Its beginning to feel a lot like fall

Yes we are finally back on the road.  Once again we have changed rigs and toys.  After living in the 5th Wheel toy hauler for a year the decision to move to a roomier Class A Bounder was easy.  What wasn't so easy was giving up the toy.  We looked at all the possible towing configurations available and finally decided to just trade in the Can Am for a small Mercedes hard top convertible.  It has about as much trunk space as the Can Am but I can sleep easier in it. 

We left Anacortes on Aug 27 and headed straight to Las Vegas and 120 degree heat.  Our first night out was spent at the Wal-Mart in Ontario, OR and the second night at a rest stop in Utah.  Driving through Boise was amazing.  Four or five lanes of freeway and no one on it.  Amazing...  Salt Lake City was another story.. construction, construction, narrow lanes and lots of traffic.  We were thankful that it was Sunday and not a work day....

Just before we got to Las Vegas our engine flashed the check engine light, but it went right out again.
 
When we arrived at Desert Eagle RV Park (Nellis AFB) in Las Vegas, our thermometer read 120 degrees.... now the thermometer might not be totally accurate but it was dang close.  When Bill unloaded the car from the trailer, the metal was almost too hot to handle.  We hooked up the motor home to water, electric and sewer; took a much needed shower and headed to the strip.

We had comp points left over from our trip to Las Vegas in May, so we used them to pay for 4 nights at the MGM hotel, most of our meals and a David Copperfield show.  It worked out perfectly.

Bill had a scare with his eyes so we went to the hospital at Nellis AFB.  He saw flashes of bright light which can be a sign of retina detachment, luckily this was not the case, but hearing that the issue is age related was frustrating.  The hospital is very nice and right by the RV park.

On our way to Bartlesville, OK,  we wanted to stop at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, TX.  This place has been on a number of TV cooking shows, but they are most famous for offering the 72 ounce steak challenge.  If you can eat it in a hour or less..... it's free!!  The record, I believe, is 8 minutes 52 seconds.   An NO we did not attempt it, but Bill did get his dinner free.  Actually he had the worst steak ever...gristle, fat and very little meat.  Mine, however, was very good! 

And the "check engine" light came on and went off again just as we arrived in Amarillo.  According to the manuals, we have a library of them, this is a sign that some fluid levels are low... Bill checked and all the fluids are just fine.

Our friends. Dave and Sue, from Bartlesville, OK  hold an annual 911 Remembrance camp out that we wanted to attend.  The camp out group is a Gold Wing riders club, so everyone had their motor cycles.  We spent 5 nights at Ten Killer State Park in OK, meeting their friends and having a wonderful time.  We had a couple of evenings with no plans, so Bill put the big TV outside, hooked up the Blu Ray and we all watched movies.  We had popcorn and candy.. just like a drive in.  The first evening we watched "RV" and the second night was a double feature... "The Great Outdoors" and "Wild Hogs".

The highlight of the weekend was the 911 Remembrance ceremony.  I had heard about the ceremony and how moving it was, but I was still unprepared.  Usually they have a fire and retire flags as part of the ceremony, but this year OK was under a state wide burn ban. so no fire.  The ceremony started at sundown.  This year, each of us received pieces of paper with the name of an OK serviceman or woman who lost their lives since 9/11 in the line of duty.  Dave said the first time they did this they had 68 names ... this time we had 133.  Along with the name we received a piece of a retired flag.  As part of the ceremony, each of us read the name of the serviceman or woman, date of death, then the paper with name together with the piece of flag were placed in a grill, where there was a small fire to burn the items.  Together with the music, a symbolic 21 gun salute (with the headlights from the motorcycles), and prayer, this was an extremely moving evening.

From Ten Killer we took the motor home to Freightliner in Tulsa to have that "check engine" examined.  Two days and $$$$$ later we were back in Bartlesville.  We were there one night and we decided to switch campsites for one that had a bit more lawn.  So bright and early we attempted to move............. our leveling system would not retract.  The remainder of the day was filled with colorful language.  The next trip in our motor home was to Bell's Camper Sales for repairs.  Of course this took two visits to Bell's and still no resolution.  We were to live without a leveling system until November.

Hedge apple.... who knew???

Despite the lack of levelers we had a fantastic time in OK.  We drove the into Kansas for a trip to the place where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in 1870.  They have reconstructed a home similar the Ingalls, There is a school and a post office there, as well.   I saw my first "hedge apple" there too!  This little spot is in the middle of nowhere, but it is well taken care of and well visited, definitely worth a visit.

 Bill had his eyes checked again in Tulsa and all is well.  He will have to live with some big floaters for a time but no damage was found.  GOOD NEWS!!!!!!

We went to Dewey, OK for their Western Heritage Weekend.  Just a short drive from Bartlesville, it is a surprising little town.  It has the Tom Mix museum, a great old hotel (we took the tour) and a fascinating history.  On Saturday we saw the parade which ended with a small herd of long horns being driven down the street by cowboys... and gals.  I love to see long horns but that was a bit too close for me.  Only one rider between me and those horns made me back wayyyyy up.  On Sunday we went to the Wild West Show which was held in "Prairie Song Pioneer Village" (http://www.prairiesong.net.) Again I was amazed, this a recreated 1800's town with the buildings being designed and built by Kenneth Tate, with Marilyn Moore-Tate filled the buildings with antiques.  It was a surprise find out here in the prairie.

Dave and Sue did another 911 ceremony in Red Rock Canyon State Park in Hinton, OK.  Each ceremony is unique.  At Red Rock, Dave has help from the local VFW.  We left our RV in Bartlesville, and stayed with Dave and Sue in their 5th Wheel.  It was a great weekend, beautiful scenery and an another inspiring ceremony.

Instead of heading straight back to Bartlesville, we headed north to Lindsborg, KS.  The road we traveled follows the old Chisholm trail.  All those old cowboy movies I watched as a kid has served me well.  There were great sculptures along the way and the terminus, was a town filled with history.  Lindsborg, however, is a Swedish themed town.  It was fun to see all the Dala horses decorated throughout the town.  AND there was at least 4 restaurants that offered Swedish pancakes.  Definitely a find in my book.  We stayed at a small motel in town that was not the best.  We half jokingly looked for bed bugs and when Bill lifted the mattress.... we found some XXXXXX rated reading material between the mattress and the box spring.  Now that was creepy.  After one night there we were more than ready to leave.

 Love to all....  Bill and Cathy