Tuesday June 30, 2015-Pueblo south KOA

Today we made the drive over to Manitou Springs, a suburb of Colorado Springs, and one of our favorite places. There are many sights to see there and we made it to one of them, the Garden of the Gods. 

This plaque give you a bit of the history of this area. I first came here with my family in about 1957 or so.

 This is a beautiful shot of the majestic Pikes Peak, taken from the balcony of the visitors center for the Garden of the Gods.

 One of the main attractions, Balanced Rock. 

Another major attraction, Steamboat Rock.

The park was very full today with lots of traffic and we were all hungry, so we drove through Manitou Springs and then we went to our favorite restaurants, the Ultimate Buffet in Colorado Springs. It was a very good meal and enjoyed by all. 

We found a Costco store nearby and shopped there for a bit. Dave and Nancy bought a new grill that I'm sure that we'll enjoy soon.

We're about finished with the long drive from Goshen Indiana and will be in Creede tomorrow. Even more fun!

So long.

Monday June 29, 2015-Moving Day-Country Acres Motel & RV Park to Pueblo south KOA, Pueblo CO

Dave and I were up early this morning to take his ailing truck in to be worked on. We were there before the employees opened the doors and Dave was the second one inside. We got the bad news that they couldn't even look at the truck for two weeks, but a check with the parts man showed that they had the part, a turbo duct, that was needed in stock. Dave bought it and got some instructions on how to install it.

Stella and Nancy had told us to go have breakfast, so we called them to give them the news that the part is in hand and Dave will get it installed when we get home. After a good breakfast, we came back home and Master Mechanic Dave had the new part installed and we took the truck for a test drive. Everything worked perfectly! Hallelujah!!

We then went to work on packing up to leave. Since we didn't have much out, it didn't take long to get ready to leave. We actually pulled out about 10:15, very good time! We made one very short pit stop and pulled in here at the KOA about 1PM. Quick check-in and an escort to our site and we were set! 

Everything set up and ready to live n!

Here is a shot of all three trailers with some mountains in the background. Tom and Marti are visiting the Royal Gorge today but we'll be visiting other locations with them soon. Those pesky clouds get in the way a lot up here in the mountains but you'll gt your fill of mountains soon.

So long

Sunday June 28, 2015-Moving Day-Gunsmoke RV Park to Country Acres Motel & RV Park, Lamar CO

Well, our day started well, and I was outside putting things away about 7:30. Everything went well and we were all pulling out a few minutes after 9. We ht the road and made good time, stopping at a little truck stop for a pit stop. We stopped a bit earlier than normal but we are not traveling on an Interstate highway and there are no rest stops so we took advantage.

We hadn't gone very far before we got a call from Dave that he had a problem with his truck. We all stopped together and determined that something had happened to his turbo, limiting his speed to about 55 mph. Dave led the procession in case he had another problem, and not ten miles later his truck started blowing blue smoke with some sort of blue material coming out of the tail pipe. We again pulled over and the blue smoke and material stopped coming out of the tail pipe, so we continued on. Another few miles and the truck again started smoking, this time with the smoke appearing to be running hot engine. We again pulled over at a construction area red light. You may have seen these, a portable stop light with cameras to trip the light change when traffic begins to back up. Dave said that everything appeared to be normal on the engine gauges, so we started off again, this time about 45 mph. Dave found a rest stop that we could pull into safely and decide on a new plan.

We decided to push on to Lamar Colorado, where there is a Ford dealer and an RV Park. It's Sunday so the Ford dealer is closed but we can have Dave's truck there the first thing in the morning, and the RV park, while not a resort, is certainly adequate for a night or two. 

I took a break after writing the above and have more news. Dave went out and found the problem with his truck. It is the turbo hose that blew off. Hopefully it will be a quick fix at the Ford dealer in the morning. 

We rode out to the dealership to get the route and after, we decided to get something to eat. We chose the Mission Villanueva restaurant when Nancy researched them on Yelp. It turned out to be a good choice. Not good ol' TexMex, but decent food. 

We are planning an early start in the morning so we can continue our trip. Wish us luck...

So long.

Saturday June 27, 2015-Gunsmoke RV Park

Today we took the tour around Dodge City to check out their history.

 A very nice monument on the road leading into Dodge City.

The Dodge City Trolley and our driver, Fred.  

 Dave and Tom at the card table with Doc Holiday.

 Stella, Nancy and Marti at the table with Doc.

 My dad took a picture of me on this same train when I was about 8 or 9 years old.

 A full picture of the train.

 There was a "shoot-out" on Main Street.

 The dentist office and also a barber shop.

 We'll all need an undertaker someday.

 Some old buggies.

 Lots of guns!

 Shootout on Front street in 1878.

 The church house.

 More of Front street.

 Marti got locked up! 

 One of many markers on Boot Hill. An unknown kid, hanged in 1876.

Alice Chambers was the last person buried on Boot Hill. Actually everyone buried on Boot Hill was moved to the Dodge City cemetery.

The tour also showed us the huge stockyards around Dodge City that are still in use. They process a huge amount of beef here and ship it out. Dodge City is an interesting place and worth the trip. It was especially special for me because my parents brought me here many years ago when I was a child so it was good to come back.

Moving to Pueblo Colorado tomorrow.

So long.

Friday June 26, 2015-Moving Day-Peculiar Park Place RV Park to Gunsmoke RV Park, Dodge City KS

It rained most of last night and continued this morning, making my outside "take-down" chores a bit more of a problem. Luckily for me, the rain slacked up some and with very little to pack up, it wasn't too bad. We pulled out about 9:15, not too bad!

We had heard reports of downed trees, no power for traffic lights and high water in Kansas City but our route took around on the loop, so we had no problems traveling. We have figured out our rest stops that seem to work better. We start out traveling 50 or 60 miles to our first stop, to get rid of the coffee and then go around 100 miles before stopping for lunch. Most of these stops are made at state rest areas but occasionally we must use a truck stop. Either way works well and it breaks up the day well.

The skies cleared and the roads were smooth and we made very good time. We ran into a detour near Dodge City but we followed the signs and made it into the Gunsmoke RV Park about 4:30. We had a bit of an issue as we tried to check in. The three of us pulled in behind a long motorhome pulling a trailer, which blocked the entrance/exit to the park. This created a large problem for two park guests that were trying to leave but found that they were blocked in. One man was highly upset, cursing and yelling at us to move. This upset Dave and me because there was no place for us to move to, and it also upset a lady who was watching her son swim in the pool, over the language the man used. Another fly in the ointment was that the lady in the office (the park owner) was alone, having recently lost her husband. We all felt sorry for her in her situation and apologized but the offender had already left. 

After this settled down, we were escorted to our sites and before too long we were set up and done. We sat outside in the shade of a tree as we planned our meal. We ended up at the Dodge House restaurant, which dates back into the 1870's. The food was good and plentiful and we enjoyed ourselves. We drove through town, making plans for touring the historic district. More to come!

So long.

Thursday June 25, 2015-Moving Day-Double J Campground to Peculiar Park Place RV Park

We were up early to get ready to move this morning. I had not been able to use my sewer hose because the sewer line was too far away, so I planned to back the trailer up so the hose would reach. The only problem with my plan was that it was pouring down rain. It did slack up some but I got pretty wet before it stopped.

We pulled out about 8:45, a very good start to the day. We made very good time with little traffic and clear skies. We stopped for a break at a rest stop in Illinois and for lunch at the Homestead rest stop in Missouri. Marti has just taken up Munzee'ing and I was able to show her how to cap some today. Another Munzer in the game...

We got here to the Peculiar (MO) Park Place RV Park around 4, and that's when the trouble started. Stella ran the rooms out and when she started the living room/kitchen slide, the slide was immediately in a bind and tore off some boards on the bottom of the slide. Of course, she stopped the operation until we figured out what had happened. The slide had gotten hung up on one of the drawer handles. The damage looked bad, but my good friend and traveling companion Dave is a former cabinet builder and expert at repairs and he brought his tool box over and in a jif, it was fixed!

Another problem came up while making the repairs. It was really hot and humid (99 degrees) and because I hadn't had much to eat today, I got light headed and passed out briefly. After a cool cloth on my head and some rest I was back to normal. I had a nice supper with my friends and feel much better. My last medical checkup was just a few weeks ago and showed no problems but I will pay more attention.

So long.

Wednesday June 24, 2015-Double J Campground

It has been raining here all day and we don't have plans to go out anywhere, so I thought I would share some pictures from the recent past.

 And the rains came.... to Boerne, back in May. We had come here for a Texas Boomer rally and lots of rain fell, flooding the hill country. This is along River Road in Boerne, taken the afternoon after the flood. 

 There is still a LOT of water in the river! 

 The river covered the bridge as you can see from the debris.

 Lots and Lots of water!

 Tyler actually receiving his diploma. I am very proud of him.

Holding his diploma with all of his achievement cords. I called him to learn that the blue cord is for blood donations, the orange and white is for being in the band, the red and white is for the forensics club, the yellow and black is for the forensics competition, the yellow is for being in the top 10% of his class, the gold and silver is the superintendent's award and the medal around his neck is for being in the distinguished program. He was 29th in his class of 426 students. Congratulations again Scoot (Tyler)!

We'll be leaving here tomorrow and I will be back with more current events. 

So long.