GREAT STUFF AND NOT SO GREAT STUFF

This is our last week in Missouri. We will have been slowly traveling south to north in the “Show Me State” for a month. This morning at 7 am the temperature was 50’f, but in just 30 minutes it has warmed up nearly 10 degrees and another beautiful Missouri day is on the way.

We drove to Branson last week and I forgot to mention it in last week’s blog. We did not go to any shows but walked around “old town” and enjoyed some free entertainment and perused the street fair that was going on that weekend. They were having some high water issues in the lakeside downtown RV park and I’ll show you a couple pictures we took. Overall it was a pleasant drive and wonderful way to spend a day exploring the countryside.

Last Sunday after writing the blog and having breakfast we drove to Jefferson City and cruised around Missouri’s capital city. We usually pick Sundays to visit the state capitals because unless something special is going on, we have the city to ourselves. Completed in 1917, this particular capital is a magnificent example of Roman renaissance style positioned high above the Missouri River. A classic bronze figure of Ceres, goddess of grain chosen to symbolize the state’s agricultural heritage sits atop the dome. Two former capital buildings on the same site have been destroyed by fire, one as a result of being hit by lightning.

It was a rainy day on Memorial Day when we drove to St. Louis and visited the famous Gateway Arch built on the banks of the Mississippi River. With all my other anxieties, it always amazes me that I am not afraid of heights. The four-minute ride up in one of the eight, five-seat pods in the tram at 240 ft per minute was cramped but fast and uneventful. However, the narrow room at the top crowded with about 80 people, all trying to get a peek out of the tiny windows on each side was a bit claustrophobic. Fortunately, the view out one side was clear but the panorama of the river view was foggy and less than spectacular. The arch is a tribute to Thomas Jefferson and the extremely well done Museum of Western Expansion in the visitor’s center at the base is exceptional. We did take issue with the lack of signage and directions for parking and finding our way to the arch. That could use some serious improvement but overall, it was an amazing experience.

While surfing the web, I came across a blog written by a campground owner. It was so well written and creatively filled with the writer’s own brand of dry humor, I really enjoyed it. When I realized that she was just down the road from where we were parked, the next day, we dropped in for a visit. I’m afraid we overstayed our welcome but it was so interesting to spend an hour or so looking at the world of RVers and campgrounds from the other side of the street as the ever-patient Kathy registered a nonstop stream of visitors and we observed the eccentricities and demands of the various customers. Check out her blog at:

http://kampgroundkapers.blogspot.com/

Our next stop as we head north at Greentop, MO took us through the recent tornado damage that took place May 15th on the northern edge of Kirksville, MO. While we enjoyed fair weather doing genealogy research in the little town of Marshfield, MO and Phil went fishing that evening in the lake at our park in Mountain Grove—farther north, four tornados coming out of the west ripped through Adair County with a vengeance. The results were devastating and my pictures do not do it justice. We are very grateful that the weather seems to have settled down, for a while at least.

We discovered our refrigerator had died this past Thursday morning. Phil ran to Wal*Mart and bought a big cooler and some ice but we lost the contents of the freezer and most of the refrigerator. Had we discovered it sooner the loss might not have been so extreme but we saved as much as possible. The rest went to the dumpster. We have been sent to an Amish gentleman who repairs and recharges refrigerators (home and RV) and have an appointment to get the work done this coming Wednesday. We will let you know if his work is as good as endorsed by the local RV Service Center owner (who couldn’t help us for “AT LEAST TWO WEEKS”). We spent the remainder of the day exploring the rolling hills and cemeteries around Powersville (where Phil’s dad was born) and Unionville, MO

Yesterday we drove to and through Shelby (well documented in my family history), and five additional counties then dropped in on Nick and Terry Russell at the Mark Twain Lake COE park for a surprise visit. We last saw them at their rally in Casa Grande, AZ this past February. Nick and Terry publish the Gypsy Journal, a bi-monthly newspaper full of wonderful stories, travel highlights, copious amounts of information relating to the fulltime RV lifestyle as well as Terry’s recipe column full of tasty dishes. We have been subscribers for many years and also enjoy Nick’s daily blog at: http://gypsyjournal.net/blog/

Until next time …