Postcard from Oklahoma- 1

6-8 October 2012

Claremore, OK

This KOA says it's in NE Tulsa, but it's actually in Claremore... about 30 miles NE of Tulsa.

The track was a stone's throw from our site.

And it's a bit of a surprise. The description on the KOA site talked about horse racing and a casino which I took to be somewhere nearby. Not so: This KOA is on the grounds of Cherokee Casino which is co-located with Will Rogers Downs race track. After checking in at the KOA desk in the casino we got parked... about 50' from the race track. Amazing stuff. I tried to get a couple shots of the horses launching from the starting gate (they were racing quarter horses when we were there), but it was so cold I gave up! Still, it was a great site and something we'd not have seen had I understood the park.

Setting up the starting gate for the next race.

And not a grown tree in sight anywhere. It looks like KOA planted a few sticks when they took over the park, but they're hardly noticeable. Maybe in 10 years!

The Admiral was delighted about the casino. She loves to play the nickel slot machines and  wasted no time getting over there on Sunday afternoon. Lost her bank roll in a couple hours and came home broke and smelling like an ash tray. So much for paying for the trip with her winnings. It's been 4 years since the last time she satisfied her urge to gamble, so we should be good for at least another 4 years... she really hates to lose. Almost as much as she'll hate reading about it in these pages!

Will Rogers slept here

But none of this is why a traveler should stop in Claremore, OK. What you should come here for is the Will Rogers Memorial Museum which is also the burial site for the the Rogers family (except Will Jr. who is buried with his wife in Arizona). This was sort of home base for him and his family. They had a ranch about 13 miles away in Oologah, OK. The ranch tour is free but the Memorial Museum costs $5 or $4 for seniors. We settled on the museum and lunch out.

I don't think of myself as having heroes. People I admire, yes; people that are heroes, no. I suppose I did as a kid till I got over the Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers. If I had to pick a hero today, I suspect Will Rogers would be on my short list (guess I still look to cowboys for inspiration). After listening to recordings Rogers made during the depression trying to gain support for Hoover's plan for feeding & employing the down-and-out, and then later supporting FDR's plans to put America to work, I realized that not much has changed since then and that Rogers had some good thoughts on what needed fixing.  I heard many of these recordings when I was young, so much of it was familiar.

If you've never seen his private production film Ropin' Fool as well as the Ropin' Fool Outtakes, you owe it to yourself to find and watch it. He was truly amazing. It ought to be available thru NetFlix... ??? It was one of the very first uses of slow motion photography in a production film.

A genuine Remington just sitting in the rotunda. Yikes!

A bronze by Charley Russell picturing
Rogers in a typical setting... typing
his daily column.

A model of the Lockheed Orion in which Will Rogers
and pilot Wiley Post crashed. I was surprised to read
there was a witness. They had landed, asked directions,
stretched their legs, took off. About 100' off the ground
the plane pitched forward and 'somersaulted' to the ground
landing on the canopy. Seems a very odd behavior. Now I'll
have to research what the suspected cause was.

An 8' or 9' bronze of Will Rogers
dominates the rotunda. I'm guessing
this too is a Charley Russell.

He did fund raisers all over the world to
help people in need, this one while he
was still with the Ziegfeld Follies.

A patio just outside the theater where his movies play
continuously. He made 50 silent films plus another
21 'talkies'. Rogers was a slacker compared to Tom Mix
who turned out over 300!

I guess you know you've had an impact when the Navy
names a Poseiden submarine after you!

The veranda where the sarcophagus is located with yet
another bronze of Will Rogers. This overlooks the area
where Claremore is located and is across the street from
Will Rogers State University.

A portrait done by Charley Russell. Rogers & Russell were
both Oklahoma cowboys and close friend.

 















Oh, and Will Rogers' full name is William Penn Adair Rogers. I also have a Penn heritage (my paternal grandmother was a Penn) and they lived awhile in Missouri & Oklahoma before moving on to Arizona and later to California. I need to poke at that a bit to see if there's a common ancestor. Now wouldn't that be cool!!

Recent reading

Btw, if you share my disappointment in what was- and still is- taught to US high school students in American history, check out Lies My Teacher Told Me by  Loewen. He teaches college level history and has been an outspoken critic of the content of American history textbooks as they attempt to establish certain people as "heroes", whitewashing the distasteful parts of their 'history' or ignoring inconvenient accomplishments. And it's a fun read... like history should be.

On the road again

Off to western OK next, then Amarillo, TX; Tucumcari, NM; and Santa Fe, NM.

Postcard from Missouri- 2

3-5 October 2012

Springfield, MO

We stopped here for another visit with the Admiral's brother and sister-in-law, Steve & Eileen, as we wind our way along the Interstates toward Santa Fe. We got laundry out of the way, did the shopping thing at Dillon's (another Kroger-owned market), and got fuel. Probably the lowest price we'll see the rest of the year at $3.80/gal.

And we suffered through our first cold weather of the season. Yikes! Had to get my wool socks out of the storage bag cuz the floor where the desk is located in a slide got really cold while I was sitting here typing. Even had to do the hookup in the morning wearing my polar fleece vest the whole time. What happened to endless summer?!

All the great looking oak trees rained acorns the whole time we were there. The concern is that when I close the slides they would get crushed against the slide seals. So I had a brain storm the morning when we pulled out: fire up the compressor and blow the acorns and leaves off the tops of the slides. Cool, huh?! Yeah, right. Turns out the air would blow everything away that was within about 3-4 feet and did nothing to any acorns or leaves beyond that. It was like an invisible wall. So much for the brain storm. I had to squeegee them off with the window cleaner I have for the truck.

Here's a few park shots plus a gratuitous shot of Annie the Super Dog...

Great looking park...

... with lots of oak trees...

...that rained acorns the whole time we were there!

Annie the Super Dog. Kelly ran and
hid: "I don't like cameras!"

Postcard from Missouri- 1

30 September - 2 October 2012

St. Louis

We're cheating a little here. The campground was actually in Granite City, IL. But it was relatively close so we could easily visit the Gateway Arch. This was the Admiral's first visit and my second. Pretty amazing piece of work and the view from the top of the arch is unlimited all the way to the distant horizon.

The project was actually started in 1937 with a design competition which was won by a guy named Saarinen. The construction, however was delayed many years since a couple wars got in the way. The 2 halves of the arch didn't join till 1965. For the faint of heart, you don't walk to the top of the arch which is something like 632 feet above the ground... about 28 feet short of an 1/8th of a mile. There's a tram of 8 'pods' that carry 5 people each up to the top. 4 minutes up, 3 minutes down. The interchange of people leaving the pods with people boarding them is more of a collision, but most folks happily shifted as necessary to let folks pass. I doubt there's the same feeling of friendly cooperation on a hot summer day!

And since this is a federal facility, there are no weapons allowed including knives over 4" overall. My little pocket knife (1.5" blade) with opening-assist was marginal. Since they couldn't get it to open completely with the assist they let it slide. A different guard on a different day might not be so helpful.

The day was pretty much ugly with a little bit of rain and solid cloud cover. So the photos are a mixed bag that I'm not so proud of. But that's how it is sometimes.

It's an old park but adequate. WiFi is a joke.

The Arch is essentially on the Mississippi River.

The arch has a stainless skin with
structural steel inside.

Like heading into a subway. The underground
area is cavernous.

Here's the ticket counter (museum store in the
background)...

... and the information kiosk.

The Admiral was doing her best to not
look claustrophobic as we all sat bent
in half inside what is not much more
than a very large oil drum!

View from the top out across the river.

One of the bases.

And the stairs from the street.

Postcard from Kentucky- 1

25-26 September 2012

Corbin, Kentucky

This was just a stop along the way to Louisville, KY. It turned out that this KOA is one of the nicest campgrounds we've stayed at. Very nice place that is impeccably maintained with lots of tall trees to offer shade and protection from nasty weather.

Not much protection from rain though. We arrived with a few rain drops starting. As we got positioned on the site, though, it got downright serious and hammered us for awhile. I let it ease a little (till the thunder stopped) and we got a little wet as we set up.

If you're looking for urban entertainment, this isn't a stop for you. But Laurel Lake is nearby and gives this KOA part of its name: Corbin/Lake Laurel KOA.

27-29 September 2012

Louisville, Kentucky

Yet another KOA. KOAs are often close to an Interstate so this is probably what we'll do the rest of the way back to Santa Fe and then Benson. KOAs aren't our favorite and they're more expensive for what you get, but they're consistent and (with one notable exception in Upper Michigan!) comfortable. In South Louisville KOA we had very large park with large campsites! There's even a Wally World just down the street so it's a convenient stop.

If you come to Louisville and have any interest in sports, yuh gotta go to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. We spent an afternoon driving the 20 miles, taking the factory tour and looking around (a couple hours), then driving back. They have a theater, the factory and there's a batting cage where you take a few cuts at a 90 mph fast ball.

I expected to be able to take photos on the tour, but once again "no photography!" There is nothing in the factory that is so unique to require secrecy, so the issue must be safety. But there you are. It was an interesting tour and we were glad to have stopped here.

Even though the company makes several kinds of sports equipment, this location is all about bats. Something over a million bats each year (though I doubt they all come from this small facility!).

Postcard from North Carolina- 1

22-24 September 2012

Asheville, NC

KOA again- this time Asheville KOA West. We picked the one on the West end of town (there are 2 KOAs in the Asheville area) in anticipation of an easier departure after our 3-niter. And we are happy with our choice. Yeah the site wasn't level, but the 2 boards we carry got it sorted. So... why was not being level OK this time but not last time? Cuz they had ice cream sundaes at the park pavilion! Plus the only guy who fills the propane tanks (he's the manager) was still there and had time to fill one mostly-empty tank before he left for 2 days off. We don't want to run out of propane cuz it's getting pretty cool at nite... as low as 43° F last nite.

The park has a lot of trees and is on very hilly ground. A walk with the dogs can leave you (mmm... me!) out of breath thanks to the elevation changes. Well... unless you're a dog in which case it's really interesting to hear all the funny wheezing noises humans make when they walk uphill!

We made a trip into town and had brunch at Over Easy Cafe (the Urban Spoon app. for our iPhones is great for this sort of thing!). Excellent food, sidewalk seating if you have a dog with you (we didn't), and you better not be in a hurry cuz it takes awhile to get your food. If you have a long bed dually as we do, parking can be an issue (the town is old, so the streets are narrow). So we parked in the lower lot at the Visitor Center and walked.

There is an indoor mall in Asheville called the Grove Arcade. It was opened in 1928 with plans to be an 18-story building. It ended up 2 stories and was one of the very first indoor malls in the US. Very interesting architectural details inside. If you come to Asheville it's worth taking a look thru the shops.

We also went to the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway on the East side of Asheville. We'd been there about 9 years earlier and remembered really enjoying the visit. I had my camera along but was told almost immediately "no photography", so I don't have much to show for the visit. The Admiral, however, did some Christmas shopping, so we didn't come away empty handed.

And we had a great lunch at East Village Grille on Tunnel Rd near the Folk Art Center. Great sandwiches, but not cheap.

Clouds over the park that I found interesting.

Sidewalk cafes in many places

Enough buskers to keep you entertained
as you hike down the street.

I was surprised to still see families touring
this late in the year.

The sidewalk tables at the Over Easy Cafe.

More of the Over Easy Cafe.

No, I'm not the Bruce that supplies their maple syrup!

The Admiral's veggie omelet...

... and my 1" thick pancake. One was enough!

Yes- dog friendly restaurants if you choose
outdoor seating.

The Gourmet Chip. The cones are filled with just-fried
potato chips. Looked good!

The Grove Arcade...

... with outdoor dining.

GA = Grove Arcade

Carmel's...

Details...

Loved this stairway!

If a shop has yarn you can bet the
Admiral will check it out!

A new look in quilting tiles.

Postcard from Virginia- 1

19-21 September 2012

Winchester, VA

We missed the rain by staying an extra day in Lake Ariel, PA which made for an easy drive the next day to Winchester, VA. I had called ahead to reserve a space at Candy Hill Campground. They didn't take CC info, so I wasn't completely sure we really had a spot for the night till the Admiral came back with a sheaf of paper with enough rules to choke a horse. Whatever, it's a very popular campground- filled every night this time of year- with lots of rules and signs letting you know about the rule you just broke. But the park was quiet at night, and even though the Interstate wasn't (!), we slept well atop the site's concrete pad which was level. 

There is a Wal-Mart about 1/2 mile down the road, so while the Admiral shopped, I tanked up with diesel at the local Sheetz station. Nope. Not saying a word about the name, cuz the price was better than any place else! Btw, if you have a smartphone and aren't using the Gas Buddy app, you're missing a great resource for finding fuel.

And no, Candy Hill is not a Christmas theme park. Apparently many years ago, before it was an RV park, previous property owners had a daughter with a dog named Candy. Candy died and they buried Candy on the hill. So... Candy Hill.

Btw, we have noticed that PBS is frequently not available on a park's channel offering. So we used the antenna even though cable was available.

Wytheville, VA

We did a 2-niter at Wytheville so we could do laundry. As you probably know by now we have a washer and dryer, but we have to be stopped and we have to have 50 Amp service plus a sewer connection to be able to use it. So a 2-niter is usually necessary and this was it.

The Wytheville KOA is an older park that needs some work. The new owners are going to need a lot of enthusiasm as there are a number of things that need attention. Our site was small (that's just how it is in this area; it can't be changed) and it wasn't level (and that can be changed). We carry a pair of 2" x 8" x 6' boards to level the rig and they almost were enough, though not quite. Still, we did our laundry and slept well before pushing on to Asheville, NC.

The guy beside us the first nite had a big Class A with leveling jacks. He couldn't get level and left the park. The next nite we had 2 Class A rigs beside us, again with leveling jacks, and neither of them could get level either. While these 3 were all high-end motorhomes with lots of storage, I don't know how they could carry the long boards we stow in the bed of our truck (along with an assortment of blocks for jacking or for the evening the landing legs).

Covered group activities pavillion with dog runs behind.

Still, the park is very pretty with lots of trees, it's a long way from the Interstate so it's quiet, and they have two very large dog runs... one for bigger dogs and one for smaller dogs.

These are the usual KOA Kamping Kabins. Unless they're
the Deluxe Kabins, you have to us the public
showers & restrooms.

I think this is the owners residence. Typical of all the grounds.

Starting to fill up the map!