April 18, 2022

Temperature 64 Degrees, Windy, Scattered Clouds

An April Morning in Oklahoma City 27 Years Ago

Today was our first sightseeing trip. This Memorial and Museum has been on our bucket list for some time. The Museum in graphic pictures tells the story of that horrific day. The destruction. The heroism. The stories of survivors. This is definitely one of the best museums we’ve toured in our four years. It is well laid out and extremely informative. One blog can never really do it justice. There is just so much to see, to take in, to ponder and reflect about. If you have never been here I encourage you to put it on your bucket list.

Now, let me share with you a bit of what we discovered.

19 children died in the 2nd floor Day Care Center. 6 were rescued. A total of 219 children lost a parent that day.

One of the displays features a tape recording that was being made of an application hearing in a building across the street from the Federal Building. The hearing began at 9 am. You know it is coming, the explosion that is. But when it happens, let me just say it was deafening and shocking. I can only imagine the horror of those that day that witnessed it first hand.

There is really so much more but we’ll call it here. There is a whole display dedicated to the collection of evidence and the building of the case against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Another display details their trial and then their sentencing. Then there is the Memorial which is outside. We’ll cover that tomorrow night.

It was a very somber and sobering day. Also frightening when you stop to consider that it could possibly happen again today. We went away with a new appreciation for life itself and with a new resolve to never take even a minute we are given to live for granted.

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

April 16, 2022

Temperature 56 Degrees, Rain, Gusting Wind, Cold

Let The Sightseeing Begin!

We knew that today, for us, was going to be a long day. All total it would be about a six hour drive. So we were up early and ready to roll. However, as it worked out we were able to break the trip up into two three hour drives.

So, this morning we awoke to the sound of rain. Not a great start to a long day. However, the road we started out on was in great shape and there was next to no traffic. I’ll tell you what if, and I know it will never happen, if I lived in this state I would definitely want a Corvette. My goodness, the speed limit even on back county roads is a minimum of 70 mph. And I believe that for most residents of this state is only a suggestion.

OK, as I said we were able to break our day up into two three hour drives. The first break was for fuel. This time we found a great truck stop. The fuel lanes in the back and the plaza overall was in great condition. The price was under $5 dollars which was great. Especially, since we soon were to discover the price further north is also north of $5.

It was now just short of noon time and the rain was a distant memory. In it’s place came the winds. Strong, gusting winds from the northeast. Guess what? We were headed due north at this point in the trip. So much for good fuel mileage

Some have asked about this little guy.

Unfortunately, our Proton is not a traveler. When we’re on the road he is all over the rig and of course Ms. Barbara as well. Up on the seat with her. Then down. Then behind my seat. He just doesn’t settle down, not even for a minute. Then, when we get to where we are going he just collapses. He won’t eat rather he just curls up on the couch and sleeps the sleep of death. Maybe by the time we get home he will get the hang of this whole nomad thing.

Fuel stop and lunch now finished we headed north to our new home in Oklahoma City.

In due time we arrived at our new home. This place is huge. It is also well kept and immaculate. When we rolled through the front gate we were met by our hostess who completed our paperwork at our rig and then escorted us to our site.

We have a concrete pad that is of adequate width and the spacing between sites is not bad. However, we are on a hill and as you can see we are anything but level side to side. The jacks, though, quickly took care of the situation. Well, the utilities are all hooked up, the slides are out, the Dish antenna is up and was able to find all three satellites. Guess what? I’m going inside and collapse. I’ve had enough driving for the last four days. It’s such a wonderful though knowing that we don’t have to get up and move again tomorrow. Yipee!

Life on The Road of Retirement is good. Tomorrow we’ll take it easy. We’ll do some house keeping and get Elvira sparkling clean. Then we’ll gear up for some serious sightseeing the remainder of the week. But first we need to dig out our winter gear. We knew it might get a bit chilly along the way but I’m sorry it is just darn cold. Oh well, we’ll make it through.

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

April 14, 2022

Temperature 75 Degrees, Overcast, Rain Showers

Hop Three of Three

1,240 miles since we left home. Only another 6,000 give or take a mile to go!

Today is the last of our three overnight stops. Tomorrow we move to Oklahoma where we will stay stationary for six to seven days. Believe me, I’m ready for it.

We left about 30 minutes later than we had planned to this morning because we both were moving sort of slow. No matter, the trip was a short one of only about four hours.

Our first stop was for fuel. It was one of the only truck stops we found in this immediate area. Let me just say, never again. The place was a mess. Huge potholes in the road coming in and throughout the fueling area. Spilled diesel on the ground. It was evident that no one really cared about the place. Ms. Barbara went in to pay and said the inside was the same as the outside, neglected, old and outdated. Ah well, sometimes you have no choice you have to take what you can.

Within an hour we entered our second state on this trip. Originally, we had intended to spend some time sightseeing in the Houston area. But, for personal reasons we both decided we would rather not spend anymore time than necessary in Texas. An overnight stop would be more than enough.

That overnight stop is at Mount Pleasant KOA Journey in Mount Pleasant, TX. Now, up until this park I’ve done a good job at picking parks that are relatively easy to get to, and to get in and out of. I sort of missed the mark with this one. It is in the heart of the town of Mount Pleasant. While not impossible to get to, it was a bit more challenging. It just meant in the words of a good friend of mine you need to go slow and steady and you’ll get there.

This is our home for tonight. Overall, the park is really nice and appears to be well taken care. Elvira is sitting on a level concrete pad and there is enough room for both her and our car. As you can see, there is not a whole lot of room between sites. No matter since this is only an overnight stop. Other sites in the park – I believe they call them premium – are more spaced out. We’ll be up and out early tomorrow since we have about a five hour drive to Oklahoma City.

We’re definitely rolling up the miles on The Road of Retirement. Which was our intent all along. Moreover, we’re loving every minute of every mile.

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