passed by. This worked out well for the General but was met with very harsh criticism as being barbaric and cowardly by the opposition.  Interesting note…the battle of New Orleans is thought to be the most important battle of the war; it took place weeks after the treaty had been signed

As mentioned above, Jackson was married to Rachel. The official record reads:  Married Rachel Donelson 1791-94, Rachel Jackson 1794-death 1828. The reason for the two dates it seems, is that Rachel’s divorce from her previous husband, Mr. Donelson, was not finalized until 1794 therefore making her a bigamist. This fact didn’t play well during the presidential election of 1828 and there are claims that these accusations are said to have contributed to Rachel’s death shortly after Jackson was elected.  Hey, as they say, it’s all in the paperwork.

Graceland

Next we thought we’d see what Graceland was all about so we drove over to 3734 Highway

Graceland

51 (later known as Elvis Presley Blvd). When we got there we found it was $10 to park and $80 each for the tour of the mansion, gardens, crypt and airplanes. Although I understand Elvis’s place in music history and I appreciate it, fact is, It wouldn’t have paid $80 to see Elvis when he was alive! We found parking close by and walked to the pavilion where all the “gift shops” were located along with the planes. We walked through the shops and you could buy everything from an Elvis bottle opener to an Elvis lampshade…I did not however see any Elvis portraits on black felt!

Gates of Graceland

We walked across the street to take a look at the mansion. It was quite a ways from the street but with my best paparazzi lens I got some pretty good pictures. Elvis’s mom and dad found the property and he bought it in 1957 for $102,500. Elvis, his mother Gladys, dad Vernon, Vernon’s second wife Dee, aunt Delta, Lisa Marie and Priscilla all lived there. Priscilla lived there five years before she and Elvis married in 1967…Oh la la. Presley, his parents Gladys and Vernon and his grandmother are buried in the Meditation Garden and there is a marker for Elvis’s twin brother, Jesse Garon, who was still born.

The Pantheon

Nashville was thought of as the center of education and culture in the south and was dubbed the Athens of the South. This exact replica of the original in Athens, Greece was constructed in 1887 to celebrate the city’s centennial. It now is the center of a beautiful park near downtown Nashville.

 

 

Emily

The big reason for our stop in Nashville was to visit Emily Parker.   She is 91 years  old now and lives at Mckendree Village, an assisted living complex in Hermitage.  Her daughter

Jack, Arline & Cheri

Cherie and son-in-law Jack live nearby and visit a couple of times a week.  We tried to coordinate our visit to coincide with Gigi’s, and it didn’t quite work out as planned, but we did manage to overlap by a couple of days.  Emily’s other daughter Karen came from McDonough, GA as well, so we all went out to dinner a couple of times and were able to catch up.  Cherie and Jack are both Methodist pastors and we had the opportunity to visit

Hillcrest (Cherie’s church).  They both have

 

Hillcrest Church

dizzying (is that even a word?) schedules, but we managed to take in a BBQ dinner and a tour of their new home.  We had a great visit and glad to know that Emily is still very much in control!!

 

 

Now, it’s on to Pigeon Forge TN & The Great Smoky Mountain National Park…

Land of the Delta Blues…Memphis

Barge on the Mississippi River

We stayed at the Tom Sawyer RV Park on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Actually, it was West Memphis, Arkansas. It was hot and humid. It topped out about 100° and our site was on the banks of the river and had no shade. It was interesting watching the huge barges going up and down the river. Some of these were 4 and 5 football fields long. Highlights of the stay included Beale Street, The National Civil Rights Museum, a quick look at Elvis’ house, The Peabody Hotel and the largest Bass Pro Shop in the U.S.

Declared a National Historic Landmark on May 23, 1966 and on December 15, 1977, Beale Street was officially declared the “Home of the Blues” by an act of Congress, it is Americas music street. From the 1920s to the 1940s, Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, W.C. Handy, Albert King, Memphis Minnie, B. B. King and other blues and jazz legends played on Beale Street and helped develop the style known as Memphis Blues. On December 15, 1977, Beale Street was officially declared the “Home of the Blues” by an act of Congress. Although in the 60’s Beale St. had fallen on some pretty hard times and businesses closed, it has since made a comeback in part due to the efforts of the city and the music communities. It now boasts great clubs, stores, BBQ and of course, some great music. This is a link to a great song about Memphis by Marc Cohen. Give it a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK5YGWS5H84

Near Beale Street is the National Civil Rights Museum. This isn’t just a collection of historic items, it actually places you in the time and place of a turning point in the civil rights in the United States. Part of the facilities is the actual motel where Dr. Martin Luther Kings was shot standing on the balcony. A memorial wreath hangs on the balcony rail and the rooms he and his colleagues were in are frozen in time. Parked in the parking lot right below the rooms are two 1962 Cadillacs like they’re still waiting to take Dr. King to dinner. The museum included history of the slave trade from the 16th and 17th century throughout the world and the key people and their roles in their fight to bring about change. This is a must see if you’re ever in the area.

Above is a picture taken through the window used to shoot MLK and the other picture shows the balcony where he was standing

The Peabody Hotel and the ducks. The current Peabody Hotel was built in 1925 and quickly became the premier hotel of the south but the most interesting part of the hotel began back in the 1930’s when General

Peabody Hotel fountain. Close up of ducks in upper right.

Manager of The Peabody, and a friend, returned from a weekend hunting trip. The men had a little too much to drink  and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys in the beautiful Peabody fountain in the lobby. Three small English call ducks were selected as “guinea pigs,” and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Thus began a Peabody tradition which was to become internationally famous. Now, every morning the ducks march into the lobby in single file and into the fountain and in the evening, in single file, they waddle out of the fountain and return to their roost.

 

The Bass Pro Shop is a massive pyramid in the midst of the interchange just east of the river. It is 7 stories and includes the store, restaurant and hotel. Yep, that’s right, you can stay at the Bass Pro shop! That’s like a little girl sleeping in Snow White’s Castle.

You would probably be held in contempt if you visited Memphis without paying homage to Elvis Presley. I admit Elvis made a great impact on the music scene but he really never got my toe tapping. We arrived at 3734 Elvis Presley Blvd. and found that you can pay $10 to park even if you just want to look at the mansion and forgo forgoingpaying close to $80.00  for the mansion and airplane tour. We found a parking spot at one of the many gaudy souvenir shops and walked down the street passing the “Lisa Marie” airplane to the main courtyard of the attraction where there were more… “spoiler alert”… souvenir shops. We crossed the street and got a look at the mansion from the street. Using my best “paparazzi” telephoto lens, I got a snap of the Kings house.

For those who read this blog and may have noted a misspelled word or two, now would be a good time to quote Mark Twain…“You should never trust a man who has only one way to spell a word.” He said that, not me

After a hot week along the mighty Mississippi we’re headed for Nashville and only 40 miles east of Memphis, guess what happened? Yep…number 2

I did some research about these tires and I learned their nickname is “China Bombs”. I guess that refers to the location Goodyear chose to have them manufactured. The real cause is the specs Goodyear had them manufactured to. Shame on Goodyear and Keystone for putting these on their products in the first place.

 

 

 

Branson Mo. & Eureka Springs Ak.

In 1982 I was transferred to Atlanta, Georgia, and Arline and I took about a week to drive to our new home from Southern California. Arline’s Uncle Raymond was living in Branson Mo. so we thought we’d stop on the way. Branson was a small town with a couple of attractions such as Silver Dollar City, a theme based amusement park and a few small theaters. Uncle Raymond lived in a wooded area near Lake Tanycomo and we stayed nearby at the local KOA. Now, fast forward 34 years and what a difference. Silver Dollar City is now a major thrill ride park, a few theaters has grown to over 37 major live shows and the city has over 105 hotels and 23 major RV Resorts. Branson has gone from a sleepy little town in the Ozarks to a major population and entertainment center.

We saw a great show which spotlighted a performer that has been in Branson almost from the beginning. Shoji Tabuchi is a Japanese fiddle player introduced to country music by Roy Acuff of the  Grand Ole’ Opry at a concert in Osaka, Japan in the mid 1960’s. Acuff invited him to visit in Nashville if he ever got the chance. He later moved to the U.S. and made his way to Nashville where Acuff made good on his word and arranged for Shoji to play at the Grand Ole’ Opry. He took Nashville by storm and continued playing the Opy until moving to Branson in the late 80’s and built his theater in 1990. It was a great show with some country, contemporary, patriotic music and Taiko Drums.

 

Although Branson is now a bustling collection of shows and restaurants, it still has its historic side. On another hot day we visited Old Town Branson which is on the banks of Lake Tanycomo. It’s a typical street lined with restaurants and gift shops, but one store stands out among the rest. This store is Dick’s 5 & 10. Much like the 5 & 10¢ stores of the 50’s but with a whole lot more stuff! It has the best collection of Major League Baseball autographed portraits aside from Cooperstown, collector trains, autographed pictures of famous airplanes and pilots and just about anything you

Dick’s 5 & 10

may need. We ate lunch at a local cafe called Clockers. They had caramel with glazed pecans pancakes which I had to try. Don’t check your A1C after that.

Eureka Springs

While there we were told about a terrific little town not far from Branson that was worth a visit. Eureka Springs, Arkansas was a little less than an hours drive through Table Rock Lake and some of the most beautiful area in the Ozarks.  Eureka Springs, a pretty Victorian spa town of 2,000 nestled in the Ozark mountains is also home to the 67′ Christ of the Ozarks statue. The third largest statue of Christ in the world is part of an area with an outdoor Passion Play and Holy Land exhibits. Dedicated in 1966, the statue sits atop Magnetic Mountain at 1,500′ and overlooks the town of Eureka Springs. The town of Eureka Springs was pretty cute. It is built on hills and has a resemblance to a mini San

St. Elizabeth

Fransisco. Just down the hill from the famous Crescent Hotel & Spa built-in 1886 is St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. Listed on the National Historic Register, it also has a place in Ripley’s Believe it or

Christ of the Ozarks

Not for being the only church entered through the bell tower. This was due to the evolution of construction from its original 1882 beginnings.

Treasure Lake Resort was one of the nicest…and largest RV parks so far. It’s 385 acres 587 sites meanders through the Ozark hills with indoor and outdoor pools, cafe, 40 seat theater, minature golf, club house and miles of trails. All this sits within walking distance of 5 theaters and 7 restaurants.

Although our visit to Branson was very different from that of 34 years ago, we had a great time.

 

Gunsmoke, Dodge City & Hometowns

We spent July 4th & 5th in the old cattle town of Dodge City. Marshall Dillon, Miss Kitty, Festus and Doc spent 30 years in TV’s Dodge City but never set foot in the real thing. Dodge City was a transportation point for western cattle to the east,  and even today there are miles of feed lots for cattle awaiting transportation. We spent a little time in the “Boothill” section of town where a re-creation of the old “Front Street” lets you see how things might have been back in the wilder days.

Coming from the mountains of Colorado to the plains of Kansas was quite a contrast. Folks living here can always see their neighbor, no matter how far away they live. The scenery is miles of flat fields of corn interrupted once in a while by alfalfa. Passing Dodge City and working our way towards Independence,  Kansas the landscape started to change again,  adding a few trees and hills as we got farther east. By the time we reached our camp at Elk City Lake we were back in a forest of oaks and maples.

Our camp was next to a beautiful lake/reservoir, but we had to rough it without a sewer connection. This meant the showers were down the road. The temperature was getting into the high 90’s and the humidity was the same,  so by the time we got back to the trailer we needed to shower again. The camp was a good central location for us to see one of the homesteads of the Ingalls’ “Little House on the Prairie” family and, track down some information about Arline’s hometown and family.

Spoiler Alert! Pa & Ma didn’t look anything like the TV

Laura Ingalls Kansas Home

. The family moved a number of times,  and actually only lived in Walnut Grove for a very short time. This homestead is where the family moved from Pepin, Wisconsin in 1869. They lived here about a year before moving back to Pepin. It seems Pa picked a part of the country that still belonged to the Indians, and they wanted it back. Five years later they would move to Walnut Grove, Minnesota where the TV program was based.

It was pretty hot as we headed off for Coffeyville to see if we could find the gravesites of Arline’s grandparents. We found the cemetary alright,  but upon arrival it was obvious that there were a lot of people buried there. We knew they were in section E and in row 80.  The sections were marked but the rows were not. All we could do was walk the rows one by one.   About half way throught the section I found myself standing in from of the grave of William E. Bell Sr. and  right next to William was grandma, Mabel “Bell” Fitch. Grandma remarried after Grandpa died in 1962. I was gratifying to finally have a solid connection to family.

ARLINE SIGNING ON HERE:

We drove to Mound Valley, Kansas, population 404 which was my place of birth. My grandparents had a farm there, and though it was sold off years ago, I wanted to see if it were possible to find out where it was located.  We found ourselves at City Hall, which consisted of a one room office manned by one person.  I explained who I was,

City Hall/Fire Dept./Police Dept./Library

and what I was looking for, and this lady responds with a “well, I’ll just call my daddy, he knows alot of people”.  She did call him and he didn’t recall that far back.  She then calls the Mayor who lives down the street, and he decides to jump in the car to come meet us.  He was about my age so I was pretty sure he wouldn’t have have any information. Sure enouogh he did not, but I said “if I were to tell you that my dad was a white man who brought his Japanese bride right after WWII, who happened to be in a family way, would that give you a clue”?  He replied, “now that you tell me that, I do remember  something of a story”.   He couldn’t remember what exactly what the story was but it must have been somewhat of a scandel back in the day. The afternoon was a hoot even if I came away with nothing.   I could have dug deeper but decided to leave it alone.  I was satisfied with seeing their headstones.

ARLINE SIGNING OFF:

Spending time with old friends in Colorado Springs, Co

June 25 – July 2

Due to poor planing by the wagon master, the park we had scheduled to stay at in Colorado Springs was a membership park that was closed to non-members due to the July 4th holiday. We had to make  last minute change,  and ended up at Goldfield RV Park. The park turned out to be coincidentally more convenient to the sites we wanted to see , and a stones throw from Ron & Jerri’s house.  That’s about  the best thing I can say about the RV park.  I had to actually leave the park and back into it so I could access my site.  Since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, it seems there are a number of folks who moved to the state and took up residency in the local public park,  and under bridges  in the vicinity of the rv park. . If that wasn’t enough, the park was 30 yards from a 4 lane highway, so sleeping with the windows open. Ron and Jerri whisked us away from the unpleasantness of our “hotel” selection and showed us their city.

Cadets Chapel

Ron and Jerri took us to the Air Force Academy just north of town. The campus is absolutely beautiful and houses one of the most stunning chapels I have seen. This  huge structure stands  150 tall with

Inside Chapel

the  Protestant  chapel seating 900, a Catholic   chapel seating 500,  a Jewish chapel seating 100 and a Buddhist shrine . We drove to the town Jerri  grew up in. It is definitely a small community, but a beautiful area and the house  is on a hill overlooking the valley. They took us to Garden of the Gods, a small City Park with beautiful rock

Catholic Chapel

formations nestled in between green meadows. This area was once privately owned,  and developments and houses were going up fast. The owner wisely turned the property over to the city with the  agreement that it be set aside for public use. It was beautiful .  Ron and Jerri have a view of the Garden of the Gods and Pike’s Peak right from their patio.  What more could you want!

 

 

We wanted to see Pike’s Peak and although it was a

Garden of the Gods

cloudy and overcast day, we made the drive up this 14,115 ft. mountain , famous for various vehicle races and backdrop for many auto commercials. The 19 mile road had signs

Pikes Peak through window rock

every so often letting you know what climate zone you were  in, and what  animals you could  encounter at that altitude. They had a gift store att the very top,  and we were told

Mountain Goat

they made these donuts that were to die for!  That’s right, one of the four

The road to the summit

major food groups and my personal favorite. They were wonderful, particularly in 38 degree temps.  I had to eat them all as I was told that doughnuts made  at 14,115 feet turn to hockey pucks if you bring them down the hill.

 

Arline at the summit of Pikes Peak

Ron and Jerri hosted a potluck in their clubhouse so we could meet their friends. Everyone was warm and welcoming and we can definitely see why they love living in their community.   We had a great time, and a giant thanks to Ron & Jerri for being such gracious hosts.  See you in Arizona.

Jerri & Ron

 

 

and, on to Rawlins…

The drive to Rawlins was a little longer than normal. I try to keep the driving under 300 miles and this trip was just about that. So we weren’t really planning any stops along the way…there goes that “planning” thing again.

Have you ever heard of Thermopolis, Wyoming? Well, neither had we! For starters it’s the largest mineral hot springs in the world. Being close to Yellowstone National Park which is also known as the largest volcanic region in the world helps explain the hot springs. As we were pulling up to the only 4 way stop in the middle of town, a local pulls along side and asked if I knew one of my trailer tires had disintegrated. Crap…really! We made the turn and pulled over to check out the tire. I quickly learned that trailers don’t have blowouts, the have blowUPS! There was nothing left of the tire and it looked like the wheel took quite a beating in the process. Called Good Sam road service…that’s another story…about three hours later I had the tire changed myself and we were on our way. As we traveled we began to follow the old Oregon Trail along the Sweetwater valley. A short distance from this picture the trail diverge and head onto Oregon, California and Utah.We were excited to get to Rawlins and see my Uncle Ron and Aunt Cleo. Cleo is my dad’s youngest sister and the last of my dads siblings. Although we had seen Cleo and Ron more recently, I hadn’t been to Rawlins since 1964. I spent some of my summer vacations with my cousins in Rawlins. Some of the area still looked familiar. I remembered where my cousins had me going “Jackalope” hunting and Ron & Cleo’s house was just as I remembered.

We had breakfast with Uncle Ron and my cousin Marvin, and later went to the rehabilitation facility where Aunt Cleo was  recouping from a stroke.    It was great to see her. Aunt Cleo always had a refreshing  sense of humor and as usual, she didn’t disappoint. The following day, Ron, Marvin, Arline and I took Cleo out to lunch. Aunt Cleo is due to come home on the 4th of July and I’m sure everyone is looking forward to her “independance day”. It was great being able to spend some time with Uncle Ron, Aunt Cleo and Marv.

Oh yeh, the tire…Uncle Ron and his neighbor helped me get the wheel back in shape and provided me with a standby wheel if needed,  and we headed for Laramie where we could get a new tire and get back on the road.

So far, one of the great aspects of our trip is the chance to see old friends and family along the way and we have plans for more get togethers as we travel.

Cody, Wyoming

My cousin once said that Wyoming is what America used to be. If he was talking about population he was right. The population of the entire state of Wyoming is about 586,000, the population of Fresno, Ca. is 520,000! The Oregon, Mormon and California trails all cross about mid-state and it seems most of those that used those trails just kept on going…

Cody turned out to be a little bit of a surprise. We’d all heard about Buffalo Bill and his western show antics. but it seems old Buffalo Bill had a lot more going for him that just  a show. We headed over to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West Center in downtown Cody expecting the usual artifacts and museum stuff. We were surprised to find a well

Bronze Elk by Remington

presented center separated into six areas. The Buffalo Bill Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Plains Indian Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum.

 

First a little about Buffalo Bill…William F. Cody. In 1867, Cody hunted buffalo for the Kansas Pacific Railroad work crews, earning his moniker “Buffalo Bill” and his reputation as an expert shot. The next year, he was

Artist in residence working on a sculpture

employed by the U.S. Army as a civilian scout and guide for the Fifth Cavalry. His experience and skills as a plainsman made him an invaluable tracker and fighter. On April 26, 1872, Cody became one of only four civilian scouts to be awarded the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars for valor in action. He guided lavish hunting expeditions for visiting dignitaries such as the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, took lavish hunting expeditions accompanied by General Sheridan and Brevet Major General George

Irma’s Hotel. Built by Cody

Armstrong Custer. And, of course, the dime novel portraying the wild west brought about the shows that made Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill and Annie Oakley household names. William F. Cody, Buffalo Bill was arguably the most famous American in the world.

 

Guard Tower at Internment camp

Not far from Cody, a darker side of Americana sits off in the desert and remembered by few. Located 15 minutes from Cody is an example of the darker side of Americana. The Heart Mountain Detention Camp. On February 19, 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive order 9066 which tore 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry away from homes, businesses, possessions, schools and friends and placed them in 10 camps quickly constructed in remote isolated locations away from the California coast. The “Heart Mountain Relocation Center” was one of those camps.

Monuments with Heart Mountain in background

Two thirds of the people effected were U.S. Citizens by birth or naturalized. They were allowed one suitcase and very little time to dispose of their property causing most to lose most of what they had. 14,025 people lived at Heart Mountain, 148 died, 800 men and women served in the Armed Forces. 63 men who refused to be drafted until the constitutional

Typical family barracks

rights were restored were convicted of resisting the draft and sent to federal penitentiaries. The camp officially closed on November 10, 1945 and after 3 years and 10 months incarceratees were given a bus ticket to anywhere and $25.  Lets think about this before we jump on our fellow Americans…no matter where they come from.