"Today is a Good Day to Drive!" .....Van-Go

October 30, 2008Visited with Jackie. We had volunteered with her and her husband in Castalon area of Big Bend National Park. Ralph died a few years back and Jackie settled into a nice little house near her children in Oklahoma City. She showed us a poster she made with pictures we had given her years back of all of us in our volunteer uniforms working. She has it hanging in the den and gives her great pleasure to look and remember. It was such a nice visit remembering and sharing stories. We talked the day away and left with promises to keep in touch.

October 29, 2008 We got up and watched the mist rising off Lake Eufaula. The air was cold and Will started a roaring fire. We sipped our coffee and enjoyed the waking of a beautiful fall day. The sound of the natural gas pump spoils a perfect spot. The hundreds of geese did not move much as the morning woke. We walked along the shore and found tracks of raccoons, deer and of that mountain lion the care taker said likes to visit. Will tried a little fishing practice. The winds picked up and we cleaned up our camp and headed west on route 9. We came upon Lake Thunderbird State Park and found a little spot on a hill overlooking the lake where we made dinner. Then drove into Norman to the Waldorf.

October 28, 2008 (Can you find the pretty flowers Will bought a Kathy.)We spent the morning sitting in the Waldorf parking lot letting the sun warm us up. We walked around the Wal-Mart and found something we didn’t need to go with something we thought we might need. We drove through Checotah and out business 69 to Fountain Head State Park, today called: Lake Eufaula State Park. It is wrapped around the largest man-made lake in Oklahoma. We stopped at the visitor center and we spent the day a premier campsite 85; you have to pay extra because it has a great view. We love our I-phone! As the sun was starting down we headed down route 9 and found a corps of engineer recreation area. We pulled in and drove down to the lake. We saw a flock of snow geese and decided to spend the night; no one else was about the campground. We paid our $3.50 and found a spot that would get the morning sun. Will built us a grand fire and we drank hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows. We watched the sun set ...

October 27, 2008 We spent the morning at the Waldorf. We shopped and looked and organized our purchases into the Roadtrek. This Wal-Mart has a liquor store, an entire area as large as the garden section! Then, we got some gas at $2.06; it is nice to see the price coming back down. We have decided to head west; it is to go below freezing here at the MO AK line. We stopped in Pineville to pick up our mail. The postmaster is named James Bradley and he is from Swissvale, PA; no relation as we could figure. Bluff Dweller’s Cavern in Noel, Missouri was certainly one of the most scenic because of the varied types of cave growth: Sawtooth drapes, cave coral, Lilly pads, and a really long rimstone dam. We saw a few bats, several salamanders, and a salamander nursery. There are remarkable features also like the ten-ton balance rock. Our guide used one finger and rocked the rock!! It kept rocking for a few seconds before coming to rest once again against the two touch spots that hold it up. Our...

October 26, 2008 Talking Rocks Cavern, located off business hwy 13 in West Branson, is a wonderful cave. The cave was originally called Fairy Cave when Truman Powell’s daughters Hazel and Pansy delighted visitors nearly a century ago. At that time you repelled into the cave sitting on a small wooden log. Today you descend concrete steps, lots of them, that wind down amid a vast array of incredible formations. We arrived for an early morning tour and Stephanie greeted us as we came into the office/store. She was delightful, friendly and her charm was refreshing so early in the day. Donnie was our guide; she is so knowledgeable. She shared stories and science with us. The tour takes you through the drapery of a flowstone formation! Donnie seemed to enjoy being in the cave as much as we did making the tour exciting and informative. This is a cave to see! http://www.talkingrockscavern.com/ Downstairs of the store is the basement cave, an educational area where students learn about biology,...

October 25, 2008 We woke and enjoyed a leisurely morning with Kathy catching up on journals and Will catching up on news. We said goodbye to our friends, Bob and Mary; they are headed for Texas. It was GREAT spending a few days with you and making memories together! Love ya. We headed out too, but much more slowly. We stopped at the Landing and walked up thru the shops then down near the river. Along the walk was a young man playing a wind pipe and a drummer. We stopped to listen. They are Inca Indians from he Andes Mountains of Ecuador. We just loved the sound of the wind pipes; we bought Grandfather Bear Healing Songs album. Give them a listen at http://www.runapachawindrth.thms.com/ Table Rock State Park was our stop for lunch. We overlooked Table Rock Lake sitting in the sun. Then we stopped at the office building. They were not very helpful; most people who stop are only interested in: where’s the campground. We did find out that the area no longer has a “table rock”. A short dist...

October 24, 2008 After a leisurely morning in the Roadtrek we went over to visit with Bob and Mary. We spent the morning discussing this and that. Kandy stopped over to drop off some of her special chicken dumpling stew. (Wow was that good!!) She is so sweet. She even helped Bob figure a way out of Branson that has the fewest hills. We promised to keep in touch. In the afternoon we went to see the world’s largest museum attraction located in Branson, Titanic. The two-story building is built like the front of the ship to half scale! We walked up to the ship and received our boarding pass and identity of a true passenger. Will was Captain Edward John Smith. Kathy was Helen Churchill Hungerford Candee, a beautiful six-foot tall middle-aged woman. As you go through the museum you are told stories about your character from real people dressed as crew. You also can get an audio tour that reveals even more stories as you go through the ship; we highly suggest it. There were over 700 artifacts...

October 23,2008 We met Kandy for breakfast at Uptown Café, an oldtime diner establishment. We had thought we would be talking business and had been told there would be a manager there too, but it turned out to be just breakfast with Kandy. We shared stories and travel adventures, exchanged phone numbers and headed our separate directions. We drove over to the new Waldorf where we met up with Bob and Mary. We sat in their rig for a few hours catching up, got organized for the afternoon and headed out. We arrived at the Hughes American Family Theater along with a long line of others and made our way inside. SIX, aka The Knudsen Bothers, is a spectacular group filled with powerhouse vocals and high-octane energy that use only their own voices as entertainment. Their harmonies, vocal range, rhythms and singing make you think there is a full band behind them. Owen, Lynn, Kevin, Barry, Curtis and Jak are just SIX of ten brothers born across the states. Between them they have over 20 children...

October 22, 2008 We woke, got a donut from the main office area and made coffee in our room. We enjoyed our start to the day with a little more TV time then headed over to the Surrey Resort Reception Center for our presentation. That is where we met Kandy Baars. She got us some coffee and a bagel then, led us to a room filled with little round tables. At each table was a couple with their personal presenter. Kandy chatted with us for about an hour; Kandy is enthusiastic with a lot of good stories and some interesting life experiences. We liked her from the minute she said, "hello". After the chitchat, we got down to business- time share business. We talked about another hour. Then, Kandy showed us three different condos ranging from one-room models to huge luxury models. Next, we headed back to our little table and talked dollars and sense. We got down to the final decision when the deal breaker came-do it now or we take the $4000 travel club deal off the table. Well, we don’...