Back in Erieau, Ontario, Canada

April 16 17 18 19 20  Weather  on 16 to 18 was great spring warmth.  Sunny and shirt sleeve season. Then the storms came in from the west and south and converge onto the Great Lakes area, Sunday and Monday.
We stopped in Van Buren, Ohio to see our great Buckeye friends.  There is a campground called Pleasant View that was not quite open but let us hook up for the night at a winter rate.  That was fine with us - we had power and water.   And we just wanted to "hang with our friends Bill & Beth".   We say that laughingly since Beth's granddaughter asked her to text her after grandma was done hanging with her friends.  Hilarious!
Our trip from Ohio to Michigan was uneventful on I75 but just a tip if you are headed to the border ..... When we hit Toledo we always go straight up hwy 23 to Ann Arbor then take I94 to the Ambassador Bridge.  Why???  Well interstate 75 in Michigan is so rough your back teeth will be loose let alone every thing in the coach takes a pounding.  It's worth the extra few miles.
No issues crossing back into Canada.
We are camped in Erieau which is right on Lake Erie.  Not the warmest place in the spring since the lake was completely froze over this winter.  It is thawed but will need some warm sunny days to heat the temperature up.  And it will have wind.  Southside Landing RV Park has good big rig sites, only a dozen of them.  At this time of the year we will be all by ourselves.  On a good note it is only 10 minutes from my Mom and close to our friends.   We both need to get our medical appointments caught up before we can head out on the RV trail again.  Yes and see our kids, all 6 of them and 2 grandkids.  

It is Green

April 14 & 15/2015  Weather should be above freezing at night from now on????  Safe to head north.  It is spring right:)   Our journey east and north has begun in earnest now, we have medical insurance till April 20 but we don't want to wait till the last day.   Tuesday we traveled from Branson, Missouri to St. Louis, Missouri via I44.  We stopped short of the city at the KOA St. Louis West .   It was a good location to stop before everyone gets off work for the day - in the morning we will take the bypass south of the city.    The temperature was about 67 today a bit overcast and low of  54.   We can handle that.  

Crossing the Mississippi

Barges are busy on the river

The Arch in St. Louis as seen from the bypass I255 east side

From St. Louis we took I70 to Indianapolis.   Changing states as we go across -  Missouri, Illinois, Indiana.   I70 in Illinois has a lot of construction zones.  Many down to 1 lane but no stopped traffic, it kept moving at 45 mph. 
What time is it?  What zone are we in?  And the last time change back!   When we cross into Indiana we will gain an hour.  Arrival at 2:30 will be 3:30.   Once again time to stop before all that work traffic is on the highway.   Tonight we are on the east side of town, at another KOA.... Indianapolis East.    It can be a bit unimaginative to pull into the KOA's on our way across but we feel it is a lot like McDonalds.  You know what your going to get.  The park is always close to the freeway.  The site will be easy in and out.  50 amp - long pull thru.  No trees to contend with.  Back on the road the next day.   Every KOA stay gives you points and we used $25.00 worth against our one night.    Tomorrow we head to Ohio.  It sure is "green" here.   We laugh at that since it is such a change from being in the desert for the last 3 months!

Hard Work U

April 11/2015  Weather beautiful sunny spring day, high of 72, low of 48. 

Hard Work U - what a great motto

There is a unique center of higher learning here The College of the Ozarks.   The campus has a beautiful lodge called the Keeter Center which was designed to recreate the Dobyns Hall which was displayed at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.   There are fifteen beautiful suites with fireplaces and balconies that overlook the campus grounds. 

entering the campus

The Lodge also has a dining room, conference room, coffee bar, gift shop and ice creamery. 

The Keeter Center

Beautiful fireplace inside the Keeter Center Lodge

Many of the ingredients in the restaurant are grown or raised on the campus farm.  C of O students may graduate debt free by working off their tuition.  Each student works 15 hours per week plus one 40 hour week per semester at one of the 80 different work stations.   This has been an integral part of the College since the beginning and is based on the belief in the dignity and work of work.  Thus their motto proudly displayed as the "Hard Work U".    Our luncheon was 5 star.

Salmon Salad with Ginger Dressing

   

Strawberry Shortcake/ Macaroon

Peel Ferry Route

April 10/2015 Weather cooler today after the storms passed over.  Sunny with a high of 69 today, low tonight 39.  Time to put on the black leathers and ride :)

winding our way

Missouri and Arkansas have great booklets out with numerous motorcycle rides in the Ozarks.   The Peel Ferry route is unique in that half way round the loop you have to take a ferry across Bull Shoals Lake.  It is the last ferry plying the waters of any lake or river in Arkansas.  It is free and runs in daylight hours only. 

Waiting for the Ferry ride

Peel Ferry

Springtime has the redbuds and dogwoods in full bloom along every road way.

Dogwoods blooming wild along the roads

 The roads are winding along the waterways and up into the highland ridges.  Glimpses of lakes and miles of rolling hills appear when you climb up from the ferry to the junction of the road to the town of Harrison.

View from a top

Not many services till then and we found a great bowl of soup and fresh homemade breads and baked goods at Neighbors Mill Bakery & Cafe in Harrison.   After we had our hunger fueled we headed north to Branson to finish a great spring day. 

Neighbor's Mill Bakery & Cafe in Harrison

Branson Camping Options

April 6 - 14/2015  While staying at the KOA in Branson we realized it is pre-season so the park is really quiet, hardly anyone here.  This park location is central to the action.  Riding close by we came across a couple of other parks that caught our eye, so we stopped in for future reference if we were ever here when it is busy.   It might be nice to stay in the action for a few days then out a ways for some R & R.

Back way in to Branson Lakeside RV park - through very narrow trestle railroad bridge

Branson Lakeside RV Park is located in the old historic section of Branson on the east side.   Watch your directions into the park there is only 1 way in - very important to check your GPS before coming with the RV.   On the Harley we came in the back alley which was driving through a narrow lane trestle railroad bridge.  

Bass Pro shop plus fish restaurant right on the water

Once in the park there are several big long pull thrus with great views. The campground has a great location along Lake Taneycomo and has a walking path to the nearby Bass Pro Shop and an outdoor shopping area that has been revitalized in the old section of town.   

outdoor shopping in historic old Branson

We also really liked the Table Rock State Park and Marina which is right on the lake, with many big level sites;  all the services (50 amp/s/w) including wifi.  Nice walking paths along the lake.   It is south of town on Hwy 165 near the Dam.

Table Rock State Park Marina - huge facility

Branson - Shows and Shopping

April 9/2015  Weather Severe Thunderstorm watch - hot 82 and humid 80%.  Never really got any weather it just threatened all day.  So we stayed close to town in case we needed to get back quickly.   Actually we even heard the Tornado Siren sound mid morning.    Tip: Beware traffic and Buses on Saturday night.  Everyone is headed to the shows.  Roads in will be backed up for 1 hour before showtime.  We watched it from our campground !

Breakfast Show

Branson is known for shows and shopping.  When we checked into our campground we received a list of shows 2 pages long!!!  

Grand Palace Theatre

 There are musicals, acrobats, illusionists, country western shows, comedy shows, gospel shows, dinner shows with entertainment..... it just goes on and on.   We have not really decided on seeing any of them but if it is your thing you can get specials for several ticket packages every night of the week.

Titanic Museum

Clay Cooper Theatre

 As well there are many museums, antique shops, craft shops, and shopping malls and golf courses.  Lots for you to keep busy day and night !!!  

The Ozarks and Eureka Springs

April 6 - 14/ 2015  Onward to Branson, Missouri.   We have hesitated on heading here since the weather is and will be sketchy.    The I44 corridor is known as Tornado Alley;  Branson is south of it about 30 miles.  We are  staying at the Branson KOA. Tip:  on the off season you can easily drive the motor home down the main street of Branson (Country Blvd/Hwy 76 from Hwy 65).  However in busy season we would suggest from our Big Rig Campground book taking the back route in.  Avoid the main drag.  It will be bumper to bumper.  So from Hwy 65 take Hwy 265 W, over the Dam, then right onto Hwy 165 to Animal Safari Road and the KOA.  Lot longer in miles but perhaps quicker since you will not be in stop traffic and have your sanity when you arrive.
The motorcycle riding in the Ozarks is beautiful which is what keeps drawing us to this area every spring if we are close by. 

Table Rock Lake

Weather - Tuesday hot and humid - 82 degrees, stormy looking, humidity 74%.  Riding from Branson, Mo to Eureka Springs, Arkansas through wooded hills and valleys, beside lakes and streams.  Not even an hour away.

Nice sweeping corners, up and down the hills of the back roads

Red Bud trees along the roadside

The redbud trees are blooming roadside everywhere.... forsythia bushes, spring tulips.   Spring is here.  We talked to a fellow at Table Rock State Park and he told us that the lakes never freeze over here in the Ozarks.

Our bike parked downtown - all little unique stores

Eureka Springs is based solely on Tourism.  The entire city is in the National Register of Historic Places, era 1880's.   The city has steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style cottages and manors. 

Coming down the old historic town loop

The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone and lie along streets that curve around the hills and rise and fall with the topography in a five-mile long loop. Some buildings have street-level entrances on more than one floor. 

we weren't sure if this was the entrance to a house or a little cottage itself

Eureka Springs has historically been called "The Little Switzerland of America" and "The Stair step Town" because of its mountainous terrain and the winding, up-and-down paths of its streets and walkways. The streets wind around the town, and no two intersect at a 90 degree angle.

The Stone Cottages for rent

Funny enough we jumped on the Historic Loop and found ourselves driving back and forth around the spaghetti noodle streets.   On the GPS we could see the main street but not see any streets intersecting to get to it !!!!   No wonder!  Eventually we were spit out at the bottom of the loop onto main street. 

Beautiful landscaped old Victorian style home - just one of many to see

Old Crescent hotel - popular spot to stay in Eureka springs

The Handy Man

April 5/2015  Weather chilly 57, high humidity 87%, overcast, south wind of 20 to 25 mph - so we are getting hit by a cross wind -  traveling from Amarillo, Texas to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  The Mid-West is challenging to travel across in the Spring.   Even though it is Easter Sunday we reluctantly moved as the forecast showed stronger cross winds to deal with on Monday.   Usually we are not keen on driving on holidays since we like to celebrate the day as well and if we did have road trouble we would prefer to look for help on a regular working day.   Oddly the traffic was all transport trucks, few cars on the road; we imagine families are home looking for the Easter Bunny.   Do the trucks ever stop?    We had no road trouble and found a nice campground that had a few spots open in Oklahoma City - Twin Fountains RV Park.    We were off the road early (about 1:30 pm) thinking places might be full up being Easter.   Sometime big urban centers are the most complicated to find a nice campground.  (Best do a post about that sometime.)  

See the drop into the site then the drop down in front...... Got to watch we don't bottom out.

Our site was kind of strange.   Big enough but it had a drop down and slope into a flat site then another drop off to the road out.  Never had one like that before.  When we leave we will be going slowly; a longer wheel based coach could possibly bottom out or a longer trailer would most likely hit and drag. Summary: we cleared ok.  But in the future we might be hesitant to take a site like this.

Connector has a 1 broken terminal out of 3

Every time we pull out, even if we are on the road day after day; we always check our trailer lights.  Signals and brake lights; both left and right side.  Check.  With it being another overcast day we also checked the running lights in case we were going to have to use them.  Not working.   Billy checked the trailer to coach connection.   We had a broken terminal.  This is where "The Handy Man" comes in...... Fortunately we have not seen "him" for a while.

One of several caches of spare parts we have in the trailer

Billy has quite a stock of spare parts and a good selection of tools with us in the trailer.  Right away he found a spare wiring connector which he cut and spliced and in about 1/2 hour we were back checking his repair work.  Lights all working now.   Ok time to pull out!

Man at Work

On the Move

April 3/ 2015  Weather in Albuquerque, New Mexico was the coldest day we have had since January; even though the sun shone all day.  High of 65 and breezy with a low of 40.

Peaceful night - Good Friday

It's Good Friday so we thought maybe it would be a day to stay in one spot; nothing would be surely open if in the event we had any need to stop for fuel or trouble.  Well that was not the case.   Lots of traffic was going by and we checked at the park office.  It was a regular work day????  We thought it had to be a statutory holiday.  We did go get a bag of groceries and noticed all business and industries were working.  Sad really, in Ontario it is always a stat holiday.   But it was a nice peaceful day for Billy and Rosey; and we truly feel blessed.   At night when we walked around the park there was the most beautiful moonlit night over the RV Park. 
April 4/2015 Saturday Weather about 65 and sunny traveling from ABQ, NM to Amarillo, Texas.  Tonight low in Amarillo 50, windy.  Today the winds were following us for the most part then turning to a south cross wind, 20 to 25 mph.   We planned on being off the road early afternoon to avoid the winds.

entering Oasis RV Resort in Amarillo - do you get the RV in the ground??  Nice Irony

Stopping at  Oasis RV Resort for a one nighter then moving on to Oklahoma City on Easter Sunday.  Originally we were going to stay off the roads Easter Sunday but realized it may not make much difference here in the USA.  We looked at the weather and saw a stormy front moving through the area on Monday so we are opting to travel on Sunday hoping to miss the worst of it. 

Cadillac Ranch

Oh and the RV in the ground???   If you have been to Amarillo Texas on Interstate 40 you will remember Cadillac Ranch.  It was invented and built by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco. They called themselves The Ant Farm, and their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh 3. He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals, and the hippies came up with a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. Ten Caddies were driven into one of Stanley Marsh 3's fields, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt (supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza). They faced west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, their tail fins held high for all to see on the empty Texas panhandle.

Old Town Albuquerque

April 1/2015 High of 78, low of 48. We never realized there is so much to do and see in Albuquerque.  Most everyone knows of the Balloon Festival in October.  It's on our bucket list - someday.  Today we are headed to the heart of Old Town Albuquerque. 

Entrance to Old Town - ornately decorated

Just parked our bike in the town square

all the buildings have side court yards and walkways

bunches of chili peppers adorn many shops

old adobe cafe

  There is lodging, restaurants, shopping, tours, museums, aquarium, zoo, botanical gardens, town plaza, and about 10 blocks of historic adobe buildings.  Still active today is  San Felipe de Neri Church, the oldest building in the city, which was built in 1793.  We have been in quite a few old cities across North America but Old Town Albuquerque feels different - it feels real.   Many of the families whose ancestors founded the city still live inside the 10 blocks today.

New Mexico has a state cookie - biscochistos

even their license plates are southwestern colours

Turquoise Trail

March 31/2015 Weather warm 80 and 49 low, riding through 5 to 6000 feet areas so we are dressing for it.  What happens is that when you stop in a little town to walk around you can't wait to get the black leathers off!  There are many TV shows, movies, series filmed in New Mexico.  Breaking Bad, Longmire, Wild Hogs to name a few.

When we were at the Rally we met Beverly from Blenheim and she told us we needed to take the Turquoise Trail if we stayed in Albuquerque.  She was right :)   It was a nice 50 mile ride north towards Sante Fe through little mining towns and rugged landscape.  One little town we spent a few hours in was Madrid.

Maggies Diner - Set built for the Movie "Wild Hogs"

And did you see the movie "Wild Hogs"? There is a building in Madrid that you will remember Maggies Diner.... but it really isn't -  it sells t-shirts and souvenirs.  We thought lets get a burger here,,,,  nope.  Madrid is a funky, arsty place. 

Some beautiful south western art, jewellery, handmade crafts in many house style galleries.

kind of a voodoo doll?

beautiful ornate crosses

Spirit in Art - storefront

Hand woven Native American blankets

And we happened to have the best lunch at a quirky looking place called The Hollar.  Excellent food, don't be scared off by the appearance.  The fence is made of sticks. 

The Hollar Restaurant - fabulous food