Friday, April 29, 2022

Temperature 63, Rain, Gusting Winds

Missouri River Basin, Lewis and Clark Center, Nebraska City, NE

Since today seems like it is going to be an inside day due to weather, I’m going to try and get caught up on attractions we visited while in Nebraska City.

This is the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center that is part of The Lewis and Clark Adventure Trail which is a 3,700-mile long historical trail in the United States National Park Service system.

It passes through 11 states and follows the path Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took as they explored the lands acquired through the Louisiana Purchase. As visitor centers/museums go it is rather small but it is absolutely packed with fascinating exhibits and facts. Following is a small part of what was there.

The Lewis and Clark expedition was the first overland expedition across America from the east to the Pacific Ocean and back.

President Thomas Jefferson asked

Captain Meriwether Lewis, Jefferson’s private secretary, to arrange the expedition. Before the expedition Lewis was sent to Philadelphia in order to learn botany, celestial navigation, medicine and zoology.

Regarding what he learned about medicine

While in Philadelphia he also purchased supplies and spent $20 on Newfoundland dog, Seaman.

The second commander in charge of the expedition.

Lewis asked his friend Lieutenant William Clark of the US Army to hire and train men for the expedition while he gathered supplies.

The expedition began on May 14, 1804 and it took over two years to complete. There were several reasons for the expedition: to map a route that would be part of a water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans; to determine the boundaries of the territory obtained in the Louisiana Purchase, to make diplomatic contact with Native American Indians, and expand the American fur trade.

The Corps of Discovery (as the expedition company was called) traveled 10 to 20 miles a day.

They polled, pushed, and pulled their keel boat upstream. But the going was not always easy.

They also used many other types of boats.

President Jefferson also instructed Lewis to map the geography of the West.

Lewis and Clark ‘discovered’ animals that they had never heard of including the grizzly bear.

Many plants were ‘discovered’ by Lewis and Clark on the expedition as well.

October 16, 1805 the expedition was finally completed. They had traveled nearly 8,000 miles round trip, survived altercations with Indians, almost starved to death at one point in time, and learned new ways to fish. The expedition contributed significant geographic and scientific knowledge of the West, aided the expansion of the fur trade, and strengthened U.S. claims to the Pacific. Clark’s maps portraying the geography of the West, printed in 1810 and 1814, were the best available until the 1840s.

If you are ever passing through this part of the country do yourself a favor and plan on stopping for a bit to explore the visitor center. You will not regret it.

Thanks again for taking the time to share our adventures with us.  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish every moment of every day that God gives you and live those moments to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Temperature 61, Overcast, Gusting Winds

Amana RV Park and Event Center

Should we stay? Leave a day early? Maybe a day late? Looking at the weather for Thursday and Friday we made the decision to leave a day early. Hence, today became a travel day rather than a day to catch up on the attractions we visited while in Nebraska City. But trust me they’re coming.

So Wednesday night we began to pack. I wish I could say we’ve got it down to perfection but unfortunately we still don’t. In particular, I’m still making too many stupid mistakes. I’m missing little things, like remembering to turn the propane off, before getting on the road. Until today nothing came back to bite me. But today, well, I forget to tuck the cable between the rig and the car up in it’s support bracket. The result? It dragged and now I have several wires I have to cut and splice. Maybe by the end of our six months I’ll again have it all down pat!

OK. Knowing that today would be another long drive for us we left before 9 am this morning. Our first stop would be in three to four hours for fuel. Traffic was light, there were no construction delays, and the winds at first were light so we made good time. The bad news is that the price of fuel is going back up big time. Up until now we could usually find diesel for under $5 per gallon but that is no more. Oh well, it is what it is.

A full tank of fuel down below we were back on the road. This is when things got interesting due to the wind. Today they were so-so. Two hands on the wheel at all times and I was able to manage the situation fairly well. I can only imagine what it would have been like had we waited until Friday when they are calling for strong, gusting winds throughout the day. And those winds would have been hitting us from the side.

Another two hours and we were there. There being

A short drive from this intersection and we were

at the office registering for our site.

The main road leading into the park. Gee, by the fact that the park is empty, do you think we are here a bit too early in the year? It is the same everywhere we go. Note to self, next time don’t leave until at least the middle of May!

Our new home for the next five days. The site is gravel. It is a sort of pull-through, meaning if there is no one in the site behind you, you can pull through. It is reasonably level but very narrow. Site separation is good. All in all not a bad place to call home for a few days.

We had hoped to do a number of things while we are here. For example, this Saturday is Maifest. There are supposed to be Maipole Dancers, live bands, and wine tasting. However, it looks like the weather is going to be against us. We’ll just have to take it day by day.

So it goes on The Road of Retirement. It is hard to believe but we’ve only been on the road for three weeks. Sometimes, though, it feels like we never stopped full-timing. Our Elvira offers us a comfortable and secure home. We’re so grateful for our home on wheels and the opportunity Elvira offers us to fulfill our dreams.

Thanks again for taking the time to share our adventures with us.  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Temperature 71 Degrees, Abundant Sunshine

Victorian Acres RV Park, Nebraska City, NE

Time to get caught up.

Yesterday was a travel day. We’re steadily making our way north and then we’ll swing west.

Yesterday we left Kansas and made our way to Nebraska. So, we’ve now been able to add two more states to our map.

During our trip along the way we had a little bit of everything. We had some wind gusts from the side, several significant construction delays, and several delays as we made our way through some small towns along our route. All in all it was a tiring day and by the time we arrived we both were ready to just chill (more about chilling a little later).

The first challenge was just finding our new home. The GPS said one thing, the directions on the park’s web site said something else, and when we called the RV park the woman we spoke to was as clear as mud! Ms. Barbara just kept saying trust me I’ll get us there. And as always true to her word she did indeed get us there without muss or fuss. My lady is a first rate navigator.

This is where we eventually landed yesterday. It was just a mile from the interstate so it was indeed easy to get to. A quick left turn

under the arch

past the eagle

and we are home through Thursday, leaving on Friday. This is another really nice RV park. It appears well maintained and taken care of. The entrance is well marked, the road in is a mix of paved and gravel and is in great shape. The roads in the park are gravel, all in great shape, of adequate width and easy to navigate.

Our site in particular is more than long enough for Elvira and the Little Gray Ghost (I decided to rename it!) It is hard packed gravel but it is not even close to being level either side to side, or front to back. However, once again the jacks took care of the issue.

Other than one other rig way up the other end of the row, we are all alone. Which got me to thinking, is this the wrong time of the year to be here? Well, remember what I said earlier about just chilling? Wonder of wonders, last night the temperature took a nose dive. How about 29 degrees! We were definitely chilling! So, we threw the heavy blanket on the bed, switched from heat pumps to propane furnace and we made it through the night just fine. Ah, the warm winter temperatures of Florida are now just a fond memory.

Some have asked how Proton is doing with the nomadic lifestyle. Up until our last sightseeing trip he was so-so. He seems to be adjusting to travel days but not to being left home alone. The first two times we left him home alone he was sort of OK. But the last time! He ate the left over piece of pizza, got into his treats, bunched up the one shade, cleared off the kitchen counter, and did the same to the counter behind our kitchen table. Suffice to say, we have now purchased a travel crate which he will stay in when we go sightseeing. This way we can go out and not worry about our house being in pieces when we return.

All in all life on The Road of Retirement is great. We are so blessed to be able to do what we are doing and to be doing it together. What more could one ask for? Life is not about the toys you accumulate but about the time spent with those you love. For myself and Barb paraphrasing a famous song Like life is making memories with the one I love.

Thanks again for stopping by today  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Temperature 67 Degrees, Moderate Winds, Abundant Sunshine, Clear Blue Skies

Welcome to Oz

We had come here for one reason, and that reason we fulfilled yesterday. That reason being a trip to The Oz Museum. Yet, as is so often the case once we got here we found so much more to do, more than time would permit. I also found one more museum in particular that I wanted to visit but it is temporally closed. Maybe someday in the future we will return.

So, without further ado let’s go to OZ. We honestly had no idea what the museum would be like. Would it be just a hole in the wall? Would it be a why bother trip? Well, let me say how pleasantly surprised and thrilled we were when we actually arrived. It is located on Wamego’s main street in-between two other stores. Wandering through the museum proved to be a truly wonderful way to spend an afternoon. If you are a fan of the Wizard of Oz you absolutely owe it to yourself to put a trip here on your bucket list. Now, a few facts about the museum:

the museum showcases the collection of a Wamego native, hence its location

the current collection features over 2000 items, considered to be of the most extensive in existence

new items are donated to the museum on a regular basis hence the exhibits are constantly refreshed

the museum honors over 100 years of Oz history

the museum opened its doors in 2004

Step in the front door and look who is there to greet you, complete with his new heart!

Time, indeed, to go find the Wizard.

Let’s meet the author.

Here is what we learned about him:

before he authored the Wizard of Oz he worked as actor, playwright, journalist, chicken breeder, axle lubricant merchandiser, and traveling salesman

he was famous for creating fairy tales to amuse his four sons and the neighborhood children

some of the stories he told his sons were set in a magical land filled with adventure. When they asked him the name of this land, it is said he happened to look over at his file cabinet, saw the letters O to Z, and replied it is the land of OZ

his mother in law encouraged him to write his fairy tales down and have them published. So, together with an illustrator by the name of W.W. Denslow they worked together to develop the new story and its characters.

they considered many titles for the book, for instance, From Kansas to Fairy Land, The Emerald City, and The Land of Oz. They finally settled on the title we know today The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Title settled on, book completed, they could not find one interested publisher and so finally published the initial book using their own money.

to date The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has sold tens of millions of copies and remains one of the top selling books of the twentieth century.

Just think, it all began with a simple story meant to amuse his sons!

After The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published Baum received countless letters from children wanting to read more about his magical land. During his lifetime he authored several more books. However, the books didn’t stop after his passing.

OK, time to move along since we have so much more to share.

After the first book Baum and Denslow disagreed on royalties and so parted ways. John R. Neil stepped in as illustrator for the second and subsequent books. Shown here are 24 color illustrations by Neil.

Let’s talk about the MGM movie that came from the book.

the total cost of producing, releasing, and promoting the movie topped out at an unheard of sum at that time of over three million dollars

while the book took place in a land of adventure, the movie became just a dream since it was thought that this would appeal more to an adult audience

Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the tin man but left after becoming sick from inhaling his silver powder make-up. It evolved into a silver paste when Jack Haley took over the role

some of the early and abandoned characters for the movie included a prince and princess; a woodpecker who would ruin the exit of the professor by popping his balloon

the ruby red slippers were originally silver but came across in color as black and white so they were changed to the color we know of today

Quick question – who was the producers first choice for Dorothy in the MGM movie? If you answered Shirley Temple you were right! But she turned it down. However, though Judy Garland was finally chosen it is said that they worked hard to create an acceptable appearance for her. They began by trying to make her look like Shirley Temple but then she was given a much more believable appearance as a midwestern small-town girl that she really was.

And what have we here? If you answered Munchkins you were right!

There is still so much more to see, too much for one blog. Let me try and highlight some of the exhibits. Enough, hopefully to peek your interest in going to visit the museum yourself.

I wonder where we will end up?

OK, come quickly now. Outside the museum and across the street we go to the

And does anyone know where Baum got the idea for the Emerald City? The Glorious White City known as the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.

Oh, there is so much more to see at the museum. But time does not permit. So let me say it again, do go and see it for yourself for I know you’ll be just as amazed and delighted as we were with what the museum has to offer.

Thanks again for stopping by today  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before