HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER

One thing we can say absolutely for sure:  It is HOT, HOT, HOT - not to mention the high humidity.  It is probably just as hot back in Mechanicsville, but it just seems hotter here for some reason.

So far we have missed the thunderstorms, though the areas around us got quite a dose of rain and lightning yesterday.  We may get some storms over the next few days as the forecast is calling for a 50% chance of some boomers.

While the rally does not officially kick-off until Sunday, we now have 15 Cedar Creek units in the park.  By tomorrow, we should have most all of the park filled with club members.

We had an impromptu pot-luck dinner last night for those who were here.  Ray had a big bag of home made crab cakes, Nancy cooked a pot of country ham seasoned green beans, Windy brought a chocolate dump cake, Linda S. baked a big plate of peanut butter cookies (my favorite) and others brought delicious salads and casseroles.  One thing for sure - when we get a group of Cedar Creeker's together there is never a shortage of something to eat!

Part of our group gathered together in the Stage Coach Rally Room for last night's pot-luck dinner.  After dinner, we sat around a campfire by the pool until the bugs started having their own feast on our legs.

Our location, Stage Coach RV Park, is directly across from the Table Rock State Park which includes a huge marina and two campgrounds.  We drove through the campgrounds earlier today.  There were only a few small sites still open.  Section 2 has a good number of large concrete pad sites with patios that could accommodate our unit should we ever decide to return and visit the state park.

Stage Coach is close to Lake Taneycomo, just below the Table Rock Lake dam on route 165.  This puts us south of the key activity core of Branson's entertainment mecca along with all the traffic and hills.  The photos below look out to the south away from all of the hustle and bustle where private homes, golf courses and condos dot the landscape.  It is really a beautiful place partly situated in a valley and cut into the side of a rock mountain. 

Looking west at the Table Rock Lake Dam.  The water below comes out of the lake above and forms Lake Taneycomo.

I have a 50X optical zoom lens on my newest digital camera.  Since the dam was not really visible in the first photo I tried taking a shot with the zoom set to 40X.  The zoom and image stabilizer must have worked because this is a shot of the Table Rock Dam made from the same location.

Looking back to the east - this is the downstream part of Lake Taneycomo.  Historic Downtown Holister is on the south (right) side of the lake a few miles downstream and Historic Downtown Branson is on the opposite (northern) side of the lake.

Dave and Jill came in yesterday afternoon and Dave once again brought two of his Segway's.  Nancy had an introductory lesson and an opportunity to drive one when we were in Hutchinson, KS two years ago.  Today was my first time on a Segway.  It only took a few minutes to get the hang of how it balanced and turned.  They are so simple to operate - lean forward and you go forward.  Lean back and you stop or go back.  Left and right turns are controlled by a handle grip on the left side.  Needless to say we would love to have a pair of Segways.  I can't say that we will buy a pair, but it would be mighty tempting should a good deal come along.

Randy taking his first solo ride on a Segway.  Dave watches from behind to make sure I don't wreck or fall off.

We are having fun and (mis?) behaving.

BRANSON, MO

We left West Memphis, AR at the ungodly hour of 0600.  Actually it worked out pretty good since we got into Branson by 1300 and had plenty of time to set everything up for the next 11 nights we will be here.

After talking to a few travelers in the campground last night we decided to switch our route and stay on I-40 to Little Rock then turn north and pick up 65.  The majority of roads were better than I expected.  What was ironic is this route took us right by the road to Nancy's former Conway house and Pickles Gap Baptist Church.  The girls will know about this.  No opportunity to stop as we were on a dedicated mission to get to Branson and were traveling with two other RV units.

Ray took the lead around Little Rock.  Nancy snapped this picture just as we crossed the Missouri state line.

I-40 coming out of Little Rock has been totally rebuilt.  Beautiful highway and scenery.

Nice sites at Stage Coach RV Park in Branson.  Pads are concrete and there are enough trees to provide some shade without getting in the way of awnings or satellite dish antennas.

The week ahead will be filled with a lot of group activities that include shows, eating, shopping and swapping stories around the campfire.  Our Cedar Creek RV Owner's Club rally's are always fun!

WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS

We left Lebanon a little before 8:00 a.m. and hit Nashville during the peak rush hour.  There were several accidents that brought our line of traffic to a halt - stop then start again - go 10 feet and stop again.  Thankfully we were all eventually able to get through safely and hit the open road to Memphis.  There was a lot of traffic - especially big trucks - on I-40.  The weather was great - no rain and clear.  But, it was hot outside.

Just outside of Jackson, TN I realized my CB radio was not working.  Normally I wouldn't care as I have little need for it when we are by ourselves.  But, since CB was our only communication with Ray and Charlie (other than a cell phone) we zipped into a Love's truck stop, I ran in and bought a new radio and we were back on the road in less than 10 minutes.

Unfortunately, I-40 is still the same rutted, bumpy, pot-holed road immediately across the state line into Arkansas.  It doesn't seem to be any better than it was when I first drove this route 20 years ago.

We stopped for the night at Tom Sawyer RV Park, which is right on the Mississippi River.  I do mean right on - we can spit in the river from the front steps on the RV.  The water is really moving from the recent rains.  We enjoyed watching the barge traffic up and down the river  One of the tugs was pushing 27 barges - ]7 long and 3 across, up river.  I tried to get a picture but it was too dark to do any good.

Everyone got together for "happy hour" and then dinner over at Charlie & Sandra's RV.  We had a cool breeze coming in off the water that kept it pleasant outside.

Right in front of Ray and Linda's RV there are several blue flags pushed into the ground.  The are marking a bird nest.  These birds just dig a small hole and lay their eggs on the ground.  If you come near the nest they run (not fly) away from the nest, roll over on their back and pretend they are hurt. It was one of the strangest bird behaviors I have ever seen.

OK - Crazy Ray wants to leave tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. so we can get ahead of the heat and traffic.  That is mighty early for me.  I must quit and go to bed but I do have a few photos to post.

 Our campsite at Tom Sawyer on the Mississippi River.

 Tugboat pushing a "small" barge down the Mississippi River

 This is one of the birds with the nest on the ground.  Maybe you can recognize what it is?

 The bird nest is just a clutch of four speckled eggs on the ground.

 When you get near the nest the birds roll over on their back and act like they are injured.  Both male and female do this!

 Crazy Ray.  Need I say more?  Yes, even us "Senior Citizens" still like to fool around and act silly at times.

 Nancy and Oscar walking along the river bank.

"Happy Hour" around Charlie & Sandra's RV.





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Monday, June 16

Lebanon Tennessee - just east of Nashville

We left Mechanicsville, VA at 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning.  Traffic was surprisingly heavy across I-64 to Charlottesville.  Traffic began to thin out as we crossed Afton Mountain and picked up I-81 at Stanton.  Most of the big truck traffic on I-81 was lighter than usual - probably because it being Sunday and Father's Day.  The Volvo ran great and waltzed up the mountain grades without slowing down and then automatically braked going downhill.  We were able to hold a steady 64 mph which is as fast as I like to travel.

We made our first stop after 350 miles a little after 4:00 p.m. at a nice little RV park in Blountville, TN called Rocky Top.  We had stopped here on previous trips so the hosts knew who we were and escorted us into a long pull-thru site.  I believe Oscar knew where we were and quickly found his smells and bathroom spot.  I was pretty stiff and tired from driving and hit the sack after dinner and a relaxing hot shower.

A Long Pull-Thru site at Rocky Top

We pulled out about 9:30 Monday morning and drove to just outside of Knoxville, TN and stopped at a Flying J where me met Charlie & Sandra and Ray & Linda.  Charlie is also towing with a big truck - actually bigger than ours since it has a larger sleeper and is still twin axles on the rear.  They carry a neat little Smart Car on the back of the truck that can be unloaded with a set of ramps Charlie carries.

Our pull-thru site at Country Side

Charlie & Sandra.  Note the Smart Car loaded behind the cab of the truck.

Ray & Linda's Cedar Creek at Country Side RV Park

We only had to drive 275 miles today before stopping for the night at Country Side RV park in Lebanon.  So far the weather has been great for driving with no rain or wind.  It is hot!  The outdoor thermometer on the Volvo was hovering right at 95 F most of the way.

We all got together for a dinner of fried chicken provided by Ray & Linda, squash from Charlie & Sandra and potatoes from Nancy & me.  Ray added a bottle of delicious blackberry wine brewed and bottled by Ruthie at Stage Coach RV park in Branson, MO.

We have crossed into the Central time zone and set our clocks back an hour.  Oscar doesn't understand time zone changes and couldn't understand why his dinner was an hour late.

We are leaving tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. (Central time) and will follow I-40 to West Memphis, AR.  Tomorrow's drive is only about 250 miles so it should go well.  I do get stiff and tired driving and prefer not to do over 6 hours a day behind the wheel.  Driving a 66 foot long rig weighing over 30,000 pounds is a little more stressful than a 4-wheeler.  Being rested and alert is important.

Beautiful green meadow and clear blue skies behind our RV at Country Side RV Park