So, I have finally wrapped up the posts about my Fall 2018 travels. Time for a short summary.
I spent the night in six states and passed through Illinois.
I visited some friends along the way.
I met Sue in real life in Kansas City, Kansas. We’d known each other on Facebook for years.
I met up with Jack and Elizabeth, old Airstreaming buddies and Facebook friends, in Kansas City, Missouri.
I met up with Nancy in Conway, Arkansas. We’ve been digital friends from BEFORE Facebook!
I couldn’t resist including this photo of Nancy and her dog.
Karen and I got together for the first time in real life in Nashville, Tennessee.
Finally, I got to spend time with Ron, an old friend from Kalamazoo who moved to Cincinnati back in the ’90s.
I also made some friends. Julie and Mike were the first T@bbers I met actually camping!
I also made some inroads on my mission to visit state capitols.
I saw Missouri’s state capitol in Jefferson City. I had to “borrow” the photo from my Preferred Source as my photos were suboptimal.
This was about the best shot I had. As I said, suboptimal.
I visited Tennessee’s capitol in Nashville.
The capitol of Kentucky in Frankfort rounds out the group.
I also managed to get a few things checked off my “Next Time” list.
I visited The Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. The steamboat sank in the Missouri River in 1856 and was found in a cornfield in 1988. The course of the river shifted so much over time that it made it hard to locate, even though people had ideas about where it was. It was a treasure trove of everything needed for daily life in the middle of the 19th century.
There was glassware.
All the goods you would need to set up housekeeping.
Heck! They even had the stuff you would need to build the house!
I managed to tour the Gibson Guitar factory in Memphis, before it closed.
I am usually partial to red, but this blue guitar is mighty pretty.
I visited the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.
The hotel is famous for the ducks that live in the fountain in the lobby.
Each afternoon, the duckmaster comes down and marches the little flock from the lobby into the elevator and to their penthouse on the roof.
Not quite a “Next Time” list item, but I also had my shoes shined while I was at the hotel. I love having my shoes shined!
The Lorraine Motel has also been on my bucket list. People of a certain age will never forget what happened here. Not a joyous spot to visit, but definitely important.
It is also home to the National Civil Rights Museum. If you visit, you will be bowled over by the horrors of the struggle for equality.
Also on my “Next Time” list was Crater of Diamonds State Park. I wanted to go mining for diamonds!
I was a bit surprised when I saw that this was the diamond mine.
This was my “haul.”
The closest I got to finding a diamond was this tiny shard of glass. Oh, well…
I also revisited places I’ve been before.
I managed to snap this rainy photo of the St. Louis Arch as I crossed the Mississippi River.
I knew the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art was closed, but I stopped by to see if they had any interesting sculptures on the grounds. I had been there in the ’70s as part of a Girl Scout event.
I stopped by the Colored School in Neosho, Missouri. This is where George Washington Carver began his education. I worked on restoring the building to its original configuration as part of an HistoriCorps project in 2015.
I stayed at Toad Suck Campground near Conway, Arkansas again. I even had the same campsite!
You can’t beat those Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds for quality and (usually) great water views.
I had been to Hot Springs, Arkansas before. This time, I booked a bath at the Buckstaff Baths. It was a marvelous experience. If I had known how wonderful it would be, I would have put it on my “Next Time” list.
There were also some interesting things that kind of popped up.
I saw Bill Clinton’s birthplace home, in Hope, Arkansas.
The house Bill’s family moved to when his mother married his stepfather was also in Hope.
This house, in Hot Springs, is where he spent his teenaged years.
I came across this unusually modern cathedral in Jefferson City. I’d seen modern architecture used in churches before, but never anything like this in a cathedral.
It was also interesting because I happened in on a Knights of Columbus mass.
I was back in Lewis and Clark territory. I came upon this interesting sculpture grouping near the Missouri capitol.
While looking for interesting things to do in Kansas City, I found the National World War I Museum and Memorial. It was quite interesting.
I decided to have lunch in the cafeteria. There were several authentic dishes that the doughboys would’ve eaten. I selected “S.O.S.” which was served on a tin dish.
In Memphis, I came across Elvis.
I also drove out to take a peek at Graceland. At a minimum price for adults of $41 dollars, I wasn’t about to make a visit a priority.
While prowling around Nashville, I came across this Woolworth that had been converted to a restaurant. It was the site of sit-ins for civil rights back in the ’60s. I had a little refreshment there.
One last unexpected item before I summarize the trip.
I found Daniel Boone’s final resting place in Frankfort, Kentucky and I actually met a descendant of his while I was there.
And now, my trip by the numbers:
Number of states I slept in: six
Number of days in the trip: 24
Number of miles towing: 2750
Number of campgrounds: 8
Number of alternative lodgings: 1 night behind a Cracker Barrel (Crackerdocking, we call it) and 2 nights of home hospitality
Number of old friends I met up with: 8
Number of new friends I’ve kept in touch with since: 2
And finally…
Number of days until my next trip: 142
See you down the road!
