Cumberland Calls Us Back - Part 3 - Final Episode

Hey Folks, 

Are you ready to wrap this trip up?  Okay then. This is the last installment of our cross-country trip from Salt Lake City to Middle Tennessee, so strap in and let's go.

In the last post we were just entering Missouri with clear skies and smooth sailing.  We stayed in Missouri the whole day, going around Kansas City and decided to stop short of St. Louis.  We did an internet search and came across the Lazy Day Campground at the I-70 exit for Danville, MO.  Finding a nice campground on the road is hit or miss most times.  If they have a website you can get a good idea of the quality but, as we all know, the Internet can make things appear not as they actually are.  We hit a home run with this one though.  It definitely rated as one of the top campgrounds we've ever stayed at. Lazy Day has been owned and operated by Kim and Tony for over 20 years.  The attention to detail of this place is incredible and as the pictures show they take great pride in their campground.  

Lazy Day Campground

Small recreation hall

Office and general store

Even the storage shed gets Kim's treatment

Ditto

Unique bottle edging

Bottles light up at night

Garden path with panache

"Cat" the campground cat

Large recreation center kitchen with Kim's collections

"outhouse" storage shed

We avoid fast food on the road and eat from LuLu's kitchen but after settling in we decided to go out and have a nice sit down meal. Kim suggested Oliver's in the one flashing light town of Montgomery City just down the road.  We walked in to find a quite fancy looking place, surprising for such a small town.  There were no other diners present which usually throws up red flags but as it turned out the meal was fantastic at very reasonable prices.  We found that it was not unusual to be dining alone at Oliver's as the town is so small they just don't have a large customer base.

Quite fancy for a one traffic light town

After a leisurely morning at Lazy Days visiting with some folks having a rally, and hanging out with "Cat" the cat, (yes that's his name) we headed out.  St Louis was the largest city we had to drive through and the sprawl started 30 miles out. As we approached the Mississippi River I missed the exit ramp we needed for Kentucky and had to do a little free-styling with the Garmin recalculating, taking us into East St. Louis. We certainly would have enjoyed checking out the Gateway Arch Visitors Center, but it wasn't in the cards this time.  Maybe next trip we can check that off our bucket list.  

Margo grabbed an on the move pic from the interstate

We spent the last night at a Walmart in Marion, Illinois.   Again, we got a good night's sleep and the price was definitely right.  Our total camping expense for the whole cross country trip was only $90.00 - less than one night in a hotel.

The best part of a road trip is the spontaneity.  Sure, you have a route and a destination but it's so easy to see an interesting road sign for an attraction and just go for it.  We stopped at the Harley dealership in Marion, IL.  Margo was a bit lightheaded over all the chrome and leather. 

Near Whittington, IL. we saw a sign for an art gallery just off the Interstate and went for it.  The parking lot for the Southern Illinois Art and Artisans Center was empty except for the 2 employee's cars.  We spent over an hour looking at some incredible art of just about every medium.  The regional collections, including quilts and carvings were many levels above what we've ever seen.

Back on the road we saw the sign for Metropolis, the home of Superman, so we hung a right there too.  Yes, it is a real place right off of I-24 in Illinois along the Ohio River.  Superman is still saving the day and holding down the fort with "Truth, Justice and the American Way."

Look! Up in the sky!  It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman!

Complete with museum and gift shop

Words to live by

Back on the road again

Passing through Kentucky we had another 'streamer experience.  I noticed another Airstream coming alongside on I-24 just north of the Tennessee border.  We waved to each other and for a few miles fell in behind for a mini caravan.  We both stopped at the Tennessee welcome center and chatted about all things aluminum.  Vince is a professional photographer and lives full-time in his brand new Flying Cloud (the upgraded model to our Safari).  He gave us a tour of his and we gave him a tour of ours.  It never ceases to amaze me how being a member of this aluminum lovin' family allows for such camaraderie - instantly.   

Back on the road we cruised into Music City before long and by mid-day were parked at the Nashville East KOA in Lebanon totaling up the stats.  A total of 6 days, 1,690 miles, 1 tornado, 1 stinging bee, 2 new 'streamer friends, 1 superhero and many memories.  

Next time we'll take you on a tour of our new digs, deep in small town America - just the way we like it.

Cumberland Calls Us Back - Part 2 - Nebraska

Hey folks,

The Nebraska leg of our trip deserves a post of it's own just to describe our troubles.  Not game changers by any means but for a traveling couple, plus 8 paws on board, troubles just the same.

First, the flies. They must be the state bird because they are everywhere. Any decrease in speed below 30 mph gave them admittance into Hank and LuLu.  We swatted and swatted but still they found a way in.  I do believe we delivered a squadron of them to Tennessee in the end.

Second,  the stickers in the grass.  Whenever we walked the dogs we would spend 20 minutes cutting sharp sandspur type hitchhikers out of their fur.  The quality of the turf made no difference.   I'll bet not one Nebraskan runs around outside without shoes, even on a golf course.

Third, a boneheaded move by me.  When parking a trailer overnight, and not unhitching, it's best to lower the front hitch jack for better stability.  This I did.  It stands to reason though that in the morning it must be lifted up before driving off.  This I did not do.  I'm a stickler for checklists to avoid these incidents but on this occasion I got in a hurry.  First rule of RV'ing, don't get in a hurry.  Luckily no harm was done, except to my ego.  It slid about 6 inches but did not bend the jack.

Fourth, the bee incident.  Margo was walking the dogs at a rest stop when she felt what she thought was one of those aforementioned nasty stickers in her paw.  When she looked she noticed it was actually a yellow jacket that had gotten lodged between her foot and flip flop.  She's allergic to bee stings so we had a few minutes of anxiety about a reaction.  In the end though it was painful and itchy but no breathing issues.  She did get short of breath but that was from all the profanity.

*&%@ bees!!!!!

Fifth, state parks in Nebraska don't have water on their sites.  This is not advertised in the four color brochures.  We pulled into a really nice state park near the mid-state town of Kearney right around dusk and picked a great looking site.  I lined up on the power pedestal and backed her in.  Soon Margo was going through her inside routine and I the outside all the while fighting off the local housefly population.  As I went to hook up the water hose I found there was no where to hook it.  An inquiry with the locals revealed that water is not a part of the Nebraska state park camping experience.  We both got "short of breath" this time, packed back up and headed to an RV park down the road; where the above referenced number 3 incident occurred the next morning.

Sixth, the tornado.  As we approached Lincoln a classic plains weather system was setting up for an afternoon of mayhem.  As we traveled east we had a huge storm in front of us by a few miles and another a few miles behind. We pulled over several times to keep from driving into the one in front only to have to start up again and run from the one behind.  The weather radio and phones were screaming about a tornado warning and the radar was showing it all in technicolor.   We're lucky to have a Verizon MiFi so we have internet while traveling.  I do believe it saved us that day.  We were able to keep clear but did suffer a casualty to our truck topper back door. It caught a gust from the side that blew it up all the way over the top shattering the glass with a terribly loud bang.  Thankfully that's all the damage we sustained.  We arrived at a Walmart parking lot as things were settling down but the store was on lock-down due to that same storm so buying a tarp had to wait.  In the mean time the rain came down hard and the wind blew but nothing got ruined since Margo insists on keeping everything in the back of the truck in plastic bins.

Hank takes a hit.

Sopping wet we limped into an RV park in the border town of Nebraska City where we licked our wounds.  We were now just a couple of miles from the Missouri border and would uneventfully cross over the "Mighty Mo"  (Missouri River) the next morning.

Victorian Acres RV Park, Nebraska City.  Refuge

A new beginning

Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee await in our final installment coming soon.  We find a really cool RV park, pass the Gateway Arch via a wrong turn in St. Louis and meet Superman in his hometown.  Ahh, the suspense is palpable.

Cumberland Calls Us Back - Part 1

Hey Folks,

We pulled in Friday, safe and somewhat sound, to Middle Tennessee from Salt Lake City.  Lebanon, TN to be exact and at the same RV park we stayed at last year while in the area.   Countryside RV Park, which was a private park in 2013, is now Nashville East/Lebanon KOA.  In the 5 months of new ownership they've accomplished much.  They've done a great job renovating the laundry facilities and landscaping the grounds.  It's still a work in progress but the views of the meadows and hills are still as beautiful as ever. We were aiming for another park closer to where I'll be working but when I saw the KOA sign we made a snap decision to go to a familiar place at first.  We'll be here for a week then relocate to more permanent digs.  More about that later. 

The new and improved Countryside, now Nashville East KOA

The journey begins. So long Utah - for now

Hop in and we'll tell you the tale of our second cross country adventure.  With Salt Lake in our rear views, Wyoming's wide open spaces welcomed us.  Unlike the trip west in March we had a tailwind this time so our miles-per-gallon leapt into the double digits.  The miles clicked by uneventfully and by afternoon our conversation turned to where to park for the night.  RV parks are few and far between in these parts but there's always a Walmart close by.  Margo, the wash and wear girl that she has become, was totally on board, especially as we pulled into the Super Center in Laramie and saw one of our kind already there. 

Wide open

Spaces

Campin' Walmart style

 

Fellow 'streamers

Bob and Lia were on their way to Denver from Washington.  They operate a jewelry and clock repair business from their Airstream.  He's also a retired chef and from Florida via the Ukraine.  As has happened time and time again on our journey whenever we come across fellow 'streamers we usually hit it off immediately and the conversation instantly flows. 

Sunrise Reflections by Margo

Downtown Laramie

Historic Laramie

After a surprisingly quiet night and a great night's sleep, we awoke to the parking lot sweeper.  We had a cup o' Joe and headed into Laramie to look around.  It has both an historical and modern college town vibe going on at the same time.  Definitely a place we want to check out more thoroughly in the future but Nebraska and points east awaited - where dark clouds started moving in, both literally and figuratively. 

Nebraska - storm clouds ahead

Nebraska had her challenges and she threw some roadblocks our way.  We met them, though not totally unscathed.  

For the rest of the story you're gunna have to tune in next time. That's right - an Airstream Tales and Trails first.  I think I'll call it a cliffhanger........

East Bound and Down

Hey Folks,

First an apology.  This is just going to be a little blurb of a post to let everyone know that we’re on the move and where we’ll be heading.  I know – you’re expecting another witty treatise, if you will, of story telling goodness.  Like I said, sorry.  After all, the blog is mainly our forum for keeping up with family and friends as neither of us can text very well.

Sadly all good things must end.  The Salt Lake job is coming to a close for the year.  We knew it and accepted it but it sure came up fast.  Margo and I really enjoyed our time here.  The working conditions have been outstanding.  It's always a little different with every client but the gas company here is fantastic.  Free time found us at the farmer’s market, a visit from my daughter Jenna, forays to the genealogy center where Margo found her roots, coffee shops extraordinaire, and trips up into the mountains to name a few.  The places we’ve seen have been as uplifting as the people we’ve met.  People that we’ll be keeping in touch with no matter where our travels take us.  

Site 656  Salt Lake KOA

The Salt Lake Valley

Jenna looking for service atop "2G Rock"

So where are we off to?  I guess if you read the title you have a clue.  We’ll be leaving Saturday (9/6/14) for Smithville, Tennessee.  It’s a little place about 70 miles southeast of Nashville, 1692 miles from SLC according to Google.  As you know, we came out to SLC from Virginia along the lower tier (I-40).  This time we plan to take I-80 across the northern tier and take in Wyoming, Nebraska, and the other states along the way (I don’t have the map in front of me but there are other states I think….)  

buzz-bru in Brigham City

 

KOA Kat Slick (named after "SLC" by Margo)

KOA Kat Gracie (Slick's kitten - we think...get it ?  Gracie Slick?)

                                                 

I became a grandpa while here :-)

It's going to be nice to get back east, closer to my first grandchild, Anna Kate, whom we haven't seen yet.  We’ll take a bunch of pics along the way and after we get settled in we’ll post ‘em up and get back to some solid entertainment.

Hmmm……  I guess I did run a little long after all.