THERE'S NO PIE IN PIE TOWN
DODGING TORNADOES IN OKLAHOMA
BRANSON, MISSOURI AND FRIENDS IN PRESTON
MORE RED ROADS AND A SMOKEY CAMPGROUND
CELL PHONE WAS WONDERFUL
RON'S POTPOURRI
BARB'S THIS N THAT
MORE ABOUT THE NEW POSTAL RULES
THE HAPPY CAMPER'S COOKBOOK

We were on the road by 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday May 25. From Valle del Oro we simply jumped on U.S.60 which is a freeway and headed east. We knew the freeway would end soon and 60 would turn into a lovely two or three lane "red road" (they are marked in red in the atlas). That was okay with us. We had talked about going back through Phoenix then north on 17 to Flagstaff. One advantage of that would have been that we'd be going away from the bright sunrise, but neither one of us wanted to go back through Phoenix in rush hour and neither one of us wanted to travel all day on expressways. And it just didn't make sense to go west for 20 miles to go north then east when 60 went northeast on a nice angle. We like red roads anyway. We hardly ever had cloudy skies in Mesa and were ecstatic that our day started out with heavy clouds that blocked the sun's rising. But we had just gotten on 60 when a stone hit our windshield (passenger side) and put a little crack in it. What a way to start out!!!!

We left without breakfast because we knew of a pullout overlooking the Salt River Canyon that would make a wonderful stop. It was perfect. We had enjoyed coffee while driving and at 8:30 had our breakfast of cereal and banana. It was a beautiful morning, the scenery was spectacular and we were excited that our house was finally rolling down the road.

We mark our old Atlas with different colored highlighters as we travel roads. That way we can see which roads we haven't traveled on or the places we have been. We originally intended to go the way we'd gone many times before (60 to 61 then 191 where we would catch I 40 near the New Mexico border), but while I was studying the Atlas I noticed that we had never traveled U.S. 60 all the way. When I mentioned that to Ron, he said, "Let's do it."

After Show Low as Route 60 dipped south and east, the landscape changed drastically. We went from big beautiful pines to nothing. There wasn't even a brush or cactus and there were no houses. That  part of the road was fair although not as bad as I-40. As soon as we hit New Mexico the road became smooth, wide and wonderful. Even in Arizona there were plenty of wide pull-off areas, but in New Mexico there seemed to be more.

There was no traffic and we were able to cruise along at 60-65 mph. There were few towns and except for Show Low and Springerville we didn't even have a stop light. It was nearing lunch time when we came upon a sign telling us that Pie Town was 22 miles ahead. We decided that that would be where we would have our lunch and hopefully we could find the perfect little café to park in front of and if we were really lucky that café would also sell pie. Our mouths started watering. As we approached the town, our hopes faded. The town (two or three buildings) was old and dull. There was a café, but it was closed and looked like it hadn't been open for ages. There was a pull-off just across from the stores so we stopped and ate in our house, but we didn't have any pie.

In my notes I wrote, " I just looked up to see that this road goes straight for as far as I can see and there isn't a car in sight. We haven't seen enough cars to fill up a supermarket parking lot.

U.S. 60 joined up with I -25 for 25 miles and although it was okay for a while it turned into construction. We were glad to get off and continue on this little traveled and smooth, red road, but our red road deteriorated just a little east of 25. Suddenly we had no shoulders and no pull-offs. The good news was that the road was being rebuilt and by fall of 1999 it will even have four lanes (divided) from Encino to Vaughn. Originally we had planned to drive to Clovis and stay in a Wal Mart, but Ron needed fuel. At Vaughn we were close to I-40 so we turned north on U.S. 54 which was a great road. Once on I-40 we joined in with all the trucks racing from here to there.

We had traveled under cloudy skies all day and suddenly it turned cold and started to rain. Ron said, "We're so used to having good weather that we don't even think about it." We had traveled far enough for one day (551 miles) so pulled into the rest area 30 miles west of Tucumcarri. It was typically noisy but we were comfortable and we had a good night's sleep. I hate it when we plan a long trip with no time to play, but it was a pleasant trip (even relaxing) being off of the interstate for most of the day. Memorial Day was coming and we wanted to spend it with my son Jim, Sue and the boys in Moore, Oklahoma, so we really moved.

Once we got on I-40, Ron didn't want to get off. We still had 500 miles to go to get to Oklahoma City so we pounded the pavement.

We went straight to Thunderbird State Park so we could get a spot for the upcoming holiday weekend. Although the campground wasn't busy, it wasn't a very well organized campground. The sites were here and there; some had picnic tables; most didn't; some were near water; most weren't. There were only a couple we could fit into at Turkey Pass campground on the south side of the lake so we picked one and proceeded to get settled. The campground host told us that the north side of the lake had the better sites but assured us that we wouldn't want to be there over Memorial Day, "They party all day and night," she said. After two days, we realized that we didn't belong on this side of the lake either. Everyone and his brother were piling in to the crowded campground with their boats, trucks and lots of wood for campfires. Anyway we were 15 miles from my son's place and we just didn't like being so far away so we pulled out two days ahead of schedule and drove to the little city park across the street from Jim and Sue's place. There was plenty of parking there, but we didn't "live" there. We thought that no one would object if the motorhome was just parked there so we didn't put down the jacks or anything that would indicate we were living there and only slept there. During the day, we were across the street with our family and that worked out wonderfully and best of all it was nice and quiet.

While in Moore, we couldn't help but notice the destruction from the May 3 tornado; it was everywhere. It was worse than anything we had ever seen before. It seemed that while we were there, threatening weather was commonplace. Several evenings the television shows were interrupted with watches and warnings. Living in Michigan, Ron and I were weaned on tornado warnings and became so used to them that we casually paid attention to them, but with the devastation of the May tornado just outside our doors, the warnings were ominous.

We had wanted to take grandsons, Kristopher (9) and James (7) on a little camping trip somewhere east of Oklahoma City, but when we checked with some of the Oklahoma State parks in extreme eastern Oklahoma, we found that many of the campsites were under water; they had had more rain than normal. We also didn't want to go so far away that it would be a hardship for Jim and Sue to come and get them and camp with us for a weekend. We picked a Coast to Coast campground near Checotah and Fountain Head State Park. Both were just off I-40 and only 118 miles away. We had planned that we would spend two days at the Coast to Coast campground so the boys could spend time in the pool, fish and play miniature golf and we would have full hookups then we would go over to the state park for the weekend when Jim and Sue would camp with us.

As soon as we checked in, we were given instructions on where to go in case of threatening weather and a map showing the nearby counties. "Be alert," we were told. It was obvious that this park had seen more than its share of rain; the narrow sites were very muddy and the fishing dock was under water, but the pool was nice and we enjoyed a couple of hours there. We also took the short four mile drive over to the state park and were amazed at how dry those big, wide sites were; it was a beautiful campground.

At about 6 p.m. the dark clouds rolled in and we got out our weatheralert radio and turned on the TV. Yes, there were tornado warnings and nearby too. Suddenly the sirens blared and one of the workers rode up and down the rows in a golf cart blowing an air horn. Everyone left their RVs and went to the club house in the pouring rain. We walked through ankle deep water and were herded into the small laundry room which they deemed the safest place. It didn't look like much of a shelter to us with three outside walls. We worried most about the boys. They were naturally scared having just lived through the Moore tornado, but they tried to be very brave. When we got into the laundry room, we noticed a large table against the inside wall so we told them to go under that and join another boy who was there with his dog. That made them more comfortable. By 7 p.m. the threat of tornadoes was over, but it was still pouring rain. We decided to go to the club house and just wait a little longer. We got the dominoes and taught the boys how to play and enjoyed a scoop of ice cream that the campground was offering at the bargain rate of fifty cents per scoop. Later on the evening news, we learned that a tornado had in fact touched down just north of us and damaged the Wal-Mart we had been in earlier as well as the Pizza Hut.

Because all the rain made the park even muddier, we decided to pull out the next morning and go to the state park. That was a good move. For some reason the sites were not muddy and we spent four wonderful days there. The park is adjacent to Lake Eufala, Oklahoma's  largest lake.

One day we drove to the town of Eufala to look around. It was a cute town and the best part was the old hardware store. It had old squeaky wooden floors, big wooden cupboards with glass fronts which lined one wall and everything in the world you could possibly want. We loved browsing and talking to the man that worked there. It has been in continuous operation since the early 1900s.

We left Fountainhead State Park, on Sunday June 6, and only stayed on I-40 enough to get us to U.S. Route 59. The road was good- - - in fact it was much better than I-40. Near the Arkansas border we turned east on U.S. 412 and that was okay for a few miles until we got to Springdale, Arkansas. It was a much bigger town than we had figured and went on forever. It was like city driving, but once we were out of the city the drive was good. There are no easy ways to get to Branson, Missouri. Route 412 was hilly, narrow and winding which meant it was not the best driving, but it was very pretty. There were lots of nice tiny towns and big farms. We noticed a new big road which was being built all the way to Branson. In a few years time I expect that new road will be open.

We pulled in to the Coast to Coast park in town and they had plenty of spaces. Treasure Lake is a beautiful resort and we loved being in this huge, well maintained park which is so close to everything. The first and second times we were in Branson, it was a busy time and I swore I would never go again. Ron wanted to go so I agreed and I am so happy that I did. We really had fun. First thing Monday morning after looking at all the brochures on all the shows, we went to the activity office at the park and they got us tickets for the two shows we wanted to see. For that very night we had great seats up front for the Mickey Gilley show. And we were able to get excellent seats for the Jim Stafford show on Tuesday. With those guaranteed and at a discount price, we went for a drive.

I had wanted to check out the little town of Hollister which was billed as "An English Village in the Heart of the Ozarks." It was just a little south and east of Branson on Business 65 and it truly looked like England, but an England that was going out of business. Maybe because it was Monday, everything was closed. I took a few pictures and we went back to Branson. I wanted to walk the old downtown. Dick's 5 and dime was the treasure of all treasures. This huge dime store with narrow isles and bulging shelves was full of everything that a dime store of my time had. They even had 40s music playing. And all of the goodies were for sale; this wasn't a museum. How long has it been since you went in a store and found lots and lots of shelf paper (not the sticky kind but good old fashioned paper shelf liner). And they had shelf edging to go with it. I couldn't believe all the choices. Who makes this anymore? Remember hair nets? They had them and a whole section of them in lots of colors.  How about those white paper doilies? They had them in every size imaginable. How long has it been since went to buy a  ladies fancy handkerchief? They had many to choose from and they weren't pre packaged like so many items are today. If you are hankering for some old fashioned candy they had it there too. I couldn't begin to mention all that was there, but when I checked out and saw Sen-Sen for sale, I just had to buy some. I remember that stuff from at least 100 years ago. I had no idea they were still making it. I opened the package as soon as we got in the car and put a few of those tiny little squares of licorice in my mouth and made Ron take a few too just for nostalgic sake. It was fun!!!!

That afternoon we went to the IMAX theater to see Ozarks Legacy and Legend which was very good. The IMAX theater was next door to the campground so that was easy. Traffic congestion is a problem in Branson, but it has improved since our first visits. Since we were close to the shows we were going to see, we decided to walk rather than try to drive and park. For dinner on Monday prior to the Mickey Gilley show, we decided that we would eat next door to his theater at his restaurant. We had a terrific dinner. Ron had ribs which he said were out of this world and I enjoyed the chimichanga. Then the dessert was Mickey's wonderful show. I didn't expect it to be so funny, but his steel guitar player is a real comedian and with Mickey being the straight man, it was hilarious.

Branson has so many wonderful shows to offer and much more too, but we only had two days. The Jim Stafford show was a good choice and we weren't disappointed. Everyone told us that his show was funny, so I didn't expect much more than laughs. His show was very high tech with lasers and such and even included a 3D movie. He is a multi-talented man and his show was very good.

We left Branson on Wednesday morning for the short drive to visit our old friends in Preston Missouri. We met Jim and Linda Butner at Outdoor Resorts in Port Isabel, Texas, in the winter of 1993. They had just begun full-timing and since they didn't have a pension, were traveling with their BBQ wagon behind their 5th wheel during the summer selling their great fare at state fairs in up-state New York then came down to Texas to play and fish in the winter. These hard working kids (they are younger than we are) did that for a few years then when they tired of setting up that BBQ wagon all the time, they found a perfect spot for rent at the intersection of US 54 and US 65 in Missouri. They sell their BBQ (ham, ribs, pork and beef plus Linda's terrific beans and cole slaw) for four months out of the year then still go to Texas for the winter. We hadn't seen them for a few years so it was fun to stop and visit.

We knew they would be busy (their hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) so to visit I put on an apron and helped wash dishes and make french fries. That was fun. We also got to eat two meals of their great food. After closing time, we helped clean up then had a little more time for visiting. They both get up at 5 a.m. to start the meat smoking, and prepare beans and BBQ sauce so we didn't want to keep them up too late. It was a nice visit even though it was short and I have posted a few pictures on the What's New Page. Also since I am putting old newsletter stories in the Our House section of the web site, I will be including the story we did on the Butners and their fishing skills (from the January 1994 newsletter) when we get back to Mesa, Arizona, in September.

Leaving the Butners, we headed northeast on US 54 and enjoyed more good roads and another hilly and pretty drive. But right away another stone got us. This time it was a big stone and it left a big crack on the driver's side. We stayed on 54 all the way while trying to out run a big rain storm. Since weather usually goes from west to east and since we were heading northeast we thought we could out run it. It caught us for a while and the torrents of rain made it almost impossible to see. We thought we were going to have to stop and wait for it to pass when we were suddenly out of it again. Crossing the Mississippi River at Louisiana, Missouri, was one adventure I won't soon forget. The narrow bridge left little room on either side of our motorhome and since I was in the passenger seat all I could see was river. When a truck came the other way and Ron moved right a little, I thought we were going for a swim. I guess it looked worse from my seat than it really was.

As soon as we entered Illinois, as if by magic, the towns and farms became neater than they had been in Missouri. Route 54 ended when we crossed I-36 in Illinois but we kept going in the same direction by taking Illinois Route 107. Normally we do not seek out state routes (they are usually a lighter red on the maps), but we wanted to get to U.S, 24. Griggsville, Illinois, was the first town we went through after getting on 107 and it was adorable. If the black stormy sky behind us wasn't catching up with us again we would have stopped a while. The main street in town was named "Purple Martin Street" and it was lined with purple martin bird houses - - two or three to a block. A sign on the side of a building in town said, "Purple Martins can eat 2,000 mosquitoes per day."

We reached U. S. 24 and went northeast until we found U.S. 136. Our plan was to take that all the way to Indiana, but after more rain, we decided to find a rest area and stop for the night. We jumped on I-55 near Bloomington because there was a rest area right away. It was one of the nicest ever and way off the freeway. We spent a quiet evening and started out fresh after breakfast the next morning.

We had a hard time deciding where to go. We wanted to stop somewhere for a day or two, but couldn't find a new place where there was a campground we would fit. The Indiana state parks are nice, but because we were arriving on a Friday, if we traveled too far and arrived too late, the pickings would be slim. We finally decided on Indiana Beach Resort at Monticello because they had full hook ups which would allow us to empty holding tanks and fill up with fresh water so we would be prepared for dry camping at Ron's daughter's place in Michigan.

We had no trouble getting into Indiana Beach Resort because we arrived early. We should have known better because this is a family vacation place complete with amusement park, and the lake. They advertised "big rig sites" but they were short and narrow. We managed to fit in. It was unbearably hot and humid (those storms that had been chasing us had done that) so we had hoped that with full hook ups we could turn on the air. Their 30 amp was so bad, we could only run the fan. I couldn't keep the refrigerator on electric at the same time either nor could I run the computer with the fan going. Although we signed up for two nights we left after the first one and got a refund. With campfires all around us, we had to close the windows and it was very uncomfortable. We didn't belong there. So this was the third campground since we left Arizona where we had signed up for more than one day, but left before our time was up. It was a bit depressing until we realized that we have been terribly spoiled with our luxury resort in Arizona. We love state parks and will search them out as we travel north and west and we will plan to arrive in mid-week.

Although we moved fast we enjoyed our trip. It was nice to see the lush greens after having been in the desert for so long. We are in Michigan for this week and enjoying Susie's campground (Ron's daughter). I have electricity, and just a few steps away I can plug into her phone jack. We will be going to Decatur, Indiana,  on Sunday June 20 and expect to be there for a week getting some work done on the motorhome. After that and a niece's open house, we plan to head to the upper peninsula of Michigan right away.

Gosh our AT&T one rate cell phone was terrific until we got to Lansing, Michigan. For some reason since we had been roaming much of our time (but at no additional cost), and out of the AT&T area, we became unregistered and AT&T can't send us a signal until we are back in their territory. Yesterday I drove 50 miles to get to AT&T territory and hoped that they would send me whatever signal I needed, but it didn't happen. I will report more on this later.

In over ten years on the road we had never experienced stone chips on the windshields. We have been lucky because both the Bounder and the American Dream have wide spacious windshields. As Barb mentions our luck ran out and we now have two cracks. Although they are covered by insurance, I'm unsure about getting them fixed in anticipation of getting more. Could this be a continuing thing?

The Branson thing that Barb writes about was an early birthday present for me. It was a great experience and now I think she's hooked. Her belated birthday present will be five days at Fort Wilderness in Disney World come this December. I'll enjoy it with her and we will do it up right. Don't laugh, but my favorite at Disney is the Small World ride at the Magic Kingdom.

Without getting too political, I think that people should be wary of state governors that cut taxes by reducing or freezing road budgets. It will cost their citizens much more in the future to rebuild the infrastructure, not to mention current wear and tear on vehicles. Their political gain may be your loss.

Those who rate campgrounds in the guides should not be so quick to accept the "big rig" designations. It should involve more than site length. Many so designated are not user friendly for those with big rigs. We have found inadequate turning radius' on interior roads and site access. While it is good practice for all campgrounds to trim low hanging branches, it is even more important for "big rig" campgrounds to do so. Many do not.  Fifty amp sites, although not required, are still rare.

When we were at Fountainhead State Park in Oklahoma, I went to the visitor center with my lap top and my grandson, Kristopher. I asked if they had a phone jack I could use to get email and the ranger showed us to a back office and let us plug into the plug for the FAX machine. That worked great, but while I was doing that Kristopher, being a typical nine year old, was busy looking around. He spotted an old rotary phone which had been retired to a shelf. He recognized it as a phone but was totally puzzled at how it worked. I had to tell him about the good old days before push buttons, clickers, and the one room school house that I walked one and one half miles to (up hill both ways) in show so deep that I thought I would get lost.

I have not updated the Coffee Break or Letters section but have posted Ron's newest article in View From the Driver's Seat. It is about campgrounds.

You have been great about writing the post office, but I fear that it is not doing any good. Many of you sent me the e-mailed response you got and they were all the same. So much for being heard. No one appears to be listening.

Escapees are having a fit. Just a few weeks before the deadline, the Post Office has changed the rules again. Now they say that we can't just say that we live in a recreational vehicle; we have to give the color, description etc., etc., So now the Escapees are planning a march on Washington for June 22. They are asking for anyone who can to be on the capitol steps at 2 p.m. Call Judy at Escapees for more details. We can't be there because we have our appointment at American Coach all that week, but if any of you can participate, I am sure it will make you feel like you did something.

The thing that bothers us and others who are in business like us is that we have thousands of books out and about with our old address in them. We haven't moved but because of the new rules if anyone writes to us using the old address, the post office will not forward them to us. We love hearing from folks who have questions regarding full-timing and when people write and get their letter back, they will think that we no longer are doing what we do. Colleen Sykora (Workers on Wheels) is going through the same thing. Sure we can change our address in the future, but not on what is already in print and out of our hands. It just isn't fair.

Here's a new web site to check out www.postalwatch.org

Friends of ours have just published a wonderful cookbook for RVers. Marilyn Abraham and Sandy MacGregor have done a super job and the recipes are gourmet yet easy to prepare. Look for it at Amazon.com or anywhere books are sold. The price is $14.95 and their web page is www.recreationalpress.com

Happy trails until next time.