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[Ron]

Week 28: Ending May 25, 2003

We leave Myrtle Beach KOA just before 11:30. Three hours later, we find ourselves still in Myrtle Beach! We stopped at the Camping World on Route 501 North for a couple of small items. We found a few more items that we could not live without, and listened to an interesting presentation for Good Sam’s extended warranty for our motorhome.
Once we really get on the road, we drive until we reach a WalMart Super Center in Newberry, SC and call it a night.

Tuesday:
We continue westward to Knoxville, TN and then drive north to Kentucky. We had planned to stop in Lexington, but decide to pull into a KOA in Corbin, KY. It is a pretty little campground, about 50 sites all told, nicely wooded, as we have found most KOAs. The new owners, Bill and Debbie, are brand new, having just bought the campground two weeks ago! They moved from San Diego to KY. A bit of culture-shock, but they seem up for the challenge.

Wednesday:
The beauty of or schedule is that we can change it on our own, most of the time. We embarked on the road headed for Louisville, but decided to proceed a little further west. The Louisville Slugger museum will have to wait for another trip. It is windy and overcast, making for a long drive. We call ahead to the Grand Trails RV Park in Corydon, IN, about 35 miles west of Louisville. It’s a PassportAmerica member, so we save 50% off the campground fee.
Corydon is a small town and the campground is located within a few blocks of their quaint historic downtown. (The campground recently expanded across the street to accommodate large rigs. Down that street is a Tyson Poultry Processing Plant. As we pulled into our site, a trailerload of plump chickens drove by. Makes one wish to become vegetarian at times.) Corydon is of note because the only Civil War battle fought in Indiana took place here. We walked to dinner at Magdelena’s, a little pricier than we expected, but good food, and then walked around downtown. A pleasant evening.

Thursday:
Westward on I-64 through Illinois into Missouri. We debate whether to stop in St. Louis to view the arch and decide against it. On to Kansas City, MO. We arrive at Basswood Country Resort in Platte City, MO, about 20 miles north of KC and 531 miles from Corydon, IN. Although we had planned on dining at Hereford House for reknown KC steaks, it is 30 miles south. The grill comes out and we make our own KC steaks!

Friday:
It is Memorial Day weekend. We hook up and drive to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, MO. We spend a good part of the day viewing exhibits and films exploring the life of our 33rd President. It is an educational visit: Truman was a remarkably liberal leader, setting the stage for today’s foreign policies, as well as civil rights and universal health care.
We drive across I-435 S to Overland Park, KS, just south of KC, KS. The WalMart SuperCenter was rather full, so we drive down the block to plan our next move and find a nice strip mall with a vacant restaurant and parking lot at one end. We park and walk around. The Golden Ox, another KC steakhouse mentioned in Roadfood and Eat Across the USA, just opened another branch in Overland Park. Given our late arrival, however, we decide to dine in. Early to bed for an early departure.

Saturday:
Back onto I-435 West to I-29 North as we wind through Kansas and back into Misssouri and finally into Nebraska. We pull into the Super Walmart in Lincoln, NE for the night. Good timing to get some prescriptions refilled.

Sunday:
We continue on 1-80 West to North Platte, NE and pull into the Holiday Trav-L-Park. This is a nice park, rated 9/9*/9 and worth it. Buffalo Bill is North Platte’s claim to fame, so we have to visit the Buffalo Bill Ranch Historical Park. It is a beautiful place, almost resort-like, with a magnificent Victorian Italianate home with memorabilia from the Wild West Show, Bill Cody’s family and associates. Nearby is an even larger barn called Scout’s Rest Ranch filled with more Wild West memorabilia. Neat place to visit and well worth the $2.50 entrance fee. Returning towards the campground, we pull into Cody Park, truly an oasis in urban North Platte. It is part amusement park (Rides mostly geared for the under 10 crowd), part zoo (with peacocks, deer, elk and geese), part campground, part museum and part athletic fields, with softball fields and tennis courts. Refreshments are even available, including a kiddie soft serve cone for $0.30! We top our evening off in North Platte with a delicious meal at the Applebee’s just around the corner from the campground.
Warning to travelers in this area: There are two gas stations (probably owned by the same people to make you THINK that there’s competition) on the north-bound side of Rte 83, just as you come off I-80. Do NOT stop there for gas. They are a rip-off, charging about $0.32 more per gallon than gas stations just over the hill maybe 1 or two tenths of a mile further, but just out of sight of motorists coming off the freeway.

[TJ]

This news is nearly *current*. I'm excited!
Glad you guys are still truckin'.
Too bad you missed Louisville. The Louisville Slugger museum is pretty cool. They have a room that's a replica of a major league ballfield. We have a photo of my son posing on that field. Cute.
And, after the tour of the factory, they give you a small wood bat as a souvenir. The perfect thing for a kid to use for beating his kid brother.
Are you guys just wandering, or do you have a short-term destination in mind?
TJ

[Beth & Stu]

Hi Ron & Joan.
We haven't checked in for a while, and we're very glad to see you still out there traveling! We are actively working on our plans to become full timers, and hope to be on the road by December of this year. In the meanwhile we are home here in Mass, and temporarily grounded while we change style of rigs. Our Allegro Bay is for sale on consignment, and then we go from there. If you get to Mass please let us know. In the mean time, keep on rolling! Love, Beth and Stu