Carlsbad RV Park and Campground (14-18 Apr 23)

And onward we go!  Our first trip into New Mexico was a stop in Carlsbad.  Everyone is aware of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and that was our driving factor in stopping here.  And good thing that was our goal because there is not a whole lot else to see!  Don’t get me wrong. Carlsbad is actually a nice little town and has much potential, especially when it comes to the biking/walking trails and business potential.  And we also sought out the only craft brewery that we could find in town.  

So, without further delay, I will write about the sequence of events as they unfolded in Carlsbad. First stop, perhaps not accidentally, was “Milton’s Brewing” located in the heart of downtown.  Great little brew pub and Sam, our bartender, was a fountain of knowledge on the beer offerings.  He was also interesting to talk to regarding his past association with the Navy and life in San Diego. As far as the beer – Tina had the sampler and decided her favorite was the ‘Caveman Cream Ale.’  For me, it was the ‘Karlsbad Kolsch’ all day long!  

We have mentioned it in the past, but another of our favorite reasons to visit local micro-breweries is meeting other customers, especially other RVers, which happens often.  On this particular day, we met two separate couples and compared notes about our travels.  We thought it was cool that Laura was on her way to Bandera, TX for the “Texas Bluebonnet Casita Rally.”  For those that are not aware, Tina’s folks are longtime residents of Bandera, and we just spent the majority of the winter season there.  Small world!  Laura is traveling with Jeff – sort of, as they are in individual rigs, but they are coordinating meeting locations over the summer.  We also met Charlie and Tammy who are out on their summer trip in their Class ‘A’.  They are headed to the Grand Canyon over the same dates as we are, and we look forward to meeting up with them there!  

As you know, (pretend you do), we do like to get in a nice bike ride when we can and where there are prepared bike trails. Carlsbad is no exception and there are several choices.  We chose the Riverwalk Trail which follows the shoreline of a small lake formed by a dam on the feeder river (Pecos?) just on the edge of town.  It was an easy, scenic drive with parks, a beach and a couple of eateries.  The potential that I mentioned earlier goes to the pollution in the water and opportunities for other businesses to fill vacant storefronts. There were numerous species of ducks and geese along the drive as well as much fishing, so the possibilities are there. It would be nice to see the water cleaned up because it would make a 1000% difference in the appearance!  Otherwise, the weather was perfect and the ride was easy!  

On our final day, we visited the reason for this stop – “Carlsbad Caverns National Park” about half an hour south of camp. The weather was awesome and the drive was scenic for it being in the middle of the desert!  Scenic . . .but barren!  The caverns on the other hand were spectacular!  This year is also the centennial anniversary of caverns which was started in 1923.  Doubtless, there have been many changes since then, but the self-guided tour we took today was incredible.  I will attach way too many pics with this article, and I am sure I did not do the actual experience justice.  Being 800 feet underground in these cathedral rooms and formations is memorable and will be the highlight of this stop. 

The “Carlsbad RV Park and Campground” was a great campground. Another Good Sam campground, it has ample parking sites, cable TV, some shade and a very courteous and helpful staff. Near town and close to restaurants, stores, etc., it is an easy in and out campground. Would stay here again if in the area!

Whistlestop RV Resort (10-14 Apr 23)

Westward ho!  We continue our journey with a stop in Abilene, TX.  Why, you may ask?  For no other reason than it was on the road a good day’s drive away!  We ALWAYS find something to do where we stop.  Abilene was no exception! 

We toured the “Frontier Texas” museum which serves as a regional history museum.  It is a great resource for learning/discovering the life and times of the Western U.S. before it was the United States.  There are well presented timelines of Native American tribes as they ruled the various regions prior to the westward settlement in the 1800s.  Much of the history is presented in story form by holographic representations of period “famous” folks.  The technology used to present the history and the amount of information is a full day if you want to read it all!  It is not a large museum, but with all the information available and just skimming the highlights, we still spent a couple of hours there.  Very interesting and I would put it on the “to see” list if in Abilene!  You also have to check out the largest Texas Longhorn skull and horns ever discovered!  

In an effort to remain true to our craft brewery roots, we also sought out (with some extra effort) the “Grain Theory” craft brewery downtown.  I say with some effort because we originally went to another location where – according to one online resource that shall remain nameless (but should have known) – the brewery (under a different name) existed for a few short months.  Business was actually so good that it had to relocate to a larger venue so it could make enough beer to meet the demand!  So, the Grain Theory was another highlight for sure!  Our bartender, Jaime, was absolutely phenomenal!  She practically read my mind when it came to selecting and pouring the various offerings!  I was partial to their ‘Free Futon’ amber ale!  Loved it!  Tina was more about the ‘Lux Prima’ German Kolsch.  We also swapped travel stories with another RVer, Dave.  He was moving more for work, but we had many stops in common and never lacked for conversation!  

Our culinary highlight and already on the “must do again” list is a trip for dinner to the “Perini Ranch Steakhouse.”  There is plenty to read about if you do on online search, so all I will do is confirm their accolades are well earned!  The only slight surprise is how rustic the venue remains.  Not bad by any stretch, but with all the hype, we had something else entirely in mind.  Anyway, starting with their Jalapeno Bites, we could do no wrong!  Peppers and cheese wrapped in bacon was a marriage made in culinary heaven!  Served in a small Lodge pan over a corn husk, they were mouthwatering! Following a simple, yet delicious dinner salad, we naturally sampled their steak offerings – Tina with a filet and me with a nice, juicy ribeye!  Both were perfectly cooked and delicious, and my mouth is watering thinking about it as I type!  Believe it or not, Perini’s is as famous (if not more) for their burgers.  There may have been a VERY short moment of indecision as you dedicated readers know how much we love our burgers.  We both agreed that is why we have to go back!!  Following dinner, we made the difficult decision to try their Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake!  It was only a difficult decision because of the other choices!  But we were so full that we decided to share one dessert!  Oh – bonus!  Blue Bell ice cream also came with the cake!  We thoroughly enjoyed the meal, the service and the venue.  

Lastly, a quick wrap up on the “Whistlestop RV Resort.”  Not bad by any stretch and affordable.  The sites are ample and can easily handle any big rig out there!  We saw several!  It is a well-kept, yet slightly dusty campground.  Shade was not why we selected this campground!  My only interface with the staff was friendly and the small camp store was well stocked.  Cable TV is available, there is a pool, horseshoe pits, ball courts and plenty to do when you are not doing taxes or blogging!  

Abilene was a fun stop and glad it was in the right place on our way West!

Vineyards RV Campground and Cabins (3-10 Apr)

We are back in Grapevine – and at our favorite campground to date, The Vineyards RV Campground and Cabins!  After spending the majority of the Winter in Bandera, TX, we have begun our western trek for the Spring!  Our travels will, of course, be revealed as we go, but we are at the start of a “new for the camper” six-state tour!  We are planning to see parts of NM, AZ, NV, UT, WY and CO this trip while adding stickers to our map!  Grapevine, as mentioned, is a re-visit, but we are seeing things we missed last year. 

The first stop was not a new one, but a mandatory one!  The Farmers’ Market in the historic downtown area of Grapevine was a requisite stop to stock up on delicious fresh fruits and vegetables!  While only a temporarily fulfilling re-stock – it is tasty!  We also revisited Tolbert’s for a bowl of their famous chili!  Oh so good and highly recommended if you get here! 

We picked Thursday (Tina’s day off) to explore the local area – mostly Fort Worth!  We started by going to the Woodshed Smokehouse Restaurant along the Trinity River in Fort Worth.  Tina went for the Bulgogi Tacos and I had the Woodshed Burger.  Tina thoroughly enjoyed her tacos.  The burger . . . well, it was a burger.  As many of you may know we also seek out and rate our favorite burgers.  This one will not go on the list.  It was edible but was just not that exciting.  The staff/service was great and knowledgeable on our questions about the restaurant and other things to do.  Not a bad stop at all, but I was not a fan of the burger! 

After lunch we made a quick stop at the Fort Worth Water Gardens on the way to a distillery.  That area is a surprisingly serene site in the middle of the city.  Flowing and spraying water in several locations, it encompasses a small city block. Parking might be a challenge, but it was worth the short stop to see the design and architecture of the “hole.”

One of our distinct highlights was a trip to the “TX Whiskey” Distillery near Ft. Worth – only a short drive from Grapevine.  Say it “T” “X” not the state of Texas!  First of all, it is on beautiful grounds that we learned used to be the Glen Garden Country Club and golf course where Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan started their golf careers working as caddies!  The current buildings were constructed so that looking down the main walkway, there is a wonderful view of downtown Ft. Worth skyline.  

The tour started with some history of the brand and its founders, Leonard Firestone and Troy Robertson who established the “Firestone and Robertson Distilling Company” in 2010.  The first craft distillery in Northern Texas was a near instant hit with carefully and deliberately crafted whiskey.  So successful in fact, that in 2019, the company was acquired by Pernod Ricard, USA division.  Ricard owns 16 of the top 100 spirit brands across the globe and is the number two worldwide producer of wines and spirits. 

All of the interesting information aside, our knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide, Tracy, led us around the facility where we saw the distilling tower, the storage vats, the fermenting towers, the bottling plant and the barrel barns.  It is quite the science and of course we got to sample the various flavors to finish the tour.  New to us was the fact that TX released its first bourbon in 2016 and has various infused flavors currently for sale.  Tina was quite excited about their Cognac infused and the Barrel Proof flavors.  We may have picked some of those bottles up for later consumption to be sure we really like them! 😉 Of course we will share!  

We were also excited to meet our new friend Kathy!  And it was not just because she was working the bar and showing us all the wonderful drinks you can make with TX!  When you speak of a small world, you are speaking about our meeting!  It turns out that Kathy knows some of our dearest friends, Gary and Anne.  We are all retired military and worked together in various locations during our career.  As it turns out, Kathy’s husband relieved Gary at a job in Africa.  From that job, Gary moved to Maryland where we were neighbors!  It was great getting to know Kathy and confirming the fact that the world gets smaller every day!   

After our TX Distillery tour, we visited the Fort Worth Stockyards!  We started that tour watching a “cattle drive” of Texas Longhorn Cattle and a short history of the Texas Cattle industry.  Quite interesting to say the least and seeing the Longhorn cattle was memorable!  A bonus stop at the Stockyard was the John Wayne Museum.  As a long time, diehard JW fan, it was a GREAT stop!  Funded by the John Wayne Foundation and donations, the museum was an incredible motherlode of memorabilia and biographical information on the life and career of John Wayne.  It is a well done memorial and a mandatory stop for any true John Wayne fan!  

Another great event for us in Grapevine was attending the Texas Star Dinner Theater!  Set in 1880s West, the actors played out a murder mystery of a local, very influential – not well-liked businessman.  It was a very well done and very well portrayed mystery with great audience participation.  The dinner was great, the service was outstanding, and the entertainment was top notch!  Most definitely on the “to do again” list!  

We spent Saturday night having dinner with friends and local residents, Larry and Jeanne at Farina’s Winery and Café.  We started with appetizers, then dinner and followed it all by listening to the live music.  On many Saturday nights, Farina’s provides live entertainment with a local talent.  This time we were excited to listen to not only a local talent, but also a local hero as Willie Lain is also a city police officer! Willie did a great job playing some classic and current country music! Garth, Willie and the boys were well represented!  

Our last night in town was again spent with Larry and Jeanne as their guests for Easter dinner. Larry and Jeanne are both accomplished cooks on the grill and in the kitchen and the smoked feast of lamb and beef ribs was delicious!  The sides were also great and we happily waddled away!  Dinner was fantastic and we are again deeply indebted to their hospitality and grateful for their friendship! 

That closes out our visit to Grapevine and on to Abilene we go!  

P.S.  Want to give a shout out to our “neighbors” at the Vineyards that we met on our last night!  Thanks for the helpful insight on our upcoming journey west!  Safe travels to Fred and the family as they head in the other direction!

We are back!  After a short (?) hiatus, we are back on the road again.  We took some time from October ‘22 to April ’23 to spend a little quality time with family after our Summer/Fall trip around the Mid-west last year.  We spent some time with my siblings in Tennessee and made it out to Virginia to see family and friends for Christmas before spending New Year’s with more friends in Georgia.  After more time back home in Tennessee, we transited to the Hill Country of Texas for most of the winter.  It was good to spend some great quality time with Tina’s parents and we got to see all three of our kids.  

Even though it was more or less a hiatus from our travels, that doesn’t mean we didn’t do anything!  We got to enjoy “Goat Days” in Millington, TN, we saw Blake Shelton (and Gwen Stefani) at the Grand Ole Opry, enjoyed an incredible Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and family, played Santa for my grandkids, experienced some incredible scenery – lakes, waterfalls, sunrises and sunset, installed a floor, attended a formal New Year’s Ball, played in the snow, attended the San Antonio Rodeo and Stock Show, celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and much, much more!  It has been a wonderful, memory-making “break” leading up to our current “summer trip.”  

We are back on the road after departing Hill Country and working our way across Texas on a tour of the West.  We will pick that part of the story up on our next post!  

Have a great day!  

AR, MO, IL (22-27 Aug)

As we finished our visit in Grapevine, we had to make our way back across the Midwest to Elkhart. Along that route we made stops in Hot Springs, AR; Charleston, MO; and Fairmount, IL.  Each stop was a pretty cool point of interest and made for another fun leg of our journey around ‘Merica!  

Our first stop was within the boundaries of the Hot Springs National Park in the historic downtown.  The town has quite an interesting history of the original hot springs bath houses that was the initial focus of the city and its ‘healing waters’ in the ‘30s.  Only one of the original bath houses is still operational and in business. We did not partake (it was under renovation), but we did visit one of the original bath houses which has been converted into a local craft brewery.  “Superior Brewing” was an interesting venue since the brewery had to be created while staying within historical guidelines on building construction including the interior. They did a great job using the piping and floor plan to incorporate the brewery into existing infrastructure.  And the beer and soft pretzels were great, too!  We also ventured to the “Hot Spring Mountain Tower” for an incredible 360-degree view of historic downtown and the surrounding mountains.  Resting over 200’ above surrounding terrain, the tower also contains a very nice, succinct history of the city that is worth the read.  

The next stop on this transit was to “Boomland” just outside of Charleston, MO.  If you are familiar with our description of Wall Drug from our Badlands trip, you will understand when I say Boomland is a miniature version of Wall Drug. It is an all-in-one tourist stop for souvenirs, fuel, fireworks and food at their restaurant.  The one addition over Wall, and the reason for our stop, is the no frills, but more than adequate full hook-up RV park.  For only $15 a night, it is hard to beat for an overnight stay.  We ate at the family style buffet restaurant – food was great!  Fuel was competitively priced, and we picked up a couple of souvenirs!  Easy in . . . easy out!

Our final stop before Elkhart was at a Harvest Host location called the “Sleepy Creek Vineyard” in Fairmount, IL.  Sleepy Creek is a scenic winery just outside of town that grows and processes their wine on site.  What we tried, we liked and purchased a couple of bottles for the road.  We also hit the winery on “Wieners and Wine” Friday. Sleepy Creek provides the hot dogs and a fire – we buy the beverage!  It was an incredibly popular event and they also had live music that night.  We talked to the owner, Eric, later that evening and he said it was one of the largest – if not the largest turn-out they have had in years!  Great night for all and a wonderful Harvest Host.  We will look for a way to get back there in future travels!  

Vineyards Campground and Cabins

(17-22 Aug)

Back after a short hiatus while we enjoyed time with friends, transited across country and attended school.  We are currently at our last stop in Dry Ridge, KY before ending our “Summer Tour 2022” back home in Sparta. 

Grapevine, TX was one of our favorite stops on our summer tour! Picked Grapevine on purpose to spend some time with our friends Larry and Jeanne, and originally, her brother Dan and his wife Sue – our former neighbors in Virginia Beach.  Something came up precluding Dan and Sue from making the trip, but the rest of us worked really hard to make up for the loss! 

Larry and Jeanne are long-time Grapevine residents, and we couldn’t have asked for or had better tour guides!  They were also fabulous hosts on a couple of days providing a welcome respite in the Texas heat and some good old home cooking!

Old downtown Grapevine is a wonderful place to eat, drink, and shop.  We went above and beyond to see and sample as many of the favorite stops as we could work in on a busy afternoon.  Tina and I started with a walk around the Grapevine Main and the Train Station.  The train station is still a functioning station and makes regular runs into Fort Worth.  That one is on our ‘to do’ list for our next visit. 

We met Larry and Jeanne for lunch at “Jakes” restaurant where we enjoyed their famous burgers and some Shiner Boch!  It was all good, but little did we know this was the tip of the iceberg for the day!  We moved onto another local favorite, “Farina’s Winery – where friends meet.”  It was a nice wine bar and we sampled several of their offerings.  It was a nice transition as moved down the street to “Big Fish” seafood restaurant.  We shared some oysters and buffalo shrimp. The buffalo shrimp were some of the best shrimp I have ever had!  I am sure I wasn’t just hungry, so they had to be tasty!  Our last stop on the food tour was “Tolbert’s” for their famous chili.  It was definitely good chili – good enough to get some to go for another day!  We made one more stop in honor of Dan and Sue at a local bar on the way home.  I don’t remember the name – it had been redone and renamed – but was not memorable enough for any future visits!  Ended the day with the group stopping by the rig to say our farewells prior to our departure the next morning.  

I sort of glossed over some prior events that we managed to work in before our food tour.  There was one craft brewery and of course we checked it out.  The “Hop and Sting” was a quaint, mostly outdoor micro-brew.  We sat outdoors and that made for a shorter stay once again because of the warm days.  There was also the “Farmer’s Market” and we caught a craft fair while touring the historic downtown district.  

Final comments are reserved for the “Vineyards Campground and Cabins.”  According to Tina, it raced to the top of our fab favorites list!  Not one to argue, I was very impressed with the campground.  It was purpose built in a very thoughtful way so that almost everyone gets a great view, and the sites were roomy.  All the sites were level and on concrete or asphalt.  Situated on the southern fingers of the Grapevine Lake, it was scenic, well maintained and surprisingly robust in wildlife – mostly bird species.  Grapevine was a great time for all the reasons mentioned above and definitely on the list to revisit at the earliest opportunity!

KOA OK City East

(10-17 Aug)

Oklahoma City, OK!  What an interesting town!  So much history… so much to do… so much to see!  We started this visit with a bang by meeting our long-time War College friends, Mike and Debbie Thompson.  We all met for dinner at the iconic “Cattlemen’s” Steakhouse in the historic “Stockyard City”.  It goes without saying that the dinner and service were top notch!  The only thing surpassing dinner was spending time with friends catching up on family and careers.  It was good to hear about Mike finishing up a long and distinguished career with the OK National Guard and his retirement from the OK State Troopers.  Thank you for your service and enjoy the time with the grand babies!!  I know Mike and Debbie are both looking forward to the next chapter!  

As per usual we did some homework and searched out a few of the local craft breweries.  In that search we learned that there are 29 registered independent breweries in the greater OK City metropolitan area.  Sadly, or fortunately, we only took on a handful of those establishments!  By the way, those 29 represent over half of the 54 in the entire state!  We made it to “Twisted Spike;” “Prairie Artisan Ales;” “Vanessa House;” “Bricktown;” and ”Elk Valley” Brewing Companies.  All had their trademark beers, sours, and other.  Of those visited, we most liked Elk Valley and chatting with Grant.  Interesting hearing about the history of Elk Valley and brewing in general in the state.  He was also a great source of where to eat and what else to see.  My favorite beer at Elk Valley was the Tenkiller Pilsner while Tina once again preferred the fruity side.  In this case the fruity side was frozen mixes with strawberries and one flavored like Pina Colada.  Truthfully, the latter was pretty tasty!  😉  Lastly, check out the beer pulls from Elk Valley.  Owners are big Super Hero fans in case you couldn’t tell!  

Of course, we ate on occasion.  We already mentioned Cattlemen’s.  Another at the top of the list goes to the “Hideaway Pizza” restaurant.  Delicious pizza and great service!  Shanna was awesome and is a military spouse with a great personality.  Nice chatting!  The other eatery of note was food at the Bricktown Brewery.  A well-done menu and tasty, but nothing to hit the “favorites list.”  

For things to see and do, you cannot beat – and if ever in town, cannot miss – the “Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum” and the “National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.”  No words I can put in this blog would surpass the actual visit and the links will do a much better job than me trying to put everything into words.  Both are phenomenal records of history and have been done with impeccable attention to detail and modern artistry.  We spent hours at both, but still did not see everything thoroughly.  We also visited the Capitol and enjoyed the “Water Taxi on the Bricktown Canal”.  It was an entertaining and historically themed narrated cruise through the manmade canal in the Bricktown district of the city.  Our guide and “boat Captain”, Cassidy was not only knowledgeable, but exceptionally funny!  Great tour and we learned a lot about the city and the formation of the state of Oklahoma.  Of interest to some, I would like to note that Oklahoma City is also home to “Tinker Air Force Base.:  There was a time I actually flew into there for “work.”  To close this chapter out, we stayed at the KOA Oklahoma City East and it was a much greater stay than our last KOA.  The sites were generally roomy, and the campground was much easier to navigate.  Friendly and helpful staff . . .may have re-instilled my faith in KOA!  We will see. 😉  The only negative, if there is one, is that we were about 15-20 miles from town and all the points of interest.  Overall, a great visit to OK City and one stop we are glad we made!

Deer Creek Valley RV Campground

(8-10 Aug)

Our stay in Topeka was short, but action packed!  Originally only planned as an opportunity to visit another state capital, it turned out to be much more!  As a result of our blog, friends and camping buddies, Gary and Randi Fox found us and let us know they were visiting family in Manhattan, KS while we were in Topeka.  Them being from Florida and us from Tennessee, it was only natural that we meet in Kansas!  Be that as it may, we did have a great dinner at “Tallgrass Brewing Company” and met their daughter-in-law and granddaughter!  The beer and food were good, and the company was great!  

In addition to Tallgrass, we managed to squeeze in a couple of other recommendations from our friend and Topeka native, Curt.  We started with the “Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant.”  The name has a great link to the prohibition days and their appetizer menu has at least one jewel – the Idaho Nachos.  When you think of Idaho Nachos think of all the nacho goodness mixed with cubed potato chunks instead of chips.  Delicious!  Of course, the beer was good, and the pairing was perfect!  We moved on to the “Happy Basset Brewing Company” where we continued to sample the plentiful offerings.  Another great little place, I favored the Yellow Brick Blond and Tina liked the Gracie Strawberry Blonde. 

Speaking of Yellow Brick . . .Road, did you know there was an “Oz Museum?”  Well, there is in Wamego, KS and it was interesting to visit if you have any memories of the movie classic, “The Wizard of Oz!”  This museum is dedicated to the making and history of the movie and contains thousands of pieces of memorabilia, costumes, clips, etc. from the movie.  It is relatively quick, self-guided tour, but fun and informative if you enjoyed the movie!  

Of course, where there is an Oz Museum, there must be an “Oz Winery”, right?  There is in Wamego and it was another hidden gem!  While they import the grapes, they do produce their own wine locally.  All the names/labels are related to the Wizard of Oz and the wines were very good – if you are into that sort of thing!  We both sampled several offerings and ended leaving with both a bottle of red (Melted Merlot – think demise of the Wicked Witch) and a white – a Chardonnay – cleverly named ‘Set Off Upon the Journey’ with a label showing Dorothy starting down the Yellow Brick Road.  Great stop and a great cheese board and cracker snack!  

We found a couple of other breweries, one in Manhattan, appropriately named the “Manhattan Brewing Company” which served as a stop while waiting for our dinner reservations.  Earlier in the day we stopped at the “Iron Rail Brewing Company” for lunch.  This is at the top of my list for breweries in Topeka.  Not only did they have good beer, but their menu was outstanding!  Focused primarily on the sale of locally grown food, we ordered a pulled pork and a brisket sandwich.  Both were delicious and the beer pairing was unbeatable!  The only regret to our stop in Topeka was that it was so short, we were not able to make a repeat visit to Iron Rail!  

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, we stopped in Topeka to see the Capitol.  That we did as we walked off our lunch from Iron Rail – only a couple of blocks away.  We made it to the Capitol and did a self-guided tour around the Rotunda and in the pseudo-museum on the ground floor.  The lower halls were filled with pictures and descriptions of the history of the state, and more specifically the building of the Capitol itself.  It was a great photographic history and I thought very interesting.  The Rotunda was well done and covered with full wall murals and other artwork from local and other well-known artists.  It was truly remarkable and beautifully done!  And I did stop by to see the Governor, but she was busy at the moment, missing her opportunity to meet the great Mojo!  

We stayed at the “Deer Creek Valley RV Park” in Topeka and were quite happy with the campground.  An immaculately maintained all concrete camp with nice sized sites.  Would stay here again if the opportunity arises! 

Gretna, NE at the KOA West Omaha / Lincoln

(1-8 Aug)

And the adventures continue!  Our next stop was in Gretna, NE about halfway between Lincoln and Omaha.  We were able to double our sightseeing!  Exercising our typical modus operandi, we gathered some local information from the nearby drinking establishments and plotted our adventure!  Again, this stop was driven by the opportunity to visit another state capital.  We managed that and much, much more! 

We did visit the Capitol in Lincoln late in the afternoon and was impressed with the towering central building and some of the stone carvings going up the steps.  Another impressive building representing all the state has to offer and it provides some great information on the history of the state and the capital!  

The first pleasant surprise was to learn that the “Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium” is a world class destination.  I agree and only the fact that we spent three hours in triple digit heat was there any detractor to this outing!  Great layout, hundreds of displays, clean and well run!  We have visited many zoos and aquariums in our time and this is definitely one of the best!  Glad we found it and stayed with the visit despite the heat! The $4 bottles of water never tasted so good! 

I have procrastinated long enough . . .time to share our brew pub discoveries since I know that is the only reason some of you read our blog!  Off the bat, we found the “Lucky Bucket Brewery and Cut Spike Distillery.”  A great find and Abby was a great source of info on both the beers and the spirits.  Naturally, we had to sample both sides of the house.  Well, I did anyway.  Tina stayed with the beer flight!  All of it was great and their signature single malt was as smooth as it gets!  We also sampled the beers from “Upstream Brewing Company,” the “Brickway Brewery and Distillery” (another two-fer!), and the “Nebraska Brewing Company.”  All were great and I could be a regular at any of them if I lived here!  

Moving to some of the more outdoor activities, we did a self-drive tour at the “Wildlife Safari Park” in Ashland, NE.  There are a ton of wild bird species, rescued American Bald Eagles, and free roaming herds of Bison and Elk!  We did not see any wolves, but we did the black bear!  It was a great tour, but I am glad I had a 4-wheel drive!  We also visited two very interesting museums, the “Durham Museum,” which is an historical account of the founding of Omaha, and the “Strategic Air Command (SAC) and Aerospace Museum” near Ashland, NE.  Both were interesting in their own unique ways.  Durham was in an old rail station downtown and still has some original rail cars on exhibit with model train display that must be nearly 1,000 square feet in layout!  The SAC Museum, in addition to the history of the command, had displays other historically significant events of the 20^th century and a nice display of Air Force (and Army Air Corps) aircraft throughout time.  Both were well worth the visit!  

One of the highlights and hidden gems was our discovery of the “Cellar 426 Winery” also near Ashland.  I say hidden, and maybe only because we were not locals, but just when I thought the GPS was wrong, we came up a hill and there was revealed the vineyard, welcome center, tasting area and restaurant. Glad the GPS was correct!  We loved this place and made a point to visit it again before we left!  We greatly enjoyed meeting Jennifer and Alyssa and learning about the vineyard.  Of course, we sampled many of the wines and left with some for later!  Their cheese boards and charcuterie plate choices were delicious!  The winery also had a great outdoor venue and occasionally has concerts, like when we visited.  Great place, great people and go Kyle!  

In addition to finding another winery, we also stumbled upon Orsi’s Italian Bakery and Pizzeria.  We went looking to have a pizza… and we did – carry out – by necessity, but Tina also hit the jackpot with homemade pasta, some homemade Italian sausage, homemade bread, canned tomatoes and peppers and some oil!  Great Italian food coming my way!  Yummy! 

This find for fresh food was only bested by the Omaha Farmer’s Market.  Quite a well done and expansive market, the choices were more than plentiful!  I had to talk Tina into leaving because all the produce, cheese, meats and whatever else she bought began to exceed my cargo carrying capacity!  I don’t think either of expected to find so much and were ill prepared for the take!  All good and some more good eating!  

We capped off our visit by walking to Iowa!  Yes, we crossed the Missouri River on foot via the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge was named after the Nebraska Senator and connects the Omaha waterfront to Council Bluffs, IA.  A scenic walk, but it was another hot day, so we had to expedite the outing!  The bridge did offer some great views and the light breeze was welcomed!  

I got a little ahead of myself!  I almost forgot to mention our timing worked to catch the Sarpy County Fair!  It was a stereotypical county fair with the rides, food (Tina’s corndog), concerts and of course a rodeo!  We made it a point to see the rodeo and enjoyed it like we always do!  Great demonstration of roping, riding and crazy ass bull riding!!  Why . . . WHY?  I was curious, so I looked up the history of bull riding. It actually originated as ranching games in Mexico in the 1600s.  I think today’s equivalent would be, “Hold my beer . . .watch this!!”  Good show, great clowns and a great announcer!  

We stayed at the KOA West Omaha / Lincoln campground near Gretna and that will be the last time they ever see us.  The site we were assigned was not big enough for the rig and there needs to be some serious money thrown into the infrastructure (roads and lower sites).  Check-in staff were nice and any interaction with the workers was fine, but the campground – except for the new expanded section – needs some work!  Tree limbs that impede passage should probably be removed also!  

Holiday RV Park and Campground

(25 Jul – 1 Aug)

North Platte, NE is a crossroad (rail?) of America, as we came to learn during our stay.  In addition, there were many things to do and places to see we were not aware of until we arrived!  We managed to fill a week with breweries, museums, historical sights, memorials, railyards, baseball and bike rides! 

Our first stop . . . wait for it . . . was a brewery!  Truly location dependent, we visited “Peg Leg Brewing Co” located down the road less than half a mile away.  We could have walked back if we had to!  One of only two breweries this time, it was a great venue and some great beer!  I enjoyed their German inspired Bock while Tina stuck to the fruity stuff (yuck!), a Mango-Peach Ale.  The brewery name does have a story and is easily located online, but to skip to the punch line – the Brew Master only has one leg, ergo – Peg Leg Brewery! 

Our only other brew stop was “Pals Brewing Company” located a little further from home.  A bit more of a drive, it was worth it!  Oh, by the way, we discovered Pals is a Harvest Host if you are ever in the area and you need a place for a night!  And they stay busy with travelers as we sat and chatted with Dan at the bar.  Pals also has live music on the weekends at their ample outdoor venue.  One other trivia note from Pals was the pleasure of meeting our beer tender . . . first name: Morgan. . . middle name: Christine. . . last name: not Jones, and she once lived in Algood, TN. She was shocked to meet folks from Sparta!  For the uninformed, Algood, TN is a couple of towns from Sparta, but even smaller.  Morgan stayed in the (Plains) Region after coming out for college.  She liked it so much, that after graduation, she decided to stay!  Interesting, but back to the beverages . . . the beer of choice for both of us this time was the ‘3 Palamigos’ and the ‘Weisenbock’.  No fruit beers this stop!  

The first stop on our other places of interest included the “20th Century Veterans’ Memorial” only about a mile from camp.  It is a very well-done memorial with some really intricate stone / brick carvings dutifully recognizing all of the military services – especially the Navy! 😉.   Co-located across a walkway was another memorial dedicated to police and other first responders.  Glad we made the stop!  God bless our military and first responders! 

Next on the “cool list” was the “Golden Spike Tower” on the edge of town.  If you ever get to North Platte or within 50 miles – make the drive to the Tower!  Besides being a sight to behold, the story and history of the world’s largest railyard is really interesting!  The Tower is an 8-story observation deck and contains a small sample of the history of rail as it made its way West.  We will have a link to it, but in short, many goods going by rail – either West or East – come through this yard.  The interesting part about this transition point is the “Hump Yards” and how they function to keep the right cars going to the right place. (NOTE: If you are really interested, Bailey Yard (proper name of railyard) has live camera feeds!) The other really neat historical aspect of the rail through North Platte goes back to WWII and the “Canteen” volunteers.  There is a book you can read that goes into detail about it, but in short order, as I mentioned above, this was a major East-West rail route and during WWII, from 1941-1946, the troop carriers made routine stops in North Platte as military personnel were moving across the country.  During this short 5-year time period, over 6 million (wow!) troops were fed, watered, coffee-d, and entertained by over 55,000 volunteers.  It is quite a story!  I am reading the book now – “Once Upon a Town – The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen” by Bob Greene.  

Another big draw to this part of the country is the fact that it was the home to “Buffalo” Bill Cody in the late 1800s.  His one-time home (1886-1913) and “Scout Rest Ranch” are still here, as is the “Trading Post” (souvenir shop) and “Cody Park”, home to some historical locomotives and still living buffalo!  (NOTE: The Buffalo Bill Ranch, Cody Park, The Golden Spike, and the Lincoln County Historical Museum make up the “grand slam” of must-see attractions in North Platte.  You can buy a “bundle ticket” for all of them!)  

Cody Park is home to a couple of historical locomotives reminiscent of and representing the Union Pacific Railways.  The “Union Pacific Challenger” and another engine are on display along with a restored period rail station.  We were lucky to have a volunteer historian and “station master” give us a personal tour and give context to the “old days”.  John was a great resource and a pleasure to meet.  He is even an amateur photographer! 

The “Lincoln County Historical Museum” was another very interesting stop and again, time well spent!  This museum, as its name indicates, is a testimony to the history of the immediate area with artifacts back to the dinosaur days and countless items that represent the growth of the West in the 1800s.  Several original buildings are here or have been re-located here along with their stories.  Early farming equipment and tools make you think of how impressive it was to have these tools at the time they were introduced, while at the same time making you realize what kind of people settled this country!  It was not for the timid or weak! (P.S. There is a great video about the Canteen here also!!)

We rounded out our week by celebrating Tina’s birthday with a nice dinner at the “Cedar Room” restaurant; taking in a college summer league baseball game between the “North Platte Plainsmen” and the “Nebraska Prospects”; taking a couple of bike rides; and visiting the local Farmers’ Market.  The food and service at the Cedar Room was outstanding; the ball game was fun to watch, but not so fun for the home team; bike ride was nice (crossed South Platte River) and bike path was adequate to really nice in places; and visiting the Farmers’ Market which had kettle corn!  Life is good!  

Holiday RV Park and Campground is designed as a transient stop right off I-80.  Lots of turnover, but we did meet our neighbors for most of the week.  Tim and Julie Anderson are former longtime residents of North Platte who have since moved to South Dakota and are now 4^th year full-time RVers in their very nice 5^th wheel!  The sites were all gravel, some shade, mostly level and fine for short stays.  Sites were big-rig friendly, and they do have a pool, bath house and a laundry. It is a family run operation, and the staff were all very friendly.  Not a resort but it is centrally located, clean, well-kept and I would stay again!