2016 Trip - 8) Branson, MO to Platte City, MO

Sat. 6/25… (Branson, MO)  Last day in Branson. We had no real plans today.  I walked Bailey (she seems to be getting better – no limping now) and checked on the machines in the laundry room.  All clear!  When Lydia and I got there a few minutes later, Bill & Treasa had all the washers going so we had to wait a bit.  But we managed to get 6 loads of laundry done so we’re good for a while. Little batches can be washed in the coach. We hung around camp and prepped a bit for tomorrow’s run. Lydia made the executive decision to go out to eat on the last day we are with B&T.  We went to Charlie’s Ribs and had a nice meal.  Each of us had a coupon for their bloomin’ onion.  Bill’s b’day is July 3^rd so we celebrated early with a surprise ice cream treat.

 

Later, we went to Walmart and then home to sit out and plan our day tomorrow.

 

Sun. 6/26… (Platte City, MO)    This morning we got going early (8:30am).  We got everything hooked up and said our goodbyes to Bill & Treasa (and Lola) as they are heading out later today on their way to Ohio to visit their son and his family (and maybe to return Lola, but we’ll see). Rick had a minor issue with one of his slideouts but after a few minutes we got it working. Our drive today was 248 miles which took us north.  We are now at Basswood Country RV Resort (pa $21x2, and tl $42x1) in Platte, City, MO. We are here for 3 days. Platte City is just on the outskirts of Kansas City, MO (and KS). 

 

 

More on that later.  We got parked and relaxed a bit and either napped (Lydia) or watched the Nascar race (me). I watched my guy, Tony Stewart take the win at Sonoma Raceway in Calif.  Yaaay! Janie fixed dinner tonight.  We had baked potatoes and a salad wedge. It was yummy.  Janie was going to serve ice cream for dessert but on her way to the fridge she didn’t see Bailey on her white floor and tripped.  She hit her head and shoulder which were both sore.  We found the address for the nearest urgent care and we cleaned up their rig from dinner while Rick took her in.  They called a few hours later to say she has a broken humerus just below the shoulder.  They can’t cast it so they are wrapping her. When they got home (around 10:15pm) we got more info. She was given pain meds to take and the arm was her only injury. 

 

We brought her a bed pillow in case she has to prop up to sleep and we left them to try to get settled in.   

 

Mon. 6/27… (Platte City, MO)  Janie looks a lot better this morning.  She said she slept pretty good considering.  Meanwhile we have been in contact with our friend and former California resident Sally Payne who came back to her native Missouri to live after John passed in 2014.  She was trying to decide when to come down from St Joseph (about 45 miles north of us) to visit with us.  We told her we hadn’t spoken to Janie (yet that morning) but we thought she probably wouldn’t want to go into Kansas City today and would want to rest a day.  So Sally came today.  She looks like the Sally we remember. Good health and all! We visited a while and decided to go into town for lunch.  We drove the 5 miles to Roxanne’s Café and had a really good meal. Then we drove about 8 miles to Weston which was an old timey town with antique shops.  We did mostly a drive by as a lot of the stores were closed (midweek) but we did stop at a roadside market and bought some fresh tomatoes and fresh peaches which we will eat soon. We got back and Rick and I went back to town with Janie’s prescription to get filled while the girls visited.  When we returned I took Bailey out and wet her down (it’s still in the high 90’s here) and then went and visited with Sally a while longer before she said goodbye and headed back home.

 

It was sure good to see her again! No dinner plans tonight. We will munch on leftovers and maybe some dessert.  Tomorrow we hope to head into KC to tour a bit.  Hope Janie is up to it. I would be posting this but the internet is non existent!  So we watched tv a bit and I took Bailey out by the lake (too dirty to let her swim in L) and then we called it a night.       

2016 Trip - 7) Even more Branson

 

Wed. 6/22… (Branson, MO)  Happy Anniversary to us!  48 wonderful years! We ate breakfast and then went into town with Rick & Janie to take a ride on the ducks!  B&T passed this morning. We have done this in the past but R&J never have so we thought it would be fun. It was fun, although it was a pretty rough ride and hard on the back.

 

 

They took us for a tour of Branson, including the dam and a hilltop view of the city. Last time we went down the main thoroughfares of Branson and then to the lake.  This time it was less city and more rural.  We went onto some private land and up to the top of a hill overlooking the lake. This is an old limestone quarry and the owners have staged an impress array of military vehicles.

A view from the top of the mountain....

 

I missed getting a picture but they have a huge cannon shell hanging from a dead tree.  Our guide called it, get this – ‘a cartridge in a bare tree’!     

 

Then they took us for a boat ride!  We went out on Table Rock Lake for a few minutes to tour the lake and let all of the kids drive the boat!  It was nice a breezy which made for a nice trip. 

 

Once we got back we stopped in the store and bought a couple of replacement ducks for our camping club (we give one or two out each month for doing something stupid – yeah I have had it more than my share of the time!).

Afterward, we stopped at Steak n Shake for a quick meal and then went to West Branson Walmart and bought a few things for dinner plus a couple of $.94 noodles for the pool. We came home and rested and then went to Janie’s for hotdogs. Treasa brought beans and Lydia brought potato salad.  We then left for the Sight and Sound Theater to see ‘Moses’, but first we made a stop at Andy’s for another custard treat.  The S&S Theater is huge and we were in row GG but that gave us a great view of everything as the stage goes around the outside aisles.  We sure enjoyed the production.  Here are a few pics.  

     

 

Thurs. 6/23… (Branson, MO) The guys went out fishing one last time.  The boat is always the same.  They just have now been holding it for us when we want it.  We hit the same spot again in the morning and again started catching fish.  I have never seen fishing this good all of the times I have been here.  We moved to three different locations. I caught 27 again. Rick caught 6.  Everything was going good all week until 2 minutes before we brought the boat back in for the last time.  A large boat kicked up a swell and it hit the front of our boat big time. Rick caught it full on and got soaked.  Hope his phone is ok. We looked into renting a pontoon boat but they are reserved for the guests staying at Cooper Creek so they get first dibs.  It was also over $200. a day so we decided even split three ways it wasn’t going to happen. After returning and getting cleaned up I rested a while and caught up on my checkbook. We called the rv guy and left a message that he only has until Sunday morning to get our part installed (if it even comes in!). If not I guess he will bill me only for his service call.  Maybe I can get the part shipped ahead.  We’ll see……

Later Lydia was next up for dinner. She put a beef brisket in the crock pot. Treasa brought zucchini and Janie brought mashed potatoes.  Everything was very tasty! But guess what? The repair guy called and was just around the corner.  He has my part!  While the others ate, they got it installed and tested and everything was good to go.  He also brought 6 replacement batteries for the coach but instead of the $130 ea he had quoted, these ones were $280 ea. So I passed. We will replace them when we get home. He has to make a new invoice but they are coming back tomorrow to install a replacement icemaker line in B&T’s coach so I will pay then. After they left we found that we had time to do something else. We had decided that one night we would go to the show to see Finding Dory.  Well that was tonight.  The movie was very good.  We always enjoy the fun cartoons! The theater was on the other side of the ‘Branson strip’ so coming and going is always a bit of a chore.  But we got home ok and called it a night. But we did put things away outside as there are showers in the area.   

  

Fri. 6/24…… (Branson, MO)  Well, it did rain last night and it’s still sprinkling this morning.  This is the only rain we have seen so far but it does cool things off a bit so no worries.

We have plans today for one more show. Lydia had ordered tickets to Dixie Stampede.  B&T had seen it before (so have we) so they passed.  Just a quick note here - if you are ever in Branson and plan to see shows, use Terry’s Discount Tickets (ttbranson.com). He always gets us good seats.  We decided to go to the luncheon show at the Stampede.  This show is kinda like Medieval Times.  You sit on either the north or the south side and watch competition races and contests in the arena.  The food was good and the show was entertaining.  I was wondering how they would treat the subject of the Confederacy, given the recent issues with the confederate flag and such. 

But no issues and all was good. We returned and had time to go to the pool for a while. Later, we sat out with everyone and had some wine and snacks.  

 

2016 Trip - 6) More Branson

 

Sat. 6/18… (Branson, MO) Today was another fishing day.  Bill chose not to go with us today so Rick & I headed down. It was another catch and release day. The bite was not quite as good as Thursday but we still managed to reel ‘em in consistently. Rick equaled his 20 and I got 30.  They were all small to average size. Here’s an average one.

 

While we were out fishing, Lydia and Janie went shopping.   Bill & Treasa caught up on laundry and other things.  Later, Lydia fixed the salmon and crab dinner we were holding for B&T.  After that we drove into town and to Andy’s Custard for a treat.  This is always a must stop for us and it was as good as always! We then drove out to Petco to pick up dog food for the Bailey dog and on the way back tried to find a quilt shop that Lydia went to years ago. The place is now a vacant lot.  Hopefully they have relocated and she can find it next week. We then returned to sit out for a while. The weather has cooled off a bit and it was nice outside.  I was so relaxed that I later fell asleep watching tv.

 

Sun. 6/19… (Branson, MO)   HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! The girls are taking us dads to Lambert’s for ‘linner’.  More on that later. The plan was to eat breakfast and then all head toward Springfield (about 43 miles north of Branson). On the way I wanted to stop by Branson Ziplines to pick up a new t-shirt which we did.  On the list was Bass Pro Shops.  This is the original and granddaddy of all BPS.  This place is huge!  We spend some serious time in this store! We picked up a few things for fishing and I looked for new sunglasses.  Then we headed back toward Branson and stopped at Lambert’s.

 

 

They are famous as the ‘home of the throwed rolls’. They come around with warm rolls in a basket and actually throw them to you.  It was fun but very crowded.

 

Mon. 6/20… (Branson, MO)  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREASA!  Third day of fishing. This time Bill went with us.  The day was great.  The fishing was good again but the water was flowing from the dam so the current was pretty strong. Once we adjusted we started catching fish.  Again nothing other than stockers but fun just the same.  I caught 27. Rick got 4 and Bill caught 11. 

 

 

We’ll go out again on Thursday. The girls went shopping and Janie also picked up an ice cream cake for Treasa. Treasa made dinner which was very good.  After dinner I walked Bailey and cut her nails. I caught up on some races and Lydia did a couple loads of laundry and watched some of her tapes.       

 

Tues. 6/21… (Branson, MO) We had no plans today. B&T waited in camp for the glass repair guy to show up.  They got a rock chip in their windshield the day we drove to Springfield.  Meanwhile, we took R&J to Dick’s five & dime in old town Branson.  This place is packed with everything!  Both couples bought stuff. We stopped for lunch at Jimmy John’s (subway deli) and then made a quick stop at the small BPS store at Branson Landing.  Rick needed more hooks. On the way home we made reservations to ride the ducks tomorrow.  We went home to check on Bailey.  Somehow yesterday she hooked a toenail and has been limping on it since.  It’s better than yesterday but we’ll keep watch.  Tonight we have tickets to see ‘Six’.  It’s a musical show but more on that later.  We decided to try again to make it to The Great American Chicken House

 

for dinner before the show.  We had been here before and remembered it as being good food. It was. We headed down the road to the Mickey Gilley Theater for ‘Six’.

 

It was a terrific show.  Six brothers who perform acapella. 

 

They make their own background ‘music’ using only their mouths. They sang and choreographed routines from all realms of music.  The tribute to their mom was especially moving.  I’d go again to see them. Later, when we returned home we walked the dogs and called it a night.

2016 Trip - 5) Branson, MO

Thurs. 6/16… (Branson, MO) This morning was fishing day! We were told not to come down too early as there has been fog on the river which doesn’t lift until about 9:00.  So we went at 8:00!  We knew which boat so we loaded up and waited.  At about 9:00 we went downriver to one of my favorite spots and caught fish right away. Rick caught the first.  Let me explain this place.  We are actually fishing Lake Taneycomo which is technically the White River, which comes out of the dam at Table Rock Lake. When they discovered the river water was really cold they decided to stock it with trout, both rainbow and brown. They open the dam and the river can run really fast.  But today it was not opened until later in the day.  We caught fish after fish and it really didn’t slow down much all day.  I decided that I would release all fish (daily limit is four).  Good choice as I had four in about 10 minutes! We fished until about 2:30 and Rick caught 20 and I managed 39.  We brought the boat back to the boat slip and cleaned up and checked out and paid.  Jon boats w/25hp motor rent for $90 full day.  We will go back again on Saturday when Bill can join us.  The rv guy was a no show. Lydia will call him in the morning. We had dinner in. Lydia fixed corn on the cob and a wedge salad.  Janie brought strawberry shortcake. 

  

Fri. 6/17…… (Branson, MO)   Lydia went to town this morning to get her nails done and I hung around waiting for the rv tech. Meanwhile Bill & Treasa made it into camp this morning.  They had their motorhome repair work done in Albuquerque and spent the last few days catching up.  We all have tickets to see Sara Evans in concert and they didn’t want to miss that. Steve’s Mobil RV Service finally made it here. I was able to tell him what we were dealing with.  He checked things out and found we have weak batteries. Also have a bad solenoid that charges coach batteries when we drive.  He’s ordered a new one.  We had a bad connector going to the ac so that’s fixed now.  Since the work is covered by my warranty (w/$200.00 deductible) I told him to go ahead and replace the coach batteries (those are not covered). That done we were in a time crunch to get fed and then get to the concert. Steve said the best fast food was Steak n Shake.  He was right! It was one of the best hamburgers I have had in a long while! We will go back! After the quick dinner we headed off to the concert.  Sara Evans is a native of Missouri and her mom and other family members were there so she was a little nervous.  But it didn’t affect her performance.  It was a dynamite show.

 

 

 

2016 Trip - 4) Amarillo TX to Branson MO

Sun. 6/12… (Amarillo, TX) Second day in Amarillo. We lost another hour once we hit Texas yesterday so it was nice to sleep in this morning.  It has been in the 90’s most of this trip, with little breeze but yesterday the wind really picked up (so bad we put in all of our awnings). But we left the windows open and the air cooled down and it was just right for a nice night’s sleep. Once up and moving, we ate a light breakfast and I took Bailey on a long walk.  We found the dog walk (little tiny area) and she got to run a bit.  We had nothing on the agenda today so we decided to catch up on laundry.  We have a washer/dryer in the rig but their laundry was only about 75 feet away and the washers / dryers were only $1.00 each so we got that started. Rick called with a water leak and I found that it was only a leaky water hose.  So after we got the laundry done and folded and the bed remade we headed back to Walmart for that.  We stopped by the Cadillac Ranch for a couple of photos.  These cars sit back about 200 yards from the highway and must have a ton of paint on them as everyone is allowed to walk right up and paint on them.  There has been a steady stream of cars parked on the road each time we go by!

 

 

We got Walmart done and also found a Sam’s Club for a few more items. We had decided to go out to dinner and there was a ton of places to choose from. Guess what we picked? In steak country!  Chinese……  We found a place (China Star) and it was fantastic.  Best Chinese we have had in a long time! We came back home and hit the spa for a while, talking with a few different couples and sharing travel stories.  That is always fun. Later, I watched my races and then Lydia and I caught up on some of our shared shows before going to bed. Tomorrow we head out again on the road.     

 

Mon. 6/13… (Clinton, OK) This morning we got up and had a light breakfast and headed out around 9:00am and met up on I40 with Rick & Janie (after they stopped at the Flying J).  They led us out for the 183 mile drive to Hargus RV Park in Clinton, OK.  The weather was nicer today – overcast a bit but that helped keep the heat down.  The roads were kinda wet but we didn’t hit any rain.  Another new park for us. When we got into the campground we were told our pull thru sites were not available.  Apparently the oil workers have too much water at their next job so they stayed on here.  They put us in back-in sites which was ok for me except my water spigot is underground in a tube filled with water!  I was able to hook into Rick and Janie’s water line so we’re good to go.  Rick is in a spot where his jacks are buried.  But after some work and moving the rig forward, he got things stabilized. Not a great park but ok for an overnighter. 

 

Once we got set up I called the next campground which is a no reservation park. They asked we call them the day before arriving. I left a message but haven’t heard back yet.  We decided to go explore the town and the office told us that most of the town’s restaurants were only open weekends but there was a really good Mexican restaurant called Palacio’s so we went there for ‘linner’ (late lunch-early dinner).  The food was excellent and the price was right! After the meal we drove around the town a bit then headed home to relax and watch tv. Here is Bailey really relaxing!

 

R&J came over and we watched ‘The Sandlot’. Afterward I walked Bailey and then turned in early.   

 

Tues. 6/14… (Checotah, OK)  Last one-nighter for us!  Except for a light rain, the drive was uneventful as we led the way on a 202 mile drive this morning and are now at Terra Star RV Park in Checotah, OK (pa $12.00)(actually we are closer to Eufaula, right on the lake). We decided to drive as much on I40 as we could and then head north and up to Branson rather than to Springfield and down to Branson.  So that put us in Checotah.  The hometown of Carrie Underwood, Checotah (sounds like Dakota) is a ways away from the campground. It turns out the park is a ways off of I40 but once we got here we felt it was worth the drive.  The price was sure right! We had a light lunch and rested a bit. We drove into Eufaula to check out the area.  Later, we had dinner which Janie made.  It was beef stroganoff which was yummy! We walked Bailey down to the lake.   

 

Wed. 6/15… (Branson, MO)  We knew the drive today was off the main Interstate so we left earlier than usual and drove the 225 miles north and followed Dolly’s instructions (Dolly is our gps) through various route(s) to arrive at Branson’s Ozark Country Campground around 2:00pm. We have always liked this campground and stay here when we visit.  We chose the premium pull-through sites which are a little more costly but are newer and clear of the trees (and the mosquitoes!). 

 

 

We are here for 11 days with plans to see shows and of course fish on Lake Taneycomo.  More on that later…. We have had problems with the front ac.  When we got hooked up the front air wouldn’t come on.  I think that my coach batteries don’t charge well when we drive.  After a while it got up to full charge and it did come on but by then the coach was super hot!  Lydia called a mobile rv guy who is coming out tomorrow.  I’m thinking we need new batteries but we’ll see….  We took off to scout a few things.  First Cooper Creek where we rented a boat for fishing tomorrow.  That set we drove thru town and then went out to Danna’s for bbq.  It’s just down from the campground and it is really good and inexpensive. Since it was still hot we went into the pool for a awhile and then I got my fishing stuff out and loaded in Rick’s car.  We went in and watched tv for a while before going to bed.