Made it back to Arkansas

At Cracker Barrel, Alma, AR

We left Blue Springs right around 9 am, had light traffic most of the way.  Stopped in Joplin Missouri for gas, coffee (at Flying J), and an RV Wash (Blue Beacon next door).  The line to get washed was a little over average, taking nearly an hour to get through, but at least our baby motorhome is clean again!

Stopped in Alma because Marcia’s first husband has a cousin living in the area, Jim, the son of Sophie whom we use to stop and see every time we were in the area.  Jim and wife Pat came over from Fort Smith to the Cracker Barrel, and we all enjoyed a nice two hour visit with dinner.

Yesterday I picked my youngest son Ryan up at the KC Airport, flying in from a SACA meeting in Milwaukee.  Ryan is the chapter president of the Student American Chiropractic Association for Cleveland University - Kansas City.  He loves it anytime he can be an advocate for the Chiropractic field.  He graduates next April.

 

His dad, however, needs to learn how to take “stealth shots” with the camera better…this is him getting in the car at the airport with guards looking at me with that “You have 30 seconds at the curb buster” type of look.

On the drive to the airport I was able to get this shot of the Royal’s Baseball field…tried to get Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chief's too, but this is the best I got.

Just before I went out to get pictures, this truck pulling a small trailer pulled up.  WHY they felt so compelled to park right next to us, is beyond my comprehension.  As of now, I don’t know if they are going to stay the night or not.  It is not that this was the only spot available…there is an empty spot right next to it, and the parking lot is not that full.  I know they have a small black dog, it stared at me as I took Skruffy and Bubba out for their last walk of the day…big buggy eyes, did not bark, just stared.  Hoped that the rest of the family, “IF” they stay the night, are not loud either…but they came out of the restaurant, got the dog, got into the truck and OFF THEY FLEW! 

Heading Home, after Breakfast with my Children and Others

Near Harris Ranch, Coalinga, CA

Had breakfast at a Mimi’s Restaurant in Sacramento with my children (Michael, Stephanie and Ryan), and invited their mother Shelley who was also in town (she too has remarried but he stayed back in Arkansas to work and take care of their kids, at least the two or three still living at home), and my sister’s Patti and Sandy, and of course, Mom, Dad and Marcia.  They put us in a back area which is not used until they are busy, and it was quiet, and we all enjoyed talking and visiting and eating. 

ALWAYS good to see the kids, which we do each year…but rarely together.  With Michael (far left and the oldest) living in Sacramento now, the others came to town for Christmas.  Ryan (in the middle and the youngest) drove out from Kansas City, visiting a number of National and State Parks along the way, including the Grand Canyon, Zion and Yosemite, just to name a few.  Stephanie (my only girl and the middle child) flew in from Salt Lake City.  Shelley (their mother and my first wife), flew in from Little Rock on Christmas day.  So NICE to see them together again…it has been a long time…Ryan’s graduation from the University of Arkansas, since my kids and first wife and I had been together. 

After we ate, I got this group shot of the kids with their Grandma and Grandpa.  From left to right, Stephanie, Ryan, Michael, Dorothy and Al.  Dad turns 90 next year, and it's also their 70 wedding anniversary too! Don’t know if all the kids will make the birthday and/or the anniversary…just so happy we got together over the Christmas time this year, and wish Anna (Michael's Fiance) didn't have to work so that she could have joined us!

Around 1:00 pm we were headed out from Sandy and Arny’s house.  First stop, Lodi’s Flying J for gas and especially for propane.  Had some horrific traffic in various areas…looks like a bunch of folks are headed somewhere the day after Christmas.  As we got past Tracy, but before we got to Andersons Soup Restaurant (great Pea Soup at Andersons, although we did not stop this time), there is the California Aqueduct Vista Point that overlooks the San Joaquin Valley to the east, and the coastal range mountains to the west.  Nearing sunset, I just had to stop at this vista…mistake which ended up good.  The mistake, only way to turn around, due to two large semi’s in the circle, was to unhook the car.  The good…well, the view was awesome.  Above is a panoramic of the east, to south, to west.

To the east (above) you can see the inversion layer over the valley.  It looks like mountain in the horizon, under that layer of pink…but it was really smog mix with a small bit of fog. 

To the west was the last of the sun…what a wonderful sunset it was.

It had been a long time since we caught a sunset, and even the motorhome seemed to enjoy it. 

Should have taken a picture of Bubba as I entered the house to say goodbye to the folks, who came over to my sister’s after breakfast, and Arny’s mother Euleda, AFTER I had backed the motorhome out of the backyard, and hooked up the car.  Bubba was right there looking at the empty RV pad…he saw me, turned around and headed for his chair.  He is going to LOVE staying at Sandy and Arny’s, no doubt about it.

Tonight we are staying in a large dirt lot, partially filled with trucks and few RVs, near the Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant near Coalinga, CA…200 miles down, 2,800 miles to go.  Tomorrow, perhaps we will make Kingman Arizona, 425 miles away.  

From Fishing Lake to Peculiar Park, Flashback to Retirement

We both agree that our night stop at the Kansas Fishing Lake (KINGMAN STATE FISHING LAKE AND WILDLIFE AREA) was the BEST nature camping that we have experienced since getting back to the lower 48 after our trip to Alaska and back.  We both had a good nights sleep, but had to hit the road bright and early to get to the Peculiar RV Park in Peculiar Missouri.  When I awoke to take the dogs out, just had to get some pictures of the mist over the Kingman Lake.

    

Sure was a nice nights sleep…great place.

This is just to show that yes, we do get up at the crack of dawn sometimes…

The mist was all around this area, but the road was free from it.

    

I told Marcia that she had to get a few pictures of the farm land…and these two are them.  On difference between what you see here and what we saw from Tucumcari to here is that there are more areas of trees around this part of Kansas than what we saw in Northeast New Mexico, the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and the southern area of Kansas that we traveled through earlier in the week.

 

The visit with my three kids over the past month was real nice.  Michael (and his girlfriend Anna) in Berkeley a few weeks ago, Stephanie in Provo last week, and Ryan in Kansas City area the past two days.  Above is a picture taken in October 2012 in the Dave Burdick Watson Chapel Library as my 22 year career in the Public Library field came to a close.  Can’t say that our travels laid before us, because this was after our first summer out on the road while I was technically still employed by the Library through September.  The blog about this last library event for me can be found here.   Tomorrow we head back to Arkansas…Fort Smith area first, then a medical check-up in Little Rock mid-week.  Looking forward to seeing more friends and family over the next few days.

Bear, Moose, Son, Bison – A BIG Teton Day

Of all the animals we saw today on our visit to the Tetons, we only got pictures of two types.  Pulled into String Lake, just north of Jenny Lake…got out of the car to try and get a picture of the water with the mountains in the background, and as I started to walk by this lady she says in a whisper, “There is a bear down through those trees.”  Well, my timing could not have been better, because I was standing right at the spot the bear would eventually come out of the water and up the bank…shooting right through me if I stayed there.  In case he decided to turn and head through the parking lot, I tried to give Marcia a call (after I got the first series of pictures while he was still down in the water.)

   

He KNEW we were up there, he could smell us and he also saw us.  I say us, but after I turned around, it was just me there.  He looked right at me, kinda said with his eyes, “You are standing right where I am a headed…”, and I kindly moved on to a safer spot, trying to call Marcia, and missed his exit from the water.

   

After he hit the bank he ran a bit, got a shot of that, but it was too blurry.  He then just walked along up and over and through the woods, like it was nobody’s business except his (or her) own.

   

Well, the shot on the left is the one I was going for before the lady told me about the bear.  The shot on the right would have been a wonderful spot to get the bear crossing the river…but it all worked out ok.  Except, I never did get a hold of Marcia, and when I got back to the car she said, “What Bear?”  Makes up for her seeing the moose as we traveled over Teton Summit earlier.  As we entered the valley coming down from the summit, five dear ran across the road in front of us…kinda got the feeling the guy behind us was glad that he didn’t pass us earlier because there would have been a dead deer, and a dead Japanese car had he done that.  At first he looked a bit upset that I slowed as much as I did for the dear...until he saw more come out from the woods.  Later, we also saw Bison, but they were not very close, and after our close and personal visit with Bison back in 2012 in Yellowstone, well, nothing tops that as it goes with Bison.

After we left the Jenny Lake area headed south on the main park road, I get this text from my son Ryan.

“Where are you??”

“Tetons”, I reply.

“I'm like 99% sure I just passed you on the other side of the road.”

So I call him, and sure enough, he is at the Tetons too!  In between semesters at school each spring, he goes on an annual visit of America.  Last I heard he was in Seattle, but earlier today they went to Yellowstone, and at the very moment that we are leaving Jenny Lake, about a mile away from it, he is headed for Jenny Lake and sees us.  So we make a U-Turn and catch up with him and his two friends.  He had no idea where I was in our travels, and I had no idea where he was...ain't that something???

Derek, on the left, is also in the Cleveland Chiropractic College with Ryan at Overland Park, Kansas.  Matt, on the right, is a friend.  They were in Derek’s mother’s Chevy Suburban, which is bigger than the car that Ryan and two other guys took last year on a trip.  We said our hellos, and let them go do their hike while we continued our trip around the Tetons.  All I can say, that tops the bear any day!


FLASHBACK IN TIME – 2012

Our first visit and view of the Tetons is shrouded in smoke from the western fires of early August 2012.


TODAY – MAY 5, 2016

Yes, we could have asked for a clear blue sky…but wow, what a difference!  From this point on, I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story…and remember, clicking on a picture will let you see a larger version.

      

The Grand Tetons are sure a sight to see.  Like Yosemite and some of the other parks, I am sure one would have to visit during all four seasons to get the full grip on the beauty of the place.

       

And yes, we did get some bird pictures too.  All in all it was a great day, full of the majestic wonders the almighty has provided for our pleasure.

Family Time

I was so tired yesterday, I failed to say where we were staying.  In Peculiar Missouri there is one RV Park called Peculiar Park Place.  There are many monthly or long-term stay RVs, but they are all in good condition, many with underpinning to keep them from freezing during the cold winters.  There are 14 sites in the back which do not have water year around, and don’t have sewer.  This is where we were, but that is good because it is further away from the noise of the Interstate.

   

It is a nice park, and if I was to have business in the KC area, I would probably stay here…except my Aunt and cousins are in Blue Springs.  Since my son is in Overland Park, Kansas, this was a good place to stay, and kept us from having to drive through heavy KC traffic when we leave on Monday.

    

Around noon we headed over to my Aunt Vera’s house in Blue Springs.  She married my mother’s brother, Harold, who passed away 14 years ago.  Her son (my cousin) Donald, who is my age, and his wife Sheri were visiting from California (along with one daughter, son-in-law and three grandkids).  Her oldest daughter, Cassie and her husband Rick, were there, but they also live in Blue Springs.  Vera’s oldest child, David, has a daughter who lives in Independence, and this was the first time I had met her, or second if I met her when she was a young child.  David is my oldest brother Jim’s age, and that was the name mom and dad were going to give him until Vera named her first child David, who was born just a few months before Jim.  So “I” got the name David three children later.

We took some indoor Tulips over, and came back home with some freshly baked bread that Cassie had made…she learned from the expert, her father, who was a master bread maker…as is she.  In fact, former KC Chief’s running back Kimble Anders lived just a few houses away from Harold and Vera, and every time he scored in a game, Harold would take freshly baked bread over to them. 

We now have 1,200 miles to go to get to Phoenix by Wednesday.  Not sure how far we will get tomorrow, but hope to make it at least to the Texas/Kansas boarder…perhaps as far as Tucumcari, New Mexico.  Either way, Monday and Tuesday will be long travel days, with a shorter day on Wednesday.  I just hope we don’t have any more  new weather events, because we have faced humid warmth in Florida, rain in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas, hail in Arkansas, and sustained wind and cold in Missouri.  Although it did not snow where we are, it did snow in parts of Blue Springs Saturday night.  Outside of “heat”, about the only new weather left are fog, tornadoes and hurricanes…none of which sounds very good to us.