Getting ready for Alaska - The Last Frontier

A month from now we will be (at least we SHOULD be) heading toward Alaska...The Last Frontier.

We had planned this trip last year but our two sons and daughters-in-law had other plans.  We were blessed with our first grand son on June 19th and our first grand daughter arrived August 24th. So I guess you can imagine, our planned 2015 trip to Alaska was put on hold until 2016. And yes, adding two grands made the wait ALL worth it.

Now our plans include one more criteria...DON'T miss 1st birthdays! No problem, there are nine weeks between birthdays - more than enough time for an Alaska trip, so we will head westbound following Jax's big day and will be home to celebrate with Myna on her special day. Wow, we have an exciting summer in front of us!

We have been looking at maps and going over The Milepost - a travel planner that literally has mile-by-mile explanations of Alaskan highways. We've been making notes but we don't make a day-by-day checklist. We will see where the roads take us.

The Roadtrek is always kept in good mechanical shape so no concerns there, but there are always some final things to do. Over the past few weeks, I've sanitized the water system and converted all the lights to LED's that are more energy efficient when we are on battery power. Carolyn has been busy making the bed more comfortable and adding nice coverings. I'll have to add photos when everything is done.

Speaking of photos, from time to time, we will add posts with some photos and maybe an occasional video. Just check back every few days.

Seeing new stuff

I traveled through much of Nebraska many years ago but never through the Sand Hills so we planned to travel from Lincoln to NW Nebraska. We had lunch with friends in Lincoln who gave us info about a few places to stop along the way and told us about Ft. Robinson State Park. So, with a new destination we headed off.

The Sandhills, often written Sand Hills, is a region of mixed-grass prairie on grass-stabilized sand dunes in north-central Nebraska, covering just over one quarter of the state. The dunes were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1984. 

So it's no surprise to see lots of sand hills and open country...cattle country. Wind mills supply water for the cattle.

Fort Robinson State Park turned out to be a rather unique place.  There is a great campground so we decided to stay a couple nights. 

The post was an historic calvary outpost during the the Indian Wars in the late 1800's. It was the site of the 1879 Cheyenne Outbreak and the location of the death of Chief Crazy Horse.

During WWII, Ft. Robinson was used to house German POWs. The POWs worked in the fields. Today, the only evidence are concrete rooms scattered around the fields. Nobody knew what they were used for but one guide guessed they were armories to store guns and ammo in case of an uprising. 

Under the who woulda guessed category, there is also a museum that contains skeletal remains from nearby digs.  Among other displays, a complete Mammoth skeleton is a key feature.

All in all, it was a great stop. Ft. Robinson is only 40 or 50 miles from the S.D. Badlands so it's a nice stop along the way.

Heading to the Beartooth Photo Safari

We're off and heading west to the Beartooth Photo Safari. A get together along the Beartooth Hwy of campers who enjoy photography while traveling and camping.

Who knows what adventures we will discover along the way but Memorial Day is just a few days away so our first stop with be the Middle Conflict Memorial in Marseilles, Illinois. This memorial is personal for us...26 from our son's USMC battalion gave all and are on this wall.

This memorial is just a few miles south I-80 exit 97 about 50 miles west of Chicago. Stop if you are in the area. If you know someone who was KIA in Iraq or Afghanistan, you can search for their name on the web site before you go. http://www.middleeastconflictswallmemorial.us/

We camped at the Illinii State Park which is just across the river from the memorial and visited the Marseilles locks which is just a couple miles from the campground.

Smok'n on the bayou

This trip started when we received an invitation from a friend we met last year at the Roadtrek 40th anniversary rally in Branson, Missouri. Paul (Pogo) and his wife Vicki were inviting a number of Roadtrek owners to a party at their home.  Sheppard State Park was a great meeting place for the 12 Roadtreks that would arrive. 

Our site was big and level so we simply backing in and plugged in the electricity.  Actually, we are self contained and don't need to plug in but an electrical connection allows us to use our electric heater during chilly nights and to set the coffee maker to automatically come on in the morning.  Yup, Roadtreking is a nice step up from tent camping!

We enjoyed the first day by re-meeting old friends, repairing an water connection in one of the RT's and playing with Mike's Phantom II Quad Copter that is equipped with a GoPro camera.  It's a pretty cool setup.

Mike showing his Pantom II to Jim and Ken.

Saturday afternoon we caravanned to Pogo's house for the SMOK'N ON THE BAYOU party before we went to the Gautier Marti Gras parade. We filled the empty lot beside Pogo's house with Roadtreks.

We had great conversation about all sorts of things.

Pogo and Vicki had a great meal planned and everyone brought a dish to pass around.  Here's Pogo cooking some good sausages.

Our host - Pogo grilling sausage.

We also started to learn about Marti Gras.  One of the first things we learned is Marti Gras is more than a big party in New Orleans.  Gautier, MS is 50 miles east of New Orleans and Marti Gras is an annual celebration here too.  The difference is Gautier is small so the parade is small too.  The date of the parade is based on Fat Tuesday - the day before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of lent.

After Christmas, the trees become Marti Gras trees.

Visiting Gold Star Families

Have you ever seen these stickers on rear windows of cars and wonder what they mean?  They are service flags to honor sons or daughters who are in the military. A flag with a Blue Star (or maybe two or even three stars) designate son(s) or daughter(s) deployed.  Gold Star flags designate the family lost their son or daughter in the line of duty.

Our son served in the Marine Corps from 2006 to 2010. He deployed to Ramadi Iraq in 2007 and Helmand Province Afghanistan in 2009. Unfortunately, the 2009 deployment was very costly. Several of our planned stops were to visit families of some of the Marines who gave the ultimate sacrifice during these deployments.  Thanks to Deb Taylor, the Sharp family, Ferrell's, Richard's and Schimmel's for your hospitality and the wonderful visits we had with each of you.  What amazing families who have given so much.  We visited grave sites, were welcomed into their homes, learned more about their families and heard stories of their Marine's...their sons who gave all they could give. Here are their sons who sacrificed all.

LCpl Charles S. Sharp	2-Jul-09
Cpl Nicholas G. Xiarhos	23-Jul-09
LCpl Jeremy S. Lasher	23-Jul-09
Pfc Donald "Wayne" Vincent	25-Jul-09
LCpl Gregory A. Posey	30-Jul-09
LCpl Jonathan F. Stroud	30-Jul-09
LCpl Dennis J. Burrow	7-Aug-09
LCpl Javier Olvera	8-Aug-09
LCpl Patrick W. Schimmel	9-Aug-09
LCpl Bruce E. Ferrell	10-Aug-09
LCpl Leopold F. Damas	17-Aug-09
LCpl David R. Hall	31-Aug-09
LCpl Jordan L. Chrobot	26-Sep-09
Cpl Xhacob Latorre	8-Dec-09

We're off for 2014

This will be an interesting trip.  We had to dig the Roadtrek out of the snow just to get it out of the garage so it'll be nice the head south to some warm weather.

We have a few goals for this trip. The idea of this trip started when our friend "Pogo" invited us to a "smoke'n by the bayou" pre Marti gras party in Gautier (pronounced go-shay), Mississippi. That lined up with a convention I had to work in San Antonio, TX so we said let's do it!

When I was looking at the route, I realized many Gold Star families who we know were along our route so we added them to our list of stops.  As a bonus, I was able to get a pre release copy of a movie that has footage for the Marine Corps battalion (2nd battalion, 8th Marines) in which our sons served.  The Hornets Nest will be released mid May, 2014.

The third goal is to visit family in Texas.  It has been too many years since Carolyn saw her cousins.

Finally, since we are this far, why not go big and keep going to the Grand Canyon.  I was there several years ago.  It was the end of January and there was a weird combination of weather conditions that included a snow storm and fog.  When we got to the edge of the canyon, we couldn't see a thing.  I mean zip...nadda.

This is the map that we've come up with.  Who knows what "Mystery Spots" we will discover along the way.

 

It's Saturday May, 18 and we are off for our first trip of the year.  We are heading the Branson, Missouri for the 40th Anniversary Roadtrek Rally.  We will go part way today and stop at Hinton RV Park in Sikeston, MO and meet up with a few other Roadtrek owners who are on their way to Branson.  Six Roadtreks formed out new little community.

 

Following some introductions, the Hinton campground shuttle took us to Lambert's Cafe - home of the "throwed" rolls.  Servings are large and the waiters bring "extras" (fried okra, home fried potatoes, soup, etc) so bring your big appetite.  Besides the Sikeston location, there are cafes near Springfield, MO and Foley, AL.  If you want a good meal and a little entertainment, it's worth a stop if you are near a Lambert's.

Stu seems to be pretty pleased with group he will be dining with.

This guy was good!  His best throws were underhand.  Look at the size of the roll he is holding.

The décor is interesting.

Look like a satisfied group.

Following dinner, we returned to the campground to swap stories and get to know each other.  Along the way, someone suggested this group should be known as "The Sikeston Six".

Tomorrow morning we will head toward Branson.