MISSOURI AND NEBRASKA

MISSOURI

We left Texas and headed for the beautiful state of Missouri. We had planned a small family reunion with Jim's sister, Katie, and his two brothers, Gary and Jerry. Katie and her husband, Jack, came from Tennessee one weekend while we were there. Our plans took us to Sikeston, MO, which is closer to several of the cousins who live in Caruthersville. Gary, Jerry and their families came from Cape Girardeau and Jim's Uncle Paul traveled from St. Louis. We stayed in a hotel in Sikeston for the weekend, along with Katie, Jack and Uncle Paul.

Cindy, Doris Jean and Gary

Diane and Liz



Greg, Sam and Will

Katie and Gladys



Pansy and Jerry

Scott and Sarah

A good time was had by all! On Saturday, we all gathered for dinner at the Sikeston Elks Club for dinner (Gary and Jerry are members). The food there rivaled some of the best restaurants I've been to. My food was delicious and I heard others complimenting their dishes. Visiting with everyone was fun. Some of Gary and Jerry's kids and grandkids joined us for dinner, so we had a fairly large, rowdy group.

Valerie

Jack

While we stayed in Cape Girardeau, we had occasion to visit several State Parks. Missouri is the only state we have been in (so far) that doesn't charge to visit the State Parks. Nice! We hiked in Trail of Tears SP several times. This park is right on the Mississippi River, across the water from Illinois. Sometimes we would bring a picnic and watch the barges ply the river.

Bob Emerson Memorial Bridge to Illinois

  One day, we crossed the Bob Emerson Memorial Bridge into Illinois and hiked the Little Grand Canyon trail. Unfortunately, we had to be back in Cape Girardeau to meet people for dinner, so we didn't get to go all the way to the bottom of the canyon. The trail was beautiful.

Soon after arriving in the Cape Girardeau area we were out for a drive and stumbled upon the Bollinger Mill Historic Site and the Burfordville Covered Bridge

The Mill



Mill and Bridge history

Burfordville Covered Bridge

Candle making

Another view of the Mill

 We passed an entertaining hour or two exploring the site. The mill was originally a wooden structure, built in 1800. It burned in 1825, was rebuilt with a stone foundation, burned during the Civil War, and rebuilt in 1867, which is the structure still standing today.







The Burfordville Covered Bridge is the oldest surviving covered bridge in Missouri, built in 1858. It spans the Whitewater River and was used extensively by the farmers in the area to bring their grain to the mill.   While we were there we got to witness a candle-making demonstration.  It looked like hard work!











































On May 18th, the Cape Girardeau Air Festival came to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Now, anyone that knows Jim and I knows that we will go out of our way to attend air shows. This one did not fail to entertain.

Missiles on a fold-up wing

 We were treated to some wonderful vintage planes performing, as well as the Canadian Snowbirds, Canada's version of our own Blue Angels and Thunderbirds.

Canadian Snowbirds

 In addition, we got to see the Army's Golden Knight Parachute Team perform. That was really special. I had never seen a precision parachute exhibition before. These guys have skills!

Golden Knights

  And let's not forget the rocket-powered school bus! Not to be missed.

The bus

We stayed at a nice little RV Park, The Landing Point. Spending a month in one place really works for us. We get to explore the area thoroughly and in this case, we got to spend a lot of time with family. Jim's brother, Gary, and his wife, Doris Jean, introduced us to our favorite restaurant, "Broussard's Cajun Cuisine" on Main Street. We liked it so much, we spent our 37th anniversary having dinner there on May 7th.

Looking down Main Street

Brother Jerry led us to "The Library", a bar on Spanish Street where we went on Friday nights for happy hour hors d'ouerves instead of dinner. Both places are near the waterfront, among other restaurants and little specialty shops. We loved walking around, exploring the history of this section of the Mississippi River. Cape Girardeau started as a trading post in 1733, named after a French soldier, Jean Baptiste de Girardot, stationed in nearby Illinois.



Old St. Vincent's Catholic Church
Built in 1863
 

"The town of Cape Girardeau was incorporated in 1808, prior to Missouri statehood, and was reincorporated as a city in 1843. The advent of the steamboat in 1835 led it to become the biggest port on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Memphis." (Wikipedia)












We left the Cape and headed west to Van Buren, MO for a week where we were nearer to the Ozark Mountains. The highlight of the time spent in this area has to be Big Spring, part of the National Scenic Waterways. It is one of the largest springs in the United States, with 286 gallons of water running through it daily, carrying 70 tons of limestone silt. What a sight! The color of the water is affected by all that limestone - beautiful color.

Big Spring

Death-defying feats of fearless boys

Shut-Ins

One other place we were told to see is Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. "The term "shut-in" refers to a place where the river's breadth is limited by hard rock that is resistant to erosion. In these shut-ins the river cascades in many rivulets over and around igneous rocks worn smooth over many eons." (Wikipedia) Though we didn't stop to play in the water, we walked the path down the East Fork of the Black River so we could see what everyone was talking about. It is a really unique State Park.





















We left Missouri and went to Smith Center, Kansas, home of our 5th wheel's manufacturer, Peterson Industries. Ever since we have owned our Excel, we have had issues with the slide outs. After having them serviced several times and still having problems, we made arrangements to go to the source.

We dropped off the trailer and stayed in a motel for 2 nights. While Peterson was fixing the trailer, we went exploring in the area. Turns out, Smith Center is very near the exact geographical center of the contiguous United States, so we had to go check that out.

The "Middle"

Wedding Chapel in the center of the U.S.

 There is even a wedding chapel on the site....that would be an unusual place to get married!


















We also did a loop drive to see the surrounding countryside, stopping at a dam along the way...found another solo shoe....weird.





Left behind.....again

NEBRASKA

We left Smith Center the next day and went north, landing in North Platte, Nebraska for 8 nights. First time ever in Nebraska. We stayed in a little park near Interstate 80. While we were there, we mostly relaxed. Had a few rainy days...as a matter of fact, we stayed the 8th night due to rainy weather.

Bailey Railyard

The Facts

Railyard entrance

Liz and friend

We did manage to work in a visit to the world's largest rail yard, Bailey Railyard, owned and operated by Union Pacific. Quite impressive!

I worked on equipment like this...uh oh....Antiques

We also visited the Lincoln County Memorial Museum, which houses a collection of buildings, including barns, a school, a church, several homes and the main building, which has all sorts of memorabilia.



Red Cross Uniform circa WW I

The "Smithy"

North Platte's claim to fame was its Canteen. The North Platte Canteen was a volunteer effort in epic proportions. It brought people from 125 different communities together to serve troops during World War II. The volunteers met every troop train that came through during the war, providing gifts during the holidays, food, coffee, blankets, supplies...whatever the soldiers needed. From 1941-1946, the canteen served 6 million troops, none of whom were ever charged and no train was ever missed.

Along one of our drives

An odd junkyard along the road

On our way to Buffalo, Wyoming when we left North Platte. Planning to stay there awhile.

Texas

Lockhart, Texas Courthouse

As my friend, Janet, would say, I'm back on the blog again. It has been way too long since I have written an update of our whereabouts.

TEXAS

We left Bernalillo, New Mexico in February and headed for Kerrville, Texas, to meet our friends, Bill and Char. They were on their way home to New Mexico after an extended RV trip. One of the best parts of being on the road is meeting up with friends along the way.

Char and Bill

 We spent 2 weeks with Bill and Char at the Buckhorn Lake Resort. Hanging out with them is so much fun! We joined them on a bus trip to the town of Bandera to see the Mardi Gras parade, where I earned an enormous amount of bling! (Don't ask!)

Mardi Gras getup!

Bandera Bar Ceiling

"Float"

Another "Float"

We took one day to drive into Fredericksburg, which is steeped in Old World German heritage. We walked up and down the main street, Char popping into all the little shops, all of us stopping in Fischer and Weiser's shop to taste all of their yummy concoctions. (They make the Raspberry Chipotle sauce that I love and buy at Costco.)




Bill sampling all the goodies!

Char in Fredericksburg

Chester W. Nimitz statue in Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg is the hometown of Chester W. Nimitz, the Comander-in- Chief of the Pacific Fleet during WWII. It is also home to the National Museum of the Pacific War. We didn't visit the Museum but it looked to be worth the time. We just ran short of time that day.






The streets of Fredericksburg

Jim relaxing














Another day, we all went to the Nature Center in town and walked along the Guadalupe River. That is the place I saw my first Red-eared Sliders. These turtles were lined up along a log laying in the water. When we got closer to have a look, they scattered in all directions, sliding right off the log effortlessly. Hence, the name....and no photos! They are quick. 

Along the Nature Trail

Cypress Trees on the Guadalupe River

Our visit to San Antonio was a wonderful experience. We walked up and down the River Walk and took the River Cruise guided tour. The four of us also visited the Alamo while we were in town. What an awesome bit of history!

San Antonio River Walk

River Cruise on San Antonio River

Our visit to the Alamo with Char and Bill



The Alamo

We shared several campfires with Char and Bill, many meals and some fun times. We were very sad when they had to continue on their way. We stayed another week after they left to deal with some issues with our truck. We had to have some warranty work done on the exhaust system.

Sights around Kerrville

One of our stops near Kerrville



March 7th found us checking into our next RV park, Cottonwood Creek RV Park, just west of the town of Dripping Springs, Texas, which is located southwest of Austin. There, we settled in for a month's stay among the oak and cedar trees so prevalent in this Hill Country of Texas. This park is literally nestled in among the trees and situated on acres of wooded land, threaded by over 2 miles of walking paths. Really nice.




Blanco River in Blanco State Park

Interesting Birdhouse Complex in Blanco State Park

While in Dripping Springs, we had opportunities for so many excursions. Close proximity to several State Parks and a National Wildlife Refuge prompted us to buy a yearly Texas State Park Pass for $70.00. Admittance to each park costs $5.00 or $6.00 per person, so we only need to use it a few times and it pays for itself. We were only about 15 miles from Pedernales Falls State Park, 25 miles from Blanco State Park and about 65 miles from Balcones National Wildlife Refuge. Pedernales Falls State Park had several bird blinds set up so Jim and I took the opportunity to shoot birds close up. 

One of Jim's birds from our Pedernales Falls State Park sessions in the bird blinds

One of our first trips was to meet some friends we met on the internet. Jim and Mark started corresponding on a photo website probably about 8-10 years ago. Then I "met" Mark on a photo website Jim started. From there, we progressed to being friends on Facebook. Last year, we became friends with his wife, Linda, as well.

Another view of the Lockhart Courthouse

 We drove to Lockhart, Texas, to meet up with them the first Sunday we were there. I find it interesting to meet people in person that I've only spoken with via computer. We had a "get-to-know-you" lunch over some Texas BBQ. Fun time. Before we left the area, we drove over to the town they live in, Belton, and visited one more time. Now we have faces to match the computer personalities.





When we arrived in the Austin area, unbeknownst to us there was a festival going on....only the biggest one they have: South by Southwest (SXSW). We drove into Austin in search of a store and ran into all the crowds and traffic. Thought we were never going to get out! We did not venture into Austin again until the festival was done.


We are lucky to have another couple that we know living in the Austin area, Vanessa and Greg. I used to work with Vanessa at Topform Data many years ago. When she left Topform, we continued to see each other for wine dinners and book club meetings. We converse on Facebook all the time too, so when I learned we were going to be in the Austin area, I made arrangements to visit with them.

Wine tasting with Vanessa

 We had a few dinners with both Greg and Vanessa, then Vanessa and I had two "wine outings", visiting wineries in the area. The first time we visited three, one that both of us loved, Duchman Winery. It is located in Dripping Springs and has some fabulous wines. The second time we went we saw four wineries. Two of them were not good at all, the other two were okay. But we had lots of fun traveling around and seeing the countryside. She had not been to any of the wineries since she moved there, so my visit gave her a good excuse to check out the Texas wine country.


While we were in this area, Jim and I went to Stonewall, Texas and toured the Lyndon B. Johnson ranch grounds and the Texas White House.  That was extremely interesting for me. His presidency took place when I was a child and was very ignorant about politics.

LBJ's Airforce One

Seeing where he and his family lived, where he was born and raised, really helped me understand what shaped LBJ politically. Part of this site is located in Junction, Texas, the childhood home when they "moved to town". All in all, a tour I highly recommend. (No photos allowed inside the house unfortunately)

We left Dripping Springs and moved to the Houston area, staying at the Heartland RV Park in Huntsville, not too far from Trinity. We spent two weeks there, from April 7th through the 21st. The Camp Host was next to us and he had several bird feeders set out, as well as a squirrel feeder.




Unidentified bird

Raiding the feeder

 














We spent many mornings and afternoons watching the antics of the squirrels fighting over "ownership" of the feeder. They were very entertaining. There were so many different types of birds that hung around. We are woefully ignorant of bird species so Jim downloaded an app to help us identify the various birds. Both of us spent time taking photos of the birds.

Ken and Jim waiting for a photo opportunity

Friends we met in South Dakota and whom I wrote about in my blog, (see "Southern Hospitality in South Dakota", July 2012) Ken and Barbara, live in Houston, but have an RV site in Trinity. They were staying there for several weeks so we were able to connect with them.

Barbara got caught!

The real culprits!



 We spent the better part of 4 days with them, hanging out at their site on Lake Livingston, sharing some restaurant meals and visiting the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville. This museum is indeed unusual. Quite interesting too. Some famous criminals spent time in the Huntsville prisons, including Clyde Barrow of "Bonnie and Clyde" fame. We got to see the actual electric chair, "Old Sparky".....eerie.

"Old Sparky"

Ken and Barbara's campground in Trinity is beautiful. We really enjoyed our time with them, sharing several camp fires and meeting their neighbors. We were sorry to leave their company but I'm sure we will see them again down the road.....

While we were in the Houston area, we took a day and went to Johnson Space Center/NASA and took the tour.  It wasn't really much of a tour, but I did find it informative. 

Russian Soyuz capsule

The Hill Country and East Texas are absolutely beautiful, much more so than I ever imagined. When I thought of Texas, I thought of desert, hot weather and cattle....it is much, much more. Now I understand why Texans are such proud folks.

Roadside wonders



Nature Center Grasses

Roadside thistle - things really ARE bigger in Texas!

Liz and friend - Stonehenge II near Kerrville

LINK TO MISCELLANEOUS PICTURES FROM OUR TRAVELS IN IDAHO AND NEW MEXICO 2013


On to Missouri.....