Back in "The 513"!

On our final segment, we visited Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, IN.  It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830.  During that time, he grew from a 7 year old boy to a 21 year old man.  During this period, Lincoln grew physically and intellectually.  His sense of honesty, his belief in the importance of education and learning, his respect for hard work, his compassion for his fellow man, and his moral convictions about right and wrong were all born of this place and time.  After touring the museum and grounds, Karla and I settled in for the night at Lincoln State Park just outside the National Memorial.

We arrived in Cincinnati this afternoon concluding another excursion that was not possible without RVMakes3.  A big "Thanks" to Diane for meeting us at the RV storage and delivering us to The McAlpin.  Karla and I are thankful we have the time together and look forward to our next RVMakes3 journey.  Another round of CT Scans, MRIs, and physician meetings are scheduled for next week.  Please keep Karla in your thoughts and prayers.  

We plan to spend the rest of the summer in Hidden Valley, PA enjoying the cooler temperatures (hopefully) of the Laurel Mountains.  We have plenty of room so please visit if/when you can.  We are looking forward to seeing each and everyone of you soon.  And (as always), we are coming to a driveway near you.  Take care!  

Battling the HEAT in America's Heartland!

On our way to Tulsa, OK, Karla and I had a relaxing lunch at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, OK., a 1939 cafe on Route 66 that became the inspiration behind Sally Carrera in the Pixar film CARS.  It was 100 degrees outside but tourists and locals filled the very hospitable Route 66 icon.

Saturday afternoon found us at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum (TASM) where we boondocked (Harvest Host) for the night.  Battling the heat, we spent the afternoon at the museum touring and exploring.  TASM tells the story of Oklahoma's rich aerospace history with interactive exhibits that educate and entertain visitors.  Karla thoroughly enjoyed the museum (pic below).

Venturing to St. Louis, MO we passed through Catoosa, OK where we visited the infamous Blue Whale.....a waterfront structure that has become one of the most recognizable attractions on "The Mother Road".  Karla was adamant we stop and explore this Route 66 treasure.  Continuing our journey, we arrived in Baxter Springs, KS on Sunday afternoon and boondocked for the night.  Some may not know, but "The Mother Road" routes 13.2 miles through "The Sunflower State" small towns such as Baxter Springs and Galena.  Karla and I trolled through these towns taking in the many historic sites. 

After a quick overnight in Leasburg, MO we reached the St. Louis, MO area Tuesday afternoon.  First, we visited Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, another Route 66 icon, on our way to downtown.  Ted Drewes has been selling frozen custard for over 80 years.  His attention to quality has set the standard for frozen custard in St. Louis.  Then we parked RVMakes3 and visited the Gateway Arch National Park where we cooled off for a bit while touring the museum.  Even though it was 100 degrees in downtown St. Louis, we had a terrific time touring the park.

   

Tonight we are resting at Carlyle Lake in Carlyle, IL.  Tomorrow begins our final segment of this cross country trip as we plan to be back in "The 513" on Friday.  Please check in for another post later this week as our adventure continues.  We look forward to seeing each and everyone of you soon.  And (as always), we are coming to a driveway near you.  Take care!

Resting in Oklahoma City for a Couple Days

Karla and I arrived in Oklahoma City Thursday afternoon.  After a week on this excursion, we plan to spend the next couple days relaxing and refreshing RVMakes3.  On our way (to OKC), we visited The Devil's Rope Barbed Wire Museum in McLean TX, a Route 66 "must see" and the worlds largest barbed wire museum.  The origin of the name "Devil's Rope" came in the 1870's when Barbed Wire was invented.  Injury to unwary livestock was called "The Work of The Devil".  In Shamrock, TX we paused for a couple quick photos of the Texas Conoco Tower Station and U-Drop In Cafe, another "must see" and an impressive example of Route 66 architecture. 

   

Prior to settling into our "spot", we toured the Oklahoma City Bombing Museum/Site which honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the April 19, 1995 bombing.  The outdoor symbolic memorial (pic below) stands on the now-sacred ground where the events of April 19, 1995 unfolded.  What was once the footprint of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is now a field of 168 empty chairs, one for each person killed on that day, reflecting pool and rescuers orchard.        

Tonight we plan to have dinner in RVMakes3 and enjoy the rest of the evening prior to continuing our pursuit of "The Mother Road" to Tulsa, OK tomorrow.  Please stay tuned for additional blog updates.  We look forward to seeing each and everyone of you soon.  And as always, (we are) coming to a driveway near you.  Take care!

Making Our Way. Now in Amarillo, TX

Karla and I finally made it to Albuquerque, NM late afternoon on Sunday.  While traveling "The Mother Road", we paused at The Continental Divide (pic #1) as we made our way to Grants, NM....home of the Route 66 Drive Thru (pic #2).  We thought this would be a good spot for lunch.  Little did we know it is literally a drive through.  What you see in the picture below is it😂.  In Albuquerque we boondocked at Starr Brothers Brewery where we kicked back with great food and good craft beer...a very good place to rest for the night.

Monday we arrived in Santa Rosa, NM.  The temperatures continued to be extremely hot so we settled into Santa Rosa Lake State Park, cooled down RVMakes3, and rested the remainder of the day.  Today we ventured through several small towns along "The Mother Road" stopping in Tucumcari, NM, Glen Rio NM, and eventually Amarillo, TX.  Tucumcari, once a thriving town along Route 66, is known for the Neon Trail, murals, diners, museums and more.  Karla and I had lunch at a local diner followed by a stroll taking in a few of the neon signs.  GlenRio is now a ghost town along Route 66 that actually straddles the NM and TX state line.  

Approaching Amarillo we, of course, had to visit Cadillac Ranch and the Big Texan.  Both Route 66 icons.  It was a long, hot but fun day.  We are now resting for the evening (Harvest Host) and looking forward to our continued adventure tomorrow. 

We look forward to seeing each and everyone of you soon.  And, as always (we are) coming to a driveway near you!  Take care!

We hit "The Mother Road".....a.k.a. Route 66

 Hello All!  I hope you are doing well.  It has been about 6 months since my last blog post.  Karla and I spent the winter and spring in Sedona, AZ enjoying time with friends and the for the most part nice weather.  Of course, we flew back and forth for our quarterly medical visits.  I am happy to report that while there have been challenges, Karla's health is steady.

On Friday, we packed up RVMakes3 and headed east.  Our plan is to travel "The Mother Road" as much as reasonably possible.  "The Mother Road" was derived by Federal Highway System Board Member Cyrus Avery, often called the Father of Route 66.  Several significant migrations color history.  For example, from 1828 to 1887, the U.S. government began a series of forced migrations that took American Indians off their native land and onto the Trail of Tears to walk to the Indian Territory.....a route that is now part of "The Mother Road".

As we cruised through Winslow, AZ, we paused at "The Corner".  Karla (pic 1) was "standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ, what a fine site to see" (The Eagles "Take It Easy" released May 1, 1972).  We followed that with a visit to La Posada Hotel (pic 2) to cool off for a bit.  The La Posada Hotel - the Resting Place -  embodies the vision of Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the hotel's renowned architect and Fred Harvey, an infamous hospitality entrepreneur.  Built in the 1920s, the Hotel was to be the finest in the southwest.  Winslow was chosen because the Arizona Headquarters of the Santa Fe Railroad was ideally situated for a resort hotel.  You can visit www.laposada.org for more information. 

Saturday began with a morning walk into the Petrified Forest National Park.  On our mile stroll we encountered an antelope, snake, and porcupine.....all were quite a surprise.  Later that morning in RVMakes3 we toured the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert.  The Petrified Forest is known for its fossils, especially fallen trees that lived about 225 million years ago.  Beginning about 60 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau was pushed upward by tectonic forces and exposed to increased erosion.  The park's rock layers have been removed by wind and water exposing the petrified wood.  Petrified wood forms when fallen trees are buried in wet sediments saturated with dissolved minerals.  The lack of oxygen slows decay of the wood, allowing minerals to replace cell walls. This process takes millions of years.  In addition to petrified logs, fossils found in the park have included Late Triassic ferns, cycads, ginkgoes, and many other plants as well as fauna including giant reptiles called Phytosaurs, large amphibians, and early dinosaurs. .  Phytosaurs, were likely the top aquatic predator and resembled and lived similar to modern crocodiles spanning over 17 feet in length (pic below). 

Tomorrow we travel to Albuquerque, NM where we will boondock at a micro brewery (Harvest Host).  We plan to travel "The Mother Road" as much as reasonably possible on our way there.  We are looking forward to exploring Albuquerque and enjoying what it has to offer.

We look forward to seeing each and everyone of you soon.  And, as always (we are) coming to a driveway near you!  More to come.  Take care!