Kansas City MO...home of Harry & Harley

Like I mentioned before...KC has a lot to see & do!  Just outside of the city, a suburb, is Independence where Harry S Truman's Library is and where Harley-Davidsons are made.  Both were worth going to see.

Of course I remember studying about President Truman in school, etc. but I really didn't know about him.  Now I sure do!  His was the first Presidential Library to be built, and what a wonderful one it is too.  We spent hours there, reading and seeing all they have to offer.

As you enter, you come face to face with an incredible mural painted by Thomas Hart Benton that is titled "Independence and the Opening of the West".  Absolutely beautiful.  You then walk into a maze of pictures, videos, timeline, memorabilia, and recreations, all telling you the what and why of his career.  Truman served as the 33rd President when Roosevelt died, from 1945-1953.  That decade was one of the most tumultuous times of America.  It was the conclusion of WWII, the start of the Cold War,  was a turning point in foreign affairs while the nation supported an internationalist foreign policy, in conjunction with European allies.  Truman's decision to use nuclear weapons against Japan led to a speedy end of the war but remains controversial.  He oversaw the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and the creation of NATO in 1949. When communist North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, he immediately sent in U.S. troops and gained UN approval for the Korean War.  That's a whole lot more that many of the Presidents since then has had to deal with.  He took full responsibilities for his decisions with the motto "The Buck Stops Here" started by him.  He and his family are buried there as well.

I was truly moved.  It made me really appreciate what a good President can do.   I don't think we've had many candidates of this caliber since.

For something completely different, we also toured the Harley-Davidson plant.  This plant is a much smaller operation than what we experienced at the Toyota plant, but just as interesting.  This is where they make the Sportster, Dyna and VRSC models. They even showed us the new liquid-cooled Revolution powertrain for the VRSC V-Rod.  Pretty neat.  I found it interesting that there they used a number of robots to do the actual work, vs at the Toyota plant the robots assist workers doing the jobs. They even had models that we could sit on and pretend we were riding the scenic byways of America.  Thank goodness they were bolted down!  (no pictures allowed, darn!)  Vroom, vroom!

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

 ...kicking back in Missouri, Marie 

Music, Music, Music! Part II

As I've shared before, Jack and I love trains, all kinds of trains,  So, whenever we have the opportunity to take a scenic ride, we try to fit it in our schedule.  The Branson Scenic Railroad offered a nice trip through the Ozarks into Arkansas and back, just short of two hours.  This was a vintage passenger train with a collection of unique passenger cars, sharing the railway with Amtrak.  One of the staff gave a narration about the history of the train and the land we were traveling through.  It was a fun ride with a couple of tunnels, over trestles and a couple of sharp curves where you could see one end to the other.  The train itself was interesting with each car a little different from each other.  There were Vista Dome Cars with panoramic views (my choice), a Club Car where you could get a snack and drinks, to a variety of Passenger Cars.  The countryside showed beginning of trees turning their leaves to Autumn colors, meadows full of Goldenrod, Lake Taneycomo, and even a remnant of a long ago town.  We never seem to tire of the sounds and ramble of these wonderful old trains.

A fun surprise was lunch at Mel's Hard Luck Diner, where professional singing servers entertain you while you enjoy some great food.  When I read about it, I thought the whole staff stopped what they were doing and all sang together, like in some places we've been.  This was different.  Each server sang a solo between serving their customers.  They would introduce themselves and their song and tout their CD if you wanted "more".  It was kind of like Hollywood, where everyone is "waiting tables until they get their big break in the movies".  Here it was probably in hopes of a show.  We heard about 4 while we were there, and for the most part, they were all pretty good!  Fun way to enjoy your burger I must say!  Pretty good burgers too!

In between these special visits, we browsed the area and found Branson's Landing.  It was a pretty mall along the lake, with fountains and a large variety of shops.  They have a huge Bass Pro Shop that I found several goodies I couldn't live without, but Jack - nothing!  Go figure.  ;-)  They even have a great restaurant there, the White River Fish House,  that we had a great dinner at.  We saw that one of the local bars had "dueling pianos", so we decided to try as well.  I'm glad it had a small cover charge because it wasn't worth much more.  Let's just say, we've heard better.

All in all, Branson was a fun stop that even Jack had to agree was well worth it!


 









 











 










 











 











 





























If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

 ...on the road, Marie 

Music, Music, Music! Part I

In the West, when we think of bright lights and lots of entertainment, we think of Las Vegas - in the Midwest, it's Branson! So, in my opinion, it was a "must stop" on our journey through Missouri.  Branson is a small Las Vegas on Valium. Over the years they have morphed into a "family destination" still keeping it "clean entertainment" but also adding other family activities like miniature golf, water parks and a fun train ride. We had met a friendly camper in Kentucky that had told us about a great camp ground to stay at while in Branson, Table Rock State Park. He had told us how nice and quiet it was, and with great scenery, yet only about 15+ minutes from town. We took his advise, and boy we were glad! What a wonderful find. Everything he said about it was true. It was a nice addition to our trip.

 There were plenty of activities to choose from, so I had to peruse them all and pick a few to get a good 'taste' of this place. For diversity, we chose the Shoji Tabuchi Show for classical and the Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede for pure country. Never missing an opportunity to take a scenic train ride, we added Branson's Scenic Railway to the agenda as well. To not go to long without music, we made a lunch stop at Mel's Hard Luck Diner, where the wait staff sing. Throw in a visit to the Bass Pro Shop's flagship store, and that's what I call a "well-rounded visit"!

 Jack is the one who picked Shoji Tabuchi, as he had heard about him a long time ago and had seen several of his performances on U Tube. So, that was our first show. I got a glimpse of his show from his website, but I wasn't prepared for what we got! First, you walk into a huge foyer modeled to look like a theater from the 1930s. Picture giant bouquets of fresh flowers, stained glass, chandeliers and a ceiling reproduced from the 1890's Empire Period. The big thing that's talked about everywhere is the bathrooms (yes, you read that right). The ladies' room boasts fresh orchids at each onyx and granite sinks with faucets made of gold, even a changing table complete with all the things you could ever need for that little one. The men's room offers a billiard table, fireplace and leather seats. Not bad, huh? After seeing all this, as we were seated, I'm thinking "oh my THIS should be interesting...". Shoji has the looks and comic personality of Jackie Chan, and the talent of Itzhak Perlman with the playing style of Jack Benny. His daughter led a small group of dancers & singers in various vignettes. He played every kind of genre there is, including God Bless America and a "sneak peak" at his Christmas Show! What a great show they put on!  It would be a hard act to follow. (sorry, they wouldn't allow pictures)

For a completely different type of entertainment we couldn't have chosen a better one than Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. It was a cowboy version of the Medieval Times Show, if you've ever seen that one, including "finger food" and all. Yeah Hah, what a fun show! The 'Union' against the 'Confederates' (we were on the Union side). They had everything from a live buffalo roundup to square dancing with covered wagons! Music, log rolling, games & challenges. Dinner was huge, with a fat whole Cornish hen, pork slices & all the trimmings. We had enough left over for two more meals for each of us. Her show place (that looked like a Southern mansion) also included around a 20+ horse barn that people could visit and talk with the horses (no petting). It was a hoot of a night!

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

 ...on the road, Marie

Its all the little things...

My goal on this trip was to see all the "little things" in this country, as well as the big attractions.  America is made up of billions of fun sights, scenic byways, locally known places and surprises.  All to often we "get going" and miss some of them along the way, but for the most part, we try our best to take the time to seek out those special treasures and enjoy them.  Lots of times its something we spot along the road and a quick shout out "oh my, take a look at that!" or "did you see that?" gives us our chuckle for the day.  Some, I manage to capture with my camera, some, I'm not so lucky.

Sometimes its just enjoying nature, seeing & feeling the changing of the seasons.  Living so long in southern California, its easy to forget what a true season is like.  Autumn colors are beginning to paint the landscapes along our route these days.  Cool breezes whisk the leaves hither and yon and the rain beats it's music on our rooftop fairly frequently.

One of the latest little things we've enjoyed lately was when we took a quick trip around the Cave Hill Cemetery in Lexington.  The famous Col Sanders is buried there and I thought it was only fitting that I pay homage to my favorite "chicken chef".  As we drove around this huge place, we were aw struck at some of the incredibly beautiful headstones.  People used to really invest in having something special created in honor of their loved ones, making them a thing of beauty for all (the rest of) us to enjoy.  We did find the good ol' Colonel, only to also find a nice lady standing guard.  It turned out that KFC Corporate was hosting a team building experience for some of their employees and one of their stops was his grave site!  As we chatted with her, we commented on her cute red t shirt with a screen print of a person asking a chicken with an egg next to it, "So, what does come first?"  She shared that we were the first (public) to see it, that it, as well as several other (cute) screen prints were going to be part of the new uniform for 2013!  We approved.

Speaking of chickens, it doesn't get any funnier than the one coming out of the front of a restaurant!  Its one of those you have to see it to believe it places.  For that, we pulled over and I was able to snap a couple of shots of it.  It's a well known, or maybe I should say, its a well advertised restaurant in Branson.  We chuckled and shook our heads every time we passed by it. 

Barns capture my attention a lot of the time - and there's been plenty to see this year!  Usually we are driving to fast for me to take a good picture of, but occasionally I can get a snap in.  The ones I've missed I'm sad about because they are usually the ones with the quilt painted on, or old advertisements (called "ghost ads" I found out) painted on their sides.  When we drove by the St Louis Arch, I got off a quick snap because we were stuck in traffic!  We really didn't want to drive through the city, so we passed on stopping to visit it.

One thing we try and do upon entering each new state is stop at their Visitor Center.  These people are great resources for all kinds of things.  They have helped us with maps, scenic routes, routes to avoid, regional music and food and just all kinds of wonderful ideas and advise.  Sometimes their center is a "destination" itself, like the one in Missouri.  Their "theme" was Route 66.  They had all kinds of fun stuff built round it, including each picnic table's shade structure designed to look like a place along the route!  Their floor showed the whole map, including the iconic US66 logo. 

As I am writing this, I'm enjoying the beautiful scenery and solitude of the state park we are staying at for a few days.  The only sounds are the leaves rustling from the breeze and the birds chirping nearby.  Many times we have found that there are only a few of us in a great big park.  I'm sure too, that as the temperatures continue to cool, we will see even fewer fellow campers.  It's rejuvenating to just settle in, surrounded by nature, and not "go see" this or that...to just to sit back and enjoy being here, reminding me, that's why we are doing this...

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...on the road,  Marie

Bats, Boxing & Braille in Louisville!

No matter how great the visit is with family & friends, at some point it's time to leave...

After saying our "goodbyes" to old friends and new, we headed out to Louisville KY to visit some of their great places.  Louisville, we discovered, has a LOT of fun things to see and do!  Our challenge was narrowing them down to a few days' worth.  We settled on bats, boxing and Braille!

First up, the home of the Louisville Slugger.  This great factory makes 90% of all the wooden bats, and has been making them since 1884.  Cool story behind it's start too...seems that the Hillerich family business was turning wood for  butter churns to bedposts when "Jr" (John Andrew "Bud" Hillerich) joined the family  business.  Bud played armature baseball at the time and made all his own bats.  One day Bud was watching a pro-ball game when Pete Browning broke his bat.  Bud offered to make him a new one.  Pete got three hits with it in the next game, and you know how superstitious athletes can be, so he not only kept that bat, but continued to have Bud make all of his (and it wasn't to long before other players wanted one).  Pete Browning was known as the "Louisville Slugger" and with time, that became the name of the company.

The tour was fascinating, to say the least.  It also had one other aspect that "other" tours don't usually have - FUN!  You could try hitting balls, you could "imagine" yourself on one of the bases with the likes of Babe Ruth or even Eric Jetter!  They even give you a little "mini bat" to keep!  We had a blast here.  I only wished that one of my grand kids played baseball so that I could have had one made for them, and even had their name engraved on it!  Oh well, I guess I saved some bucks there...;-)

Next up, boxing!  Muhammad Ali has long been a favorite athlete of mine.  I've loved watching and "listening" to him when he was Cassius Clay.  One time in the early 70's, he was hospitalized in a small hospital in my neighborhood - just a block away.  I kept trying to come up with some way to sneak myself into his room so I could meet him!  In the end, I chickened out, so I never did get to meet him.  I missed meeting him (once again) on this trip too!  He had been in to the museum just the day before, just sitting in one of the (public) chairs and watched some of his old fights!  Dang, that would have been sooo great!

Muhammad has created quite a "Center" for himself - no less than I would have expected.  We were there at least 3 hours, and had to be told that it was "closing time"!  So much history and memorabilia to read, see, listen to and enjoy.  One of the things I loved about it, was how his philosophy and core principles are weaved in through it all.  His "postcards" simply stated: "respect, conviction, confidence, dedication, giving, spirituality".  Words we could all stand to live by.  He has my respect.

An unexpected treat, was the American Printing House for the Blind.  Because of Jack's work history is printing, this stop seemed a must for us.  What I didn't expect was how this plant makes every single aspect of their products (in Braille).  Their tag line is "Building Independence since 1858"...and that they do!  They make everything from books to audio recordings (now on memory chips!) to teaching kits, to puzzles and games.  This place was huge!  They are still using the same building they did back in the 1800's, but have added on to it several times.  They still have some machines that are over 100 years old that are still going strong.  What impressed me the most is how they made all the components - from creating the metal printing plate to making the envelopes that they are shipped in.  It was really something to see.  On top of all that, they have created an incredible museum showing the history of the various kinds of techniques that were created to help the blind "read", to the modern day opportunities.  They have about 200 employees with 10% of them being blind.  Terrific tour, terrific place that is doing so much to help a special group of people.  Loved that!

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...kicking back in Kentucky,  Marie

Lots to see in Lexington!

Who knew that Kentucky had so much to see and do? ...and how very beautiful it is?  Not us.  I'm sure we've all seen those "magazine pictures" of luscious rolling hills with acres of white fencing and dozens of majestic horses and big stately homes expounding on the "beautiful bluegrass state of Kentucky"...well, I have to say, they weren't exaggerating!  This is what it looks like here.  There were days when we just drove our little truck around the country roads just to "ooh & aw" at the many tobacco farms and horse ranches. 

Our friend Paulette had our outings all planned out, making sure we saw the top attractions while we were Lexington.  Next up: Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.  This was a really neat place to see.  It has 14 original buildings and costumed interpreters all along the way, sharing what life was like back in the 1800's.  There are no more Shakers in Kentucky, and we actually found out that there is only one small community left in the US, and that's in Maine.  Men & women are separated in almost all the day (& night) activities.  They call themselves "brothers & sisters" and that's how they live...sooo, it's not to hard to figure out why there are only a few of them left! 

It was a pretty peaceful day, just roaming from building to building and talking with the various folks.  No blacksmith shop for Jack tho... but we did spend quite awhile talking to the cooper about all kinds of things besides barrels (like growing hemp!).  An interesting visit, all in all. Following day: Kentucky Horse Park.  We were staying in the campground adjacent to this very big park and enjoying it as a campground, now it was time to visit the "horse" side of it!  Wow!  It turned out to be a full, long day of unexpected pleasure!  First off was a show titled "Horses of the World" where various costumed riders came out and paraded each horse around while the narrator educated us.  Next was a short tour of the park via a trolley pulled by a couple of beautiful Clydesdales.  Then we ventured into the museum...oh my goodness!  It went on and on and on.  Pretty soon all of us were joking that we were trapped in this maze until we learned every-single-thing-one-could-ever-know-about-horses!  Boy, were we done in after that! 

Back at the rig, as we were all chatting away, when Jack saw a rig just like ours drive over to the dump station - he went running after them!  He discovered that Rich & Deb have a 2006 (ours is a 2007), and we were invited over later to chat and see each other's rigs.

What fun to see another rig like ours, but "personalized" differently!  Theirs was previously owned by a carpenter that added "pull-outs" to some of the cupboards that are hard to reach into, along with additional shelves in the toilet room and in the short closet.  Wonderful ideas for us to add to our "wish list".  But the best part was making some new friends.  Rich & Deb are new to the RV life, but after talking to us, are ready to go "full-timing" like us.  We plan to stay in touch and visit (when we get to Denver) and meet up when we can.

Unlike most people think, we really haven't made very many friends in our journey.  Most people are either "living" at a park and only mix with the others doing the same, or are only in the park a day or 3 like us and unless there's a real reason to talk more than the casual "hello" people don't.  We've met people who share their tips for places to visit and/or stay, but it hasn't been much more than that.  Spending time with Rich & Deb was a real treasure that we will do our best to keep for a very long time.

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...kicking back in Kentucky,  Marie

Friendship & Fun, it doesn't get any better than that!

There are some people that stay in your life forever, even if there are are many miles between you...

As we left Pennsylvania, we headed toward Kentucky with great anticipation.  We were going to be able to meet up with an old friend that we hadn't seen in 9 years!  Yea!  But...to get to Kentucky from Pennsylvania, we needed to go through West Virginia, and "drag our feet" for a couple of days (so our schedule would meet with Paulette's).  We stayed in a small, basic campground in Milton WV.

After doing our "chores", we looked for something to do, to see, to??  All we could find was a small glass factory called Blenko.  Of course, they were closed on the day we had planned as our "outing day"!  The gift store was open tho! ;-)   We did get to see some of their stained glass work, and their really cool fence.  Afterward, we accidentally discovered a covered bridge, the Mud River Covered Bridge - that was cool!  So, not a wasted day I'd say!

F i n e l y we made it to Kentucky, parked our baby, set it up and called Paulette "we're here, and the wine is chilled!"  As she drove up, I couldn't help but run out for my long awaited hug, sooo good to see her again!  We chatted into the night (of course) and planned to meet the next morning for the first of our scheduled "tourist visits".

Our first day was spent in the delightful small town of Berea.  It's unique in that the whole town centers around "arts & crafts".  We started off with a great lunch (of course) in the Boone Tavern Hotel, well known for it's great food and beautiful ambiance.  We got to try their "famous" Boone Tavern Spoonbread...um, I think it's something of an "acquired taste".  I'm the only one who ate more than one bite, but you know me, I'll try anything!

After lunch we were now prepared to shop, shop, shop!  I've seen beautiful crafts all across the US, and each time it seems that "these" were the best, but they were "good", the things that we found in Berea were GREAT!  What imagination, pure creative genius.  One sees handmade pottery everywhere, so it takes someone with more vision, more imagination, and more creativeness (is that a word?) to make pottery different from anything else you have ever seen - that's the kind of surprises we found in this tiny, but mighty town.  It was also fun to talk with and watch the artists at work.  They were all eager to share what they were doing and 'how' it's done.  Made me want to go home and try some of it myself!  (I did take pictures of some of the things I thought we could try).

Another kind of fun thing they do there, is they mark the areas that one could find local handmade items, with 'hands' - that are themselves artful!

We ended the day with big scoops of handmade (of course) ice cream - better than any dinner!

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...kicking back in Kentucky,  Marie